How I spent November and December

All gifts have now been received, so I can finally share how I spent the last two months. Apart from my job, that is.


A penguin Christmas hanging for my niece.


Two Bridgewater shawls, one for my mom and another one for my SIL.

My goddaughter was born on the second day of Christmas, which here in Norway means 26th of December. This year she turned 18! When do they stop getting older? Sigh. So yesterday I was there for the family celebration. Lovely, as always:) she got her first sewing machine this Christmas. Can't wait to see here creations:)

I had found a lovely Norwegian knitting, Jorid Linvik, and went wild with her mittens.


The text is the snow-song from Winnie the Pooh, in Norwegian.


Angel for an angel:)


I made these for her mom. The moose is the same as we have on out traffic signs, watch out for crossing moose:)

I also made this Leftie scarf for the 18 year old. Yarn bought at Fancy Tiger crafts in Denver. Fun store. Madeleinetosh. Gorgeous yarn.


Colors a little wrong.


This is closer.

So, now it is just three delayed gifts left. No, I am wrong.... Six. Goodness.... I really should start earlier. Or give myself a year off making gifts...

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My Japanese garden

Here is it finally. My Japanese garden. Japanese because all the fabric is Japanese, and garden because these flowers are normally called my grandmothers garden.


1946 hexagons, all hand sewed together into 247 flowers.


I ended up machine quilting it. It was a big and heavy quilt to drag through my sewing machine, but it was all done for love, and with a lot of love:)

My aunt and uncle have been my reserve parents, giving me all the positive backing and feedback I did not get at home, for various reasons. They were also, and still are, the most fun and adventurous people I know. Being the only one in my family who even wanted to travel, and live, outside our little village, I always felt I was strange and weird. Except with aunt and uncle, who always travelled and had exotic stories to tell.

I hope to be as energetic, lively and adventurous as they are when I turn 70. So this quilt is to celebrate 50 years of marriage, and turning 70 years old in a very young way. Congrats, baron and baroness:)


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Getting close

Suffering from a slight case of lethargy at the moment. Hoping it will not completely take over. In any case, I started my new Christmas tree last night. Not quite decorated yet, but the lights themselves makes it look good. I don't have a good place for a real tree, so I try to find other ways. Pinterest is a good source for ideas:)


I also managed, finally, to finish up this pillow. It's a Christmas gift, so it needs to get done:)


Now for the last few ones. Wish there were time enough. Another week would have been good:)

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End as it will

This one, the Supernatural hexagon quilt, which will probably be renamed My Japanese Garden, has worried me with its ending. Hexagons do not give a straight edge, unless you do a lot of half hexagons. And the thought of edging around all the edges did not seem right to me. It would steal 1/4" from all the edges. But then the wonderful Internet gave me a neat solution.


I made one full circle of hexagons, which meant I could use even more of my leftovers:), and then sewed them on the front, right side to right side. Then I cut off the excess batting and backing....


..turned them all over, and stitched in on at the back. I probably should have hand sew them on, but I figure one machine seam on this quilt would be ok. Time is running out, anyway. It would look like a part of the quilting.


This is how I looks on the front. I have to press them a little to make the edges a little crisper, but I do like the look:) the hexagon shape has been protected:)


I will get a full picture of it as soon as I can.

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Secret time of the year

It's the secret time of the year. It is hard to post any finishes, as most of the recipients  read my blog. But this one I can share. It is another 'Bridgewater', second one. It is for my mom.


She saw mine last year, and told me she wanted one. In white. So here it is.


I used my new blocking pins, it was sooo much easier than using a lot of needles:)


It goes into my Christmas gift bag, the secret bag with the rest of the gifts. The bag is from the exhibition we visited in Denver: Becoming Van Gogh. As every good Whovian, I could not miss that one!


And as a quilter, I could not miss this bag. (a gift from a good friend:)) The picture is of a quilt, inspired by Bedroom in Arles, Vincent Van Gogh. Six quilters made one strip each. Wish I could have seen this original. However, the exhibition was incredible.

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