Christmas runner progress

I've not had much time for anything today so I figured I show you a picture from when I was re-quilting the table runner, I'm hoping to finish the binding today so maybe we'll have another progress post later. Before it was just quilted with a few straight lines across, now I've quilted it to try to empathize the adorable kitties and the hearts, I think I managed ok =)

I'm also contemplating some hand applique and how best to do it, also one of my "left since the summer" projects. So I'm doing some youtube watching to learn some new techniques, any tips and tricks you might have is much appreciated.

Wiggly table runner

So since I'm currently just able to do hand stitching my progress hasn't exactly been of lightning speed lately so I thought I'd show you something that I almost finished this summer but that's been in my pile of "whenever I should feel like hand stitching pile" waiting for it's binding to be hand sew on the backside. It got a border just a few days ago and I thought I'd show it to you since I still haven't finished the binding of my Christmas runner that I talked about a few posts back... Embarrassing I know, but I really hate sewing by hand.

So here's my wiggly table runner, made at Mia's quilting retreat this summer. It was so much fun to make and really quick too. I quilted it in the ditch using invisible thread, that however is not something I want to do again soon, tricky!

In it's rightful place on our coffee table,  it needs an ironing I know

Stretched out in it's full glory

And here's the back; as I've learned that not everything has to be perfect I thought I'd share it with you. I didn't really have enough background fabric so I added two sections from the front and the binding is really stretched at places to cover up the selvage which would have been visible in places otherwise *lol*

A little sad today :(

My sewing machine is about to give up I think...
He's been having issues with thread tension for quite some time but he's always bounced back and while never giving exactly perfect seams he's never failed me completely. He is a Husqvarna Emerald 116 wich I got on my 19th (I think?) birthday so he has a few years in his luggage. The move to Malta from Sweden wasn't exactly in his best interest either and I can tell that the humidity is really tough on him. The last few days however he's been giving up and I can't get him to bounce back. I'll be taking him to the center of the island on Monday to see if the man with the Husquarna boutique there can help us. :(
I'm feeling all crippled, not being able to sew....

Fight little Emerald, fight!

Crazy Rainforest Pillow

So, the result of the work with my batik scraps from the last post was a matching pillow for my Crazy Rainforest Quilt  =)

Front, couldn't really quilt it like the quilt as that was done on my mothers machine, but I tried ^^

Back (didn't bother quilting this side):

 In it's place on the spare bed:

Cleaning out my (fabric) closet ;)

So I've been cleaning for the arrival of my new fabric! I spent some wonderful hours folding, looking, patting and dreaming. In the end my little "stash" (can you call it that when it's this small?) looks so nice, it went from this:

To these neat little piles, sorted according to size. Above it I've hanged bags with the small scraps.

Edward found the process both boring and tiring but supported me the entire time by occupying the ironing board =)

 I was very happy to find some scraps from my Crazy Rainforest quilt, and decided to start on a little project. What it is, I'll tell you later.

The days greatest surprise was that I found this ADORABLE fabric I had no idea I had! My mother bought me some cat fabrics on a quit show and they where so neatly rolled up I'm embarrassed to say I haven't really unrolled them until now. And out came this gem, and as it turns out I have a full 110cm of it! I just have to build a quilt around this fabric!

A little box for my threads

I made this little box a while back from fabrics I got from my mother on my birthday, it's so me, I love sewing and I love cats and the soft colors, it's just perfect!

At this point in time it's holding my few quilting threads which fit in there precisely ^^

While I'm waiting for my new fabric I'm redoing the quilting on a table runner I did a few years back, it's made from adorable fabrics and I spent ages making the points of the squares match up to the best of my ability back then so it's actually quite pretty. I however totally ruined it when it came to doing the batting and backing and the quilting as I had no clue how to do any of that and I just sort of winged it - and ended up with a bubbly mess of a thing. I've therefor not used it but now I really felt I should save the thing and I ripped it up and I'm now "re-quilting" it. And it's already looking so much better, looking forward to showing it to the world once it's done.

Welcome to my new blog!

I've now moved my old blog into this new flashy one that more reflects what my blogging will be about as my interests have switched a bit since I first started. "Not Only Quilts" will mainly revolve around quilting, but there will be room for some of my other interests too such as the Sami Jewelery, my beloved cats, and some other bits and pieces from my life and hobbies.

The header is a photo of my enormous Norwegian Forest Cat boy Edward cuddling up on my Crazy Rainforest quilt in our spare bedroom. He loves quilts and he loves rolling around on my fabric pieces, batting at strips and just generally being "helpful" when I sew.

I thought I'd show you his very own little convergence quilt which I made for him a couple of years ago at my very first quilt retreat. He loves it and it's been washed many, many times =)

So most welcome and I hope you'll enjoy this blog just as much as I do =)