It's in the hoop - woohoo!

Got my Sugar Camp Quilt layered and basted last night. This is my first time using Hobbs wool batting - not quite sure what I think yet... The needle goes through it very smoothly, so that is a positive, but it did feel kind of lumpy/uneven while I was basting it - let you know what my feelings are when I have quilted a bit more.

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

What we are working on

My little "quilting buddy" often comes running wondering what two-legs is up to, and for once I was able to take a picture before he scampered off

What is he walking on? I have pulled out my Sugar Camp Quilt, making it top priority to finish! This quilt has been a rocky road... I had a ball with those HST units back in January 2009, and getting the top together didn't take too much time. I did most of the appliqué, all the while thinking this looks wrong! So I ripped everything out...

For a while I was thinking of several options: 1) re-do the appliqué, 2) embroider the outlines of the shapes, 3) make the shapes part of the quilting pattern... On my New Year's resolutions for 2010 it was no.1 on the priority list (I haven't gotten much done on the other two projects on that list, either), but couldn't make up my mind about that appliqué. Monday evening I finally bit the dust

Two of the dreaded a-blocks are finished, two more to go, and then I can get on to quilting!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

White... with a touch of pink and green

At this time of the year one of my favorite flowers - the Forget me not - are in bloom. You can find them almost everywhere, bringing that tiny splash of powder blue to a green background. This year I found a small cluster of white ones in my parents garden

Another white spring beauty is the apple blossom - and I love that delicate touch of blushy pink

My sister's birthday was Friday, and for dinner we made sushi for the very first time.

Don't know quite what we did wrong, but the rice stuck to everything but itself, and since it stuck to the sea weed we ended up making all maki rolls - they look far from perfect, but they tasted great - how bad can it get with top grade salmon and rice ;-)

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Gratulerer med dagen! Hurra!

Happy constitution day! A glimpse of our day:

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

I have been enjoying the Bloggers' Quilt Festival in the past, loving to look at all the beautiful quilts. It is so inspirational - thank you so much Amy! So this year I thought I'd share my favorite quilt - an Ocean Waves quilt I finished in June 2008! This is a quilt I have dragged along to picknics, lazy days in the park, on the sofa, on my bed etc.

I have loved the look of the Ocean Waves pattern since the first time I saw a quilt made in the pattern. And I guess there's no big secret I'm a big fan of the Elm Creek Quilts novels and pattern books. So when I found the pattern for "Eleanor's Ocean Waves" in "Return to Elm Creek" I decided to go for it.

It was the perfect opportunity to use lots of accumulated blue and white scraps and leftover bits and pieces, I had lots of fun piecing it and it came together smoothly. The quilting is one of my first attempts at doing something other than just meandering, and I really like how it turned out.

...oh, and if anyone has clicked on the photos and seen the name "sick quilt" - you can read about that here.

Happy weekend!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

More hand work

Bernie is still out sick, but with it being Eurovision week it is perfect to spend some time hand stitching in front of the telly. During the first semi-finals on Tuesday I got this month's block for Christmas Greetings finished - Advent Wreath:

I did this one by English paper piecing, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

For this evening's semi-finals I have pulled out a kit I have had stashed away since the NQF meeting 2008:

I have gotten Sue and her laundry appliquéd down, now I'm gonna pull out my embroidery needle and add the little details, some flowers and the laundry line, then it can be layered and hand quilted with a simple cross hatch.

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

PS! My e-mail buddy Doniene in Texas has decided to start her own blog - please pop over to Quilts-bordercollies and say hi :o)

Can you believe it?

It is FINISHED! After nearly four years it is actually FINISHED!! And I'm soooo happy with it!

Actually I can't say if I'm most happy with the quilt or the fact that it is FINISHED *lol* Happy dancing here!

And sending out a big thank-you hug to all the girls who participated in the swap! ...oh and most of the pictures are clickable :o)

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It has been a long road from start to finish. My 10 sets of five blocks for the swap was stitched in April-June 2007, and the 50 swap blocks arrived here in mid-September the same year.

I had also made an extra block of my sets, so all in all there were 60 blocks laid out on the floor. I was on a roll at the time and it only took me a couple of days to get the center of the quilt top stitched together

and the log cabin blocks for the borders were stitched and attached by the beginning of October.

When Elin and I went to Lappemakeriet that same month I got the batting and quilting cotton - all ready to quilt!

I started out very well - a goal of quilting at least one thread a day got quite a large portion of the quilt done. I brought it with me everywhere to keep to my goal, so it is well traveled - even a trip to Elverum (picture snagged from May Britt's blog):

but for some reason it was put away in the cupboard. I pulled it out every now and then over the next couple of years, but I didn't really make much progress till I brought it with me on Christmas holiday 2010 when I finished quilting the last of the blocks and got started on the border. Coming home I decided it wasn't going back into the cupboard but was to live on the sofa till it was done

I was quite big mouthed when I posted this picture in February - because even though the quilt lived on the sofa, I didn't really work on it... so if Bernie hadn't gotten sick, it might still be there unfinished...

By lunch time today the last of my blocks were turned into a label and attached to the back.

Now all that is left is to give it a toss in the washing machine since there are some pencil markings here and there :o)

Hope everyone are having a great Sunday!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

While Bernie is in "hospital"

Last weekend I had big plans for sewing up as storm, I had been at it for about an hour when Bernie just decided to stop - I couldn't move the needle no matter what I tried. So rather than sewing I got a trip to the shop, handing him in, getting the message it could take anything from two weeks to a month before I get him back :(

So my quilting this week has been all hand work - I have spent a few days at the summerhouse, so I brought my blue/white SBS, hoping I would finally get it finished! Not quite there yet, but I can definitely see the end of the road.

Stopping by my parents' house on my way home I borrowed their sewing machine to get the binding attached, so my plan this weekend is to get the last two and a half triangles quilted, the binding sewn down at the back, and the labels appliquéd onto the back. Can be done?

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Oh, and I have to share this - my Mum and I have been talking for ages about making nettle soup, and this year we actually got around to turning this:

Into this:

Yummmmy! And t think this is a weed who stings you when you touch it ;o)

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida