Batikquilt

Hexagon

2012-01-25T11:07:00.000+01:00

Just got them all together last night, 98 flowers, 50"x72"

Now I need to fill up the border, with my "salmon pink" hexies.

That will take some time.

I bought half hexagon paper pieces,

I don't know how that works, has anybody tried that?

Or is it better to appliqué the top on the border?

This is my first hexagon quilt, so I'm not quite sure how to end it.

Just typical me, start something and then, think how to end it.

Nice little "siggies" arrived this week.

Now I have collected 48 blocks from all over the world

and I will continue until I have enough for a quilt top.

Yes, one more Sweet Nostalgia block finished, this one is for January called "Snow Days".

Until next time,

happy stitching.

Paula

Sweet Nostalgia + Three houses

2012-01-15T11:35:00.001+01:00

Three more Houses Built from Scraps.

I like making them, but I have to be careful not to neglect my Dear Jane.

Must try to divide my spare time between these two.

That my friend can be difficult.

And also I finished my December block for Sweet Nostalgia

"Naughty Or Nice?"

This song has been going through my head for some time now:

"The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people goin' by I see friends shaking hands saying, "How do you do" They're really saying "I love you." I hear babies cry, I watch them grow They'll learn much more than I'll ever know; And I think to myself, What a wonderful world; Yes, I think to myself, What a wonderful world. Oh yeah! - Louis Armstrong"

I just love that text.

Until next time, have a wonderful stitching time.

Paula

Building Houses From Scraps

2012-01-06T18:05:00.000+01:00

Hello friends, long time since my last blog.

I went to Iceland to celebrate Christmas with my family.

It was nice, lots of snow.

Started my first block there

"Building Houses From Scraps"

I'll not be making one a day, just when I feel like it.

I have so many other projects going,

I really should not start this one - but I did.

I'm still working on "Sweet Nostalgia" December block,

My Flower Garden is growing,

The Civil War Bride is resting, I have 9 blocks done,

Still working on DJ and I'm quilting The Farmhouse.

Yes, and I'm still collecting "Siggies",

two were waiting for me when I came back home.

The newest family member is Kolur, German Shepherd four months old puppy,

belongs to my son, isn't it just gorgeous????

Some pictures from Reykjavík, this is Hallgrímskirkja

the largest church in Iceland, (74,5 meters (244 ft))

The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson.

This is just a small street called Lokastígur near the church.

And this is the Einar Jónsson (Icelandic sculptor) Museum,

just opposite the church.

I wish you all a Healthy and a good Stitching-Quilting New Year.

Paula

Basting

2011-11-27T12:42:00.001+01:00

The Farmhouse quilt is being basted.

I use Sharon's Schamber's technique.

She used to have a free class on her website, but I'm sorry to say, not any longer.

Quilting is easy with this basting, you don't have to start in the middle, just start at the top or the bottom, or just where ever you want.

I have used this technique many times and it is perfect.

No crawling on four feet on the floor.

Sweet Nostalgia, November is done.

It will be nice to work on December block now,

sipping good cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake.

Until next time,

Happy stitching,

Paula

Cardigan

2011-11-23T13:47:00.006+01:00

Finished cardigan for my son, he came last weekend for a visit,

so I gave it a little speed, and finished before he came.

He was very happy with it.

Knitted myself a little warm hat.

When I lived in Iceland I almost never wore hats,

but here in Luxembourg I need a hat in the winter,

it can be so humid and cold.

(Or maybe it's just that I'm older now)

From the Grinch fabric I made two christmas aprons.

I have been listening to this audiobook:

Forgotten Garden

by Kate Morton

A woman on a quest to find out the truth about her family,

a mysterious Victorian authoress,

a book of dark fairytales and a long-hidden secret.

Very interesting and a good company while stitching.

Until next time

Happy stitching.

Paula

Teddy Bears

2011-11-10T19:17:00.000+01:00

I'm a big teddy's bear fan, I have them all over the house.

They are so warm and comfy.

These two Teddies are joining in with Melody's Teddy Bears Picnic.

Melody is hosting a picnic.

I'm sure they are going to have fun and they will have

Banana cake in the picnic basket.

3 eggs,

150 g raw-suger,

2 ts vanille,

125 g spelt flour,

1 tsp winestone baking powder,

5 tbls isio4oil,

1 or 2 mashed bananas.

Baked for approx 50 min.

Chocolate on top.

Sweet Nostalgia

October, is my fourth finished block.

Now I will have a look at the Teddy's Bears.

Until next time,

Happy stitching.

Farmhouse Quilt

2011-11-01T15:13:00.006+01:00

Finished top, Farmhouse Quilt, made from scraps.

It is 62"x62". Just needs to be quilted.

The Grinch

I'm a big admirer of Dr. Seuss,

so when I saw this Kaufman fabrics on sale at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

I just had to buy some.

I'm going to use it to wrap up Christmas presents this year,

and make myself a Christmas apron.

I'm still working on that cardigan for my son, one sleeve remaining.

To little time to work on my hexies,

and I'm planing another quilt from scraps either Spools or Trees, have not decided yet.

I also finished three DJ blocks.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

Henry David Thoreau

Thank you for stopping by,

Happy stitching.

Paula

EQA

2011-10-15T11:03:00.000+02:00

I went to the "The National Quilt Happening" in Belgium last Thursday, it was fun.
I saw some beautiful quilts and one Dear Jane quilt done by Fernande Authuys.

To my surprise there were some small quilts from EQA (European Quilt Association)

9 from each country.

I took some pictures:

Iceland

Denmark

Britain

Finland

The Netherlands (This one I liked very much)

Luxembourg

Norway

Sweden

Germany

All of them very pretty.

And of course I bought some beautiful fabrics

I needed some brown for my planned tree quilt.

Now I'm off to play some golf, it is such a fine weather today.

Until next time

Happy stitching

Paula

Farmhouse Quilt

2011-10-11T11:06:00.004+02:00

Now the strips have turned into houses,

I'm machine appliqué this quilt with raw ends.

It is fun but I wonder how it will last.

Can anyone tell me?

I use "Lite Steam-A-Seam2".

12 houses are done,

now I will have to work on the blocks in between.

My third block for "Sweet Nostalgia" was September block "Back to School".

I want to share with you a link to Edyta's video,

where she shows her fantastic quilt small/big bag

Have a look at this:

Bag/purse

You can find the pattern at her blog if you scroll down.

Until next time

Happy stitching

Paula

2011-10-04T16:26:00.003+02:00

Have been making strips from fabrics I ordered from

Patsy Thompson long time ago.

When I got this "Friendship Strips & Scraps" book by Edyta Sitar

I found an opportunity to use that fabric.

I'm going to do this quilt on the cover.

Actually I would like to do every single one in that book.

The book is just great.

I have all hers books.

She recommended Aurifil threads, so I ordered a kit,

to give it a try, and what a difference.

I have been having problems with what I thought was my sewing machine,

but it turned out to be the thread I was using.

This is what I'm knitting at the moment, a cardigan for my son.

Lovely Italian yarn from Lana Grossa,

Merino Wool / Baby Alpaca / Cashmere.

So soft and nice to work with.

I tried to get dye from that seaweed I told you about, but without success,

will keep trying.

This yarn was dyed with dye I made from birch and mint.

Have also done some DJ blocks.

Thank you for stopping by, I would love to see what you are doing.

Until next time,

happy stitching.

Paula

2011-09-21T17:16:00.002+02:00

It's Wednesday, that is the day we FG ladies meet at Karen's blog

and admire and encourage each other.

If you like to see some beautiful hexagons

pop over to One Flower Wednesday

On a pilgrimage

2011-09-01T15:43:00.000+02:00

I came back home last week from Iceland, went for a weekend to Rotterdam and tomorrow I'm going on a Pilgrimage Tour to Rome. I will show you some pictures when I get back.

But what I brought back from Iceland was this seaweed,

which I'm going to try to get some dye from,
Isn't it pretty? and the smell, now filling my cellar - wow, wonderful.

I had this top quilted by a Long Arm,

as I did not want to spend more time on this quilt.

I'm working on my second block for Sweet Nostalgia,

selecting fabric for CWB block no. 11

and doing some hexagons for my Flower Garden.

One picture from Iceland,

from the mountain called ESJA

I love hiking up there and enjoy the view to Reykjavík

unfortunately it was a bit cloudy that day.

Until next time

Happy stitching

Paula

Civil War Bride block

2011-08-09T21:15:00.001+02:00

A little progress, one more block for my CWB quilt, I finished last night,

by laying them out together the thought passed my mind that I could stop now, nine blocks and it is not to big for any wall.

But then I decided - I will do them all, just one at a time.

Sweet Nostalgia

Started a new top, this one is stitched and my first block July,

is called "Fun at the Beach".

The pattern was a free Block of the Month from Dorothy Baker Designs some years ago. You can see a picture of the quilt here

New books

I purchased three books, one is Masters Art Quilt, it was published 2008 so it is not quite new but there are over 400 pages of beautiful pictures of art quilts from all over the world.

The second one is Wildflowers, designs for appliqué and quilting by Carol Armstrong, I thought I might need it when finish my Flower Garden.

The third one is Jelly Roll and charm quilts, if one day I buy a Jelly Roll.

Until next time - happy stitching

and thank you for stopping by.

Paula

Flowers and CWB

2011-07-19T21:27:00.001+02:00

These flowers are ready to be added to my Flower Garden.

I have 67 flowers joined together.

It is still growing.

If you like to see some beautiful flowers,

visit One Flower Wednesday and have a look

what the Ladies in this Flower Club are doing.

Thank you Karen for hosting this Club.

This is my 8th block for The Civil War Bride Quilt,

going very slowly there!!!

If you like to see more blocks from this quilt

visit The Civil War Quilt blog

Two very pretty cushions my mother made many years ago.

This is a Snowball quilt I made, using fabric

by "Den Haan & Wagenmakers" in Amsterdam.

I'm not very pleased with how it turned out, the fabric is very nice though,

I should have chosen another pattern.

Well next time I will.

Thank you for stopping by

and happy quilting.

Paula

Some old embroidery

2011-07-06T12:06:00.001+02:00

To day I would like to share with you some of my mother's embroidery.

She was born on July 7th 1921 and died last February,

She would have reached 90 tomorrow.

This beautiful wall hanging she made 1945, with her initial at the bottom.

Her name started with this Icelandic letter Þ.

Three beautiful rococo chairs (one for each child).

They were always in use in her living room, for about 40 - 50 years.

Still beautiful.

Single chair.

Later I will show you the dining room chairs.

I forgot to take photos.

This is called "puntuhandklæði" in Icelandic, (decoration towel)

Behind it you hang the tee towels.

My father made the wooden piece, he was a very good craft man.

Here are two "puntuhandklæði".

I don't know how many she made.

She also crochet lace.

This is just a tiny bit of her work.

Always doing something,

amazing woman.

Hope you enjoyed this,

thank you for stopping by.

Happy stitching

Paula

One flower Wednesday

2011-05-18T11:56:00.001+02:00

One flower from a fabric I found at OEQC in Veldhoven.

It was a great show, beautiful quilts and many good sales stands.

Ohh and was my trunk packed when I headed home!!!

So now there are 60 blooming flowers in my garden.

I have not decided yet how many flowers I will add,

as long as I enjoy doing them, they keep coming.

Lenna Green at Stitchingcow

has a give-away party, if you go to her web site you will also find

many free stitching patterns.

Until next time,

enjoy what ever you are doing.

Paula
stitching with a smile

New fabric

2011-04-28T21:00:00.000+02:00

This fabric which I bought on my last visit to Iceland,

when I went to that workshop by Guðrún Erla,

is her newest design (I think) called Flair.

It is beautiful, and

this is the pattern.

I'm very excited to start on that one.

I just finished this top I started in that workshop,

the block is called "Strip To Be Square".

Also new pattern from GE design,

and will be published next month as a pattern.

When I look at this picture I see that the top needs

some border in good color.

Today I prepared some "siggies" and sent them of to

USA, Norway and Australia.

I also started on my 8th CWB block. I decided to do number 18.

Hope it doesn't take to long to finish it.

Until next time, happy stitching.

Paula

My 7th block and some flowers

2011-04-19T20:22:00.000+02:00

Block 10 is my seventh block for the Civil War Bride quilt.

I must say, there were some difficulties with this one, I'm glad it is done.

But I can't wait to start the next one.

Two flowers for "One flower Wednesday"

I'm still enjoying every minute I spend making these flowers.

65 flowers made.

This was a gift we received at the workshop in Iceland with Guðrún Erla,

lovely pattern called "Journey Roads", designed by her.

This is hers newest book called "Table talk".

"In this book are 16 projects designed to grace your table

and Gudrun's family recipes to share with yours,"

says at the back cover.

The book is in English, published by Kansas City Star Books.

Happy stitching

Paula

Class in Iceland

2011-04-16T21:47:00.000+02:00

Some days ago I took a class in Iceland with Guðrún Erla. I was lucky, she offered one class in Reykjavík and I arrived that same day at 1600 hours and the class began at 1800 hours, I just made it.

My first three blocks

I really enjoyed that class, which was called "Destination unknown trip".

We didn't know what pattern we were making,

we only got one step at a time.

I had never done this before, it was fun.

At the end she showed us what we were doing.

Guðrún Erla is Icelandic designer living in Minnesota.

Take a look at her website and see her beautiful pattern and fabric.

She also has blog.

Here are two more tops with the same pattern,

beautiful aren't they?

Happy stitching

Paula

Flowers Wednesday

2011-04-05T18:24:00.000+02:00

Five flowers this week, not bad,

and in this picture is also a little fairy

my sister-in-law made some years ago

and gave me, now isn't she cute? (I mean the fairy).

Memories from my trip to Dubai in February.

It is in progress, 12" circle.

EQA Exhibition "Spinning Circles"

are to be made in black and white plus up to 30% of purple

in its tints/shades/tones.

Do you think the purple in this mini quilt is more than 30%?

This proud mother was on a golf course in Marrakech,

13 little ducklings. So sweet.

Happy stitching to you all.

Paula

Birch

2011-03-31T13:18:00.001+02:00

Last summer I collected leaves from Birch and dried them.

Now I have dyed some wool using these leaves.

(The fabric in this DJ block was dyed with Procion MX

the leaves are underneath)

The yearn prepared

Here you can see the wool waiting and the Birch dye.

In the pot on the stove slowly heated up to 90°C

Slowly cooled down.

Washed and dried

And ready for knitting.

My seventh CWB block in progress.

I have not yet started my DJ again, after all this traveling back and forth, south and north,

but will do that soon.

The European Dear Jane club is preparing a DJ Quilt Expo in Brussels May 2013.

Now isn't that just groovy?

I plan to have mine finished by then.

Happy stitching.

Paula

Collecting siggies

2011-03-11T16:09:00.000+01:00

Since my last blog in January 12th lots of things have happened.

I've been traveling to Iceland-Luxembourg-Dubai-Luxembourg-Iceland and at last back in Luxembourg for a few days.

To little time to sew.

I have received many interesting "siggies".

Most of them are from The Netherlands, but also from Italy, Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Canada and USA

This block I found at Quilterscache

24" and very easy to make.

It is perfect for baby quilt.

Some years ago I knitted this outfit for my grandchildren (twins),

and now in April they will have their confirmation,

I can hardly belief they are 13 years old already.

I'm still working on my flower garden and The Civil War Bride.

Nothing has happed for a long time with Dear Jane. Hopefully I can do something about it, soon.

Happy stitching to you all

enjoy what ever you are doing.

Paula

Flowers and siggies

2011-01-12T11:15:00.000+01:00

Still working on my flower garden,

did not do many flowers over Christmas, but now that I'm back home

I love making these cute little flowers,

I've 38 flowers joined plus 24 flowers ready.

I made some "siggies".

With very old stencil I had back in 1983.

There were many lovely siggies waiting for me when I got back home,

so I had to start making some and mail back.

Have you seen this Magazine?

Take a look at this, you can get a free copy here

Very interesting I think this Magazine.

Until next time - enjoy your stitching

Paula

One Flower Wednesday

2010-12-15T21:17:00.004+01:00

Two flowers this Wednesday,

Started this "Siggie collection" and I already have four,

from Germany, Holland and USA.

This can be fun - for a while.

This is a door stopper, inside is a brick.

Can be very useful.

To morrow I will be leaving for Iceland,

where I will spend Christmas with my family,

it will be nice to see the kids

(well they are not really kids anymore - but still - my kids)

and the grand children.

I wish you all a Happy Christmas and

a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Paula

Give a Heart

2010-11-28T15:44:00.000+01:00

Shirley in New Zealand is calling out to all quilter around the world
to give a healing heart, for the families of 29 miners who
tragically died last week in New Zealand.

You can visit her blog at Shirley's blog and read what size and where to send it.

I made these two hearts while listening to a devine service
in Iceland over the internet.

It's amazing - the technique - here I am in Luxembourg and can listen to a mass in Reykjavik, live.

My newest book

As you can see, it is a lovely book with lots and lots of stitching.

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

Albert Einstein

Happy stitching
Paula

Siggie

2010-11-27T14:14:00.001+01:00

I have to update my blog, what is the matter with me, is it idleness or what???

Well - I started "siggie" where Annelies in The Netherlands is the host

quiltsandsiggies.web-log.nl

and received her block which is very nice,

Three monkeys - See no... hear no... speak no evil

I'm knitting this sweater

for my son Ófeigur, he is the author of this book JON

The book was published few days ago and I have to say it is very good.

