Merry Christmas

                                       I love Christmas!

      This dark country need .... all the ligths, Christmas tree, good food and joy with family and friends.
                                       Our children are coming home...I long for them!
                        Outside it's freezing cold and the snow is like a soft blanket over the landscape.
                                             The sun hardly rise over the horisont.
                        And it's sooo beautiful.....I'm so greatful to live in this amazing place!

                                          My mother is a great mother and she really can knit.
                         She makes sure that all children and grandchildren have warm hands and feet.
                                          The colors and pattern are beautiful. Thanks mum!
                            I wonder if there are some soft Christmas presents under the tree this year?

                                                    Our garden is sleeping under the snow.

         I have been alone at home a great deal of time this weekend..... Husband away playing countrymusic.
         I find it so peaceful to be alone with my own thougts....the house is completely silent..I hear my own 
         breath.
                             I started the day with yoga....fill my body with energi and power.
                        And....something happens to the brain tooo.....ideas....designs....colors....
                                                 It's called FLOW!...and happens now and then.
                                         Bright colors...flowers....coltsfoots....baskets.....leaves......

                 Is it perhaps a longing for spring?.....it's to early...but...if I start now maybe it's finished
                                                           when the sun melts the snow.

              WELL....thank heaven for Christmas... I wish you all a A MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

                                                             LOVE and HUGS MARGRETH

                                 

Ankarede Christmas market

This weekend has been great! 

My husband plays country music and his band Kentucky gave a Christmas concert in Ankarede chapel.

To you abroad...Ankarede is a small place in the northwest of Jämtland...near the Norwegian border. 

Well... At the market I bought bread 

and some traditional food for Christmas.

Then... consert at church....Yes, I liked it..it was a nice atmosphere ..and the church beautiful.

A weekend without seewing...but a lot of fun with friends.. good food..music..and dance in the evening.

And...I did talk to a quilter from Norway..she showed some patchwork at the market place...

Sorry, no photo!

Now...I have some decorating to do....and light the first candle of Advent.

                                                                Margreth

A day in November

I woke up early this morning, thinking...wonder if it's a day meant for sewing?
Jaasper.......hard to get up!
Looking out....:)... it's really a beautiful, foggy, freezing cold morning.
Trees are bowing covered with snow chrystals.
Definitely a day to cozy up indoors!  YES!
I mean... I have a lot of catching up to do!

Morning coffee..and off to the studio...boy.. does I suddenly feel alert!
But..first I have to check my blogg out....any coments?

Then...I hope I can finish " Let's dance" today. There is a lot of quilting to be done.
Machine quilting hasn't been a favorit of mine...I think it has been difficult to get a good result...
.....thread got stuck and the stitches became uneven...:(
 
But...now I kind of love it!!! I feel that I can work freely and make the surface
lively with different stitches, treads and designs. It's suddenly fun!...and I have a lot more to explore and learn.
 
Well....lunch...sewing....coffee...sewing....husband shows up..coffee? ...have no time!
 
 
                                                  The busy one get rewarded!
 
 
 

 
 
 
                   Typically enough...it's a bad photo...you can't see my quilting...this dark country!
                
 
                                                                 Here's a glimpse of it!
 
 

                                                                                                                               Hugs!  Margreth

Quiltmeeting!

Hi! It 's a fantastic winterday, cold and glittering snow. Me and my husband took a long walk...with the camera of course...and look at this ramshackel barn. Bending over..soon falling apart..charming and melancholy.
Is it going to manage over the winter?

QUILTMEETING!
Isn't it fantastic when over a houndred women with fabrics and seewingmashines meet. All because of their love for quilts. They talk... a lot, look at quilts, buy fabrics, sew and find inspiration.

I like it! :)

The quilt with circles is made by Sylvi Nilsson. A great work!

And.. what's up in the studio?

Not much!

I found out that I wasn't happy with the result of my Garden journal!

I ripped it partly and made one more block.

Now I like the size of it!

Otherwise I try to find inspiration by looking in books...shapes..design and colors!

And....yes I have a lot of quilting to do! :) Happy me!

                                                                                                                      Hugs! Margreth

A great week!

There has been a great week.....I enjoyed every minute of it. We went to Uppsala to visit our children who all showed up at our daughter Elins place. We hadn't met all together since june!!!! JUNE!.... Well we had a lovely time together. YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF OUR LIFE!

THEN.....sewing....exercising......reading.....and all that makes life feel gooooooood!

YES! ......A FINISH......¨A HOUSWIFES DREAM¨
I started this one over a year ago...after an invitation to an exhibition at Rööhska designmuseum in Göteborg.
But....new ideas took over and this quilt....in the pile of UFOs.

I used filmstars and a calander from 1958..my year of birth.... transfering pictures to fabric.

I thougt about a houswife loosing herself dreaming about filmstars... a glamouros life...far from cleaning and cooking. Filmstars all over the table!










                                                                    SOME DETAILS!
                     I wanted the book and filmstars to pop out from the design...did I manage?

