Blog Archives

Shopping in Otta

18/2/2011

Eva and I spent the afternoon shopping in Otta. It was snowing and unfortunately we didn't see the beautiful blue sky that we had seen at the begiinning of my holiday.....

.....inside this loverly haberdashery shop, there was a selection of National costumes (Bunad), and a wonderful selection of lace and ribbon and buttons. I bought some beautiful ribbons to use for decorating small makeup boxes and toiletry bags.....

.....then it was off to the supermarket. There was an enormous array of cold meats.....

.....and sausages.....

.....and my favourite, brown cheese - this is delicious, especially when served with waffles. I was able to buy everything I needed to take home for a traditional Norwegian breakfast :)

0 Comments

3 Little Black Hens.....

17/2/2011

1 Comment

On the course with AnnAKa, there were lots of projects in the compendium we were given - and the next project on our list was 3 hen placemats.
Hanne thought it would be a nice idea if we made 3 identical placemats, one for each of us, so that when we used them we could rememeber each other - isn't that a nice idea?? Hanne had very kindly provided us with the fabrics (she had a HUGE box of fabrics at home and Eva and me decided we both NEEDED a box like that!!). Unfortunately we didn't get them completed while we were in Bodø, as we spent our final afternoon in Hanne's shop, so took them back to Otta with us to finish them - Eva is going to post Hanne's to her.....

.....Eva is busy sewing on the binding (she taught me a new method for joining the ends - I'll be able to show this method to the ladies on my quilting classes).....

.....and here are the completed placemats, just before we finished sewing the binding to the backing. They looked great, and were very easy to make.

1 Comment

Eva's second Schnibbles

17/2/2011

1 Comment

When we returned from Bodø, we decided to make another Schnibbles - this one was called "Plan C" and Eva used the remainder of her "Boutique" Layer Cake to make this one (these small quilts use 5inch squares - my top tip is to use a Layer Cake, cut it into quarters, and you have enough fabric for 2 different Schnibbles - isn't that a cunning plan???) Eva worked very hard, and she was a very good student hehe.....

.....here is the completed quilt top - it looked really nice. Kjempefine, Eva.

.....I couldn't resist taking a picture of Eva's sewing corner (hint to Mr F - I really NEED a sewing corner like this) - the view was superb - mountains, pine forests, snow - it all looked stunning, and such a comfortable chair to sit in :)

1 Comment

Trondheim and Quiltegården

16/2/2011

1 Comment

We travelled back to Trondheim on the night train, and stopped off to spend a few hours shopping and sight-seeing. We had breakfast in a delighful cafe, and had fruit tea, juice, bread and jam. It really was delicious.....

....then we made our way through the streets of this beautiful city, to the main reason for our visit to Trondheim.....

..... which was to visit Quiltegården - and to meet Siw, the owner. Unfortunately Laila was unable to meet us - I hope you're feeling better Laila - maybe we can meet next year??!!.....

.....inside this shop there were lovely displays of fabrics and threads and all sorts of things that we NEEDED to buy. I was especially pleased to buy some beautiful linen fabic for stitchery, that Lynette Anderson used for her quilt "A Scandinavian Christmas".....

.....and quilts - (Hi Gail - it was great to see this version of your quilt "Busy Little Christmas Elves").....

.....and this version of Leanne's quilt "Down in the Garden". These colours were so soft, and very different from the original. We had a lovely time here, and spend several hours and several Kroner!!!.....

.....visiting the cathedral in Trondheim was the perfect end to a perfect day.

1 Comment

Quilting course in Bodø

15/2/2011

2 Comments

The reason that Eva and me were travelling to Bodø, was because we were on a quilting course with Ann A. Kanstad Johansen (AnnAKa), a Norwegian designer. I had met Ann in November 2009, when Hanne had invited me to Norway for the first time. This picture shows Ann and me, with her beautiful quilt, that Merete had longarm quilted. I had seen this quilt in a previous issue of Quiltemagasinet (a Norwegian quilting magazine) and it was great to see it in real life.....

.....this is my runner "in progress".....I used a selection of fabrics including batiks, that I bought from Lappedilla.The course was all about using a "60 degree triangular ruler". Ann had lots of samples on show, and they were all really inspiring....

.....here is Heidi and Randi, with Randi's runner - the black/ white/ grey combination of fabrics looked really dramatic - and Randi was so quick - she started this runner on the Saturday, and brought it to class the next day quilted and bound - it looked fabulous. I think I might make one like this too - I'll add it to my growing list of projects that I NEED to do hehe.....

