November focus project

 

It is sort of empty and strange since the Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge is done after 10 months. 

I am happy to learn that it will be a new challenge in 2025. 
I am already thinking about what to put on my list.

Another Christmas project will be done before this Christmas. 
It is just 41 days to Christmas Eve 🎄

This project was started last year (or was it the year before?)
It is designed by Anni Downs. 
Now all the applique and stitchery are done, and I am half done with the machine quilting.

Strange things are going on with Blogger.
I got no mails that comments has been left on my previous post. I therefore chose to answer the comments directly under my blog post.
Anyone else experiencing the same?

 💗Wishing you a lovely day where you are 💗

Hanne

October tally

 

October was a good month in my sewing room.
The foot stool is finished and I love how it looks.

The cushion from The Red Rooster, Dublin, Ohio,  is done too

 - and ready for Christmas decoration in my home.
I love the printed snowmen - original art from the shop.

The Kaffe Fassett cushion embroidery was a long time project. I am so happy to call it done!

26244 stitches, wool thread on canvas.

This was the last month of the Chookshed Stitchers 2024 challenge. 
It has been fun! 
From the list I made by the beginning of the year, I only changed out one for something else.

I have been told that there will be a 2025 challenge! 
I am looking forward to participate.

💖 Thank you Deana, for organizing this challenge,

 and for being our fearless leader through the year 💖

😍

Wishing you are lovely day where you are

Hanne

October Focus Projects

 

With no regret I have switched my last challenge project to the project above 😀

The project I have put away for now is Raspberry Tea Quilt. I planned to do machine quilting in sections to finish it, but I do not feel up to machine quilting right now, and am doing something smaller instead. 

This box chair I bought second hand during the summer of 2021, when we were cut away from normal life by Covid. 
I had searched for one like this for years, and suddenly I found one, online, only a few minutes walk from my own home. The chair is true vintage - from the late 40s, early 50s. The price was nice too.

Next is a cushion kit I bought a Red Rooster Quilts in Dublin, Ohio last autumn. 
The snowmen is printed from a original drawing by the owner of the shop. 
I need to do some changes to the original size of the cushion. It is a bit to big for my couch. I think I have come up with an idea that will make me use all the fabrics included in the kit.

I have had this embroidery as a side project for some time, and my goal is to finish it this year. 
It has its own story that I will tell in a later post. The design is by Kaffe Fassett.

💗 Wishing you a lovely day where you are💗

Hanne

September tally

 

One of my oldest stitcheries is now a part of a Christmas cushion I will treasure 💚

I bought the stitchery on Ebay long before stitcheries was in the shops here in Norway.
The designer is Bronwyn Hayes / Red Brolly.

I had such a good time stitching the design back then. I did not know what to make from it, and put it in a pretty box. 
A treasure in a box does not shine much....... 

I have had a good time making the stars with my Lemoyne Star ruler, and it has been fun to play with the setting. I have enjoyed making this in to a gem I can enjoy for years to come.

💚

I am still working away on my yarn stash. 
A pair of work socks for my other son in law.
I ran out of black yarn and had to be a little creative to make the toes look good too.

💚 Wishing you a good day where you are! 💚

Hanne

August tally

 

August was busy - 1 week at playing Bridge festival, and the rest, more or less under the covers, with fever and aches. Someone brought with them Covid to the festival - maybe the guy who looked like he had a fever, and who did not cover his mouth when coughing at our card table?
Anyway, as I have a fragile immune system, I was unlucky enough to catch it. I tested positive when we came home. My husband tested positive a few days later. We both have had 5 vaccines.

I think we would have been even sicker without the vaccines. I never discuss vaccines - I believe in them and take them, others may not believe in them, which is their choice. I have had two weeks of antibiotics too, which really took away my energy. 
I am on the road to recovery now, I am happy to say.

I did not turn the sewing machine on before the second last day of August. I so wanted to keep up my at least 1 finish a month, so I did a switcheroo between the green stitchery project and this stitchery project, which was an Advent stitch along in 2023, hosted by em_bea_roidery on Instagram.
I finished it the last day of August.

So as we write September, I have 2 projects (see last post) left to finish in order to reach my challenge goal. I think I can, I think I can 😍
I will just start and see where it takes me!

💖Wishing you a lovely day where you are 💖

Hanne 

August Focus Project(s)

 

Going through the last 3 projects we are doing in the Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge, I really do not know where to start. 
My projects are:

#8 The green Bronwyn Hayes stitchery - make a nice Christmas cushion.
#7 The lovely stitchery from Advent SAL by em-bea-roidery in 2023 - make a candle mat  
#4 Raspberry Tea Quilt, top nearly done. My goal is to quilt it in sections, on my own sewing machine. 
It is a rather big quilt, 69 by 69 inches. I need to find batting, backing, thread, courage and everything....

Deana, our fearless leader in this challenge, draw #3 for August, and since I have already done #3, I can pick and choose.

We are going away for some time this month, so my sewing room time will be limited. 
Therefore I will choose #8 to finish this month, 
and if there are some time and strength left, I will have #4 as my side project. Maybe I can finish it by the end of this challenge that ends by the end of October.

Take care 💕 Have fun!

Hanne

July tally

 

This was my Chookshed Stitchers Challenge priority work for July. 
I am very happy with how these placemats turned out, and my oldest daughter is very pleased with them too. Since we both have been on different summer activities, she has not received them yet, but I have kept her updated with photos. She needed 5 placemats - I made 6 😊

The yarn stash shrinking will be an ongoing activity for a long time. 
I finished my striped socks, for myself, and I made a pair for a young man with far bigger feet than what I have 😀
No adding to my yarn drawer, and I am passing all sales with a smile.

My grandsons, age 3 and 5, think Paw Patrol is super cool.
When visiting in USA before Christmas, I bought 1 yard of fabric with Paw Patrol,
I have had a plan, but it has been procrastinated big time.

It did not take me to long to make 2 bags, suitable for carrying Lego when visiting. They both were very excited, and the little one filled his bag with Lego right away.

 

This table topper / tablecloth has been moved and moved and moved around my sewing room, the top nearly finished, for quite some time (as in years)
I found from some old photos that is was started in 2021.
Well - now it is done, and I am so happy with the result. 
I used my favorite blue fabrics.  
I have used English Paper Piecing. The borders are hand appliqued on, so I did not have to cut of anything.  I have machine quilted in every square + border by sewing machine. 
The last stitch in the binding was yesterday afternoon.

I did not expect to get so much done in July, but summer has been very wet and on the colder side this year. Tourist are coming to Norway for something they call Coldcation, since our climate is so much colder than the rest of the world. Good for those having it to hot - not so good for us who live here........ I wish we could get some warmer weather too, but what can we do, other than making the best of it 😊

Now to find what I will work on in August!

💖 Wishing you a wonderful day where you are 💖

Hanne

July Focus

 

It is a rainy and blustery day, and it is perfect to spend some time in the sewing room. 

This month's focus project in the Chookshed Stitchers Challenge is #1 - and I was already done with #1 in January. 
I've just went through my challenge project list, and I found that I do not have anything there that I am drawn to finishing in July. 
Therefore I picked an Ufo from about 1 year ago. 

I promised my dear daughter #1 a set of placemats..... 
She needs at least 5. 2 are partly done, 3 are not yet started - perfect focus project for this month. They will finish circular and will have bindings. 
Perfect for mindless binding sewing later this month 😁

We are just back from a week on the south coast. Dear husband is going back to work tomorrow, so with a bit of focus I should be able to move both the placemats and these socks forward.
I am shrinking my yarn stash too 😁

💖Wishing you a good day where you are💖

Hanne

June tally

 

The Kingfisher quilt is done and I am so happy with it. 

It has the perfect size for a lap quilt and I use it all the time. 

I did not expect to finish this in June, binding and all. 

                     

I am looking forward to see what project out of 10 Deana draw for us to do in July! 

Without the Chookshed Stitchers Challenge this quilt would not have been done in June. 

It is summer here in Norway. We do have a few days of vacation right now. I have brought knitting and some Sashiko, which both are easy to carry, needing minimal space and very few tools.

Since summer in this part of the world is not very long, we have to take advantage of every day the sun is shining. Doing easy hand work in the sun is so nice!

It has been like forever since I made myself a dress. I saw one that one of my friends have sewn. I was inspired to do one myself and it was great fun.

The fabric is cotton chambray and both the fabric and the pattern come from the Scandinavian store Selfmade.

I will make more garments in the future. I need more dresses and I also have a very nice big shirt pattern  that needs to be used. 

So, even in a life-got-in-the-way-of-creativity month, 2 finishes are great!

I  have not been good at answering comments recently - I do apologize - and hope to catch up soon! 

For the first time every I have brought my computer on vacation. There is a will, there will be a way. 

Take care - wishing you a wonderful day where you are 💗

Hanne

Chookshed Stitchers Challenge - June

 Deana has picked project #10 as June's project. 

This quilt is my #10
It is partly quilted - and it is like a quilt as you go project, with the top and bottom border fabric not yet sewn to the rest. 
I can not promise to finish this quilt this month, but I can promise progress by daily thread(s)

I tried to put some daily threads in in the beginning of the year - it did not work at all. 
I think it will work better this time!

1-2 threads a day, starting today. Go me! 

Did I mention I have several other projects on the sidekick list? 
Well - no idle hands in June - just saying😁

Hanne

May tally

 

I made it! The hexagon top is done 💖
This has been so fun to piece - filled with joy and happy memories!

