Basting takes time!!!

Not sure why I thought I could baste Dear Jane in one day.... I am on the second day, and still not done! I forgot all the preparations that needs to be done. Like ironing all the parts.

Did I read somewhere that you are supposed to remove all threadends on the back? Where on earth do you start....?

Then the backing needs to be fastened to the floor, real thight. (It is a lovely blue batik with patterns that looks like old Viking patterns. Seemed to fit:))

Then a very nice wool batting. It is soooo soft!

Then I realised that I had not stitches the end block! So that took the rest of the evening.
This morning I spread the quilt top over and started basting. I am about 1/4 done, and my back is already protesting. Necessary breakes takes time... However, I need to get it done tomorrow, as this big quilt takes up half my living room floor, and the furnitures that are supposed to be here are stuck on the other half. It is quite a feat to get out of the room now. Good to have tangible goals, right? :)

The quiet space of Christmas

In Norway, the days between Christmas eve and New Years eve are viewed as a quiet time. Stores are closed between 24 and 27, among others:) Growing up, I weren't even allowed to knit or sew those first days in Christmas, as it was holy days and we should 'not work'. Thankfully, I don't have to adhere to those rules any more:)

I intend to spend these free, quiet days crafting as much as I can! At the moment I am having a LOTR marathon while appliqueing on my Civil War Bride quilt, interspersed with some light knitting.

Since everybody has unwrapped their gifts by now, I can finally show what I have been working on these last few weeks.
Yup, another pair of skull socks. I mixed a few patterns for this. The receiver hasn't received them yet, but has seen pictures of them. They pass.

For my good friend in the US, I knitted another shawl, this is corral red. Hopes she likes it.

Three ladies all ordered table runners this Christmas. Is there an epidemic? Not easy ones, either, as two of them are in colours I find difficult to work with. But this one is for my niece, who wanted something 'romantic' and shabby chic.

Simple pattern of squares. The quilting made it all go togheter, I think.

My sister-in-law wanted something for spring, lilac, grey, silver, green and so on. Sigh. Again, hard colours for me to use. I found it hard to find a pattern that would even show up with these fabrics, but I tried. For some reason I did not take a picture of this finished! I quilted star patterns on the open spaces, just to make it show at all.

Colours are a little off on this one, but you can see a star:) This one is very long, as she has an old table that can be taken out to seat 20 people....
A friend wanted a table runner in dark blue and purple, to fit on a black table.... Ok... So I decided to make my own interpretation of that:) Turns out she likes it:) Can not ask for more than that.

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will rearrange my living room and start laying out the Dear Jane for it to be basted. A full day spent on my knees bent over the quilt - I can feel my back aching already, not to mention my fingertips. But it has to be done before I can start quilting it! Another goal this Christmas break is to rearrange all my fabric to find new ways of putting them together. Enough to do, but fun work.

God jul!

May not have this kind of snowy Christmas this year, but it looks nicer than the foggy thing outside my window at the moment:)
It is little Christmas eve, as we call it here in Norway. Growing up, this was the earliest we decorated the tree. As a grown up, it is the day of relaxing. Off from work, start of a vacation, and this year - my own choice of celebrating:)

I am looking forward to Christmas eve with the rest of the family, and then eight days of doing exactly what I want. Sleeping in, sewing, watching my favourite movies, spending time with friends. Can't wait. It has not been an easy year, and next year will not be easy either. So I need to hoarde some energy this Christmas.

I wish you all the Christmas celebration of your wish:)

Different

When I rearranged my furniture last year, I did not take into account that the space for the Christmastree got moved to a place where I only will see it when I am on my way out of the apartment. What is the point of a tree, then? So after seeing different wonderful ideas on Pinterest (highly recommended, by the way!) - I am trying something different this year:) This one contains all my favourite ornaments, and I can look at it all the time. I might look for new lights next year, I would like for it to have more lights.
Since most of the people I have made Christmas gift for are frequenting this blog, I can't share all the things I have completed! But this one has already been opened by the receiver, so I can share it:) It is a beautiful colour, a light green colour.

I am almost done with all of the gifts. Just a little more knitting and a few more stitches. And it is still a week left! Feels almost luxurious.

