Enjoy the little things in life

Many small pieces into a 6” block – 154 pieces to be exact – yes I am still Just Plain Nuts!

I do enjoy making these blocks, but it is a lot of work¨to get them as accurate as I like :-)

17. May we celebrate Constitution Day here in Norway, and it is a big family celebration through the day.
Everybody wear their best clothes, and if you own a bunad (national costume), this is the day to wear it.
DD2 and I had to be a little silly with the camera – it was fun :-)

Hanne

Lost in action!

I should have blogged more from my wonderful trip to Nantes,
and I should have blogged more about these blocks as I make more.
Well – I am putting the pedal to the metal with these blocks, and I soon will count half square triangles in my sleep ;-)
The deadline is coming up and there is no time for rest!

These blocks finish 6”, so some of the triangles are quite small,

I love how these blocks turns out, but it is a lot of work to make them accurate and nice.
As you see I have started to join some of the rows.
I am so eager to see how this quilt will look when it is done!

Hanne

Block mania

I have a true passion for blocks, no doubt about it :-)

I had to put some of my Just Plain Nuts blocks up on a small board, to show on Kathrines Quilte Stue’s inspiration evening.
I am teaching both Nearly Insane and Just Plain Nuts there through the autumn and next spring. I am so looking forward to it!
It is a sewing machine class (mostly), with sewing on foundation piecing paper (and some hand piecing maybe), but one can off course do all these blocks by hand if one has a drive for it.

These are the last 3 blocks I have finished – still a lot of piecing to do before I can call these blocks a quilt.

Kathrine is well stocked on templates for English paper piecing, and some mini templates came home with me. We are really talking mini, like a 1” clamshell.

The centre piece for the quilt from Sue’s class on Friday  is done, ready to be appliqued down, after I have taken out all the paper templates.

I find that I enjoy both English paper piecing and traditional hand piecing very very much.

Some projects lend themselves more to one method, and some projects lend themselves more to the other method.
Bottom line – the more you know and the more you learn, the more fun you will have :-)

My DH has been seriously ill lately, and I know nothing as soothing to the mind as to do hand work.
He is slowly on the mend now (I hope)
I think I am lucky to have the possibility to let my mind wander and rest, amongst fabric and thread!
If you have found me very absent minded lately, that’s why……

Hanne

More nut blocks

Never a dull moment here in the Quilt Corner :-)

Other things in life has taken front seat for a while,
but we received some good news today, so more time can be spent here in the corner again.
One less worry in my life – that is something to be grateful for!

Hanne

Block and planning

I am not doing Just Plain Nuts blocks every day, but the blocks are coming along :-)

Here is me planning my Easter project.
I have been wanting to do a Carpenter’s Wheel for years. Now it is time :-)
Here is a mix of fabrics bought from Kathrines Quilte Stue (to the right) and from Lappeloftet (to the left). Adding a few from my own fabric collection made the mix good.

Hanne

More nut blocks

Never a dull moment in the Quilt Corner :-)

DH has been quite ill over the last week, so my block speed has not been very good, but as he is improving and not having to go to the hospital every day, I can get more done here in the corner.

Hanne

Happy Easter to you too :-)

I am working away on my blocks – not fast, but I will get there, stitch by stitch.
I am eager to start joining the blocks, but it is a bit early yet.

Hanne

Today’s nut block

Hanne

I am piecing - and piecing some more :-)

All the setting blocks are done – all 64 of them :-)

I have been cutting strips from my fabric collection. I think I have to buy some more white on whites, and white-ish with small prints, but for now I am good.

Miss Cat has supervised both cutting and sub-cutting -

as well as guarded finished blocks :-)

These are the rest of the setting blocks.
Now I “just” have to piece the last 41 focus blocks :-)
Stay tuned!

Hanne

More blocks :-)

2 more Just Plain Nuts blocks – 8 focus blocks down, 41 to go.

I am mixing all kinds of techniques doing my blocks, and I even press seams open every now and then.

Over the last 2 days I have pieced 18 more setting blocks. 25 setting blocks done – 39 to go. I am mixing all kinds of light / white fabrics to add more interest to the blocks.

It is quite some time since I last did crochet, but I was inspired to make one of these shoulder / neck warmers :-)
I have been on asthma inhalers this last week, after having a nasty cough for a long time, and my hands have been very shaky – to shaky to do any precision piecing or stitchery for most of the week.
The shaking hands are gone now :-)

Only one more of these blue beauties to go.
I am looking forward to make the Life Is Beautiful stitcheries into blocks.

Hanne

Monday block(s)

Observations as I work along:
If you want a book with sewing instructions, this book is not for you, and if you like to know how much fabrics to use you will be lost too.
If you want to know how many setting blocks to make, the proof reader must have been more than ordinary absent minded.
The book says 16 setting blocks of one kind and 16 of another kind. We are talking 16 of one kind and no less than 48 blocks of the other kind – 32 blocks counted wrong………. hmmm.
The setting blocks do not look difficult, but it is a lot of cutting involved.

I have done the same “planning” as I did when I made Nearly Insane winter 2007/2008 – I have already booked this quilt for machine quilting.
32 more setting blocks than planned will force me to work a tad more intensive than I originally planned, but as these blocks are fun, it will be doable within the time frame.
It is fun to see how the pink fabrics and the red setting blocks fabric work together :-)

Hanne