Together with the small lipstick pouch, I have met my goals, and more,  for May. 

I will machine quilt this top sometime after summer, on my domestic sewing machine. 
I have a plan!

💖Wishing you a lovely day where you are  💖

Hanne

Sunny May days

 

We have had some beautiful sunny days, and I have been sitting out on the veranda knitting. 
My knitting fits nicely in the yellow pouch from April. 

I do have a one knitting at a time rule, and I had to finish a pair of socks for my two grandsons first.

I have been dragging my feet on these socks. I do not enjoy doing embroidery like knitting stitches, which I had to do for these faces. 
I do like the finished socks though, and they were very well received 💖

 

I have started the last 2 rows on the hexagon lap quilt. I have very much enjoyed the process!
Daily thread(s) has really moved this project forward 😍
This top will definitively be finished quite soon - sooner than what I expected. That's something to be happy about.

💗 Have a lovely day where you are 💗

Hanne

First finish in May + Thoughts on Ufos

 

Some time ago I found the pieces for this little pouch in my stuff. It was already traced and I had already done about 10 stitches with dark blue on the waves on the front piece. 

I am not sure why it was put to the side, but I do know it must have been around 2012-2013. 

Was the blue to dark? 

Anyway - I picked the dark blue thread out and started again, and now the little pouch is finished and in daily use, holding my lipstick in my purse.

I think it is cute and it was fun to finish it.

The design is by Natalie Bird / The Birdhouse

The hexagon quilt top is coming along nicely. It is nice to see it grow, and I am working on row 13 - 15 of 17 as we speak. After row 17 there are some gaps in the first and last row that will be filled in with half hexies.
I think I will be able to finish this top through May. That would be lovely.

Something has happened to how I look at my unfinished projects.....
My unfinished projects are unfinished dreams. Some (very few) do not spark joy or creativity anymore, but most of them will be taken care of and finished in one way or the other. 

I have more (many more) stitcheries that will be finished into quilts or other things. Every stitch has brought me joy and comfort, and deserves to be finished. I am very looking forward to work on them.

I like minimalism.
For some minimalism and quilting do not go together, for me they do. I need space to dream, think and create, if you know what I mean. 

I need less unfinished projects, I need less stored fabrics. 
When we lived in a bungalow, we had a lot of storage space. Now we do not have much storage space at all, and I need to keep on adjusting my belongings (read fabrics) accordingly, so my sewing room will be big enough for everything that I own. It is not a big room and it is a guest bed in here too.
I will make more care quilts, that's for sure.

💖 Wishing you a lovey day where you are 💖

Hanne

Feeling a bit crazy - May challenge quilt and more

 

Deana pulled # 5 as this month's Chookshed  Stitchers Challenge. My project # 5 is this big hexagon quilt. It still lacks 8 rows + half hexies on the top and bottom row.

I can promise this will not be finished this month, but I can promise to move it forward, every morning with my morning coffee 💖

I am not to sure spring has come to stay, and in this country we are used to the changing weather in the spring. I had a lovely couple of hours out on the veranda, resting in the sun today, with an audio book on the ear. I had SPF 30 on. It is easy to forget how strong the sun is, after a long and dark winter. 😀

I have been picking some side projects to the hexagons, but found it really hard to chose.

Toy bags for the boys, with Paw Patrol fabric?
Christmas cushion? Absolutely!
Project pouch with stitchery and clear vinyl window?
Kaffe Fassett wool embroidery?
Something else?

It must be the sun and the spring that affect me - I want to do so much!

💖 To much of a good thing can be great, sometimes 💖

Hanne

April finishes

April was a good month in the Quilt Corner 💕

First I finished this shopping bag with sashiko.
It was originally my March focus project ( #3 ), but life interfered with sewing, as I said before. 
Anyway - it is done, and it was shipped to another part of the country as a gift for someone special - and it got there in time for April 7th. It was very well received.

Next I finished these 4 Advent / Christmas coasters. 

They have been started years ago. The design is by Natalie Bird, as a wall hanging. We do not have much space for wall hangings anymore where we live now, but coasters are in daily use.

I try to finish something Christmas-y every month this year, just for the fun of it.

This is the April (#9) Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge 😊

The stitchery is from many years back, design Bronwyn Hayes / Red Brolly.
I never get to many of these pouches. They are good for so many things, like projects, toiletry, and what not. They pack well, both in a purse and in a suitcase. 
Sometimes I make them with a bottom so they can stand up, sometime I don't.