There is more hard work going on in the studio....UFOs......WISPs.....
¨ LET'S DANCE¨ is progressing.....embrodering makes the finishing touch!..... I hope!?
I always feel that the last leg of the quilt is the hardest part to do!

                                                                                                                              See you! // Margreth

Here I am!

I'm kind of busy.... working, training and prepareing the garden and the house for the winter.
In the studio there are quilts to be finished and new one to be designed.
Maybe something for Christmas? Hmmm...Or?
I looooong for fall holiday!

Here's a glimps of a small quilt called "A housewifes dream "

I named it befor seewing......
Do you recognice the filmstars?
Another one to be finished.....puuuh!

This is FUN!!
 

I'm happy to have my quilt "Red cottages" in Rikstäckets (Swedish Quilt Association) calendar 2011.

April..spring...wow!

Speaking of spring!

Isn't this a dream?  Soon winter.... In our winter garden there are lemons and figs!!!!
I hope they will ripe in time? I'm not sure!
They desperatelly need sun!

See you!  Margreth

Roundabout dogs

Oh...where did this week go? Sometimes time flies faster than my quiltangel and I've not been in the studio for several days. But...I bought fabrics to four quilts to be bound!
                                               FOUR.....QUILTS to finish. PUUUH..

Today I have been washing windows...befor snow comes! Not so fun.....so I thought about funnier things climbing to reach my high windows.......quilts and design ideas.

I remeber some years ago when artists were making dogs to decorate roundabouts. I saw a feature on tv....
.....thinking.....why not sew dogs?  Sooo.. here you go!

                                                                       SOME DETAILS!

                                                                 Yes..it's a Picasso!!!!

In that time we had been to Barcelona visiting our daugter....and Picasso museum. A fantastic exhibition....
and of course.....more inspiration. The dog got a picture..a Picasso dog!

 I made some other stuff too...show you later on! Travelling is a very good idea when you need inspiration!

                                                                                                              TAKE CARE! // Margreth

Top finished!

I catch a cold and have been home from work for a couple of days!
Boooooring.....but today I finished the Garden Journal top. I like the dull colors...fall colors.
It was so fun that I nearly forgot my sore throat and red nose!
Quilting is like medicin!

Typically enough the weather is fantastic, sunny,warm and...just lovely.
Soooo....... I sneeked out and took a photo of our new build house in the soft sunny light.
I can't belive it....it's halv a year since we moved in!
Time flies...you better try to enjoy life every day!

 Margreth

Let's dance!

There has been a lot of thinking  done this weekend! How to complete the design of my quilt with chairs?
I had some decisions to make! Should I make some kind of squares, log cabins or "free cutting" blocks to finish the quilt? For me it's important to maintain a balance between fabrics, colors and design.
I finally decided " free cutting" blocks! Thats my way!!! Fun and exciting!
When the quilt, several hours later, hang on the wall I suddenly realized that the chairs looked as they were dancing!

So....here's LET'S DANCE!

Now......I have to work on border or not? How to make the quilt sparkle...ad freehand designs...embellishment, quilting design and..........? OH.....it's a very inspirational and exciting work I have in front of me!

GO FOR IT!  Margreth

SNOW!

This weekend the first snow was falling in the mountins......beatiful view!  Now it's high time to dig and plant trees and busches in the garden. Luckely the weather is fantastic...sun, blue sky..........no rain for now!  Nature is painted in amazing colors and inspired me to make a wreath of leaves and berries to decorate our door. Fantastic colors!
                  

Gardening takes a lot of time, dig,dig.......!  Different kinds of bulps have to be arranged in the

flowerbed. Hopefully I'll be rewarded in spring when it all will bloom and bludd.

Spring?.....sounds far away!

Well.... I've had some occasions in my studio making Garden Journal blocks...it kind of fits in just now.

    

  HAPPY GARDENING!

Margreth

I give up!

I red in the paper that fall is here since three weeks!!! Ok...I give up and unwillingly put my socks on and my sandals in the wardrobe ... that I don't like!
BUT.....it's time to realize that fall is here! I just need time to get in the mood!!

 My lavender, lemon tree and oliv tree make summer last a little bit. And look...my quilt made of french fabrics completes the picture. I feel it....just a little more summer!
Woops..my fig tree have three fruits..I wonder if they have time to finish?

Well.... I admit.....FALL  IS beautiful. I like the cold, bright air, the colors and dark evenings with lighting candles all over the place. IT'S OK!

We won!

"Tjejmilen" 10 km in Stockholm 5 september

We won this year too! I mean ...we managed to run all the way. That's my goal...but my daughter Elin is a really god runner....she beats me!
About 22 600 runners from 22 countries entered the race in Stockholm this sunny day. They all made my day!

There hasn't been to much seewing this week...have to work in school you know...time flies!
I've done a block from Garden Journal, the lawn mowers stichery and also one new chair!


                                                                      It's progressing!

 Have a nice day! Margreth

NEW FABRICS!

