Paganimini - finished

Pretty happy with it ;o) It finished 18" square before I chucked into the washing machine - then it shrunk about an inch. Since it is so small I used a thinner thread than I usually do for quilting - not sure that was a good idea - it didn't wash too well... but done is done, and I have learned something!

And no matter what I had lots of fun playing with the quilting! I have gotten a bit bored with my usual stippling so I wanted to try something different, and this was a great practice sandwich! A close-up of a corner



As I mentioned in a previous post I didn't really know what to do with this project, but I found I had a pillow form in my cupboard, so another sofa cushion wouldn't be out of the way. When I added the binding I stitched an "envelope" to the back of the quilt, and tucked the pillow form inside - after it had been properly shrunk in the wash - and this is now how it looks



Happy me! ... and I know I really need to re-cover that blue bolster cushion one of these days...

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Paganimini - quilting and having loads of fun :o)

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Paganimini

Yes, I do know the name of this month's "Le Petite..." project is "Paganini", but...

On the one hand:

1. I really want to try to make all the little projects Sherri and Sinta has picked for this year
2. I really loved "Paganini" from the moment I saw a picture on Carrie's blog.
3. I had fabric more or less all picked from my stash.

On the other hand:

1. I really don't have much time for another project at the moment,
2. The fabrics I had picked didn't really inspire me once I sat down to cut them up,
3. I don't know what to do with the quilt once it's finished (bad argument since I have made so many quilts without having a purpose for them, but sometimes it is a block in the creative process)
4. I'm running low on batting and I can't prioritize batting shopping at the moment...

Get the picture? Everything negative started piling up in my head! Then I gave it one more thought... what if I dug into my scrap box for some little pieces, and used them as leaders/enders while working on other projects? If it didn't work out, I could always save the pieces for some other scrap project. At the moment we have:

Cute, aren't they? *lol* My blocks are made from 2.5" scrap squares, and 1.25" light squares so my quilt will be about the quarter size of the original - hence the name "Paganimini" *lol* I have high hopes of having the at least the top together by deadline - perhaps even quilted and bound?
Happy quilting!
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Snowmen and snowballs - the continuing story

Thank you to everyone for your sweet comments on my previous snowmen and snowballs post, sorry I haven't been able to get back to all of you yet. Here's the continuing story; I have sewn some quick corners this weekend...





...and the snowmen blocks are now snowball blocks :o) Next is to get these together into a top, and figure out what to do for borders...
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Pressie

My dear friend gave me a challenge this summer; to come up with some type of container for C5 envelopes. Her birthday was on Thursday, so I figured I'd try to meet her challenge as a present. I did a lot of thinking, and what I ended up with was a simple box, kind of like the type you use for paper napkins, and then I added a lid:

I think we were both pretty pleased with the result :o) Oh, and I added a ribbon to the edge of the lid to finish it off, but forgot to take an after-picture...

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Snowmen and snowballs

I had intended to begin this post saying it's a bit early for snow, but reading Stina's blog just a couple of hours ago I have to eat my words - brrrrr! Anyway, this post is supposed to be about embroidered snowmen and snowball blocks :o)

When I made a post in beginning of June about playing with small scraps resulting in a pile of blue and cream star blocks, I received this lovely e-mail from a dear friend of mine accross the pond:

Hello friend, over there, around the world....
I was looking around today, and was just inspired by your blog. You have been playing with some blue HSTs and wondering what you will set them with. What came to mind for me were snowball blocks with your blues. I would like to create some embroidered blocks for you with my machine! I have some cute snowmen that would look nice, or perhaps you could give me some direction. I have many designs and I need something to get my creativity going again [...]

Who am I to say no to such a sweet offer? Coming home last night I found a parcel in my mail box - opening it I found these:



Aren't they cute? So many charming faces, snowmen, snow-women, snow-cats, reindeer with heaps of charm :o) The two cats are in honor of their two family cats, Isabelle and Maestro



And look, one of the snowladies is carrying a bag with a Friendship "F"!



Thank you so much, Shelley!!! I had a bit of a play today, and layed out your embroidered blocks along side my pieced stars

Looks great, doesn't it :o) Now I'm going to have heaps of fun stitching quick corners on those blocks, making snowballs!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Autumn

We have spent a couple of days at the summer house cutting up some wood, and I took my camera for a little walk



The jelly fish were having a parade along the beach - this is the only ok pic I could get



Even with autumn's harsh chill, the roses on the porch insisted on blooming



Oh, and I said I would show a pic of these runners once they were up - this is how they turned out

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Ironing board

For a year I have been eagerly reading Sherri and Sinta's "A Year of Shnibbles" posts, but never got around to join in. This year they are doing "Le Petite...A Year of Small Projects" - me gonna join this year?



They are starting off the year with a new cover for your ironing board. Hmmm... Let's have a look at mine:



There are actually two store bought covers on there, and you can see the metal straight through both of them...



over the last couple of months I have used a bath towel on top ...starting to get a bit brownish...



I stripped it down, and see how those covers look on the inside - no wonder it has been a burnt smell in the room whenever I have been pressing!

I definitely need a new one!!! Ok, I have gone through 1-2 covers pr year on an average the last six years, so I don't want to put too much work into it - and I don't want any embelishments getting in the way when pressing or ironing - so a simple one piece cover it is! I dug up a fabric that look a bit patched from my stash, attached four layers of batting and a cord, and this is how it looks now

It even matches my steam iron! *lol* Me a happy girl!!!

Have a fab Sunday!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida