A knitted finish :o)

Wow - its been a long time since I have finished a sweater. But today I did .......

Its a birthday present for a little charming boy,

soon to be four years :o) Hope he and his mom will be satisfied !

Its used Fabel, a wool yarn from Garnstudio.

I have also made all of the stars for the runner Im about to make. Originally I was making a wallhanging with 4 stars, but Ive changed my mind, Im making a tablerunner instead. For me its more useful.

But Im not sure what to use in the sashing, a dark beige or a dark brown.

Maybe you can help me??

Wishing you all a wonderful evening :o)

A new star is born......

Its time to show you the next star in the Fat Quarter QA :o) I have been looking at it, thinking and looking again, because Im not sure if I like it or not. Is it too much? I think I will make one more with just two fabrics, just too see if I like that more.

What do you think?

I've started a class in my LQS, making a Star Block Quilt. I havent decided how big I want to make it yet, only I will not make a big quilt this time. 

I love the smooth colours and fun print, its designed by Lynette Anderson.

Wish you all a peaceful afternoon :o)

Show your quilts, crocheted or knitted blankets

Liv, at 'Livs lyst' is having a challenge to all the creative bloggers - show us the blankets you have made, sewn/crocheted or knitted.

This is her wonderful blanket made of leftovers - I love it :o)

So head on over to her blog, Livs lyst, and show us what you have made. Just leave a link in the comment field on her post, and she will put you on the list. Already a lot of lovely blankets to see :o)

Wish you all a great evening!

Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along

The first block of the Fat Quarter Star QA, using Soul Blossom by Amy Butler.

I am a bit worried how the big prints will work in a star, but I think it will be fine :o) At least I like the first star :o)

A class with André Wallenborg and new BOM's

Last weekend I was taking a class with André Wallenborg, making a nice looking bag. For you who may wonder - who is this???, he is a norwegian designer making clothes but mostly he designs and makes his own bags. He has even made clothes and bags for the norwegian royal family, not bad!!!

It is not a very posh kind of bag, but it is the small details that is the clue :o)

This pocket is a 3 in 1 pocket, one in the back and two behind the zipper. Very smart!

There is a zippered pocket inside aswell, in two levels. One level with pockets for the mobile and cards and one big pocket.

And on the other side a pocket with folds and rubberbands on the top.

Not a single seam are visible, everything is hidden, both on the outside and inside - I love it! And so does my daughter it seems, she asked me to make one for her aswell :o) So I will try to remember all the tricks we learnt.....

Everybody who have been following me for a while knows that I love joining quilt alongs and BOM's :o) And as you can see on my sidebar I have recently joined two more. One is called Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along at Moose on the Porch Quilts. I bought Soul Blossoms by Amy Butler some time ago, and I will be using it with white as background.

The other one is hosted by Jackie at Canton Village Quilt Works and is called Bloggers BOM, find all the info here. For this I will be using some of my Kaffe Fassett fabrics, in red/pink and blue/green and maybe some purple (just because I love it!!).

Looking at my stash I suddenly realised that I need some more in the blue/green colourway - and some background. Hmmm, so off I go to shop at Jackie's :o)

You still have a chance to join the Wanttobe quilter campaign, lots of more prizes to win every day until the end of October - just give me a word!!

Wish all my friends a wonderful evening!

How do you sew your hexies?

Im a newbie when it comes to hexies, but it so much fun! I read somewhere that there are different ways of sewing them together.

Like this, laying them flat together. If you do like this you should avoid stitches to be seen in the front. But I think its difficult sewing like this, takes longer and the front gets sometimes wrinkles and a bit loose.

Or like this, right sides together and sew along. Much more easy and faster. If I look closely I may be able to see some of the stitches on the front, but not much.

Which of the two do you prefer?

Look at this lovely stack of precut hexies. Bought from Possum Blossom, which sells precuts in different shapes. This is Etchings from Moda.

