Sunday, August 30, 2009

One finish this weekend

My darling DO turned 7 this weekend, so there hasn`t been very much time for sewing. I managed to finish this bag today. This is the third bag I have sewn using Annakas (no blog) pattern. It must be the easiest bag I have sewn, she writes really good patterns.




The bag is a birthdaypresent to my colleague and mentor, Grethe (no blog). She turns 50 on Tuesday, a fact hard to believe. We always have a lot of lauhgs together, I think our mental age is more like 15, lol.



My friend Agnethe (no blog) dropped by today for some vitamin Q. Check out this gorgeous wooden box she keeps her sewing project in! Me like!!!

PS. Don`t forget to join my giveaway!

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Friday, August 28, 2009

Giveaway!!

My blog has very soon had 10 000 hits!!! I am celebrating this fantastic number with my first giveaway ever.



Leave a comment on my blog and you get one entry. Tell about me on your blog and let me know about it, and you get another entry. The giveaway lasts until Friday at midnight!

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Sunday, August 23, 2009

A great weekend!

I am sitting here, tired and soon ready for a long nights sleep, looking back on a great weekend. I have spent it in good company, celebrating my friend Bente and learning from Hanne how to make caleidoscopeblocks.




Of course, the birthday girl got lots of wonderful presents. I gave her the 3-tier cakestand with lots of quiliting goodies on.




Hello! Look at this jewel!! I just had to show you the beautiful quilt Inger Solveig (no blog) brought along to show us. I think this is one of the most beautiful quilts I have ever layed my eyes on so far. The quilt is handsewed, and the colours are so well put together. I want to make a quilt like that!




The quilt was admired for a long time, here you see Tove and the genious, Inger Solveig.




A bit crowded, but no complaints. It was especially nice to meet up with Tove again. She has been living in Spain for a while, but is finally back. I told her it was not a good environment for her sewing machine, all that salt in the air. She is back for good, and we are all thrilled.

(PS. Check out May Britts blog. She got a sensational picture of a very special cutting position. Is it the Spanish style, ??)




I hadn`t done my homework, and was a little bit behind the other girls when I arrived on Saturday morning. I got this fix idea that if I cut six layers at the time I would catch up with the others. This was not a great idea! I ended up with like ten different sizes, and couldn`t get accurate blocks. And yes, I did cut up all the fabrics! There was only one solution - I got in the car, drove to Lappemakeriet and purchased new fabrics. At the end of the day, while the others had sewn up to forty blocks, I ended up with three :) Only 39 to go!!





A successful day was ended with a successful meal. Bente served crabclaws and shrimps - yummm delicious. We ate for hours, until we were full, and then we ate som more. I didn`t get hungry again until noon today LOL

PS. I am closing in on 10 000 hits, and is planning my very first giveaway!

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Friday, August 21, 2009

It`s Friday! Yippi!!!

It is finally weekend, and I am looking forward to it more than usual since this is going to be a special weekend. I am invited to a superspecial birthday party! My friend Bente (no blog) is celebrating turning 50 earlier this summer, and have invited friends over for a quilting birthday. (Ever been to one?). I am tickled pink with anticipation, celebrating Bente and meeting up with friends I haven`t seen for a while. The best part? It lasts all weekend!!

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Giveaway

Check out this fabulous giveaway that Michelle is having on her blog. I truly, deeply, deeply need this one!!

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Sunday, August 16, 2009

A tiny little peak

While we Stitcher`s Angels wait for the first pattern to be released tomorrow, I have almost finished my first gift to my angel. I can`t reveal it yet, but I will give you a little peak. The stitchery was finished some time ago, and is perfect for this assignement.




We have enjoyed a very nice Sunday dinner, a little more nutritious than the one below though...



Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Revealing my traumatic incident

Today I thought I`d tell you the story of my traumatic first meeting with a sewing machine. It took place at my school when I was about 13 years old. Before that I had only watched my grandmother sewing away on her old (antique) Singer. We were assigned to make an apron, and got to choose fabric and size ourselves. I remember picking out a red fabric with big white hearts or flowers.

Tracing and cutting the pattern was no picnic I recall, and when I finally made it, I discovered that the pattern I had used was too small! Well, I still had hope for the project, and optimistic went to the sewing machine to sew for the very first time. Mind you, this was the schools sewing machines, tampered with by lots of unexperienced hands before I got to it, and probably not well maintained. I sat down, deeply focused, and trod the pedal down. WROOOMMMMMMM!!

