Saturday, February 28, 2009

Donation blocks.


This is a photo of the blocks I've made and sent to Australia for donation. They will be made in a quilt there and given to people that have lost everything in the terrible bush fires that have bin so much in the news.

Pjakkur, our indoors cat has to lay claim to every thing I make. I had forgotten that he was in the house (he is very fond of going out in good weathers) and while I went to get my camera he jumped right in.

I did not read the instructions about the blocks until after I had made a few so ended up making enough for a whole quilt because they are supposed to be 10.5" squares, but I made them 12.5" and no way was I going to cut of 2" of every side. And they are asking for "boy" colors in the quilts, not pink/violet like mine. I blame it on that I'm still in a girly mode after the Double Delight, and , well my unending failure...... unread instructions.

If you are interested you can go here and read all about it.

Have a happy sewing weekend

Sunna

Monday, February 23, 2009

Trash catcher/pin cushion.


This is my trash bag, as we call it here in Iceland. There has bin some discussion on the Quiltville chat about them so thought I would show you mine.

I have made many of these as gifts. I use a plastic container to make the ring that holds the bag, and use the lid to trace after on a thick paper to make the plate that the cushion sits on. Then cover it with batting before I sew the fabric together. Better to remember to slip the strip of fabric that holds the bag inside before you close the seam. I'm talking from experience here. Lol.

I don't know how the fastening of the cushion to the plate is usually done, but I learned to use what we call "French sipper" I think it's called velcro? or something. Then you have to remember to sew one part of it on the cover of the plate before..... see above, lol, and the other under the cushion.

I like the tile idea in stead of paper for plate, because the bag can get heavy with trash and though I let it sit on a rubber mat it's often not enough.

(Here was a photo of the bottom of the bag, but I accidentally deleted it and have no idea how to insert it to the same spot. It does not play nice and always goes to the top, so I'll just leave it out.)

I also use the lid to trace the bottom fabric so the bottom is round as the bag. I thought that was how it was done when I made my first, I was not right there but I liked it so that's how I've made them all.

Ups, I forgot to mention I use slippery fabric inside the bag, makes it so much easier to empty it. Also talking from experience here.



Now, at last, I thought I'd show you what I do with the poly blends that have found their way in to my home. They make great shopping bags. I've also made some of these for gifts.

Have a nice day all.

Sunna.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

My Grandmothers Garden.

I made a Grandmothers Garden quilt for my uncle in my early quilting years. I don't have a photo of it, but he has taken some and will hopefully send them to me someday. It was totally handmade and hand quilted. Won't ever do it again.

Now I had so much fun making the blocks so I started making a lot of them with out any purpose. Then I got the brilliant idea to applique them on white squares that I have a lot of from Granny Bubba. Left overs from making bed sheets and such. Not all are the same material, but who cares, after all I'm such a thrifty quilter. Lol.

Then it got laid aside for few years, because putting the blocs of a quilt together is for me a total bore. And then I got another brilliant idea. Bonnie Hunters "leader enders". So while I was working on the first two steps of her latest mystery, Double Delight, I finally put the top together. I have no photo of it, cant put it on the laundry lines because it's so big, but I will try to make a link here, if it does not come through you can go to my guild homepage here
and in the top right corner choose Myndaalbum and then Januar 2009. I'm in photos 34-39.

Now lets see what happens if I publish this.

Sunna

P.s. The inspiration for this post came from reading about a donation quilt on Mary's blog. It's a marvelous quilt. Somehow the righteous speller has given up on me, hope my spelling is not making this to hard to understand.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

My children and their quilts.


These four beautiful individuals are my children. They are not like each other, neither in looks or temperament. But they are all mine and all have the same father. (I have bin asked veiled questions trough the years lol)

I made them each a quilt made mostly or completely of HST. The white background fabric are old curtains from their granny Edda ( my fathers very good friend) and the colored fabric is from all over, my granny Bubba, my great aunt Gagga, my mother, my hubbys BIL shirts and of course my own stash.