Isn't it great to come home after a busy day and find mail from USA in the box. It make the day even better!
The Bliss fabric is going to be a quilt for a dear, very wise friend who always is there for you when you need help. All the other fabrics are just for fun...have no plan for them yet.....look at.....dream.....
..feel inspiration by the colors. It's kind of the mening of this business...!

HAVE A LOT OF FABRICS!

But... just now I'm fully commited to the "chair project". Three more blocks are done!

STILL SO FUN!

I have no idea what the result is going to be....hmmmmm? I guess a great idea pops up one day!

I WISH YOU GREAT JOY!   Margreth

A new project!

YES! I managed to spend a great deal of time in the studio today. I love it....it makes me feel the FLOW....
I  finished a top..a present..and started a new project.

CHAIRS.......I like chairs...all kinds of chairs. One day when I was running this idea came up..sew chairs!
It's one of many ideas that ¨pops up¨ when I'm running...it's great running.

This is my first block. How does it look? I don't know what the progress is...I have to think about it during the week. BUT...it was fun, fun to sew..there is more to come, be sure of that!
I want every chair to look individual..shape..expression..color.
 My way to make the block is.. draw..cut...sew...cut.....     FUN AND EASY!

Back to work!

Well.. Summer holidays are over and I'm back to work. Puuh..I'm not used to it!
I  like my work as a teacher... love the kids....it's just that it takes time from quilting. But...that's life!
I have to organize......because I want to spend time in the studio.

It sure has been a  long wonderful summer full of things that I love to do! THANKS!

I luckely managed to spend some time in the studio this weekend.....working on a new quilt...Yes, I think it will turn out quite good... Hmmm...... I show it later on!
I also looked at some finished quilts and......how about this one!

This is one of the most joyful quilt I have ever done! I made it standing up all the time.
Cutting...no straight lines...sewing..cutting...sewing and so on. It was so FUN!

I made it after a postcard with a lithografy made by the artist Ingrid Roth.
She makes pictures that are easy to transform to patchwork.
The quilts size is 47x63 inch.

And..I'm so happy about your comments...love to read them! Thanks to all of you!
 I do my best to get back to you in one way or another.

See you! Margreth

Angels

I talked to a dear quilt friend this morning. It was a long time ago, Louise D ! She said one thing......( among others) ... - I like angels, you know! And so do I.
So...... later on I took a deep look in my stack of quilts and found some old treasures.
Oh, this one... and this....I remember.
Many years ago my work took almost all my energi and I had no strength left to sew. I think this quilt was the only one for almost two years!!!! I must have had something in my mind when I made this one.

                                                             HAVE A LOOK!

Fortunately I have been sewing a lot since then! Angels with several expression and style.
.

This is more like hmm.... whacky angels.

 

                                                              Sort of romantic ones!

Thank you Louise D for the inspiration!

FINALLY FINISHED!

RED COTTAGES is quilted and bound! 

It is a fantastic feeling and relief when you can put it up on the wall and study the result. It's a bit of a process to decide when it's ready. More quilting? Embroydery? Embellishment? Another color in that part...hmmmmm.

 Well, I decided...it's finished!

The quilt is send to the Swedish Quilt Association, Rikstäcket,  to be photographed for next years almanac.

That's an honor!

Here are some details!

I used embroydery thread in the mashine to highlight shapes in the design.

When I sew a quilt like this I make a rough sketch of the design. I deside color theme and then make some drawings of houses. 

 I start cutting!  I cut..sew...cut...and build the quilt .......     I think it is very amusing and fun to work freely!

And surely  it makes the quilt personal!

You can see a little of the process at my blogg post 16 of  june!

A favorit place

We have a favorit place in the family....a summer house in Öregrund at the see...east side. It is an old house with a big garden. It really is wonderful! There is lavendel, appletrees, plums and a hammock for lazy days.
It is so quiet and also lively with restaurants, music and shops in the city.
Here I can find inspiration for new designs, colors...houses....boats...you name it! A lot of photos are taken!

A LOT OF LOVELY HOUSES!         Thats something for me who love to quilt houses.     

Well..... I couldn't help make two more stitcheries from Garden Journal. There is something about stitcherie..sort of FUN!

A quilt with barns

This is a quilt that I made some years ago. I walked in the fields with my camera photographing many, many barns before starting the quilt. Exploring a various combination of colurs drawing and painting with water color paints. First I made a quilt with barns in the colors of early spring and then this one in summer plumage. I find the barns very beatiful and I like the old grey wood and timber. It's like they have a soul and a story to tell! It is culture buildings that gradually laps and disappear. The quilt is quilted by hand and with some embroidery and appliqé. The fabrics that I used for the barns are printed with old wood from barns wich I painted with textile color. It really was a fun projekt!

Well, today I have been in the studio all day machin quilting. Not my favorit job!!! But it has to be done.

Tomorrow I will ad embroidery and buttons and.... all that make the quilt sparkle!!!!! How it looks???

You have to be patient...