Poor birdies

I went on a quiltstore run during work hours today.... Sometimes during winter you just get desperate to be out in the daylight! And desperate to see fabric! On my way back I went by some bushes filled with birdies. I don't know if they were too cold to move much, or that being city birds, they can deal with people passing them by - but they even sat quietly until I got my camera up and zoomed in!
Almost a christmas card worthy, that one:)

I know they do it to keep warm, but I love how they puff themselves up:) In Norway, even in the cold winter, people are real good at feeding the birds, so they do quite well. I really enjoy watching the big flocks gathering in the bushes. And the noise they make! Winter can be so cold and dead, it is nice to see some creatures surviving here, except us.... :)

Oh, and if you wonder: No, I do NOT like winter!!!

Not much left

... on my 'making Christmas gifts list', or
... of my energy....

I have had to buckle down and admit to myself that I have been pushing it a little too much this year. I was so sure that my bout of depression was a result of not having a job, and that it would miracously dissappear when I started working again. Hah!

We have an expression in Norway - 'nissen følger med på lasset'. Roughly, when you move, the housegnome follows with, i.e. you are not rid of the problem just because you move, or change jobs or... do other stuff. You have to address the issue, not just the sympthom.

I hate that... sigh. On the other hand, it isn't much fun when you loose the desire to sew, knit, take pictures, find new things to do and so on. So I will not try to overextend myself when it comes to handmade Christmas gifts - people will have to live with bought gifts. I will not work during the Christmas break. And I will take one day at a time. Sooo easy....

Anyway, photos! Yes, finally. I took a day off to go Christmas shopping and ended up driving to the End of the World instead. I climbed and crawled my way over wet rocks as far out as I could go - never been this far out before. It was a miracle I made it out without injuries.
The weather was grey, but heck - light is light. And these days we have few hours of daylight as it is. I am fascinated by the curves that the waves have created over millions of years. Such soft shapes.

This was as far as it was possible to get without a boat. But I made it:)

This year I am buying my own Christmas gift - a new camera! Getting it soon. As for crafts - nothing to show until after Christmas, since they all watch my blog. Darn....

Frustrations and annoying solutions

I am in the middle of knitting christmas gifts. I am knitting something for the third time, but this time it completely eludes me!!! After a while you just have to admit defeat, as annoying it is, and start over again. This time - smaller needles. Starting all over again - such annoyance. Sigh. Oh well! In the middle of annoying solutions, I have started on my tower of fabric from the previous post. It amazes me how the same block can look so different, just because the difference in colours:) It is fun, but I can't really indulge in them at the moment. Soon:)

Step by step

It's been a while since I cut all the fabric for one quilt first and not during my sewing. This bundle took me two whole days - spread over two weekends. My back...
This is how 510 pieces looks like, from 30 different pieces of Hideaway fabric. I really should spend the time finishing christmas gifts, but it just felt so good to start something new - for me, this time:)

I am sure a little sewing now and then between the knitting and stitching would not be so bad? Gifts will be done, I promise:)

On my way to work....

I have to admit, I am not fond of fall. When I am having a dark period, like I have had for a while now, fall becomes even more sinister. It is the prelude to winter, after all. Winter, which in this country means you don't really see daylight much during the work week. It is dark when you leave for work, and dark when you leave work. No hourlong daily lunches in Norway:)

Sometimes I force myself to notice positive things with fall. This morning, for instance, the morning sun spread gold over the ground as I walked through the Royal Park on my way to work.
And the ducks waddled around. Don't they leave for warmer parts now?

As for crafts - it is the beginning of the Christmas gift making period, and nothing much I can show on the blog! Though I have now started to cut these fabrics, so that I can hopefully make myself the Alpine star quilt. A little bit of colour and cheerfulness during the long winter. Never knew how much TIME it takes to cut all the fabric for one quilt all at once, though! Still not done....

Celebrations....

With regards to the previous post - the quilts made is for my new webshop! I decided to try to do something with all I make, so I opened a little store through a Norwegian webshop for handmade stuff. I figured it was a good way of celebrating my 49th:)

You can visit the store on this link: Lenes Lines. There is also a link on the right side. Only in Norwegian, at the moment.

I celebrated my birthday by visiting my aunt and uncle deep in the woods. We went for a long walk with the dogs in the beautiful fall weather.

Stepping forward

Here is my weekend.
Sewing bindings on seven quilts. Sorry about the blandness of the colour, but Sunday gave us greyness and rain, hard to get good pictures.

I have big-ish plans for these quilts. A little scary, too, but it seems to be the step foward I need to take. I have procrastinated long enough. It should have happened last fall, I have to get my guts together and do. I just have to..... do some other stuff first. hehe:)

At least I am closer now.

I have lots of stuff on 'the wallpaper' as we say in Norway - in process, but this is christmas stuff time, and I can't show much. So frustrating....

