I often get comments and emails form people wanting to know a bit more about the Norwegian patterns that I use. I was recently asked where I got the pattern from for this bag "Ut på kurs" (yes it's another AnnAKa pattern!) for keeping all my equipement in when I go on a class. When my friend Hanne came to stay with me last year she bought me this pattern and the kit as a present (she has the most WONDERFUL quilt shop, Lappedilla, in Norway.... .....the pouch that attaches to the front is made with plastic pockets so you can see all your equipement. The instructions in AnnAKa patterns are in Norwegian, but it has very good diagrams, so I was able to follow those.... .....and this is my version - photographed in the summer!! It was a bit tricky to make, but the diagrams are very good, and I was really pleased with it. If I get really stuck, then I use google translate which is quite helpful. My large cutting board - 24" x 18" fits in easily, along with all my rulers..... .....and the clip-on pouch holds all the bits-and-bobs like rotary cutters and pens and smaller rulers. It really is very useful. I altered mine a little bit, and instead of using to ties to close the pouch I used magnetic fasteners. If you want to buy any AnnAKa patterns, you can contact Hanne at her shop - her website is in Norwegian, but if you send her an email she will be able to help you - happy sewing!
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I've had a brilliant day out today - I drove off to Ipswich this morning to the UPMarket at the Waterfront - a fab Vintage and Modern Market - there was a vast array of all sorts of yummy things there. This stall really caught my eye - I really liked these Union Jack cushions.... .....and the super weather made sure loads of people were there enjoying themselves..... .....I bumpled into my friend Heather who was browsing for inspiration (sorry, didn't get a piccie of you Heather)..... .....and also met up with another friend who bought a fab set of vintage scales for her kitchen (ooops, no piccies of her either - just the scales!) - can't believe she managed to update her blog before I did!..... .....and what treasures did I buy? This fabulous vintage linen laundry bag, that is beautifully hand-embroidered, that I have cunningly disguised as a cushion cover - I've just popped a feather cushion pad inside and folded over the top - a crafty idea, no?? It looks great in my new bedroom. All for the grand sum of £10 - an absolute bargain! Obviously ONE day I'll make a proper cushion with a zipper and everything, but it looks fine for now! My trip to Ipswich was finished off by meeting up with another friend in town for coffee, which was the perfect end to a fantastic day out. My friend Eva sent me a parcel from Norway a few days ago - some beautiful linen - and it was GREEN - my favourite colour!! And these 2 spotty fabrics are lovely - now I really don't know what to make with these - another bag maybe?? To show off this beautiful linen?? All suggestions would be very grateful! I decided to have a go at making a small makeup bag, with a curved top - I didn't have a pattern, so draughted my own - cue several sheets of graph paper and a LOT of creative mess later using some leftover scraps of linen and batik and this is what I've got - a small makeup bag, lined, with a zipper, with a tab and decorated with Yo-yos's..... .....I covered the seams with strips of binding, made a "flat" bottom - and now I've got itchy fingers to have a go at making some more with vintage floral fabrics, and denim, decorating them with lace, and ric-rac, and fancy buttons - the list is endless!!! Now I just need to write down the instructions - if only I could remember how I made it!! Don't for one minute think that this is a mess - if either Hanne or Eva are reading this, they will know exactly what this is - yes, it's me being creative, and judging by this picture, I've been VERY creative today!! Mara, this picture is especially for you!!! .....after I'd completed my Frilly Dilly bag, I still had lots of pieces of fabric left over, and I thought I just might have enough to make another bag!! One of my favourite bag patterns is called "Mathilde's Sommerveske" and is by AnnAKa. I thought this would look great in linen and batiks..... .....I used some sew-in magnetic fasteners that I'd bought from U-Handbag - these are so easy to use - (a few months ago I had tried some large magnetic fasteners that were so heavy they ripped the fabric, even when sewn through some interfacing, so was thrilled when I found these ones on the U-Handbag website)..... .....I sewed extra rows of quilting on the bag to make it stiffer, especially on the base, and used 2 layers of Pellon - 1 layer on the bag and 1 layer on the lining - I am realy pleased with this bag - now do I keep it to add to my collection (I don't have many bags hehehe!!!) or do I put it in my "pressie" box, ready for a friend's birthday?? A couple of weeks ago I bought some linen and batiks from Quilters Haven - my original plan was to make a table runner with these, but changed my mind and instead I've decided to make a bag. I'm starting a new job on Monday, so I thought it would be nice to have a new bag to take along with me..... .....I bought the pattern "Friily Dilly bag" by Janelle Wind from the Cross-Patch. I'm going to make the main part of the bag with linen, and the frills and lining with the batiks..... .....I ironed a double layer of the wadding (pellon) onto the back of the linen to make the bag stiffer. These batiks are lovely to sew with..... .....drumm roll please - completed Frilly Dilly bag. I used a magnetic clasp to close the bag, and added a Yo-yo instead of a button - all ready to use on Monday. I drove over to Framlingham on Saturday, and stopped off on the way at Wickham Market to get some bacon from Revetts, the butchers, and called in to Quilters Haven to see if there was some linen - there was only a couple of colours in stock, but luckily this parchment colour was just right - and then I saw some batiks that I thought would go with it really well - oh and I wasn't sure if I had the right colour quilting thread in my stash to go with this linen, so had to buy that too...... .....and then I trotted off to Framlingham - there is a market there every saturday. First stop was the bread stall..... .....the bread here is really very, very good. I bought some HUGE bread rolls to go with the bacon I'd bought earlier - this just shows a selection of the other yummy breads for sale..... .....I didn't buy any pecan pie this week, but I can assure you it is DELICIOUS! When I went to Norway recently, Hanne had a sample in her shop of a runner made from linen, so that gave me an idea. I bought some of this beautiful linen from Lappedilla - which I thought would go beautifully with some batiks from my stash (my absolute favourite fabrics). The pattern I used is by AnnAKa called "En Lappeløper" (A Patchwork Runner)..... .....linen is not the easiest fabric to sew with, so Hanne had given me a tip - to iron some fine interfacing on the back, so it is not so slippery when you try to cut it. I used Vilene G405 (I normally use this for backing my fabric for stitchery projects). The batiks went together with the linen really well. One of my top tips when sewing with batiks is to use really sharp needles. I prefer Schmetz Microtex Sharp size 60 for this..... .....this runner is quilted very simply with straight lines - I used my Hera marker for this - and found JUST the right colour thread in my stash - Mettler quilting thread shade 820 - which matched the linen perfectly. I used some more batik for the applique. Recently I've used Bondaweb (bought by the metre) for this, and I'm really pleased with it. Now for the machine applique..... .....finally finished - En Lappeløper quilted, appliqued (Mettler quilting thread shade 618, again found in my stash!!) and bound (hei hei Eva - I used your method of binding again!!)..... .....this is going to look great on my dining table - I am really pleased with it - and have enough linen left over for another one!! Now, where did I put that GREEN batik fabric?? |
About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! Archives
July 2023
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