This is his second novel.

I'm sorry to say it is in Icelandic .

Here he is at the Quilt Show in Iceland last September

when I won a prize for Þingvellir

and he was there for me.

Happy stitching to you all and have a nice weekend

Paula

Hand dyed fabric and two flowers

2010-11-10T10:01:00.001+01:00

For my Flowergarden I did these two flowers and

have now 53 flowers and some hexies done.

About 100 flowers will be needed, haven't decided yet on how large it will be.

Then I made

these butterflies and flowers to put on a miniquilt.

I like making little embellishments for quilts

I bought this

Friendship Triangles book by Edyta Sitar the other day,

it is a beautiful book and it has step-by-step technique for

creating half-square triangles among other things.

Have been dyeing

some fabric for my Dear Jane Quilt

"Happiness is to be found along the way,
not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late.
Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us
to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles,
and perhaps more interesting because of them."
Robert R. Updegraff

Take care and enjoy what ever you are doing.

Paula

Adding some flowers

2010-10-13T13:36:00.001+02:00

I'm adding some flowers to my garden today, it's not big but it's growing.

I also wanted to share with those of you who like to knit,

this new Icelandic website called Knitting Iceland

It looks very interesting and it is in Icelandic, English or French.

Some pictures from Iceland,

An old little church, called Núpstaðakirkja, not used anymore, but it is cute.

The organ inside the Church

Núpsstaðir

In the old old days people used to live in these houses.

No electricity, No running water, No heat,

Thank God it is the past.

Happy stitching

Paula

Quilting and knitting

2010-10-11T13:45:00.000+02:00

I'm quilting this top using my Bernina 830,

and having heavy trouble with the bottom tension, it is just driving me crazy,

I've turned the machine off and on several times but nothing happened.

So now it is off for the day and I will do some blogging.

This top is waiting to be quilted, well it has to wait - Bernina is on strike.

Just finished this sweater for my son for the winter in Holland.

My other son who lives in Iceland asked

for a real Icelandic "lopapeysu" with a hood.

Last September when I was in Iceland I brought "lopi" back with me home,

and will start soon on this sweater.

There is always something to do,

never a dull moment.

Enjoy what ever you are doing, life is beautiful.

Paula

Three flowers and a joke

2010-09-15T09:51:00.000+02:00

Three more flowers for my Flowergarden this Wednesday,
and a picture by Rébecca Dautremer the French illustrator I like so much,
for those of you that have not seen the pictures on my Dear Jane blog.

A friend of mine sent me this joke the other day, some of you may have heard it and some not.

40 Years of Marriage

A married couple in their early 60s was celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table. She said, "For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish."

The wife answered, "Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband."

The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands.

The husband thought for a moment: "Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but

my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me."

The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish.

So the fairy waved her magic wand and poof. . . the husband

became 92 years old.

The moral of this story:

Men who are ungrateful should remember:

Fairies are Female . . .

So guys, be careful what you wish for . . .

You never know what can happen . . .

Best wishes to you all and happy quilting.

Paula

Miniature

2010-09-13T11:53:00.001+02:00

Wow - I got ribbon in Iceland, for the best handcraft.

I could hardly believe it when I got e-mail from

Borghildi Ingvarsdóttir the chairman of the Icelandic Patchwork and Quilting Association telling me this.

Unfortunately I could not be there, but my son Ófeigur, was there for me.

The Icelandic Patchwork and Quilting Association, Íslenska bútasaumsfélagið, was established in the year 2000. At the inaugural/first meeting there were 140 members from most parts of Iceland. Today the members are 400.

10 years anniversary

Congratulations to Íslenska bútasaumsfélag.

Mariner's Compass

2010-09-12T11:35:00.000+02:00

Some years ago I learned how to draw Mariner's Compass at the QU.

The other day I used the drawings and made these four 12" circles.

It was fun - paper pieced - I do like paper piecing.

I will have to do some more or I can use this as four corners for a big middlepiece.

Block #7 was my sixth block for my CWB Quilt

Here they are - all six of them together.

I also finished E-5 for DJ

you can have a look at my Dear Jane blog

Have a wonderful week and thank you for stopping by.

Paula

Flowers and Snowballs

2010-08-25T21:14:00.000+02:00

Wow - time flies, I haven't posted anything for four weeks now

and I haven't finished anything.

But I have done some flowers and some hexies.

12 flowers have been joined together,

39 flowers ready and waiting to join the garden.

These "Snowballs" are about ready to be sewn together,

just have to find the time.

I spent some days in Paris last week

Paris is sooooo beautiful, my favourite city and I also love New York.

Thank you for stopping by, I wish you all the best.

Four New Flowers

2010-07-28T12:49:00.001+02:00

Four new flowers this Wednesday and some new fabric.

I ordered from Fat Quarter Shop for my Flowers,

it didn't take long, only a week.

Usually it takes about 6 to 8 weeks to receive mail from USA.

This should be enough, 4 meters altogether.

Some have been cut down and put in a tin, ready for use.

And here I collect my flowers - of course in a tin.

I have 38 flowers so far.

Now I will have a look at One Flower Wednesday

and see how the others are doing.

Enjoy your stitching.

Flower and Klosjes

2010-07-14T09:59:00.002+02:00

My flower for this Wednesday was to put four flowers together.

I have made 28 flowers so far, the total will be 92.

As I'm a very impatient person I could not wait to see how it would look if I joined them together with pink hexagons. And I'm happy with the result.

Then I had to try to do a tiny Klosjes, (English spools, Icelandic spólur)

well I did one and it ended up in a 2,5" pincushion. Very cute, I think.

One day I will do tiny Klosjes blocks, when I have finished my Flower Garden.

Be happy and enjoy your stitching

Parcel

2010-07-12T12:40:00.001+02:00

The postman delivered a parcel to me from Lis for being her 50th follower. Isn't that just nice, she made this lovely pincushion, full of colorful pins, bag full of beautiful blue buttons and a beads. Thank you Lis, I love it all.