When I got over the shock, and came around to removing my foot from the pedal, I had sewn a long, long seam into the middle of my apron. Now I started getting a little aggravated! I took a not too sharp scissor to cut the thread, and then it happened! I cut a big whole in the fabric!!! I will not repeat the words that came out of my ever so young mouth at that point. If my grandma had heard me, she would have washed my mouth with soap! (Mind you, I am from the north of Norway, and our language is more "juicy" than in other parts of the country...)

That was it! I had come to the end of my rope! I loudly pronounced that I would never ever touch a sewing machine again. I threw the apron in the bin, and went on to embroider a cushion instead...

Twenty years or so later I needed new curtains, and finally forced myself to sew them. To my big surprice I discovered that there was a whole new generation of sewing machines out there. Machines that did what I asked them to do, and that I actually understood. What can I say? The rest is history...

Have fun sewing

Siv Hege

A little idea gone wild

I really need to make up my mind before I start on a project without a pattern. My plan was to make a cute little tote, maybe for my angel over there. While I was working on it, I changed my mind, over and over again, and before I knew it I had made this large bag. I ended up sewing the bag according to Annaka`s Matildes Summerbag, but my bag is a bit longer.



I love the colors, but this is a bag for a slim person with long arms, he he.

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

New projects

Today I woke up with a cold (swine flu??) to an exiting mail from down under. Everybody who joined the 2009 Stitcher`s Angel has now received information about their angel. My angel lives on another continent. That is so cool!!!



My first stitchery is already made, this lovely rose stitchery from Tilda. I haven`t decided what to make of it yet, hmm...




A dear colleague of mine is soon to be celebrating her 50th birthday, and I am making her a bag. It is the same bag as the one I showed you the other day, but this time I am following all the instructions. Hopefully she will like it.

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Monday, August 10, 2009

One finish

My new bag is finally finished, after a long Sunday in my sewingroom. It is a very long time since I started on the stitchery, and it took me some time to decide what pattern to use. But here it is, and Grimstad is still several weeks away :)




I think the front turned out very nice, but I am not showing you the back. Nope! I really don`t know what I was thinking when I chose that fabric! Maybe my brain cells was taking a nap?? Good thing I`m not the skinniest person, that way I can hide the back of the bag, he he.....

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Lazy Sunday

Boy, do I feel lazy today! My energy is rather low, and has been for the last few days. It is a perfect day for staying in my sewingroom, listening to Shania Twain, and just sew a little bit. In a few weeks the gals and I are going to spend a weekend in Grimstad, app. 5 1/2 hours drive south. I really look forward to staying in a hotel, joining classes, lower my shoulders and just absorbe as much vitamin Q as I possible can.



I want to have a new bag ready for the trip. I plan to use a pattern from Annaka (no blog), with a few alterations. The stitchery is not a part of the pattern. (Åse, I assume that you`ll bring your bag too?? ;)) Good thing it is a few weeks left, today I am zzzzewing really zzlow..........

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Giveaway!!

Hi folks! Nina is having a thrilling giveaway on her blog, celebrating 3 years as a blogger! I really hope I`ll win!!!


Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Cute Overload

I have spent the weekend sewing together with my friend Lene (no blog). We wanted to make something from Tildas latest book. Neither of us has the patient to make those tiny things of Tilda, so we choosed to make a bag.



I may have gone a little overboard when I made my handbag. I like cosy, but this is maybe a little too much Hans and Grettel?? What do you think? Should I prance to work tomorrow with this on my arm?

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Giveaway!!!

Check this, folks! Sandy is having a great giveaway on her blog, The Silver Thimble. She is celebrating eleven years in the business, despite the fact that she lives in the heart of Australia, hours away from towns and people. Her business is the result of years of hard work. Visit her blog, under Special announcements, and you can be the lucky winner of eleven FQ`s!!

Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege

Finishing a big WISP

I made this king-size bedquilt for my mum, who turned 60 in April. I knew the quilt would stay with me a bit longer, I didn`t rush to finish the binding.




Today, however, I got inspired (and wanted a bit more space in my sewingroom, he he), so I finally got the binding on. Sewing the top was not a major task, but zigzaging around all the 36 (or so) tulips was! Cutting off the excess batting was also a hard job. (I sweated and moaned, but did not say any bad words...honestly!).



I left the quilting in the hand of a professional, Merethe. She did a beautiful job quilting butterflies and loops. You can see the quilt on her Flickr-side if you scroll down. I love the quilt, and I know my mum does too :)


Have fun sewing!

Siv Hege