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.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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....

Actually quite boring...

Just finished my shawl... it looks quite boring, doesn't it? Not just the colour, but the whole thing. I guess blocking is necessary:) Which needs to be done... maybe next weekend.Working on a anniversary gift for two of my favourite family members. They both turn 70 this year, and will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, too! All in one year. Must make a quilt for that:)
Cats not included... They will be returning home to their mom this week.
Trying to use up some of the left-overs from the Hideaway quilt, the cut-offs. Its as far as it have gotten at the moment. Head is not in it at the moment, but will fortunately return:)

Easter breake activities

Norway in on Easter breake. I have six days off! Lovely. And it is spring. Almost all snow is gone. The important parts at least, just a few big heaps left in shadows here and there.

I have ventured into a more adventurous balcony gardening this year, having had different seeds in my refrigerator for three months. Stratifying, it is called. So far... not a lot of result. Except this one:) It's Jacaranda! Yup, I am growing trees on my balcony. In a country where it would not survive outside in the winter time. But it is worth a try:)
I went to IKEA the other day, for something completely different, but I saw these beautiful boxes. Have to love IKEA:)

They are perfect for these:

These are from this not-quite-finished flimsy.

It's been bothering me for a while. I just did not like the big ones when I put them all together. So I am redoing them into 'normal' grandma's garden. Each one gives me three flowers. I have lots more fabric to use, too. I have so much left-over Japanese fabric, I need to use them for something:) This one will eventually be a wedding anniversary gift, but hush-hush for now.

Not idle!

I have just realised that the content of my blog isn't necessarily living up to its name. But I haven't been idle, at all!
I have, among others, been knitting. This is a gift, so I can't show you more at the moment. I spend my time on this when it is not too hot to knit.

I have finished another nine of these. I found the ninth just after I took this picture:) I have another four whole ones to make before I have gotten the size I think I want. I might make it bigger, just need to see how it works out.

And then I have some plans for this! It is flax - flax fabric and flax thread. A nightmare to sew with, truly, but it makes for beautiful embroidery. We shall see.

But this is where most of my hands have been kept non-idle:) I just passed 100 blocks. So 125 left. Getting there, getting there.

Spiraling up

Beautiful weather today, and I was literally sick of being inside, so me and a friend took a local sightseeing trip, playing tourists at home. In the neighbouring city, Drammen, they have a spiraling tunnel inside one of the mountain. 3,65 meters high and 9 meters wide it winds in 11 loops up 200 meter above sea level. It was originally started as a quarry to get stones to make roads in Drammen, and then in 1961 it was opened for the public. It is beautiful up there:)

You can see far both ways.

Down in the city they have recently redone a huge area over the river, and built this beautiful walk bridge over it.

Back on the farm - hehe - this is how nine flowers look like before the hexagons are sewn together. I am getting there:)

Explosion!

Seeing how the trees and flowers are exploding outside these days, I am sooo happy I am not allergic to pollen of any sorts. I just react to certain strong smells, like Lilly of the valley and Lilacs. The first one is no problem, the second is a huge one as that particular sort of trees are all in abundance around here I live. A week or so with closed windows. Oh well.

I went for a walk today and found this explosion of flowers. I have no idea what it is, but it fascinated me.
Look how the flowers are crowding the branch! Amazing how they all fit.

Back at the farm, I have now found back some old UFO's and considering their worthiness of being finished. I started sewing together some of my blocks in english paperpiecing that I had done. I was once thinking about making it into a quilt for my own sofa. As I have not yet made myself a quilt.... I am using all the Japanese fabrics I got for my sister-in-laws quilt last May. I may actually finish this one, one time...