Well she also sent me a chain letter or a swap called Quilting Tree. There are no threats of bad luck, just some quilting fun. I send two 6 inch PURPLE squares to the first person on the list, put mine on the bottom of the list. Send two 6 inch PURPLE to 4 friends who quilt. So simple - In the end there should be 72 squares in return. That should be enough to make a quilt and it will be fun to see where the squares come from and to join them together.

The problem is, I need three addresses to mail to.

If any of you are interested to participate in this Quilt Tree, you can e-mail me your address and I will send you two 6 inch Purple squares, and the letter of course.

Happy stitching

Civil War Bride

2010-07-05T21:50:00.000+02:00

Block number 9 is my fifth block for Civil War Bride.

The blocks are all so excited, it is hard to decide which one to do next.

I chose this one because of the tail. I appliqué each feather instead of piecing.

I could have paper pieced the tail, but I didn't think of it until afterwards.

Well - anyway the bird is here.

Which block will be the next one - I wonder?

Wednesday flower

2010-06-24T13:44:00.001+02:00

My flower garden is still growing.

I went to Iceland for ten days to visit my family, and made some flowers while traveling by cars and planes.

But the big pink one I did yesterday - Wednesday.

I also did some dyeing yesterday,

I needed more fabric for my Dear Jane, which is still growing but slowly.

I did Rust Dyeing too, but it is still curing, I will post picture later.

Have a nice day and God bless you all.

Hexagon

2010-06-09T15:12:00.003+02:00

One Flower Wednesday

Should I rather say: eight flowers since last Wednesday!!!

Karen invited me to join her and lots of others to her Garden party

We make at least one flower every Wednesday and post it on our blog,

once a week or once a month, it depends on each lady.

It is fun and encouraging to work with a group of ladies,

all doing the same thing, among other things,

although the flowers are all different.

Until next time

Take care

Þingvellir

2010-06-08T10:25:00.001+02:00

Just finished another mini-quilt, size 8 1/4" x 11 3/4".

Some years ago took a picture of this old church at Þingvellir in Iceland,

I always wanted to work it into fabric and now it's done.

At Þingvellir – literally "Parliament Plains" – the Alþing general assembly was established around 930 and continued to convene there until 1798. Major events in the history of Iceland have taken place at Þingvellir and therefore the place is held in high esteem by all Icelanders.

Today Þingvellir is a protected national shrine. According to the law, passed in 1928, the protected area shall always be the property of the Icelandic nation, under the preservation of the Alþing.

Two new books

2010-06-01T11:19:00.001+02:00

I bought the Material Obsession 2 at a quilt festival in Lux last month and liked it a lot, I just had to have the other one as well. I ordered it through Amazon in UK and in two days I had it in my hands, just lovely.

So many beautiful pictures, one's mind - inspiration in full.

And now I have all this beautiful fabric from Masako Wakayama,

that I bought at the quilt festival in Lux.

It is very soft and I'm sure it is a good quality.

Can't wait to start something nice.

Hope you all have a nice week and happy quilting.

Six more Flowers

2010-05-24T19:20:00.001+02:00

The weather has been very nice this weekend here in Lux.

And as I'm not much in to gardening, I enjoyed sitting outside in my garden (not in the sun, though)

doing some Flower Garden, they are really fun to make.

I have not still decided whether I appliqué on a background or piece them together.

I also basted a top and used Sharon´s technique.

On her webside you can find all sorts of free classes which are very helpful.

Quilting is easy with this basting, you don't have to start in the middle, just start at the top or the bottom.

I have used this technique twice before and it is perfect.

Happy quilting.

Festival in Lux

2010-05-17T10:21:00.001+02:00

Going to the Quilt Festival in Wilwerwiltz (Luxembourg) yesterday,

I was amazed to find Masako Wakayama and her quilts there.

She is a well-known international quilt artist who opened her Quilt shop

"Crib Quilt" in 1987 in Tokyo, Japan.

She also has a fabric line called "American Country" which is absolutely gorgeous.

In the picture above Masako is showing us how to use Punch Needle,

unfortunately the needles were sold out.

Hear are some pictures I took.

The pictures do not need any explanation, they just speak for them selves.

Here is the link to Crib Quilt you can find the English up in the right corner.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Take care and happy stitching.

Civil War Bride

2010-05-12T23:06:00.000+02:00

Well - block number four, I'm so proud of myself.

I thank the ladies in the CWB group, they give me so much inspiration and courage.

Tin and Hexagon

2010-05-06T11:29:00.001+02:00

I went to OEQC in Veldhoven last week. It was really good. I got more of "Den Haan & Wagenmakers" fabric for my Snowball-quilt and I also bought some fabric for my Hexies.

The show was great, the theme was "Rhythm" and next year the theme will be "Blues".

I hope it is the color blue not the feeling blue. Maybe both.

I went to Rotterdam as well and at the Tuesday Market I found this Tin,

I had to have it, I don't know what it is about Tins, they always speak to me and say "pick me".

One more hexy flower done. This beautiful fabric was sent to me from my Secret Pal.

Every month I get a package from her with beautiful fabrics.

Twice I have got "Marimekko" which is absolutely gorgeous.

Until next time, happy stitching

Hexagon

2010-04-26T18:56:00.001+02:00

This is my first Hexagon ever, - I made it yesterday and it will not be my last.

Last year I bought this plastic pattern from Clove, it is 1 3/4"

and it is so easy to use.

- But the content of the bag was only 30 pieces and that is not nearly enough,

- I should have bought more than one bag.

Well, if I ever come across this pattern again I will buy some more.

I might join a Hexagon club and make one flower a week. - I think about it.

That is all for now

Happy stitching

Snowball

2010-04-22T15:15:00.001+02:00

When visiting Cathy's blog the other day and saw her Snowball quilt she is doing with Kaffe fabric,

I thought I would use my Den Haan & Wagenmakers fabric.

I cut it up to 6" squares and 2 1/4" squares.

