Spring quilt

I promised to show what I made for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap spring edition once it got to it's new home. And yesterday it arrived in the home of Catherine over at Quilt Obsession. Many of you guessed it was an iris, and you were correct! This is what it looked like when I gave it a bit of a test hang on the wall before I sent it:

As you can see, this little quilt consists of a one block iris, surrounded by lots of little 1" squares in spring coloured fabric. The quilting is quite simple - the contours of the flower about 1/8" from the edge - a couple of "frames" and some small meandering in the border. I think it is quite effective :o)

The iris is paper pieced on water soluble paper foundation. This was my first attempt at using it - and apart from it getting some small tears when I had to unpick some seams, it worked very well. And I love the fact that I could get rid of the foundation by just rinsing it under the tap in stead of picking out the paper. I'm no fan of pp, but if I ever need to do it - this is what I'll be using in the future.

SBS update: I've started stitching down the binding :o)

Wishing all my blog friends a very good weekend! And happy quilting!
Sincerely, Anne Ida

Four Seasons Quilt Swap - spring

May 1st and deadline for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap is approaching, so I need to get the spring quilt ready to ship - here is a little sneak peek:

I'll show the whole thing once [biiip]have received it. I have been working on and off this for a few days, and I finished the binding half an hour ago, and the quilt is now in the washing machine. I still need to make a label for the back, but as soon as it is appliquéd on - this little darling will be on it's way :o)

I really hope [biiip] will like it!!!!!
Sincerely, Anne Ida

SBS update: I'm about half way!

Goodies!!!

Coming home from a weekend with the family I found a lovely surprise in the mail box - my 4SQS quilt from Rose Marie at Applique 'n Patch Quilting! Isn't this quilt wonderful?

Lots of wonderful blue fabrics, some really sharp piecing, and it is beautifully hand quilted!And it gives of a genuine feeling of winter in the woods! A true gem! It found it's way onto my kitchen wall within a few minutes of me opening the parcel - I felt the need for seeing it up there! Looks great!

For now it has borrowed the hanger of my Xmas wall hanging - I'll get one in a more neutral colour soon.

Rose Marie also included some other goodies - a book which looks like I'll get lots of inspiration from, a note pad with a wintery scene and some maple sugar that looks absolutely yummy:

She is such a sweetheart! Thank you so much, Rose Marie!!!

Quilty news from me? Not very much... I finished my stitchery on the first block of Bea's BOM. I used a variegated blue floss on wow fabric, a result I'm pleased with (I think I'm in a "blue mood" again *lol*):

Yesterday I was at Lappemakeriet's (the LQS where my parent's live) show and tell of the BOMs they are running and the samples for their classes this spring. A lot of lovely quilts to see (unfortunately I forgot my camera). Fun story: they had a free gift of a magazine or booklet or ruler to all who attended, and I picked up a magazine at random. It turned out to be the Sept. issue of Australian Patchwork and Quilting - the one with Tazzie's "Bears in the Garden" quilt! I love that quilt!

And of course I did some shopping, but I was a good girl and didn't pick up any fabric! Just lots of batting, some quilt stencils and some packs of "quilting made easy" - hope this is a sign of more finishes for me in the time to come!

Hope you have had a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely, Anne Ida

First (almost) finish of the year and an award

Last night the quilting guild had the year’s first sit together and hand stitch evening, my first time ever, and it was a great experience. I was really wondering what to bring, but figured I’d take the opportunity to bring my 4SQS quilt to finish. When the night was over I was done, except for four threads that needed to be buried and the label. The threads I did when I came home, and the label I hope to do this weekend :o)
This is how it turned out:

The thought of dark winter sky, the colours of frost, snowflakes and stars… Why this? One of my memories from being a little girl was my BF’s mum having a group of girls over for good night stories. We walked there in our pyjamas, boots and jacket and listened to her read to us. Some of the books she read was about Greek mythology and how the star constellations got their names. On our way home we stopped freezing in our pj’s and searched the dark velvet sky for the constellation of the evening :o) So this is my representation of winter, hope ….. will like it!

Last night I got an e-mail from Pamina over at Quilts on the Way saying she has given me the “You make my day” award.

Thank you so much, that really warms my heart and made my day!! Now I have the privilege to choose up to 10 people whose blogs bring me happiness and inspiration, and make me feel happy about Blogland. There are so many wonderful blogs and bloggers out there, and I read so many more than ten, but I choose to give the award to:

• Rose at Threadbare
• Valerie at Quilt Mommy Quilts
• May Kristin at Krisp-Quilt
• Hanne at Hanne’s Quilt Corner
• Linda at All Stitched Up
• Yvonne at Butterfly
• Nemo at Made by Nemo
• Anne Heidi at Piece by Piece
• May Britt at Abyquilt
• Rose Marie at Appliqué ’n Patch Quilting

Thank you for making my day !
Sincerely, Anne Ida

Tagged, SSCS, and 4SQS

The other day I got tagged by Anne Heidi for a meme on some crafty questions, so here it goes:

The rules are: Answer the following on your blog and then let five other bloggers know that you have tagged them to complete the meme.

