Cross-stitch - my first hobby

I do not remember when I started doing cross-stitch ... I have done it forever! :-)
It was my first hobby ... and even today, even though other crafts have my interest, I always return on a regular basis to the craft that was my first passion: cross stitch!

These pictures are some of my favorites, and they are hanging on my the wall in my "studio" ... and YES, they are made in cross-stich!:

 

Another fun project, would be this "owl-pillow" - it just makes me smile!

... and my mother needed a birthday card the other day ....

... but my current project, is something for our kitchen ... I have no idea when it will be finished ... but it is quite fun & modern:

So, that was a small update from my cross-stitch universe!
Currently I am also working on quite a few patchwork projects ... maybe they will be the topic of my next update ... who knows .... :-D

Late New Year Resolution ...

... must get better at writing on my blog! :-)

I am amazed by all the lovely entries I see on other blogs that I follow - the creativity, the fun, the consistancy of entries ... I would love to do that as well ... just a little bit!

So, here my "resolution" - try to make a minimum ONE entry a month - because I would love to share some of my creative moments with you too! That should be doable, don't you think ?

Well, it has been almost a year since last time I made a post on this blog - and so much has happened since ... we bought a lovely home - with a small garden - and we got married ... so 2012 was planning a wedding, suddenly (spur of the moment) bying a house, moving house, big wedding party just a month after moving house, and spend the last few months trying to settle down a bit.

2013 is rather welcome to be a bit more relaxing - and giving me the possibility to finish quite a few UFO's - but already now I feel that time is SPEEDING. Do you know that feeling ???!!! :-)

I got my own "Studio" now  - my very own lovely room in the house, where the sewing machine can be out ALL the time, and I can have fabrics all over the floor, if I like !!!! ... pure luxury !

So, what is lying on my floor right now:

Strawberry Fields

I just had to start using this fabric ... I had it lying around for a year ... now it was time. So here, a scrappy looking Strawberry Field quilt. The "recipe" I found on: Moda Bake Shop.
Well, this is a sewing maching project.
So, what do I work on while sitting on the coach in front of the TV?!:

Vignette Hexagon Quilt - handquilting it!

Yes, I am handquilting my amazing Vignette Hexagon Quilt. Here is how it looked, before I started quilting:

As you can imagine ... it takes time, but it is going to look really, really nice! :-)

I also got a few on-going X-stitch projects - but I havn't taken any photos of those ... yet! It might be the theme for my next blog-entry ?!

Phew ... first step taken ... my first entry of 2013 made! :-)

Time passes ... so much to do !

Well, at the moment I am working on many things ... I got many projects ... and not only that: my fiance has left me in charge of his tomato & chili-plants while he is 2 weeks on his oil-rig! ... this is nerve-wrecking!!!
I do not possess "green-fingers" - so I am continously studying them:  - too much water, too little ? - too much sun, too little ?. My goal: just keeping them alive until he gets back home.
The tomato plants reside in our bedroom, and the chili-plants in the bathroom:

So far ... they live ! :-D

I am also working on the huge quilt, where a showed you a bit last time. I finished the top - and I had to bring everything to my "mother in law" - in order to find a space big enough to put together the top, lining and bottom ! ... She has a great big livingroom, and it was nice to have a pair of extra hands as well:

I have now started to quilt it by hand ...

And a project I worked on this week-end ... our wedding invitations:

Loving every minute of it .... :-D

So ... a lot to do ... so little time ... I never get bored!!!! ;-)

A new WIP (work in progress)

I couldn't help myself - I had to start on this new project! :-D
I found the recipe/instructions on the Moda Bake Shop - and I had purchased the fabric already last year ... this week-end was the time to start. My fingers have been itching for a LONG time to get started!
Yesterday I sorted out the jelly-rolls, and started cutting ... today I started to make the blocks:

Here the red/cream blocks - 10 in total.
and here I started on the grey/cream blocks:

Need to make 10 of those as well - and then "only" missing the blue/cream blocks.

So - I have 15 small blocks ready - so "only" 21 small blocks still to go - and then assembly them to bigger blocks, etc ... final result should be a beautiful quilt!

Well, I still have lots of other projects not yet finished ... some slow WIP's (works in progress), and definitely some UFO's (unfinished projects) - but the joy of starting something new, makes me forget all the other stuff I am working on. Well, I get back to those ... at some point!  ;-)

Until next time .....

after Christmas

Now Christmas is over - farewell to all the lovely foods of duck, gravy, potatoes, etc. - it was lovely, but not just good for my "slim-line" (still looking for that one).
So today I thought it was time to "break-in" a present we got during Christmas ... a beautiful, lime-green (my favorite colour) wok! :-D

I have a good friend - a commuter just like me - Pong. We meet on the train almost every day after work. She is from Thailand, and she lend me this lovely cook-book of Thai recipes (luckily in English) - and promised support if any trouble! ;-)

I decided to try one of the recipes today - and I did it all by myself.
I chopped up all the vegetables and meat:

and started following the recipe ...

It turned out like this:

It didn't turn out just like the picture of the book - but still looked OK ! :-D

Well, - the end-result was OK - was missing some seasoning (maybe). But I am not discouraged at all - I just need some practice!

I wish everybody a great New Year!

Ready for Christmas!

Finally ... I am ready for X-mas. I can honestly say that I feel quite peaceful!
I am working again on my hexagon quilt ... check it out here: http://thevignettehexagonquilt.blogspot.com/

I managed to finish my table runner in the begin of December - my X-mas 2011 project:

It turned out really well! :-)
I have given myself the task that every year to make a new project for the home.

Last year I made the Christmas tree "carpet":

Jørgen has made the "request" that for next year I make some nice Christmassy Pillowcases ... well, let's see! :-D

Just to keep in the Christmas spirit ... here a picture of our tree:

I also worked on some other small projects ... these baskets are really easy and fast to make ... but look amazing:

So, what are my plans for the new year ... well, I got a lot of small projects ... but the major task is going to plan our wedding ... invitations to create, plans to make, etc. ... YES - we set a date and the church is booked: 4th August 2012 !!!! :-D

I wish you all an incredible X-mas!

Holiday greeting from,

Lis

Well, another week-end almost over ... but got started on a great new project.
After a lovely Saturday morning with my "mother in law" - brunch & shopping (I bought a beautiful new pair of boots), I had the energy to get started on a Christmas table-runner.
I am subscriping a fabric-package from stofpakken.dk - where I receive 5-6 FQ's of various colour-coordinated fabrics once a month. Last time it was a Christmas package - and that inspired me to make a tablerunner from the fantastic designer, ANNAKA - Højtids-engle.

So - our dining room table gets turned into a work-table ... sewing machine out, ironing board & iron, cutting mat & cutter ... and of course many fabrics.
Here you can see the mess - but it is coordinated mess:



It probably lucky that my man is sitting on his oil-rig on the North Sea! ;-)
At the moment dinner is eaten at the coffee table in front of the TV.

So - here is what I got done till now:

... so now I just have to add some more of my angels ... by applique - 3 on each end:

Will I get it ready for Christmas??? - well, maybe ... :-D