So cute!

I finished the first sock last night, started the second one today (otherwise it would just be one sock.....). I added a row of skulls at the toe. I find them cute, looking up at me like that:) Yes, I am slightly odd.

Not easy taking pictures of your own leg, but here it is, in its full length.

I like the way the striped patterns shapes the form, a very Norwegian'ish way of doing it. Socks like this (without the skulls, but with the black and white patterns of roses and stripes) are originally used by men with the folk costumes, which we call Bunad.
The sole of the foot is striped, too. I added the stripes on the toes to bring the pattern back.

You find the pattern on Ravelry. It is called Selbudeath (the original rose is called Selburose normally:)), and it is free!

Death becomes her

I found this delightful pattern on Ravelry, a Norwegian pattern with a slight twist. I find it suits my inner goth:)
This little one, (well, actually, he is over a year now, I guess he stops being little after a while?) will soon be receiving his test quilt. I just can't stop myself posting his pictures, he is just so cute in his new haircut:)

I finished quilting and binding the cat quilt yesterday. Will get it over to his mom soon.

I am looking forward to see if he likes sleeping on it, or maybe batiks aren't as good to sleep on as other cotton? We shall find out soon.

Other than that, we have had a horrid wet summer, my shoulder does not seem to get any better (though I keep on crafting...) and I seemed to be stuck with a flu that does not want to go away. It does make me slightly depressed and tired. And not looking forward to another long and dark winter.

Stars, logs, cats and a dog

I keep forgetting to blog while progressing:) I should not just wait until it is all done! Latest flimsy is a result of trying to use up the red stars that did not quite work out in its orginial plan. As none of the stars are of the same size, I 'filled' them out by making a log cabin block out of each star. I do see I need to redo a few seams...

One of the blocks has a slight Norwegian flair to it:)

A knitted eight point star! It's knitted in cotton, so it will be able to stand a whirl in a washing machine:)
This flimsy is a cat quilt, with cats. A quilt for cats, that is. I want to test out the theory that since cats seems to be drawn to sleep on quilts, maybe they will prefer sleeping on this - keeping the furnitures safe. We shall see. It will be tested by Spike and Buffy in a week or two.

I just had to share this picture. Newest family member, Teddy. I just love the look in his face:) He has an almost foxlike face. So cute! And the softest of furs!
Oh, and Spike got his summer cut a few weeks ago. Lion cut, they called it. I love the patterns that shows up. But according to his mother (or can-opener, as he views her) he slunked around the apartment for a few weeks. He did not seem comfortable in the new cut. And his partner, Buffy, hissed at him for days. However, I think he is better off without all the fur we weren't allow to brush... He still looks grumpy, but I guess that is just his nature. He is cute, though!

Just 8 months late:)

Well, it was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but it did not get started until January, then my arm started acting up and so on and so on. But now it is done!:) A Setesdal sweater for my sister-in-law. With the embroidery and all.
They say this is the antique version. The white at the bottom was the part where they used to stuff it down the trousers and would not bee seen, so they saved the black, more expensive yarn.

The embroidery is on felt. And the hook is pewter.

This is my Setesdal - about ten years or so old. It is of thicker yarn, and shorter, but with more elaborate embroideries. Done it all myself, this one, too:)

A slight taste of fall

I dog sat in the deep forest of Sweden again this weekend. After a week of cold rainy weather in Oslo, it was sooo nice to be able to spend a few days in warm sunshine, just walking (and walking) the dogs in the huge forest.
Fall is slightly arriving:) The red color of the cranberries just pop on the white moss. Made it easy to find them.

This were the first real fall colors I have seen this year - a little bit too early. But wonderfully bright with the moss.

Odin and Frøya resting after I wore them out (and we were just half way:)) Beautiful view, right?

Here they are, the little Norse godlings - Odin in front and Frøya in the back. Beautiful chessies, and mostly well behaved, even with me.

Perils of the sea

I am back on the island again:) Still pictures left to show. One of the 'sights' on the northern coast where the wreck of a ship from the 1926. The ship crashed on some hidden rocks during a horrible storm the winter.
Fortunately, the whole crew were saved. But the ship were a loss, and during another storm it were pushed onshore. There it has been since then, left to the elements. I actually liked that:) For some reason I like weatherbeaten wood.

The form and colours were just fabolous. The other tourists must have thought me crazy, crawling around taking close-up of the wood:) On the other hand, I did get some great shots of these:
Beautiful spiderweb all over.

Good thing I did not see the inhabitans of the web...