.....Ann and Hanne busy chatting.....

....Eva and Elin are busy sewing and chatting!! Hi Elin - it was great to meet you on the course - hope we meet up again next year :)

.....and Merete is demonstrating some ideas for quilting this runner - no, she's not drawing directly on the runner, she's drawing on a sheet of plastic.....

.....and busy quilting her own runner - this looked really lovely Merete - kjempefine!!.....

.....and here Ann is talking to the class about another runner that I made with the leftover fabrics from the previous one - and when completed, this will be a diamond shape. We all had a brilliant time on this course, as Ann is an excellent teacher and I hope to go on another class with her next year if she'll have me!!

2 Comments

My journey North continues.....

14/2/2011

1 Comment

On Thursday evening we travelled by train from Otta to Trondheim. Here we changed to the night train and travelled on to Bodø. This shows our sleeping cabin - it was very cosy :)

Once we arrived in Bodø we were going to stay with my friend Hanne, who has a fabulous quiltshop, Lappedilla. We were staying with Hanne for a few days while we were on a quilting course with Ann A. Kanstad Johansen (AnnAKa), a Norwegian designer.
Here is Hanne, welcoming us into her shop, filled with an array of fabrics and threads and patterns and buttons. Eva and me had a wonderful afternoon, admiring lots of quilting supplies and fabrics that we needed :)

.....Hanne has some lovely displays of bags and runners and cushions and it is very inspiring - I bought a kit for a bag that I will show you a picture of later on, and some nice linen for a runner and some buttons.....

.....more beautiful fabrics, made into a small make-up bag.....

.....and I was lucky enough to meet Merete, a longarm quilter, who was also on the course with AnnAKa. I have followed Merete's blog for a long time, so was extremely excited to meet her, and could admire her beautiful work.

1 Comment

Mountains and Schnibbles.....

14/2/2011

2 Comments

The drive up to the mountains had been fantastic, and yes, the sky really was this beautiful colour, and it really did take my breath away.....

.....and the air felt so clean and crisp. I think I may be inspired to make a quilt to remind me of these spectacular scenes.....

.....when we returned, we decided to spend the afternoon sewing. Eva wanted to make a Schnibbles quilt, and so we set about transforming 5inch squares - with Eva doing the hard work on her Janome sewing machine (Eva even let ME have a go on her Janome).....

.....I look very happy here presing fabrics - I can assure you I don't smile like this when I'm ironing Mr F's shirts.....

.....this is Eva's completed McGuffy. The fabric is Boutique, by Chez Moi for Moda. I'm sure it won't be her last Schnibbles - we might even make another one before I leave Norway :)

2 Comments

The start of my long journey North...

13/2/2011

0 Comments

My epic journey to Norway started in the middle of the night, with an arduous coach drive to Gatwick airport, followed by a delayed flight. I eventually arrived in Oslo at lunchtime, and this is the view from the window of the plane just before we landed.....

.....I continued my journey to Otta by train, and the views along the way were absolutely STUNNING.
It was great to see Eva again. She had turned her sewing room into a bedroom for me, and she had put this beautiful quilt on the bed for me.
She knows I like the colour green :)

.....the following morning, this is the view that greeted me - a breathtaking view of mountains and pine forrests. Eva told me that it has been extremely cold this winter, and they have had lots of snow. However, today it was only about minus 10 degrees outside - I'm glad I had my thermal undies with me!!

....Eva suggested a drive up the mountains as it was a beautiful clear day, and although it was cold the sun was shining - again, the view was breathtaking - the mountains were truely spectacular.....

..... on the journey back down, this was the view looking down over Otta. The river was completely frozen, and you can see a small island in the middle of the river.

0 Comments

Some very sad news.....

13/2/2011

4 Comments

I'm sure my blog followers will be very excited to read about my trip to Norway, and in a few days I'll post lots of pictures and tell you all about my epic adventures. Unfortunately whilst I was away, our beautiful black labrador, Magic, died as a result of a tragic accident. I cannot begin to descibe how devasted we all are - she was such a huge part of our lives, and we feel totally lost without her. She has left a huge gap that can never be replaced.

4 Comments

Forward>>

Shopping in Otta

3 Little Black Hens.....

Eva's second Schnibbles

Trondheim and Quiltegården

Quilting course in Bodø

My journey North continues.....

Mountains and Schnibbles.....

The start of my long journey North...

Some very sad news.....

About me...

Archives

Blogs I follow

UK shops

Australian links

Scandinavian links