Friendship Coasters!!

Hi there! I just wanted to share a cute idea for some sweet Friendship Coasters that are really easy and quick to make!

I've made a a tutorial for you so you can whip some up this weekend!!! Have a blast!! I sure did!!! 

All the best!

Mary Ann

Edited to say:  I went and checked the link...it seemed to have a problem which I now hope I've remedied!!  Thanks for your interest, everyone!!!  Have a great day!!  MA

Sweet Memories...

A year has now passed since my dear Mom left this world.  Although I miss her so very much, the sweet memories are plentiful and comforting.  Thanks for everything, Mom.  
I'll love you forever and ever.

A Sneak Preview!!!

 Hello there!  This is a sneak preview of a little dress I've made for our grand-daughter, Seyja!  She will celebrate her first birthday in a few weeks, and Mormor wanted to make her something special!  Her big brother, Ari, turns three just after her birthday, so there'll be lots of partying at their house!

Well, quite a while since I've posted here on my blog!   One of my dear quilting friends has been so kind as to remind me (frequently!) about the lack of new information here, so Elna, this one's for you!!  ;o)

This is a little fabric bowl in the works from a pattern I recently purchased from Färg & Form in Malmø, Sweden.  Designed by Namie Hosogai-Åsenlund, the bowl is made from 2 x 8 tumbler blocks, sewn to a centre octagon (2).  I ironed the pieces onto Veladon (a sturdy form of interfacing), basted the seam allowances over to the wrong side and then hand-sewed the pieces together.  I will glue the outside and inside forms together (thus the clothespins!) to avoid seeing the stitches on the upper edge.  A great little bowl to serve candy in or other goodies on the patio!  A good idea may be to spray some Scotchgard or other fabric protector on before using.

Our garden has been doing wonderfully!  The flowers are blooming and the veggies are thriving!  This is such a lovely time of the year!  When a lot of folks travel south to Greece, Turkey or other warm destinations, we love staying at home, enjoying our country surroundings and the peacefulness of living close to forest, field and fjord!

Hope you're all having a wonderful summer!  

I know that we sure are!  Talk to you soon!

Inger's Double Place Mats!

Here are some lovely double place-mats made by Inger O. J. of our quilt guild!  Lots of talented quilters in our group, so I thought I would preview some of their work here on my blog for you to enjoy!

Inge's Fantastic Shoe Quilt!!

 

Inge recently finished piecing her fabulous Shoe Quilt!  It's all appliqued by hand and the embellishments she's used are just so creative!  Inge is now enjoying the hand-quilting  process of her beautiful creation!  Way to go, Inge!

 Brings me way back to the seventies, those shoes do!!!

 I'm packing my own shoes right now (or should I say snow-boots?!), as I'm leaving for Canada this weekend for two weeks of cuddling with the grand-children!

This is Ari playing in the yard...yes, it's the top of the kid's swing-set you see here!!  Not sure if my boots are high enough!!!  Apparently, this is the most snow they've received in quite a few winters!!!!

Take care!

Mary Ann

Floored!!!!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted...time sure flies!  Seems like just last week it was Christmas!  Then came New Year's Eve and our much-awaited holiday to Malta!  We spent a wonderful week enjoying the sun and exploring this beautiful island!  Rich in culture and history, Malta was an experience that we'll never forget!!  Pictures will follow, I promise!!!!  

After we got back, it was time to get some work done!!!  A while back, we removed all of the carpets in the living-room and dining rooms, all three layers of them!  Under the carpets, we discovered these wonderful old planks.  Built in 1930, our old farm-house has seen lots of changes, but the old floors were thankfully still intact and just needed a good refinishing.   So we rented a floor-sander....well, actually, two of them!!!! 

 We sanded three times with varying grades of sand-paper, finally ending up with a smooth finish.  The planks were quite warped, from over 80 years of wear and tear!  This process took the better part of a whole day!

 Next, we applied the "lud", or lye soap that they use extensively here in Scandinavia.  It is a natural product and gives the wood a nice, light nuance, instead of the rather dark shade that varathane eventually turns into.

 After the "lud", or lye soap, has dried for five hours, a layer  of white pigment protective oil is applied with a scouring brush.  This oil is derived from plants and is non-toxic.  After aproximately 15 minutes, it can be removed with a soft cloth, polishing the planks in the direction of the grain.   After 7 days, the floor should be fully dry and hardened and you're left with a gorgeous finish that repels water and dirt.  Maintenance consists of washing with a special soap, made  by the manufacturer, Faxe.

Now, on to painting the moldings and window sills!  Oh, and maybe I should sew some new curtains....!!!

Sigh......being a home-owner is a never-ending job!!!


All the best!

Mary Ann

Little Angels!

 

We love you, Axel, Ari and Seyja!

Class on Japanese Orinuno Quilting...

 In my last post, I wrote about our introduction to the exciting art of Orinuno Quilting from Lisbet Borggren.  Here we all are, very much engrossed in Lisbet's instructions on how to construct our cardboard templates with a compass!  

 Tying our gathered fabric circles around the templates.  The more fingers here, the better!!

 In the middle of the circles, you place your piece of batting and fabric, cut from a square template, and fold\iron the curved edges over.  If you've done it right, all the corners should be nice and even!!   Then, you quilt around the edges.

Here's the back side of some of our first blocks!

And the front sides, too!!  So interesting how they can be so different!

And here's Lisbet's own sample of a table-cloth she constructed using circle templates combined with triangles instead of the squares we used.  Lots of different variations on this technique!  Feel free to check out my Picasa album for more pics from Lisbet's course.

If you're interested in trying this form of quilting, these two books by Sachiyo Muraki are really great.  They're written in Japanese, but the pictures and measurements are quite clear!

Enjoy your Saturday evening!!

All the best!

Mary Ann