You can see on her blog how simple it is.

I'm going next week to Veldhoven in The Netherlands,

attending the OEQC quiltshow,

Then I will buy some more of DH&W fabric

and maybe some other stuff too.

Until next time... Happy stitching :-)

Angels in my hair

2010-04-19T22:29:00.001+02:00

I just finished reading this wonderful book.

I just have to share this with you all.

It is about our guardian angle and the angels that are all around us.

"Angels in my hair" is the autobiography of a modern-day mystic, an Irish woman with powers of the saints.

You can also visit Lorna Byrne website. The book has been translated to many different languages.

It is really worth reading.

The bride is here

2010-04-10T19:04:00.000+02:00

Now the bride is here. This was my third block in the Civil War Bride Quilt.

All three together, only seventeen more to go.

Mini quilt

2010-04-08T09:57:00.000+02:00

Just finished this Mini-Quilt.

It is a photo of my daughter walking the dog near the lighthouse Grótta on Seltjarnarnes.

The fabric is from my hand dyed stash.

Volcanic eruption

2010-04-07T09:54:00.004+02:00

My son Ófeigur sent me these pictures he took one night when he went to have a look at the Volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland.

It is amazing.

Must have been beautiful but then also a little scary.

This picture must be taken at dawn,

it is taken from similar spot as the one above.

This picture is from a newspaper in Iceland

Crochet

2010-04-07T09:26:00.001+02:00

Think I will change to these colours, and do the green one later.

Crochet

2010-03-30T16:46:00.002+02:00

I found a pattern of crochet Hexagon at Lionbrand under the Category: Crochet-along.

They really have lot of nice patterns for crochet and knitting.
I have always wanted to do a Hexagon quilt but it will have to wait until I have finished my DJ or CWB.
It is enough for me to have these two sewn by hand at the same time.

But I can crochet this Hexagon while I watch TV, I just have to get some more colours.

Navajo - February BOM

2010-03-21T15:54:00.002+01:00

I have done the first three BOM's from Brenda Papadakis

Now I have to wait until April for the next block.

Meanwhile I will work on my CWB block number three

and do some more DJ blocks.

Texas Ranger

2010-03-19T13:08:00.002+01:00

This is my January BOM - Texas Ranger - from Brenda

It is new for me to use so much pattern fabric (busy fabric),

but I think it is OK.

I'm enjoying making these small blocks.

Lets see what happens at the end of the year, will I have 12 blocks????

Or I could do also the appliqué BOM Brenda is offering too, then I would have 24 blocks.

Well, there is so much to do - not so much time!!!!!!

The weather is so nice at the moment, I think I'm off to play some golf.

Have a nice weekend.

Star of the West

2010-03-16T21:35:00.001+01:00

This beautiful fabric was bought in Amsterdam from Den Haan & Wagenmakers, without knowing what to do with it.

I think it came out OK in this little BOM from Brenda Papadakis,

March block.

dyeing

2010-03-04T15:16:00.003+01:00

I have been dyeing and here are some pictures I like to share with you.

This is sunset.

This one I can use as a sky on a bad day.

I have also been doing some stenciling, using freezerpaper, it is really fun.

Can be used as a front of a book cover.

On this one I painted over bobble plastic.

I also dyed some more fabric for my DJ. Only 39 blocks and 7 triangles done, still a long way to go.

Thank you all for stopping by and happy quilting and dyeing.

Dear Jane

2010-02-06T13:43:00.001+01:00

Here is a photo of my finished blocks for DJ, made with my hand dyed fabric, some are paper pieced and some hand pieced and appliqué. I have made 37 blocks and 4 triangles. So it is only 132 blocks, 48 triangles and 4 corners left to go. I don't mind, I love making these tiny blocks.

My four triangles. I will do one or two today.

Have a nice weekend.

Lot of snow in Luxembourg

2010-01-31T20:50:00.004+01:00

After all the snowfall yesterday it was perfect going out for a walk in the forest today.

What a lovely day this was, not to cold - about -3°C and no wind.

And I was so full of energy when I came back from the walk.

I hand pieced one block for my DJ, baked and cooked a delicious fish soup.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

CWB block two

2010-01-29T17:17:00.002+01:00

At last I manage to finish my second block for the CWB quilt. I really enjoy doing hand applique it is so relaxing.

It is funny now that I'm retired, it seems to be less time, or I have to much to do.

Now I will do some DJ blocks before I prepare the next CWB block.

Take care

Back from Miami

2010-01-16T21:42:00.001+01:00

Well, now I'm back to Iceland after 10 days golf trip to Miami Florida. It was terribly cold in Miami, even though coming from Iceland, I was freezing the first four days, then it started to warm up a bit and was nice and warm the last day. Well that is life.

I didn’t do much sewing there, but I managed to start on block number two for my Civil War Bride quilt. I hope I can finish that one before I go back home to Luxembourg on the 24th of January.

It has been a long time away from my sewing machine, I'm really looking forward going home again.

There is no place like home

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T15:20:00.000+01:00

Going through my old quilts on New Years Day I came across these silk quilts, which I made many years ago, using my DH neckties. He used to love buying silk ties and I loved to cut them up when he didn’t use them anymore. He still has over 100 silk ties, which he is not yet willing to give to me. I will just be patient, I know I will get them one day. It is funny looking at these old quilts, I would do them differently today.

This one, Cathedral Windows, has some beautiful ties

but the other two have very old ties and not so beautiful.

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year

and a very good quilting year.

Happy Christmas

2009-12-22T22:41:00.001+01:00

The Icelandic Yuletide Lads are descended from trolls, and were originally bogeymen who were used to scare children. Children feared these lads in the past. The Yuletide Lads started to change in the twentieth century and became more friendly. They started to wear red clothes and they give children presents in shoes which the children put on their windowsill at night, starting thirteen nights before Christmas. The Yuletide Lads have mellowed but still tend to pilfer and play tricks.