I looked through my Chookshed Stitcher 2024 Challenge list this morning. 
I have finished 5 of 10 - and some of the unfinished ones are big projects.
I need to give them some attention so I have a chance to finish all in time 😊

Last, I finished these 2 pairs of socks for my grandsons last night. 
My dear daughter 2 showed me a photo of Paw Patrol mittens early in autumn last year, and I agreed to make some for my grandsons.
Well - I did not like the process and the first mitten was put to the side, about half done. (That is how knitting Ufos are made)
I un-knitted the mitten in winter and started a pair of socks instead. I had to change the pattern some to fit, but that went well. 2 boys = 2 pairs of sock - that is how it is.
I must admit that the embroidered faces was so slow to make, but since yesterday was the last day in a month I thought it would make a nice finish. I have been procrastinating like forever......

Since I already have the rule of just 1 knitting project at a time, now I can start something new - and I will, shortly. 💖

New month, new chances! 

💖 Wishing you a good day where you are  💖

Hanne

Hexies galore

It has been a hexie week in my sewing room 💖

I started this project when in USA before Christmas and it has given me a lot of joy to handpiece the traditional way. My friends has been retreating in Shipshewana, IN, this week, so doing hexies along with them from a distance has made me feel connected.

The inspiration comes from Tales Of Cloth on Instagram and the hexies finishes 2,5" big.
The quilt will be 17 hexies down and 17 hexies wide. 

On the Chookshed Stitchers challenge list this one is #5, so it is not due this month.

It is time to give some attention to the projects on my April challenge list too. Times goes so fast these days.
The snow is finally gone. It has been a long winter in my part of the world. 

Have a lovely day where you are 💖

Hanne

April focus projects

 

# 9 is the magic number in the Chookshed Stitchers challenge this month 😍

My # 9 is the red stitchery with the yellow fabrics.

The stitchery is designed by Bronwyn Hayes / Red Brolly.
It is from back then when stitchery was so new in my part of the world that shops here did not carry any yet. These have no year printed on them. It would have been fun to know how old the are.

I found these on Ebay, from Australia,  and I can still remember the joy and the anticipation waiting for the mailman. I did not find all of the 4 different designs all at once, so I was often waiting for something nice to arrive. 

Postage was not so high back then, and fees and VAT on international private small scale shopping was not a thing yet. 

I love pouches and will turn this stitchery into a special bright one 💗💛

The square stitcheries I will turn into Christmas coasters.
Designer is Natalie Bird.

I have a little quirky plan to finish something Christmas-y every month this year, if I can. 
March did not deliver, but I can always do 2 this month or another month.

I will start April with these 2 projects and see where it brings me.

                                                                            💗

On another note....

I tried to delete many unused blogs and add some new blogs to my sidebar reading list yesterday. 
I used a lot of time on that, deleting, saving, deleting, saving, without any luck.  Whatever I did, the end result did not match the effort, and nothing could be deleted.
The widget I had was most likely outdated.
I deleted the old widget this morning and started a new list today, but it will take some time to put everything in there again. I did visit many blogs yesterday, and I met many that were not updated for years, some were deleted, at least one was red flagged by my security system.
The new list will be blogs that I want to read, updated through the last 12 months.

Have a good day where you are 💗 

Hanne

1st finish in April

Ever since I bought my first sashiko panel, I have been smitten - with the designs and with the process. 

I love dragonflies as you may know. I love how they look and the symbolism they have all over the world. 

This tote was supposed to be finished in March - it was on my Chookyshed Stitchers 2024 challenge list -  and since it had a deadline (for a gift) I had to just pull my socks up and do it. I finished it on April the 1st.  The tote is travelling to its new owner as we speak 😀
I am happy with how it looks. I love fabric totes and use them all the time myself, instead of plastic bags.

I am aiming for a productive April - more about my focus project(s) shortly 💗

Wishing you a lovely day

Hanne

March = no finishes

 

The best laid plans and all of that......

My focus project # 3 (my own priority) - turning the sashiko into something useful and pretty for a special person in my life, with a deadline, 
 and the project Deana drawn for us, #4, which turned out to be the Raspberry tea quilt from Sue Daley are not done.

I did join together the last 9 block square and cut fabric for the sashing around the focus block in the middle of Raspberry Tea quilt.  Other than that, nothing much happened on that project.

The sashiko - no progress at all in March.

Life interfered with my plans - and when life does that, I know it is good for me to relax, re-think and re-prioritize.

Come to think of it - I did have a finish in March 😃
I am still working on shrinking my light pink and peach fabrics. 
Chooky showed us a lovely table runner when we last had a Zoom meeting, and I just had to try the technique, since I already had that template, still wrapped in plastic 🙈

This quilt top is approx.. 55" wide and 65" long, and it is ready to be handed over to the next person in the charity quilt maker group, to be machine quilted.
Did it make a dent in the soft pink stash? I do not really see one, but I think it did, since I have been pulling fabric from here and there, from several boxes.

This project had some progress, 

this project had some progress,

and this project had some progress too!

All in all, in retrospect, I see that I have got quite a lot done, even if it was not on my original March to do list.

Wishing you a lovely day 

Hanne