Look what I have got....

This little cutie arrived together with a Christmas present yesterday. It came all the way from Australia and Jenny, my partner in SSCS 2009. The present has to wait until Christmas Eve, I´m so curious...... Thank you very much Jenny!


This wonderful little Christmas quilt came from Austria and Ilse, my partner in the Holiday Quilt Swap. In the parcel was also a wonderful, yummy chocolate bar. Thank you very much Ilse!


Here is a photo of what I sent for the Holiday Quilt Swap:


Again: Thank you very much both of you, I feel very spoilt!

Take care, happy stitching

Helena

Once upon a time....

.....there was a little girl......guess who it is?
Yes, it´s me and my grandma and grandpa.....about 45 years ago.....and I´m still stitching.

A closer look.

Today there was no stitching at all, didn´t feel well this morning and stayed at home together with my computer. My daugther was home too and took care of me and now I feel much better.
Tomorrow I´ll be back in my studio, a lot of projects are waiting for me......

Even colder....

....about -6C this morning.....but no snow...dreaming of a white Christmas....not too late.....wait and see.

I have participated in 4SQS Holiday Quilt Swap and this is what I sent too my swap partner, Margaret.

I had a lot of fun making this quilt, didn´t count the pieces but there are more than one....paper pieced....

I haven´t recieved my quilt yet, still curious about who is my partner.....waiting....exciting!

Today I´ve started to make the bag and needle case I showed you yesterday using these fabrics.
And this set I will keep for myself....started to stitch the roses today....pink and green....love it!

Winter!!??

December, today it´s winter!!?? OK, it was frozen outside this morning, but no snow yet.....
Soon it is Christmas, can´t believe that....

A while ago a parcel arrived in my mailbox all the way from USA and Sherry Vlcej, my Stitcher´s Angel this year. Here is a picture of what she sent me.

Thank you very, very much, Sherry!

My partner in the Stitcher´s Angel swap was Lurline from Australia and here are pictures of what she got from me.

Fat Quarter

Here comes a picture of the brown fabric I wrote about in my last post.

Today I used it on a quilt, soon finished. It´s a secret one, but you will find the pattern in Fat Quarter, the Swedish quilt magazine, in November. Later you will find it in my shop.

But this is not my first pattern in Fat Quarter. Do you remember my autumn bag?

Look! Isn´t it fantastic! I´m world famous, at least in Sweden....

I´m so happy and proud....

My September shopping

Fabric - that´s a magic thing for me. I can create fantastic things, they are beautiful to look at, make my cupboard looking nice, make me happy, inspired, they comfort me, make me relax....
And not once, but three times: when I buy them, when I look at them and when I use them....

OK, that was some kind of philosophic excuse for a lot of shopping last month.....

These fabrics were purchased for a special project, secret for some weeks.....but I planned to buy them.

These wonderful ones just wanted to follow me home, is that my fault?

Fabrics that I needed. They are for my log cabin scrap quilt so I can finish that old UFO.

Just had to buy these, couldn´t resist, they had to go with me.....

These are for a special project, I had a hard time to find the right colours, but I think I´m satisfied at last....

Yesterday I purchased a piece of dark brown fabric....busy working on finishing a project....more about that next time....

Thank you very much!

It´s time to do something about my bad conscience. I have felt so unpolite the last weeks. I´m very grateful for the beautiful things I´ve received and I feel very spoilt.

A couple of weeks ago this cute little bag arrived in my mailbox. It was from Christine, I was the lucky winner. Thank you very much Christine!! I really love it, this one was the cutest.....


A few days ago I received my bag from the Friendship Bag Swap. It came from Mandy all the way to Sweden from Australia.

At that´s not all that was in that parcel!
Look at this picture....I feel so spoilt.... Thank you very much!

Today there was another parcel in my mailbox, two beautiful fabrics from Carina. I was the lucky winner in her giveaway. These fabrics are really my style, thank you Carina.

That´s all from me today, I try to catch up with a little bit of everything each day. I will be back tomorrow, more to show and tell. And I´m planning to catch up with my e-mails tomorrow too....that means a lot of work....but I feel satisfied being back again!

A new start

What a month September was but it ended up well and I´m so grateful. As I told you in my last post a month ago (yes, I know) my mother was in hospital. A week after that post she had to go to another hospital, in Lund, for heart surgery, a by-pass operation. Thank God, everything went well and since two weeks she has been at home again. She is still a little bit tired but recovers fast.

This is why you haven´t heard from me for a while....too tired, nervous and busy. When everything was back to normal again I felt like a zombie....my brain didn´t work, too tired.....
But now I´m back here in blogland again and I will try to catch up with everything.
A big thank you for all nice comments on my previous post, I know I haven´t answered but I hope you will forgive me.
I will post about gifts I have recieved and of course say thank you to all you nice people.
And I have a lot of e-mails to answer and people to contact, so stay tuned, I haven´t forgotten...

In the evening of 09-09-09, the day for mom´s surgery I designed this quilt and I named it "Heartbeat". I have planned to make it for her as a gift, maybe for her next birthday....
I´m very pleased with it and it has a special feeling for me.

Pieces of life

Two weeks since my last post....and it has not been ordinary weeks. We came back home from our little trip on Thursday. Since Friday my mother has been in hospital with heart problems....
A lot of worrying....she´s still in hospital....I´m sure she will recover and life will go back to normal again....
But there will be a couple of weeks before this journey is over. That means less time in my studio because I have to look after her cat every day (he´s so cute....but lives half an hour away....two hours on the road for me) and of course visit her in the hospital.

This is why it´s two weeks since my last post, but I have done a lot of sewing too. If I´m totally honest it´s the housework that´s not done. Can´t resist quilting....

Ten blocks are finished, some of them paper pieced.

It has been a lot of fun......

....and a lot of pieces

I think I´m very satisfied with the result!

I will use these blocks for decoration in my studio. Therefore I added letters on them.

Next step is blanket stitches on the letters....

....a thin grey border on each block....

.....then hand quilting.

The last step will be a red binding to match my little logo butterfly.

Here he is on a quilt. I´m gonna make another copy of him on masonite for this studio decoration. Photos will come......

I will be back soon, lots to show, but now it´s time to get dressed and leave for the cat.... Maybe (??!!) he´s hungry....

This is where you find me today!

This little red cabin is my own little retreat place for today. It´s just outside Hällefors, a village between Karlstad and Örebro, in the middle of Sweden.
My daugther comes back tonight. She is on intro days at her school today and tomorrow. Then she will study from home for about one year. It´s a design education, and guess if her mother is interested too. I have to read her books!

It´s beautiful here......

My working place for today. The weather is sunny and warm. Lucky me, I will have a wonderful day.
This one is my project for today. There are a lot of hearts and flowers that need to be stitched in place by hand. This is a real UFO, but now I think it´s time to finish it.

A closer look at one of the flowers.

I also have to show you my progress on my hexagon quilt. Here is the center star already finished.

Another small one is already born too.

Tomorrow afternoon we will go back home again, 6 hours on the road. That means at least 3 hours of hexagons for me.

Happy stitching and take care,

Helena

PS. I forgot to tell you! Yesterday we saw a real wolf crossing the road just a a few miles away from here! Exciting! (and a little bit scary....)