Three More Houses

I sewed these while having a relaxing Saturday evening watching tv with hubby.

What's red and pink and white all over?

Tomorrow I will  post some images of this week's colored houses.

My seven-year-old called my bluff...

Sometimes the kids getter the better of me. My middle child says: "Why do we always have to tidy up after ourselves and you never do?"  I say, "What do you mean?" DD replies, "Your sewing room is always messy."

Indeed! It is 90% of the time. Scraps galore, snippets and threads all over the floor. I am sure you all know what I mean.

It's been a slow week in a quiet house with sick kiddos sprawled out everywhere. Now, we've moved on to coughing and people are up and about again.

My system for building houses needed to expand into a small skyscraper with larger box sections.

I also started putting the parts for one complete house in a little baggy so I can just grab a couple baggies on my way out somewhere and have some hand work available with out having to schlepp a lot of bulky stuff around. (Twice I have knocked my old box with scraps on the floor of the car while my hubby was driving.) Thus, the baggy system.

It works great for doing a quick house while waiting in doctors office with sick kiddos.

So far this is my favorite little house. I just love the blueberry roof fabric that I received from a scrap swap with a fellow guild member.

This is another favorite because of the little lace curtains in the window.

Please ignore loose threads I failed to remove. I never was a stickler for detail.

Red and White Houses

Happy Weekend Ladies!

I've started a second set of little houses, this time all in red and white and pinks. These I am paper foundation piecing while my colorful houses are being hand pieced. Oddly enough, its these red and white ones I am having trouble keeping up. It requires coaxing my dd, who is 3, to come play in the sewing room while I work.

In my mail box I recently received  this pink and white and red fat quarter bundle. They don't go far when you are trying not to repeat fabrics though. 

This Monday was our quilt guild monthly meeting. I love quilt guild meetings! Our local newspaper wrote a story  featuring this red and black heart quilt which was made for a street hospital in Oslo.

Here is the picture I took at the meeting.

One quilt project which really captured my attention was this runner made by Olaug, our guild's past secretary. I'm in love with the darling ric-rac she used.

On another note, we bought our kids electric piggy banks that keep track of their savings. Of course it required an itsy bitsy screw driver to open the battery sections. We dug through our tool box but couldn't come up with the correct size. Then I had the idea of checking out some of the supplies I inherited from my grandmother remembering she had little tools for her sewing machine. This is the pirates treasure of supplies she had boxed and neatly labeled

Apparently she couldn't find the right sized screw driver also.

The good news is I have rotary cutter blades to last a life time and little brushes of every description to de-fuzz my machine.


I finally hung this scrappy stripey triangle quilt over the sofa.

 Clear dry days are seldom these days so I am closing with some  outdoor footage of the kids bundled up and enjoying some outdoor fun near the house. We grilled hot dogs and marshmallows at the out door forest 'hytte' (open-air cabin/shelter).

My youngest dd. Too cute for words!

I know this posting has been a mish-mosh.  Preferably I would do them day to day but for some reason I only find the time on the weekend, thus this cacophonous weekly summary.
Until next time.....I love reading about your quilty projects and houses and look forward to your comments with glee.
Hugs
Michal

Quilter's Rush and more tiny houses

There is such thing as a quilter's rush and I get mine when I first receive fabric charms for the first time and have a look through. My knees go weak and I can feel my brain synapses buzzing with color and texture and all wonderful things possible with just a simple needle and thread.  I can only compare it to looking in a florists refrigerator and seeing all kinds and colors of fresh cut flowers,  or maybe gazing into a bakery's cake display. I've been prepping my portable house box with all sorts of thrilling fabrics cut out for my next car ride.

Speaking of all things possible with a simple needle and thread, I thought I would share of few items from my sewing room. When my father's mother died when I was a young teenager I inherited her sewing equipment and supplies. It's been at least 20 years and I am still taking needles from her vintage needle packages that look like they are from the 1940s or 1950s. They should last the rest of my life. Perhaps my girls will be inheriting them from me. My other grandmother (who I shared a birthday with) passed away only a few years back and I was lucky enough to inherit her sewing supplies too. My grandmother's father made a  fantastic sewing box for her and for each one of her three sisters from cigar boxes.  I really do consider all of these items treasures that have given me the opportunity to discover a hobby I love.

What sewing tools do you have that mean something special to you?

Houses

I have so much enjoyed seeing everyones first houses. I am jumping on the band wagon with my first little baby houses too. They are addictive! I am foundation paper piecing them and also hand piecing them in the car and in the evenings in front of the tv. Are you having a tricky time with the corner sky pieces like I am? Just when I think I have a good system and one comes out nice, the next one is totally wonky.