The last day in 2011

It is time to make a tally for the year 2011.

It has been a year of many events - some good, some not so good.

The foot and its surgery in May took a lot of time and effort, both before, under and after.
Outcome - maybe not so good, but it is sloooowly improving, sort of.
I guess it is also a matter of adjusting to the current situation - I can do that, over and over ;-)
I think it is good to look for the bright sides instead of focusing on what is not so good.
Very good is the fact that I can again use the sewing machine pedal without pain!

WISP (work in slow progress)  situation - well well………… ;-)
I have had a lot of finishes in 2011, but also some starts that were not finished, and some dead ends.
I just counted my finish list - 67 finishes - not at all bad :-))

Knitting was a dead end - my neck and shoulders are glad I gave that up.
Crochet is a good alternative, in between other activities - in between being the operating words.
I have used a lot of fabric - 15 care quilts took care of that, combined with all other finishes, big and small.
I have used more than I have bought! Go me! Yes!!

In between Christmas prepping I have made these 3 preemie afghans and 1 baby hat. They will be delivered shortly :-)

This quilt top is done, and it will be delivered to Merete on Monday for custom machine quilting :-) I am very looking forward to see the finished quilt!

Since DH is going on a week long guy trip in a few days, the Christmas decorations will go down soon, as in tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
The cutest decoration is present through the year though :-)

These are the last Christmas gifts.
Some of them got so delayed in the post, but I think they all have arrived by now.
I could not blog them before.

Hugo and Felix (Lynette Anderson's furry friends) are looking after DD1's coins now.

Christmas always generates leftovers of all kinds.
Some milk of a kind we do not use resulted in good whole grain bread,

and yesterday I was inspired to bake Christmas bread / Christmas cake with some leftover double cream.
This sweet bread with raisins and cardamom is very good as coffee bread au naturelle, with cheese or jam, and also goes well with the salted meat and liver paté we use for Christmas sandwiches - believe it or not.
I like to bake with yeast :-)
I have never tried this recipe before, but I will do it for Christmas from now on.

As in every year, it is a matter of get some and lose some.
I am so happy for good friends with whom I can share all kinds of days.
Even a dull day is brightened by good friends, always, and a hug and a laughter can get us through whatever it is :-)
You know who you are - consider yourself hugged :-)

I still do my morning coffees or teas in the flicker of candle light.
It is a good time to think and sometime rethink the important things in life, in company with some hand sewing or stitchery.

2012 will be a year with some changes - they will be embraced as they appear.

I want to thank you all for spending time with me this year.
Bring a mug, sit down and enjoy some quilt corner time with me in 2012.
The fun is about to begin :-)

Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life
actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life."
-- Christiane Northrup, MD

May 2012 be the best year for you!
Happy New Year!

Hanne

Christmas days

 

The last presents were made the last week before Christmas - 4 cushion covers with redwork stitcheries and red fabrics from the scrap box.
It was hard to part with some of these cushion covers- especially the one on the first photo! That is when you know they are good gifts, right? :-)

I tried to make nice backings too, from different fabrics. I am not fond of gold prints anymore, but they do make nice mixed backings, and as a bonus my red stash is shrinking too. :-)
You will never see me buying anything with metal print again!

I still have some gifts I can not show you, as the postal system has messed up delivery, and a couple of people are still waiting for their gifts, even if I sent the packages within the given time limits. Grrrrrrrrrrrr and double grrrrrrrrr - next year I will send my packets even a couple more weeks in advance, like I usually do. I guess these are going by row boat……via China……

I got some lovely gifts too :-)

The best part of Christmas decorations are all the lights -

  and my favourite Christmas quilts - and the lovely cross stitch Christmas calendar my late father in law made!

 The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched -
they must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller

Hanne

4th Advent Sunday

This week, Miss Cat has had a busy week – checking proper wrapping of gifts,

supervised storage facilities, trying boxes on for size and all.