1. When did you start to create and make craft?
No idea… I have all my life seen my Mom and her Aunts and cousins sewing, knitting and crocheting – one of my favourite toys as a child was a rag doll made by one of Mom’s cousins. I can not remember when I started myself… Remember weaving in kindergarten (wool yarn on a hand loom), and I do remember that my first quilt block was made in 3rd grade, a quarter log cabin sewn into a cushion :o)

2. Why did you start creating?
Just a natural part of the way my life has progressed, I guess…

3. Why do you create?
I can’t imagine not to.

4. What do you create?
Quilts, table toppers, cushions, bags of different types and sizes… anything I can do on a sewing machine (except clothes). When my arms and shoulders allow I also knit and crochet – I have knitted a few sweaters over the years, and I love to crochet small snowflake like table toppers – log time since I made one, though...

5. Has this changed since you began crafting?
Over the years, yes. As a teenager you weren’t supposed to do crafty stuff… I guess I really got hooked once I started making quilts that were a bit bigger than doll quilts.

Ok, so now I have to tag someone for this meme – and it will be: Rose, Valerie, Jeanette, Heather, and Yvonne – hope you’ll play along, girls :o)
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So what have I been doing lately? Well I’ve been quilting my blue and white SBS quilt – I’m hand quilting it and it will take time to get it done. Even though my fingers are getting sore, I'm loving every minute of it :o) While quilting that I’ve been thinking about what to do for the Secret Santa Christmas Swap, and this will be it:

Picture removed by author 19. Nov. and will be re-posted after Xmas (if I remember *lol*)

I finished stitching down the binding tonight, still have to make a label for the back. This is as close as you can get to an “Anne Ida original” *lol*– a very simple pattern made up as I went along, but inspired by things I’ve seen in magazines and in blogland. It is 3” squares with a border around it and some appliqué. The appliqué is a drawing of the front part of the Oseberg ship – a Viking ship from the 7th century. It was found and excavated in the early 1900ds, and it was part of a woman’s burial mound. It is probably one of our most popular tourist attractions, and the image is also engraved on one of our coins (20kr). So I figured it would be nice to feature it on a table runner for an international swap :o) Now I just hope the recepient will like it!
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Lastly: The Four Seasons Quilt swap has opened for registration for the winter swap. I’ve joined in, will you?

Wishing everyone in Blogland a great weekend!
Sincerely, Anne Ida

In a swap-happy mood

Thursday evening I finished my "Leaves of September" quilt for ... in the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. This is how it turned out:

As you can see, I increased the volume of the stems of the maple leaves. The quilting is very simple, but I hope it enhances the pattern of the blocks. As a finishing touch I added one stanza of the poem "Once Upon an Autumn Day" by Joseph T. Renaldi to the label. Now it's done and just waiting to be sent of on Monday.

Remember the blue and white SBS swap I posted about early this summer? Yesterday I got my blocks back from Jennifer Chiaverini:

I'm so exited about this!!! They are absolutely gorgeous! Everyone has done such a wonderful job! And I hope I can figure out a setting for them that does these beauties justice. In the pic on the top are all the blocks that were sent to me, in the one below, I have added one of each of the blocks I made for the swap. All in all there are 60 blocks - so it should make into a fair size quilt - all in blue and white/cream. Now I need to think...

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely, Anne Ida

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PS! For those interested, here is the whole poem by Joseph T. Renaldi:

Once Upon An Autumn Day

Once upon an autumn day,

Colorful leaves began to fade

In the midst of a chilly, frosty air

As multitude of trees grew steadily bare.

*

Once upon an autumn day,

The whispering breeze was here to stay

Moving aimlessly through the countless trees

Scattering leaves with the greatest of ease.

*

Once upon an autumn day,

The leaves whirled freely in every way,

Until at last they came to rest

Finding a haven in which to nest.

*

Once upon an autumn day,

The trees were dormant, and the leaves lay

Waiting for the winter snow to fall

To quickly obscure them one and all.

*

Joseph T. Renaldi

Top is together

Today I have turned my day a bit upside down; taking it easy during the beginning of the day doing some organizing for a work project and taking some time for sewing before I'll do some "proper" work this evening. So I've finally managed to get the top for my Four Seasons Quilt Swap quilt together.

I'm not too sure about the embroydered stems on the leaves, will have a think on those... and I still have to figure out how I'm going to quilt it, and think of a label for the back. I sooo hope that the person who receives this will love it as much as I love the one I got from Libby!

