Happy Halloween - it’s that time of year to introduce you all to Winnie the Witch – this was a Button Angel pattern (not sure if it’s still available) that I bought from the Knitting and Stitching Show a couple of years ago - I used a cinnamon stick for the stalk of the pumpkin, and put some cloves in with the stuffing to make her smell nice. She was been doing a little tour of the kitchen and the garden – the tablerunner is an AnnAKa pattern, GladRetro, that I bought from Lappedilla and is just the right colours for Halloween. Winnie decided to have a little rest in the garden and found a comfy seat in the marrow patch (the long-suffering Mr F didn’t grow any pumpkins this year). And finally here she is sitting amongst the Rudbeckia. 

My friend Eva, from Otta, Norway, (Hei hei Eva) sent me a pattern for my birthday "Vårtegn" (Signs of Spring - Norwegian of course!!) and a pack of fabric to make a tablerunner – and here is how I’ve been getting on with it. I’ve just got to sew on some buttons and embroider the chicken’s legs and it’ll take pride of place on my dining table!! Again, this was a pattern that I was able to make by just using the diagrams rather than the written instructions...

...and finally a picture of the very long-suffering Mr F who was making the most of the glorious autum sunshine in the garden this afternoon and was planting up the winter hanging baskets, with primulas and pansies and ivy, and has planted some miniature daffodil bulbs as well so they'll pop up in the spring and give a great splash of colour. unfortunately my talents in the garden consist of me sitting there with a glass of Chardonnay, enjoying the view :) and pointing out if he's missed a weed or two hehe!!

This is a picture of the quilt I made when I went on my travels to Norway. The Norwegian word for this is a "Smykketeppe" which is a quilted wall-hanging to keep jewelry on. It's made with old fabrics and linen, lace and trimmings and.....old underwear!! There is a pocket made with half a bra, and a pocket made with a pair of knickers!! and all sorts of trimmings are added including suspenders, lacey bra straps, bra fasteners, ric-rac, and lace. I don’t think there is anything quite like this here in the UK!!! When this was on show at a "Quilt-Walk around Wickham Market", it was proudly displayed in the underwear shop - and received more than a few gasps and comments when people saw what it was made with!!!...

..so maybe the title of this post should have been...."The Intrepid Travels of a Quilter"..... or maybe “The Mad Ramblings of a Menopausal Sewing Fanatic”!!!! In my previous post, I mentioned my friend Hanne and this is the story of how we met on the internet!! It all happened in the summer of 2009 while I was trying to find a particular Norwegian quilt magazine, and had emailed several quilt shops in Norway – anyway, Hanne replied to my email - she sounded very friendly, and was very helpful and was able to set up a subscription for me to a fabulous magazine, “Quiltemagasinet” – so just imagine how excited I was when she emailed me to ask if I would like to travel to Norway!!! The main reason was to go on a workshop with her, that was being taught by a Norwegian Quilt designer AnnAKa (it was one of AnnAKa’s patterns that I was trying to get my hands on when I was originally trying to get a copy of Quiltemagasinet) and to stay with Hanne and her family. Well of course I couldn't say no as this was a chance in a lifetime. I tell you, I couldn't get that plane ticket booked quick enough. The next few weeks went by in a bit of a blur, as I started to collect all sorts of fabric and lace and “goodies” for my trip to the north. It was only when I was waiting at the airport that I thought “oh my goodness what am I doing here??” I couldn't speak a word of Norwegian, I’d got to get another flight when I got to Norway from Trondheim to Bodø and I’d never actually met Hanne, and she might not like me!!  Well a hasty vodka shot soon calmed my nerves, and I practically skipped onto that plane!! It was fantastic when I finally met Hanne as she really is the nicest person, and she looked after me really well. I had a fabulous time with her and her family and friends, and meeting AnnAKa was terribly exciting!! Oh and Hanne and me have stayed firm friends and she came here to stay with me earlier in the year, and another friend I met in Norway, Eva (hei hei!!) came here to stay with me in the summer...

...I also made some bags with the leftover fabrics and trimmings from the "Smykketeppe" probably  to keep underwear and make-up and other "treasures and secrets" in. What do you think of them?

My very good friend Hanne,from Norway (Hei hei Hanne) has a fabulous quilt shop called Lappedilla, and thanks to her I have a subscription to a Norwegian quilt magazine, "Quilemagasinet". Hopefully once I've got the hang of this blogging lark I'll be able to add a link to her shop - oh, by the way, Lappedilla is on facebook if you want to head over there - and she has a great website. This table runner was in the last issue of Quiltemagasinet, and is designed by AnnAKa - I'm really pleased with how it has turned out, even though it invoved rather alot of machine quilting!! Before any of you ask, no I don't read or speak Norwegian, but with the help of  Hanne and Eva (Hei hei Eva) - I have managed to pick up a few words. This runner was made entirely with me just looking at the diagrams!!! Hanne has emailed me to say that another parcel is on it's way to me, and includes the latest issue of this magazine, and some of AnnAKa's latest patterns. Can't wait for that parcel to arrive - it'll keep me out of mischief - and if my friend Heather is reading this she'll be saying "that's a first"!!

This morning I was a blogging virgin, now I'm addicted!! I've spent all afternoon adding pictures to my gallery, of quilts, cushions and tablerunners - and now I'm even going to try adding a picture to my blog - well here goes - this is a picture of a present that my very good friend Eva, from Norway, sent me for my birthday. She knows that I'm very fond of green fabrics, and this fabric and pattern will keep me busy for a few days - unless blogging gets in the way!!