There is a lot going on over at my local quilt shop Quilter's Haven, today and tomorrow. Karin, the owner, (whose parents are Norwegian) is hosting another "Norway Days" - and the shop will be decorated with some of my Norwegian bags and runners, so if you're in the area do call in and have a look! Karin will be serving coffee and waffles, and Lucy the rep from Hurtigruten will be on hand to describe the epic voyage this ship takes along the Norwegian coast. I've been lucky enough to go on a few holidays to Norway but have never made the voyage on the Hurtigruten - oh well, maybe one day!!
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Several of my blog followers and FB friends have often asked me about where they can buy patterns by AnnAKa - they are available from quilt shops in Scandinavia, and there are lots of links on the side bar of my blog. I buy mine from my friend Hanne who has a quilt shop in Bodø called Lappedilla, and also from Elisabeth who has a quilt shop in Sweden called Lapp-Elisa. Please contact them if you need any help with ordering patterns - they will be very happy to help you. This shows me with Ann and my friend Hanne when I went to stay in Norway for the first time in November, 2009 - I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with Hanne and to do a course with Ann - it was extremely exciting! I had such a great time there, and made friends with lots of Norwegian ladies - hei hei!! And this picture was taken when I met Ann the second time, in 2011 and I did ANOTHER course with her - I really am VERY lucky!! And of course I'm lucky to have so many Norwegian friends - especially Hanne and Eva. I've got quite a large collection of AnnAKa patterns, as you can probably imagine!
If any of my blog readers are local to this area (or even if they're not!!) they might be interested in a Norwegian Day that is being hosted at my local quilt shop. The owner, Karin, is hosting this day and there will be a rep from the Hurtigruten. She will describe the epic voyage along the Norwegian coast made by the Hurtigruten ships since 1870. Her talk will feature highlights from the 37 towns visited each day by two working ships, one calling from the south and the other calling from the north as they bring vital supplies to the local people. One of the stops along the route is in Bodø, just North of the Arctic Circle, where my friend Hanne has the most wonderful quilt shop - Lappedila - hei hei Hanne!!..... .....there will be coffee and waffles (Norwegian waffles are DELICIOUS and I've got my very own Norwegian waffle maker that my friend Eva bought me when she came to stay with me - how lucky am I!!) - and a "make and take" that my daughter Alice is teaching, and a free raffle too.... .....anyway, the most important thing is, Karin asked me if I could lend her some of my Norwegian projects to display in the shop. Well of course I said yes, so there will be lots of my work on display, mostly table runners, and some bags - all designs that I have made from Scandinavian patterns and magazines. Hope to see you there!! While I was in Bergen, I was lucky enough to visit this great quilt shop, Quiltekroken. I just had to get my photograph taken outside the shop - we were a bit early, as it did not open until 10am, so I waited very patiently..... .....I thought I'd try another Norwegian pattern, so I bought this one, to make a pretty toilettry bag - which is called "Mona's Toalettveske"..... .....a huge array of beautiful fabrics and threads that were displayed so prettily..... .....these laces and ribbons were also really pretty, and looked especially nice on these large wooden spools..... .....more treasures! - just look at all these beautiful fabrics in packs with ribbon and lace..... .....and outside the shop was a display with this table and chairs - and a runner (AnnAKa pattern of course - and yes, I already have this pattern hehe!!) - I really liked this runner - especially this colourway. Hmm - now, as soon as my Bernina is back from being serviced, I NEED to make this runner - and this toiletry bag of course ;) While we were in Bergen, we walked around the famous fish market - it all looked so delicious! There were lobsters and crabs and muscles and oysters and red snapper and cod and huge prawns and the ugliest monkfish you ever did see. I had never seen King Crabs in real life before, and they certainly looked spectacular - just look how long those legs are..... .....and here they are being cooked! No, sadly, I didn't get to taste them, but one of the fisherman persuaded me to try some minke whale meat - it was smoked, and looked very similar to beef, although it tasted quite fishy. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take food back onto the ship, so I couldn't bring any whale meat home with me - I bet Mr F is secretly relieved incase I was going to serve it for Sunday lunch!! Our ship sailed into Bergen last Saturday morning, with the mists rolling over the mountains, and the city was glistening with rain - thankfully this soon cleared, the sun came out, and we enjoyed a lovely day stolling around cobbled streets and admiring old buildings that form Bryggen, the old wharf area of Bergen. This iconic scene of these Hanseatic commercial buildings is viewed across the harbour - (actuallly I was standing quite near a quilt shop when I took this photo hehe!!)..... .....and then I couldn't resist a few "arty" snaps of the most incredible carved doorways..... .....and windows..... .....and balconies..... .....and even the drain covers were incredible - they just don't look anything like this in the UK!!..... .....and a visit to Bergen really wouldn't be complete without seeing the statue of Edvard Grieg, the Norwegian composer. Bergen is a beautiful city, which unfortunately we only saw a snapshopt of - maybe the next time I go to Norway I can spend longer in Bergen :)..... Well we're finally back from a fabulous cruise along the Norwegian fjords. We have had the best holiday ever - the staff on board the ship were brilliant, the food was just fabulous and as for the afternoon teas on board - well - I've probably eaten my own weight in cakes!!! The scenery has been breathtaking, and some of the views we had were just simply stunning..... .....the snow-topped mountains were chocolate-box perfect, and the air was so clean and crisp..... .....up in the mountains, the waterfalls were more often than not still frozen, so although not as spectacular as they will be in a few weeks time, they were still incredible. We had a fantastic time and made some great friends along the way. Oh but it is nice to be home again and sleep in a bed that doesn't rock you to sleep!! I have some very exciting news to share with you all - in a couple of weeks, Mr F and myself are off on our hols - and what a holiday it is going to be! We're off to Norway, on board the Marco Polo, to cruise the fjords. I am so excited - the scenery is going to be just wonderful!.... .....we will see the spectacular Hardangerfjord, and see stunning landscape where sheer, forested mountainsides plunge into the still waters. The first port is tiny Ulvik, and we'll go on an excursion through the almost unimaginably beautiful countryside, then re-join the boat in Eidfjord, from where we will then take an excursion to the towering Voringfossen waterfalls. The following day we will cruise through the narrow fingers of mighty Sognefjord, the world's largest and deepest fjord. This scenic route will take us to Flam, the remotest corner of the fjord. From here, we will board the world famous Flamsbana Mountain Railway to witness the sheer beauty of the journey to Myrdal. Later that evening, we will enjoy another breathtaking cruise as we float into wondrously scenic Naeroyfjord....... .....and finally we will dock in Bergen - an ancient Hanseatic city of cobbled streets and medieval houses, and birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg. We might visit the vibrant harbour and fish market, stroll past the wooden warehouses of Bryggen and take the Floibanen funicular to the summit of 'Mount' Floyen. Hopefully while we're in Bergen I'll be able to visit the quilt shop there - just don't tell Mr F hehe!! When my friend Eva came to stay with me in the summer of 2010, we had a great time together, including going on a couple of workshops with Lynette Anderson at my local quiltshop, Quilters Haven. (Didn't we all have a great time Eva - are you still busy stitching colonial knots??!!) All too soon our holiday had come to an end, and Eva returned to Norway just a few days before her birthday..... .....I wrapped up a very special present for her to take back to Norway because it was a very special birthday - and she was really excited when she unwrapped it - all the patterns and fabric to make "Friends for Christmas", a wonderful quilt designed by Lynette. Eva has spent the last few weeks busy stitching, and I have borrowed this photo from her blog to show you the finished quilt - it looks FAB!! Sadly my trip to Norway had come to an end, and I had to return to England. I had got a very long journey ahead of me, as my trian left Otta at 11.38 and I finally arrived back home at 02.45 the following day!!! The rail system is fantastic in Norway, and although the journey took over 3 hours, my train went straight from Otta to Oslo airport..... .....after a very speedy check-in process, I was soon in the departure lounge - where I happily spent the next few hours browsing the shops and eating a meal..... .....I had a wonderful time in Norway with Eva and Hanne, and it was great to see Ann again - and I made lots of new friends - Merete, Heidi, Elin and Siw - thank you to all the ladies who I met, you were all very kind and made my stay so enjoyable - I'm looking forward to meeting up with some of you at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham in the summer. |
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July 2023
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