One finished top! I will have to buy some flannel for the back to make it soft and warm.

Wishing all of my friends a wonderful afternoon :o)

Finally on its proper place :o)

Finally my Star Crazy quilt has landed on its proper place! It has been a while since it was quilted, but I havent binded it.

For some reason it has been 'forgotten', but this weekend I showed it to some friends and it was a bit embarrassing that it was not finished. Well, at least thats what my dearest thought :o) He said to me - Merete, you HAVE to finish it now!! And I did agree, so on Sunday it was done. Its actually quite nice work, especially the handstiching on the back!

I have also been working on my new project, it comes together quite easy.

I havent made up my mind about the size yet. I think I will have to make  some more blocks and assemble them to see how it looks. It isnt ment to be too big. 

I use 2 jelly rolls, one white and one 'Little Apples' from Moda.

Have a wonderful week! We were waiting for the remains of the tropic storm 'Katia', and expected heavy winds and rain, but it didnt turn out so bad. We were lucky!

Small purses and a new project

This weekend the weather was really really bad, pouring down. It practically shouted out - its time for some sewing!!! I have seen some purses that I wanted to make some time ago, but never got around to do it. Well, now was the time :o)

I tried some of the borders on my sewing machine, practised my freemotionquilting. Im not very good yet, but Im getting there. A lot better than this time last year......

The purses were fun to make and went together quite fast. But I think it was a bit difficult getting the ends to look good. Maybe it will be easier when I've made a few more of them :o)

As usual Im not very patient when it comes to start a new project. I know-I know, should have finished the hexagon tablerunner first and not to mention all the quilting I should have done.... But the hexies are done by hand, so thats different - and i havent got enough batting for all the tops, and that a good excuse aswell - so I started my new quilt top :o) And here are lots of strips from 2 jelly rolls. 

I just have to show you one of the birthdaypresents I got from one of the girls. She has made it all by herself in secret in my room. She knows how to melt a mothers heart :o) Even if the card stated I had to do the binding myself.....

It was difficult to get a decent photo because of the colours, but I think you get the essence of it :o)

Are you really sure you dont want to join the Wantobe Quilters Campaign at Sew We Quilt? Lots of great prizes to win. Two months left of the campaign with giveaways every day!! Look here to see what has happened so far. To join, have a look at my sidebar, its easy peasy.

Wishing you all a great week!!

Magic loop and a magic weekend

One of the things I have never liked too much about knitting is the sleeves of a sweater and using 5 needles. So I was soooo happy this summer when I learnt the magic loop! Imagine never have to use those needles again, I can knit sleeves, mittens, socks and whatever with a circular needle - what a joy :o)) And its so easy!

My birthday was last week, and one of the things I got was this.

Its a set of knitting needles, all sizes from 3,5mm - 10mm, and cords in 4 different lengths. And I can combine them as I need. Goodbye too the mess of needles in all sizes, never knowing which ones I have and always buying new ones because Im not sure if I have that size or if its lost somewhere..... Everything I need is in this little bag - genius!!!

My birthday were celebrated at Slåtterøy lighthouse, a beautiful little island in the far west of the norwegian coast, overlooking the North Sea.

We got a guided tour in the lighthouse, which is from the 1850's. This picture is taken from the top, looking down at the house we stayed in. I am very facinated by the sea and the forces of nature, so I wished for strong winds when we were there. On sunday it was a strong breeze and this is what it does to the sea - enjoy! Imagine how it would be during one of the winterstorms!

We had a great time!

There are still 9 more weeks to join the fun at Sew We Quilt, today the prize is an Accuquilt Baby-Go. Head over and see and give me a word if you want to join.

Wishing all my friends a wonderful week!

Hexies!!

Yes, at last Im trying to make some hexagons! And before Ive even started properly - its a lot of fun :o))

I bought a pack of 1,5" hexagons and started cutting. I had also bought a gluepen to use for the corners in stead of sewing as I read it was easier.