I made these Lads many years ago, and take them up every Christmas, I just love them. They all have different names like: Sheepfold Stick, Gully Oaf, Spoon licker, Pot licker, Door slammer, Shorty, Bowl licker, Curd Glutton, Sausage Pilferer, Peeper, Sniffer, Meat Hook and Candle Begger.

I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

1st block

2009-12-10T10:28:00.001+01:00

My first block finished, and boy did I have fun sewing it and listening to a audio-book at the same time.

But it takes a lot of time. Now I will prepare the second block and take it with me to Iceland over the Holidays.

Christmas poem

2009-12-07T11:01:00.002+01:00

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be fat quarters or a pattern or lace?
Or a quilt kit, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,
"Hi Santa," I said"
You know....good little girls should be in their beds ".
"I know I should Santa, and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited to see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work.
"He shook his head quickly, And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough stuff, I'll see you next year!"
author unknown

This Christmas poem was in my e-mail (dearjane-list) yesterday from Caroline Van Maele, in Belgium.

I just loved it, and wanted to share it with you all, the photo is of a Santa I made many years ago.

I have not been doing any sewing for the last days,
I have been in bed with flu.

Last Tuesday I went to Strasbourg to pick up my new Bernina 830, but haven't been able to touch it.

Civil War Bride

2009-11-30T17:45:00.001+01:00

This weekend I started the Civil War Bride quilt.

My first block is being hand applique. I'm not very good at applique but it will get better as the quilt grows. I'm needle turning and using silk thread. I find the Desk Threader a must have, it really saves time.

This is the desk Threader from Clover. I got it in September in Alsace, France. It really works, but for how long I do not know!!!!

Broken Star

2009-11-24T17:35:00.002+01:00

Hi every one. This is a picture of my Broken Star, quilted and finished at last, and a close up of the quilt.

It is 260x260 cm or 100"x100" inches. I'm very happy how it turned out.

Birgit at http://www.creativebits.biz/ did a very good job quilting it for me.

It is though a strange feeling, having someone else do the quilting. Is the quilt just half mine and half hers?

No it is mine I paid for the quilting. But she did an excellent job.

Click on the picture and see for yourself.

Dear Jane

2009-11-16T21:32:00.002+01:00

When I got back from Portugal this was in my post. This summer I signed up at Twiddletail doing Rainbow Jane and this is my first month. But I have already started my journey with Dear Jane. - 25 blocks and 2 triangles done, using my hand dyed fabric.

This is a beautiful fabric from Twiddletail, bright colors. I guess I will be doing two DJ.

I have heard that some ladies do more than one DJ quilt - even up to five!!!!

I just love doing these tiny blocks.
I post then on: http://www.paula-dearjane.blogspot.com/

Going on a trip

2009-10-31T22:30:00.000+01:00

I'm going to Portugal to morrow, play golf for two weeks,

and this is what I make sure to take with me,

prepared fabric for three Dear Jane blocks, to be hand pieced,

my knitting, and of course Jane Austin book.

What a lovely journey this is going to be.

Happy quilting everyone.

View

2009-10-26T00:02:00.000+01:00

The picture in the middle of this wall hanging is from

a golf course in France printed on a muslin.

Next step is to quilt this wall hanging.

This is a little landscape.

2009-10-21T18:55:00.000+02:00

My Broken Star went to Germany, I found a "Longarm lady" there who is going to do the quilting for me. It will be finished in December. If the quilt had been smaller I would have enjoyed quilting it myself. I love free motion quilting. At the moment I'm quilting a silk quilt, will post a picture later. I just wanted to tell everybody I found this lady in Germany just across the border. Her link is http://www.creativebits.biz/

Now you all take care and happy quilting

Autumn

2009-10-14T11:48:00.002+02:00

Now the autumn is indeed here in Luxembourg,

with all the beautiful colors the nature can show.

Here is just one picture.

Then it is time to do some knitting for the winter.

My daughter wanted a short cardigan, wide around the nect.

Well here is one I finished yesterday. I hope she likes it.

It is Marino wool, pearl stitched (as we call it in Iceland).

And for me I knitted this shawl to wrap around my neck with Alpaca Wool

And also crochet a black shawl I found on the internet this summer at "knitting daily".

It is called Stella Circular Shawl. Maybe it is still there at interweave.com/knitting

This one is made of Cashmere

What will I do with this Kidsilk haze?

Thank you all for stopping by and enjoy whatever you are working on.

Broken Star

2009-10-07T10:54:00.001+02:00

My Broken Star is basted and ready to be quilted. It has been waiting for over a year like that. I was going to machine quilt it myself but I keep postponing it because it is so large (a king size) and I don't have a "long arm". I will just have to find someone here in Luxembourg who does quilting for others.

Does anyone know of one?????

By the way, basteing was easy, I followed Sharon Schamber's technique which I found on her network. Take a look at her network: sharonschambernetwork.com on the left side you see a Free Area.

Thank you for stopping by

A Day in the Country

2009-10-04T15:18:00.000+02:00

The year 2001 I took this class at QU called A Day in the Country with Ruth Blanchet. It was the first time for me to do machine appliqué. It was really fun and Ruth is a very good instructor. I have taken some other online classes with her. I believe that one can buy this pattern and many others on Ruth's website: academyofquilting.com. Now this quilt keeps my darling grandson Ofeigur Geir warm.

Dyeing

2009-10-03T11:23:00.000+02:00

I spent the whole morning yesterday dyeing in my cellar, it was very relaxing and I enjoyed every minute.

Here are few pictures of my Shibori dyeing:

Also some batik

These two are overdyed shibori,

covered with wax, put in the freezer,

then cracked one up and pleated the other before dyeing.

The colours are much better live than on the computer.

2009-09-26T20:40:00.001+02:00

I used my free motion quilting practice sandwich to make a cover for my quilt picture book. (I take pictures of all my quilts and put them in this book and write a little story about each one.)
I'm trying to improve my free motion quilting so I have a lot of practice sandwiches. And what can you do with them??? Make some purses or a book cover. This sandwich I used was dyed with rust. The instructions for a book cover you can find on http://www.academyofquilting.com/ There is a free class on Book Cover and it is decorated beautifully.