She absolutely think all this Christmas stuff is highly over-rated, unless one can have a box and a quilt to one self.  :-)

Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting my favourite quilt shop, Lappemakeriet, to shop fabrics for a special quilt.
The service is always excellent and inspiration is in abundance :-)

 

 

Today I lit the last Advent candle and opened the last Advent Calendar gifts.

Thanks May Britt and Bente for being part of my Advent this year.

We light four candles tonight
and let them all burn down.
For longing, joy, hope and peace
but most of all for peace on this little earth
where people live.

Hanne

3rd Advent Sunday

 

Miss Cat was enjoying "cat TV" on broad screen, also known as the living room window, watching the birds in the trees.
She made funny noises too, nearly like a frog  :-)

Secrecy season -  I can not show you what I am working on, but I can share my calendar gifts.

Thank you, May Britt and Bente :-)

Hearts is the theme in the sewing corner this weekend, and I was so lucky finding a zip lock bag with pre cut hearts from the long gone shop Lille Stasjon in May Britt's town Elverum.
The shop was sold a couple of years back, and it has got a new name, a new staff, a new location and a new style.
It was nostalgic to work with these hearts, reminiscing the old shop and the lovely, skilled ladies working there.

We light three candles tonight
For longing, hope and joy.
They stands there shining by themselves
and we who present are
We light three candles tonight
for longing, hope and joy.

Hanne

Inspiration, dreams and goals

Miss Cat and I are organizing the sewing corner today, and she is a great helper and supervisor :-)

Since we are soon at the end of the year, it is a good time to set goals for 2012. I am not ready to publish them just yet.

I love my quilt books, my quilt magazines and my crochet books, and the thoughts, ideas and dreams gets wings while enjoying all the wonderful photos and text.
In my dreams I can make it all, fast, like right now – are you like that too ?? :-))

I just have to show you these beautiful mittens I got from a friend a while back.
She has the warmest heart and she is so skilled with her knitting – notice the wonderful quilt pattern!
I am sending you a big hug my friend, for being who you are!
These mittens has warmed my  heart and my hands.

 Hugs grease the wheels of the world. ~Author Unknown

Hanne

Decisions and goals :-)

I am organizing in my things, and I have got rid of a lot, and am lifting my treasures up :-)
I have a very small sewing room, and I have decided that the walls are as full as I want them.
I am not hanging anything more on these walls, and I will hold back on buying in 2012.
That goes for everything, from spools and fabrics to decorating items.
My goal is to find room in my boxes for everything – you may even call it a resolution :-)

This is the wall over my vintage desk – isn’t it cute, with the things I love the most :-)Two small baby afghans, just finished, to give to premiee babies, through Amandaprosjektet.
They are leaving the building in a couple of minutes – I hope they will warm where they come!

PERSIST. Because with an idea, determination, and the right tools, you can do great things

Hanne

Candles for hope and joy - Sunday baking

We ended yesterday's baking with a delicious meal together with May Britt's daughter.
We had pinnekjøtt - dried, salted, smoked, rib of mutton, which is a traditional Norwegian Christmas dish.
Before it is cooked it is watered, so it gets soft and not so salty.

Early in the morning today we enjoyed the quiet flicker of the candle light, a cup of coffee and the Advent calendar gifts.

From Bente I got a beautiful cross stitched card, vintage photos on fabric and stitchery on Transfer-Eze,

and from May Britt a lovely fabric and a beautiful button ladybug :-)

Today we made Krumkake and Coconut macaroons.

Making the Krumkakes you have to work fast,

- if not you can not roll them! As they cool they are very crisp.

Here is today's baking - yes, I did taste the crust on one of the sponge cakes we made from the leftover egg yolks :-))

Today we celebrate 2nd Advent Sunday, and we have lit the second candle.

This weekend has been in the sign of Christmas preparations. We have shopped for gifts and we have baked, but we have also had time to do some sewing - at least a few treads on May Britt's new heart design, which is as lovely as the ones she has made before :-)

We light two candles tonight,
two candles for hope and joy.
They stands there shining by themselves
and we who are present.
Tonight we light two candles,
we light them for hope and joy

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our hearts

Hanne