And yes, it was easy. But I didnt feel comfortable that it would stick through the process. So I started sewing, and I think I will do that from now on. It was fairly quick aswell.

One thing I realised aswell is that 1/4" for the back is not enough (at least I think so.... :o)), so I started cutting them a bit larger and the sewing was easier.

So now Ive started to sew the flowers together, its so exciting...... And Im very curious if I have stitched the paper to the fabric, I tried hard not to :o)

You have still a chance to win lots and lots of prizes at Sew We Quilt - have a look and come back here and let me register you. Send me an email with the info as listed on my sidebar.

Wishing you all a wonderful evening! 

Summer is not over yet :o)

Hello from sunny Bergen :o) We have had some wonderful days of summer this week, and we know we have to enjoy it while it lasts! Next week will be not so good, they say.... But maybe I can finally have some time in my sewing room again :o) Havent been sewing much, but I have got some new fabrics and yarn - of course..... ;o)

This will be for x-mas. I saw a quiltalong at 'ps i quilt' called 'synchronised squares', I like it a lot and its quite easy to make. You can have a look here. I cant decide whether to use red or white as background, what do you think? At the moment I think I prefer the red, but I have to see.

I also bought some Kaffe Fassett on sale. I really have to make something soon with my gorgeous collection, but I have a hard time cutting in it because I love so much.... I dont know if that is good or bad :o/

I have at least been knitting a little bit during my holidays, not much - but more than halfway on the sweater I was planning to finish :o)

I am so lucky I have a niece who has learnt to spin yarn and has its own spinning wheel. She has made me some yarm and I have more to come... Isnt it gorgeous, its merinowool/bamboo/silk, love the colors! We have collected Cora's coat from early summer when she lost it, and Marte will try to make yarn - exciting!

Have you been over at Sew We Quilt to look? The Wantobe quilter campaign (which is also very much for already quilters...) is still going with great prizes every day - and will for another 11 weeks. Pop over to have a look at last weeks prizes, its amazing I can tell you!

You dont want to miss these opportunities (yes you can win more than once!!), take a look at my sidebar how to register.

Wishing you all a wonderful sunny weekend :o)

Wantobequilter campaign at Sew We Quilt, giveaways every day from Aug 1st to Oct 29th

It's been a long and happy summer, visiting family, sailing in Greece, sailing in Norway - but now its almost over and we start again with lots of happy memories.

Have you been over at SewWeQuilt lately? If not, you should! The wonderful Mme Samm is hosting the most exciting giveaways I have ever seen. New prizes every day from Aug 01 to Oct 29! Can you imagine?? If you want to participate - its a piece of cake :o)

So, it is as simple as this: Send me (mvatshel@hotmail.com) your name and email, and I will enter you in the contest. Be a follower of my blog and SewWe Quilt. Leave a comment on the posts on SewWeQuilt when there is something you want to win, be sure to mention me as your blogsponsor. If you have any questions (I know I had at first....), dont hesitate to ask me.

Wantobe quilters (no tools) can enter mon-wed-fri. / Quilters (have tools) can enter tues-thurs.

There is a list of all the wonderful prizes to win at SewWeQuilt - Mme Samm must have been working hard to make all this possible for us - THANKS!!

No reason to wait - you can only win :o)

Visiting Summerland.....

For the last two weeks we have been sailing in the Ionian Islands, a wonderful area on the westcoast of Greece.

Lazy, wonderful, sunny days

reading an exciting book,

watching the incredible stars in the night - who could know there were so many...

finding the most beautiful, white, clean beaches and have them all by ourselves - unbelievable

bathing in the bluest water, so clear you can see the bottom 20 m below

On our way back we had time to visit Acropolis in Athens - very impressive

Our two gorgeous girls :o))

Not much quilting, sewing, stitching or knitting done - but who cares :o)

Wishing you all wonderful days to come - hoping summer will hit us here on the westcoast of little Norway!!