This quilt belongs to my older son, Jon Ingi. He is first to the left and his hair is really rather blond. It's made in red black and gray, the colors of Massey Ferguson, his favorite tractors.
This set up of blocks was not what I had intended, I don't remember what quilt mag. I was working with, but I did not like it so moved pieces around till I was happy. I still like it.



This one belongs to Johann Olafur my younger son, his hair is dark brown. I was looking through new bought McCall's Quilting June 2004 when he walked by, saw this Lady of the Lake quilt , stopped and said: Now that is a beautiful quilt. Need I say more? (It's called Lady of Hope in the mag.)


I was a little late in the day taking these photos, so the colors don't show right. These are beautifully jewel green and purple/violet colors for the princess, my older daughter. She started talking early and talked fast, but not always so you could easily understand. If asked what her name was she answered: Deina Dilla Ohnadotti issa bissa Osi Boluvig and when people just looked at her blankly I translated: Steinunn Dilja Hognadottir prinsessa Osi Bolungarvik. She's my blond girl on the far right, and yes, horrors of horrors, her younger sister is taller.



And last but not least, here are the left overs, made up as Village Square from McCall's Quilting October 2003. This quilt was what started me on the HST. And for a long time after I finished these quilts I shuddered at the thought of making triangles again. But I am over that now. lol.
The borders are from Quilters Cache and were needed because my younger daughter Gudbjorg Ebba, got a bed with out head and foot boards (unlike her siblings) after the top was finished and then needed to be bigger.

And here completes th estory of my children's quilts.

Sunna.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

February mystery.


In our guild we meet on the first Saturday every month from October to April and the first weekend in May is when our retreat is held. In November is the Christmas meeting and in February is the mystery meeting. This year it was held in our town and was a huge success.
We made these cute little sewing purses.

Mine is in the bottom left corner, my color choices are often very unlike others. The two ladies responsible for creating this years mystery did absolutely great job. It was based on a Japanese magazine (with almost only bags and such) many in our guild like very much.


And this is the inside. I had bin thinking just the other day that I needed to make something to help me holding together my applique stuff, and this is just it. Great day, good company and yum, tasty food.

Mystery finished.

The quilting .

This is my Orange Crush, Blue Crush is more like it as I chose not to use orange in it. It's a mystery from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.com As of last Tuesday it's finally finished. And was delivered to it's new owner on Wednesday evening. As my luck would have it, Jon had bin ashore for a day but had just left when I came. His mom liked it and after we had spent some time watching tv we took some time in admiring the quilt as it lay on his bed. Hope he will like it.


The back.


The final result.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Icelandic farming animals.

Drats, because of computer crash last summer I don't have photos of any other animals in the computer than my cat and dog, and they don't count in this subject so to not post with out a photo: Here is one of the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland, Dynjandi also called Fjallfoss. It's here in Vestfirdir, in Dynjandisvogur in Arnarfjordur. (we have one fjord (fjordur) and many firdir (fjords)).

I got a mail about the horses in a photo in a earlier post, so I thought I would give you the trail (as we say in Iceland) to a page where you can see some of the colors in cows, sheep and horses that live in Iceland.

We are very proud of our animals, who are pretty much of the same stock the first settlers brought with them, starting back in 874. There was some import of new blood both in sheep and cow some time in 1800 and early 1900, but it always proved to be a disaster because of all kind of sicknesses that came with it. So now there are laws against import of horses, cows and sheep, and I hope they will stick to it.

Dogs and cats have to stay in isolation before allowed in to the country, but it is some other way with the pigs and birds (hens, turkeys), they get new blood regularly but there are strict rules.

Oh, yes the trail, its here, I'm sorry but is does not seem you are able to click on the photos to make them bigger. But you should get the general idea. We have a very colorful live stock.

Sunna.