big stitch quilting and more

I am enjoying hand quilting the top I made from Tonya's class. For the first time I am trying big stitch quilting with perle cotton size 16 thread / embroidery needle size 8. Quite pleased to find out how smooth the needle and thread is sliding through the fabric and the 100% cotton batting (Quilter's Dream Cotton).

All new to me, the thread, the batting and also just making up the quilting design for the top as I stitch.
Just sharing some pics from the process:

The top is so narrow, it fits on my dining table. I taped the backing to the table itself, before stretching out the batting and then the quilt top. I ironed all three layers, even the batting gets pressed with a steam iron for making it flatter.

I tried something new to me for the basting as well; Janet had a very interesting post about basting before hand-quilting. So I tried basting with these long, sideway stitches instead of my normal straight running ones. I did this for both horizontal and vertical lines.

The deep, rich purple color is not easy to get good pictures of!

Here the basting looks a bit like it's been stapled on. After removing the tape, I was quite happy with how this new basting stitch made the top quite stable. And as I have been quilting it, I am convinced this stitch makes a difference. Please see Janet's post for better pictures of how too do this.

Thank you, Janet for sharing!

; )

After some evenings of quilting, most of the churn dash and letters are done. Now I need to decide on how to proceed to the solid areas of the quilt. For now the choice is between fans or crosshatch grid. We'll see...

There's a new " I took the progress pledge" badge to the right. Thank you to Cheryl and Rossie and the rest of you for sharing your thoughts on blogging. I am strengthened in my view of blogs as a tool for sharing both inspiration and techniques to build skills and venture out and experiment a bit.

If this badge is new to you, it is also a link to lots of great posts and blogs!

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. I still have a lot of great blogs to visit for the Blogger's Quilt Festival, it will take me some time to read through that list! And I'm amazed at how many lovely comments I've received for my contribution - thank you all for taking the time!

; )

bloggers quilt festival - spring 2010

It's festival time again! Lots of pretty quilts to see, good stories to be shared. And the best of it all - no volcano interfering!

I wanted to share two quilts I made that are close to my heart. These two string quilts are not living with me anymore, they were gifted to my oldest nephew and my oldest niece who both turned 15 this april / may.

Proud and happy for them, I wanted to give them "a hug that lasts". This is their first quilts. Living in Norway, quilts are not that common, even if it is a growing interest in this great old craft.

So these two quilts have strings attached, hart-strings. I really put my hart into making them. The quilts were started last spring, and I finished putting on the binding this spring. They are sewn on foundation muslin, and professionally quilted in a beautiful manner with harts / stars all over. The quilts measure about 60" * 75" and are intended to wrap these two lovely teenagers up in a warm hug!

Enjoy more stories and great quilts on your virtual quilt show tour!

Thank you Amy for hosting this event, and thank you for stopping by...

; )

the more, the merrier...

Thank you all for wanting to play along in my PIF challenge:

Katy

MichelleB

Linda

Natalie

Kirsten

Penny

Shayla

Jennifer

Nina Lise

You are all selected ; )

I'll need all of you to send me your mail address. Please see my profile for mine.

This is how it goes:

I have up till 365 days to make you a handmade gift, and send it to you.

When you receive it, you have to invite 3 people to play along. Yes, only 3.

Then you have up till 365 days to make them a handmade gift.

And so it goes, hopefully for a long time ; )

(If anybody wonders how this picture of colorful perle cotton size 16 is relevant - the only relevance is the number 9 (as in more is merrier) and it was a lucky find yesterday)

sweetie pie

Still enjoying sewing with my swapped vintage linens from Evelyn. I have made another small quilt for my table: sweetie pie is 25" *35". After my happy days, made in cool colors, I wanted to make a similar one using the warm palette. The quilting is small-scale meandering, still using Hobbs 80/20 batting.

And the back (not showing) is a gifted, small scale soft pink fabric my mother-in-law received from one of her friends. Happy to be able to use it! I buy a lot of my fabrics in 1/2 yrds, and it's often a challenge to find good backing for my quilts.

Do you find it easy to pick the backing? Please share any good ideas...

; )

pay it forward

I like the idea of "pay it forward": you receive a hand-made gift and commit to make and send a hand-made gift to three other people. Spread some love...

A year ago, I was lucky to sign up for Patch Andi's "pay it forward". In perfect timing, this pretty linen notebook cover showed up in my mailbox, all the way from Australia - and just in time for my birthday, too.

; )

Thank you, so much Andi. It is lovely, it will be used and cherished. The pretty hexagon flowers are tiny, and so cute! And I love your pretty name tag. I have admired your quilts for a long time, and have to say it is special to have a beautiful hand-made gift from you!

; ))

So, it is my time for me to pay it forward:

I would like to make a handmade gift for three lovely people who want to join in this tradition, and receive a hand-made gift from me. You have to be willing to commit to each make three gifts to send on. You will have 365 days to fulfill this commitment, and to pass on the "pay it forward".

I would ask you to think this through, and to leave me a comment on this post signing up for "pay it forward" within the next three days. I will draw three names on the 20th of May and let you all know. Please make sure I can contact you at a later time to get your name and address. If not, I'll have to skip you, and that would be a shame.

Here is another picture of my great gift from Andi, a notebook of blank pages to be filled, beautifully wrapped.

I have a few ideas of what to make, myself. The good thing is - I have 365 days to do it. I hope there is some of you who would love to play along. What do you say - would you like to participate?

happy days

Just finished hand-stitching the binding down - very late last night. This 30" by 30" Happy Days quilt is a birthday gift to myself ; ) I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and am curious to see how much it will shrink up after washing.

Thank you Evelyn, for providing the vintage sheets - they're so cheerful, just lovely.

We're having a a few red-letter days here in Norway, this week and next, and people are having some extra time off. Wish you all a nice weekend!

... and having fun with selvages

Quilt top is 24" by 40" and is sewn on foundation. This is my first go at using these mostly 1.5" wide strips. I'll keep cutting and saving them, great way to show of your favorite designer and fabric line...

This one was intended to be used under my sewing machine to protect my dining room table. Will it ever be used like that? We'll see - maybe I like it too much ; )

Do you save your selvages? There is this lovely blog with lots of inspiration for you...

Have fun!

just playing with scraps

A little bit of scrap management going on, here. I have loved the "Snippets" quilt from the first time I saw it. Some small scraps have been gathered over time, and now it was time to try it out. Most of the white fabric was "Kona Snow" small scraps from previous quilts, I just added a few strips, like the tutorial shows. It will be around 15" by 45" by the time it's finished.

Another pile of scraps - narrow selvedge strips, both with and without the text, waiting to be sewn into 7.5" string blocks.

Finally, I want to share how I turned the two left-over blocks from Short Stories into a small: 14" * 27" table-topper for the kitchen. They're quilted in a spiral in-the -ditch from the center and out.

Feels good to play with small quilts after finishing a bigger one....

Have fun sewing!