This is the front, the button is made from coconut.

This is the back. As you can see I need much more practice on free motion feathers.

15th European Meeting - Patchwork

2009-09-25T21:21:00.000+02:00

Some more pictures from FRANCE

I like to share with you:

Crowded in field flowers - S. Takencka - France

Dawn Lights - Ilona S Tornyai - Hungary

Flower Window - Magdolna Solymár - Hungary

Marble Floor - Józsefné Kovalik - Hungary

Dancing Butterflies - Zsuzsa Benkö - New Zealand

They are lovely, aren't they?

Quilts from NZ

2009-09-21T21:37:00.000+02:00

Here are some pictures from St. Marie-aux-Mines. The pictures I post this time are all from New Zealand. They are really beautiful. Enjoy

Mother and Child 2004 - Ku Bailey

Karakia (Prayer) - Camilla Watson

Angels in My Gully - Norma Slabbert

My Love of Nature - Margaret Matthews

2009-09-16T21:11:00.000+02:00

I'm of to the 15th European Meeting - Patchwork in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Alsace France where they say is the Cradle of the Amish movement.
Will post some pictures when I get back.

Book Wrap

2009-09-11T14:25:00.001+02:00

I laid the interfacing, glue side up on my workbench.

Laid my hand dyed linen on top and ironed.

Then I laid ribbons and yarn and free motion stitched,

to keep everything in place.

Laid some yarn under organza and stitched.

I curled-up som organza with a heat gun.

Free motion stitched it in place.

Cut it up the size I want.

Stitched some yarn around the edges.

Added strap to wrap around.

And a strap inside to stop the book from falling out.

There it is.

Based on an article In the Quilting Art Magazine issue 29.

Hand dyed silk

2009-09-06T21:19:00.000+02:00

I used my hand-dyed silk to day and made Butterfly and Iris, two of each for my Silk quilt. Maybe you can't see that the flower is Iris, but I have never done this before, hopefully the next two will look more like Iris. But I was happy with the Butterflies. I had some instruction from Ruth at http://www.academyofquilting.com/

There you can get great classes.

2009-09-03T17:02:00.001+02:00

Join with those who sing songs, tell stories, enjoy life … because happiness is contagious. Join those who walk with their heads high even when they have tears in their eyes. Avoid those who … have never shed a tear - Paulo Coelho

Hand dyed fabric

2009-08-29T18:47:00.000+02:00

I have so much hand dyed fabric and I was thinking of doing "Baby Dear Jane". I have admired Dear Jane quilt for many years and bought the disk and the book some years ago. Now is the time to start. I signed up for Rainbow Jane at the twiddletails store, but it does not start until october, I can't wait that long, so I decided to use my hand dyed and have already done my first one. Will post a photo of it to morrow.

Stencil

2009-08-22T15:02:00.000+02:00

Some pictures from a workshop in Reykjavik in June. Dyeing with Rust.

My tee shirt with the iron layed on top.

24 hours later, it is washed and dried with some new pattern. I did not put plastic between front and back so the pattern came through, which is not bad.

2009-08-14T10:33:00.000+02:00

I am more and more convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves. ~ Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt

2009-08-11T23:05:00.000+02:00

This is a quilt I made for my oldest grandson when he was 14 years old, he will be 18 next sunday. The fabric I dyed with Procion MX and printed photos, one for each year.

2009-08-05T18:13:00.001+02:00

IF you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. ~ Raymond Inmon

2009-08-04T11:24:00.001+02:00

I did some simple Shibori dyeing the other day I like to share with you.

6 silk scarfs

2009-08-01T11:05:00.000+02:00

To day I start a new class with Ruth Blanchet at her Academy. I have done similar class at QU with Carol, so I'm very excited to lern some new technique in free motion stitching. Will post some new pictures next week. The link to Ruths web site is: http://www.ArbeeDesigns.com

2009-07-26T10:37:00.001+02:00

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us. - Alexander Graham Bell

2009-07-24T18:01:00.000+02:00

Just finished this quilt. It is 193x134 cm.

The fabric is Aurora muslin which I dyed with Procion MX
but the pattern I found on quilterscache.com

2009-07-16T11:06:00.000+02:00

I love dyeing, usually I use Procion MX dye to make my own fabric, but this time I used Rust. It is fun and you will be surprised of the colour you get.

Rust dyed fabric

Ready to print on

My prayerbooks, made of rust dyed fabric.

Inside my prayerbook

Back of my prayerbook

2009-07-15T09:57:00.001+02:00

Every man has a feminine side, and every woman a masculine side. It is important to use dicipline with intuition, and to use intuition with objectivity. (Paulo Coelho from the book "Like the Flowing River)

Facebook | Pala Klein

2009-07-12T17:30:00.000+02:00

Facebook Pala Klein

2009-07-12T17:04:00.000+02:00

I just made this Banana-cake this morning, it is very easy to do, you should try it.

All it takes is: 3 eggs, 150 g raw-suger, 2 ts vanille, 125 g spelt flour, 1 ts winestone baking powder, 5 tbls isio4oil, 1 or 2 mashed bananas. Bake for approx 50 min. put chocolate on top and coconut flour.

2009-05-23T22:11:00.000+02:00

This quilt I made for my darling grandson, Ulfar. Some of the fabric I dyed myself. He was very happy when he found out that inside the tent is a picture of him and his father camping when he was two years old.

Ocean

2009-05-03T21:08:00.001+02:00

I made this quilt in January-March 2009.

Fabric dyed with Procion MX.

It is now on the exhibition "Hafið" in Reykjavík.

2009-04-06T12:39:00.000+02:00

This quilt was made for the exhibition "Hafið" in Reykjavík.

The picture was taken from Seltjarnarnes in Iceland.

The fabric I dyed with Procion MX dyes.