26 december 2008

100th post - Giveaway

That´s not true, it´s my 102nd post. There will be a belated Giveaway to celebrate that 100th post, but first I want to show what I got from my SSCS partner, Maree from Australia.

It´s a beautiful Christmas decoration that I really love.
Thank you very much!
(Sorry for the bad pictures.)



More bad pictures:


Do you remember me asking for your love a while ago? This is how I used the words.
Soon it will become a quilt which I will send to the winner of this little competition.

The only thing you have to do if you want to participate is leaving a comment on this post. In this comment I want you to give me something lovely as a saying about love or beautiful love words or something else.....
I´m collecting this for my next project, my Hearts of Love quilt.
If you post about this giveaway on your blogg I count you in twice.
On New Years Day I will tell you who´s the winner.
Good luck!


Take care,

Helena

25 december 2008

There is a winner!

Here it is, my son´s Christmas present, his crocodile quilt. And yes, he liked it. I´m very satisfied too. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun, but the result was that special quilt I´ve had in my mind.

The first person who gave me the right answer was Lori in Florida. The comment was left on 18th December. Lori, if you please contact me and let me know your address I will send you my prize. It will be a belated Christmas present and secret until you get it. Congratulations!
And thank you everybody for your suggestions.

I would like to show you the crocodile with a hinge but my mum don´t know where to find it. I think that one made you a bit confused. It was a part of a creche and had that hinge to get able to open and close his mouth. But I have a picture when I touch a crocodile on a farm in Thailand.
Don´t know if I was brave or only stupid, but I did it.


My next post will also include a competition - my 100th post give away - even if it happens to be post #102. Welcome back then!

Helena

Merry Christmas!


I havn´t disappeared from earth even if it seamed that for a while.....
Today I´m back in blogland and want to wish all my friends a merry, merry Christmas. I want to say thank you for all comments and e-mails that I havn´t answered. I´ve visited your wonderful blogs but havn´t had the strength to leave comments. But no I´m back.... This will be a short post to tell you that I´m still alive. Later today I will tell you who it was that won my little competition and show you pictures of that quilt. Then I will present the give-away for my 100th post (it´s this one). I will show you what my SSCS partner sent me and show you pictures from my own version of Christmas. But first I will finish a stitching project... in the last minute... but not too late. See you later,

Christmas hugs,

Helena

17 december 2008

Only one week left....

Only one week left. Do we have a winner today? (This competition started 28/11) Not many words in this post, only some sneak peeks. What´s on the quilt I make for my son as a Christmas present? The answer is only one word starting with a consonant. Good luck!










Only the quilting left, and the binding and.....I think I´m busy, better hurry up.....see you later....

Christmas hugs,

Helena

12 december 2008

What is a week?

Many years ago my teachers told me that a week is 7 days, every day 24 hours, every hour 60 minutes and every minute 60 seconds. I don´t believe them any more....it´s impossible that the last week had 7 days....a couple of minutes or maybe an hour or two, but not 7 days....no......

I know my last post was on 5th December, can´t believe it....but ok, I´ve done a lot of things.

Saturday I was in Gothenburg together with my daugther and hubby. We started our day with some shopping. Josefin finally found the perfect fabric for her ball dress, wonderful silk in a wonderful light "dirty" turquoise colour. 10,5 meters, if that was perfect for her father´s wallet...I don´t know.
I will be the seamstress. And I will make dresses for two of her friends too. Exciting work....and wonderful girls....it will be fun.
Then we visited Liseberg, the funfair, where there was a Christmas market. Look at the pictures, (Josefin was the photographer ), no words neeeded.

To Santa´s world....

What do you want for Christmas?


On Sunday there was a very small Christmas market in our village, and because of that I spent the whole afternoon in my quilting studio if someone wanted to visit me....and yes, I have some visitors, fun!

On Monday I was on a little shopping trip all by myself. The first stop was Gekås in Ullared, Swedens most famous store? I bougth clothes and clothes and clothes...quite cheap. Next stop Tyger o ting in Burseryd, "my" quilt shop. Some more fabric for my Christmas gift quilt, blue, for the background and batting and a magazine and buttons and....love that place....

On Tuesday I went on another shopping trip together with a friend. We visited Helsingborg and a shopping centre called Väla. Some more clothes, thread and a computer desk for my son.... from IKEA.

Yesterday was an ordinary day, worked on the quilt for my son.

All this in only a couple of minutes.....or perhaps there are 7 days every week?

Today is a white day by me, snow......love it......light and fresh.....I´m dreaming of a white Christmas.....
Tonight it´s time for a Christmas concert.....longing....

Now for the clue. (The competition started 28/11) Only 12 days left and it´s not a secret anymore. "The thing" on this quilt is not made in a factory. You can find them in my part of the world but there are more of them in other places....I´ve seen some in Thailand, and touched one, that´s not an usual thing to do...
Next time I will show you some sneak peeks......

Happy Stitching,

Helena

05 december 2008

You are the coolest!


Some days ago I got this award, and it made me feel so cool.....it came from May Britt, a cool girl from Norway. Thank you very much!

But I can´t choose 10 blogs, or I can´t choose which blogs I can´t choose....or something like that.... This blogland is the coolest land I ever know.....I will give the award to everyone out there!

And now it´s time for something not so cool, today´s clues. And if you missed the first ones, the competition started 28/11. This is what I will tell you about "the thing" this time:
I said it´s not so cool, and then I meant that you will forget about the snowman and other cool things.

Then forget about wheels.
Soon I will add some small white triangels on the quilt....and something round.

Enough for this time, looking forward to read your suggestions.....who will be the lucky winner of my secret Christmas gift?

Tomorrow I will visit Gothenburg and the fair-ground Liseberg. There is a wonderful Christmas market every year. So many lights and wonderful things....pictures will come!

Have a nice weekend,

Helena

03 december 2008

A day in December


It´s Christmas time, busy time, funny time, lots to do, lots done, except visiting all your wonderful blogs. But later today I´ve decided to take a break, make me a big cup of coffee, maybe buy something sweet and yummy, sit down by my computer and take a long trip in blogland.....see you then.

The past days I´ve worked mostly on Jonatans Christmas gift and I have also made curtains for my friend. She has bought a new house and she has a lot of windows.....it will become beautiful.

Now for today´s clue. (This competition started 28/11) My sister´s comment was a little bit confusing, I know, but everything she said was true about "the thing". The one in that comment isn´t real and the details a little bit specific for that special piece. The snowman has nothing in common with it either, only one detail (or two!) but that doesn´t matter. So, now I have made you even more confused...or...?

This is the first piece I cut for this quilt, and there will be a lot of squares, but also triangels and hexagons. And some pieces with a special shape for this quilt.
I will do that usual piecing, by machine and by hand, I will paper piece some parts, and there will be some applique.
The fabrics I use only have small prints like dots and very small flowers, I will use the colours and shapes to make "the thing" appear on the quilt.

Did this clue help you? Write a comment, tell me what you think "the thing" on this quilt is. And welcome back for more clues next time...the answer is secret until Christmas....

Take care,
Helena

30 november 2008

A comment from my sister

My sister left a comment on the last post with sort of a clue in it.. She knows the answer and because of that I will translate it to English so not only Swedish speaking people can read it.

She wrote something like "Do you remember the one I had with a hinge on it, we "used" it during Christmas time, and that he was afraid of it when he was a very little child". Mum keeps it know.

Let it snow!


The snowman stitchery is finished. I will just add some fabric borders and then he´s ready for the wall...
I hope it will change the weather, from rain to snow.....it´s so boring outside these days with clouds, rain and not much daylight, makes me tired....need more light...
But it´s only three weeks left, then we will have the darkest day of the year and turn against spring and summer again! And December is a better month with all candles, love it!

I will give you another clue for the guess-what´s-on-the-quilt competition. Started 28/11, welcome to participate! Thank you for your first comments, interesting to read your suggestions, how you are thinking.... What I´m searching for is one specific word.
Well, he had a couple of them made of plastic to play with when he was a child. If he will get a real one, don´t think so even if it´s not totaly impossible, but very unusual... But he has some items in his apartment which are decorated with pictures....maybe he also has a book or two....

I´m looking forward to read your suggestions, maybe someone already has given the right answer, but I will keep it secret until Christmas....

More clues next time, take care until then,

Helena

28 november 2008

What about a competition?

Yesterday there was a parcel in my mailbox, filled with wonderful fabrics.....
I will use them for a quilt, a Christmas gift for my son. Can´t tell you much, must keep it secret, if he reads my blog.....
....but if he does, why not make him a bit curious....a clue in every post until Christmas Eve arrives and he can open the parcel? Good idea!!

And why not make it to be a competition for all my blog readers? Another good idea, I hope you agree with me.

OK , here are the rules:

I want you to find out what´s on this quilt.

It´s something that interested him when he was a little child and still do even now when he´s 20.

I will give you a clue in each post until Christmas Eve and you have to guess until then, because I can´t tell you the right answer before.
But the first one who gives me the right answer will win a little Christmas gift, a secret one....
So let´s go, who will be the winner?

Good Luck!

Helena

I have had my first class...

....I don´t know if it was "first class"....but very fun...and very creative!


I made a pattern of these make-up bags and tried to show my friends how to make them.
And there was a creative mess, a very creative mess. But we had a lot of fun and some of the girls will come back next week and finish their creations. Must remember my camera then....

Yesterday it wasn´t my friend, only one picture was okey (or not), but the only I can show....


Three of the girls, there are three more somewhere....thank you everybody for a nice evening...

Later today I will post about a competition....starts today and ends on Christmas Eve...welcome back!

Helena

24 november 2008

My decision.....

.....is that I will keep my name "Syverkstan" (The sewing studio). Thank you for all your nice comments, they helped me through this and I feel satisfied.

Yesterday I stitched and stitched and stitched and finally there she was,


My Christmas Angel.

A closer look.

Today I bought some new thread for her quilting, I will do it by machine this time, faster.....

Now I will go on stitching on my snow man, it´s a perfect day for him because we have got some snow here, not much but it´s white.... much nicer outside....

Thank you for all the "Love" that I´ve got but I still want more!

(see my previous post)

Have a nice week, see you,
Helena

21 november 2008

I need your "love"

Thank you for all your nice comments on my last post. I will make my decision and tell you later.

These days the angel-patterns will be finished, I have some problems with the photos, I´m not satisfied yet.
My home page including a small internet shop is on its way, my daugther is busy working...then the patterns will be available there and in another internet shop too if it goes my way....hope so.

While waiting for this to happen I will introduce you to my next project. It´s a quite big one, can´t tell you so much yet, because the design is still in my head. Only a few drawings are made.
There will be a heart and love theme in this project, and of course my angels will appear now and then. There will be stitcheries, of course, and some applique. I´ve decided to use very light pastels, pink, green, turquoise, white....
I will start working on this in the beginning of next year, but couldn´t resist making a logo for the project, as a preview:
I have noticed that there is not so many posts left untill I reach 100, and then there will be a give away, of course. Preparing for that, also with the love and heart theme, I need some more help.
I know that I have visitors from more than 40 countries every month and now I´m asking you who speak another language than English or Swedish for help:

I need your "love"

The English word is LOVE, the Swedish one is KÄRLEK, but what do you say in other countries? Please let me know! I will use the words in a stitchery for the give away, so please help me.... Thank you!

Here is a little sneak peek, for the give away I will use this fabrics, a little love stitchery and, I hope, your words....

Take care and have a nice weekend,

Helena

17 november 2008

I have a question...

Too many days since last post...I haven´t disappeared from Blogland, just busy working, many secrets these days, can´t show you yet.....
I´m also working on my patterns. The three first angels are finished and I´m now working on the pattern design. When I took a walk earlier today a question popped up in my head, why do I use the name Syverkstan? That´s the name I chose when I started my little company 10 years ago, as a seamstress in a little village in Sweden. It´s Swedish and means "the sewing studio", but if you don´t speak Swedish, what do you think about it? Can you pronounce it?
There must be a better name, and now the time has come to change...or?

I think I will ask my brain for a more beautiful name, a name that´s more me, more like what I´m doing today.... I hope it will come to me, maybe another walk will help....the brain works better with fresh air....

But before I put on my shoes there will be a picture of my last finished angel,

My Sewing Angel....

....and her sister My Gardening Angel....

....and #3, My Kitchen Angel.

OK....but just a sneak peek....here are pictures from my little secret project.....

Soon finished, only the binding left.

Now I will take my brain, and the rest of my body, out for a walk and try to create a new name, if you have any ideas, please tell me.....

See you later,
Helena

11 november 2008

I´m a winner!

When I came home yesterday this one was in my mail box, from Leanne. I was a winner, first time, can´t believe it. I´m gonna make this bag for my mum as a Christmas present. (She doesn´t read this, I know...) She visits the library quite often, think she needs it. And then there will be one for myself too, I´m sure....

When I started checking internet for information and inspiration in the beginning of this year Leanne´s House was the first blog I found. I didn´t know much about blogging before and when I read this blog I thought: Yes, this is for me. And I loved all I saw, Leanne´s work is fantastic.
Thank you Leanne!!!



This is what I´m gonna do tonight, but first dinner and then a trip to town....hope there will be some minutes left....

Take care,

Helena

10 november 2008

Back from Stockholm

I´m back home again after a wonderful weekend in Stockholm. It´s fun to visit our capital, five years since last time I was there. The town is beautiful but best of all, The Sewing Festival. We (me and my daugther) spend the whole Saturday among fabrics and beads.

I met a lot of nice people, some of them bloggers, and all so kind to me....

Thank you everybody, you made my day!

Of course I bought a lot of fabric, a surprise?


These blue and white, cold and icy, are for my winter bag, #3 in my season bag family.

Together with these scraps I think it will be ok, maybe some more dark blue...

A quilt with some applique....

.....together with these, already in my stash.

Some more fabrics for my heart and love quilt.

I´m searching for fabrics with roses and rosebuds on real white, difficult to find.

At last some secret ones, can´t tell you yet....

Today I´ve used these secret fabrics, can´t show you, soon it is Christmas....

...but tomorrow I will show you what was in my mailbox today, have to take a picture...


See you,
Helena

06 november 2008

Finished in time!

Here it is, my autumn bag, finished, ready to go with me to Stockholm tomorrow. My hubby, my daugther and her boyfriend will go there too. We (not the "boys") will visit a Sewing Festival on Saturday, looking forward....
This is the front side with a pocket....

....and the back side.

A closer look.

Hexagons, how fun, can´t stop...

Two more log cabin blocks were made yesterday. Now they are 13.


Do you remember the snow man I wrote about a while ago? No, he hasn´t melted. During the 6h car trip tomorrow he will be stitched.


Hi everybody, see you soon!
We will be back home again on Sunday evening, then there will be a report from our Stockholm weekend.

Take care until then, see you,
Helena