Dogs and ice

I had three days off, and spent them dog sitting in Sweden:) wonderful, just me, two big dogs, huuuge wood and the biggest freshwater lake in Sweden.


I finally got a picture of the hexagon quilt in its natural environment. My aunt loves it. Looks good!


I could only get pictures of Freya. Odin was just impossible, and camera shy.


Lots of ice still on the lake, but at least it broke up while I was there. Something to see!


We spent most of our days outside, so we were all exhausted by the end of the day. The dogs have the couch in this house, but Odin gave up and let me share it with Freya. Good of him:)

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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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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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Half of a nightmare

The 'nightmare' that is machine quilting a big quilt, consists of two parts: basting and quilting.


Half is done this weekend, the basting. My fingers are sore, my back and knees hurts, but it is done!

I will be testing quilting-in-the-ditch method this time. Never done that before, but it is hard to get a hexagon quilt quilted well. They are usually hand quilted, but if I do that, it will never get done.

We shall see:) at the moment it will be resting while I finish a gift I am bringing with me on my upcoming trip to the US. Soooo looking forward to that.

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Supernatural hexagon quilt

I can't believe it is done! Well, the flimsy is done. But still! So many stitches, so many, many, many. Trust me, it went beyond six seasons of Supernatural! Add to that three seasons of Castle, five seasons of Dr Who (ninth, tenth and eleventh).

It consists of 247 hexagon flowers. 1 777 hexagons are cut, basted and sewn on.

Now I have to think about backing, quilting and binding (or facing). And find a more suitable name. Grandma's Japanese garden? I have used up all my Japanese fabric stash for this one!

It is going to be strange to not have this monster to sew in the evening anymore....

Progress in a rush

Not sure why I am rushing this. I had a dream that I would be done with this sweater while it was still winter, so that I could actually use it this year. However, the days are very clearly turning into less winter and more spring, so that deadline has probably passed.

At the same time, I need to finish this before I start a new one. Traditions tells me that if I don't finish it, I never will...

Only neck left, so it should not be a big thing. Colour is a little off, it is more reddish and not so blue as the picture is showing.
I have done a little on the hexagon quilt. Still not sure what to name it. It's for a gold anniversary. My aunt and uncle, my substitute parents, have been married for 50 years. Amazing in these days and age. Goldflowers? Hexagon gold? Golden quilt? Ah, it will come to me. Does it really show that the hexagon flowers are put in circles of light and dark? Not sure if it comes through enough. Funny thing is that when I looked at it through the camera, it really stood out. Strange...