Hope you are having a creative day!
Sincerely, Anne Ida

Stars and Feathers - 4SQS

Can you imagine what I felt when I went to the post office today to pick up a package from the US? I was soooo exited when the box was handed to me over the counter! And when I opened it I felt a lump in my throat. Wonderful Libby (A Simple Girl) had sent me her miniature quilt:

Does this say Autumn, or what? Stars and flying geese in a lovely combination! And the country feel of the fabrics are wonderful for this time of year - gives it a warmth in these wet and chilly times.

The label on the back has a quote from Laura Ingalls Wilder:

All those golden autumn days, the sky was full of wings.

Wings beating low over the blue water of Silver Lake.

Wings beating high in the blue air far above...

Bearing them all away to green fields in the south.

Reading this brought back a lot of memories, being a girl reading the books about the life on the prairie - remember loving the tales of a life so different than my own. Perhaps I will reread them one of these days? And in English this time... the language sound more poetic than what I remember from reading them in translation...

Coming home tonight it found its way to the kitchen table, where it will have its home in time to come. Libby had also included some other goodies; I look forward to trying the strawberry jam with my breakfast :o) And I'm sure you'll see the FQs in a quilt one of these days :o)

Sincerely,
Anne Ida

A gift of goodies and 4SQS teaser

It’s hard to believe it has been more than a week since my last post! The time that has passed has been busy, unfortunately not with any crafty things (work, work, work!). And as time has flown unanswered messages has piled up in my inbox and the number of unread posts through Bloglines has increased to a number a fear to think of :o) So I want to say thank you all who have commented on my blog and left me messages, I read them all and truly appreciate you stopping by! And I will do my utmost to read the posts on your blogs, you all are such an inspiration to me!

Coming home from a four day seminar last night I found this in my mailbox:

It is from wonderful Guðrun in Reykjavík! Have you seen this post? She is so sweet to want to give me one of her beautiful little bags, and she sent me a gorgeous Icelandic pattern by Elín Guðjónsdóttir for table toppers with some adorable butterflies, a deck of cards with Norse gods on them (I love old Norse mythology!), and a pin with our flags on it :o) She is a true sweetheart, that lady!

I have gotten a note Margaret that my swap for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap is in the mail. OMG! Someone has been very fast! And I soo look forward to receiving it! I haven’t gotten all that much done on my project for the swap yet – I'm only this far:

Perhaps I’ll find some time to do some more sewing tonight???
Wishing everyone a great Sunday, sincerely
Anne Ida

Todays mailbox goodies +++

I'm sort of stressed because I'm on a deadline for a report and for a chapter, so what do I do? I shop online and I blog :o) On Friday I started to look over what I had left of fabric for the borders of my SBS, I figured I should supply a bit. I knew I could get some more of the Moda fabrics I had used from WebFabrics; and while I was at it I ordered a "few" other FQs as well. they arrived in my mailbox today!

I guess I went a bit crazy on the FQs - only 2-3 of these are going into the SBS borders...

Monday night after I had finished the sashings on my SBS I celebrated by taking a virtitual shopping trip to Anne Heidi's wonderful quilt shop: Lappemor. Do take a browse in there; you are sure to find lots and lots of temptations :o) The goodies I ordered there and a surprise arrived in my mail today as well - really speedy delivery and great service!

I am so looking forward to begin on these stitcheries! They are for Christmas, and if I begin now, perhaps I might get them done?

Oh yes, and I pulled some fabric i THINK i will use for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap Autumn quilt:

Earlier this week I was notified by Butterfly and by May K. that they have nominated me for Rockin' girl blogger. Thank you so much ladies! I'm honored!

I know I'm supposed to nominate other Rockin' girl bloggers now, but I have no idea whom to single out of all the wonderful blogers out there, so if you read this, please consider yourself nominated!

Sincerely,
Anne Ida

Bright fantasy flowers, part 2 + Four Seasons Quilt Swap

Finally I managed to get my second set of Bright Fantasy Flowers on Black-blocks done:

Hopefully they'll get in the mail tomorrow :o) I think they turned out ok, and I've always loved the combination of black and purple, and wanted to use it for this swap. This purple fabric has been in my stash forever - no idea when or where I bought it, but I still love it (sound familiar?). These blocks were easier to draw up than the previous set (see below), but turned out to be a lot harder to appliqué. If I ever say I'm going to make something like these again, please remind me to make sharp points at the intersections between the pettals!?!

And call me crazy, but even before I finished with my obligations for this swap, I signed up for another! This is the Four Seasons Quilt Swap, where we swap miniature quilts, one for each season of the year. The sign-up for the first one (Autumn!) is on August 18th, check it out! I think it is going to be FUN!!!

Sincerely,
Anne Ida