I have to make a wedding quilt! Yeah!

Just found out yesterday that my cousin Liina is engaged to her Norwegian boyfriend, Harold!!!  Remember, she’s the Estonian cousin who met her Norwegian boyfriend in South Africa.  We visited with them in Oslo on our way to Estonia back in June.   Very appropriately, he proposed to her while on a kayaking trip somewhere in the Canadian wildnerness!  Very romantic story!  They are one of the cutest and happiest couples I know.  I am so excited for them!  The wedding is planned for next summer in Estonia.  Seems that all of his family are very excited to travel to Estonia.  The last family get together we had in Estonia was at Liina’s father’s house and Harold’s parents were visiting from Norway, too.   As Harold’s mother and I said good-bye, I said that the next time we would see each other would be at certain special occasion – hint – hint!  We both laughed a hopeful laugh!   I sure hope we can put our pennies together for another trip!  Wouldn’t want to miss this one! 

I don’t want to give it away, but remember all those flower pictures I took in Estonia that I wanted to make into a quilt – well maybe here’s the motivation! 

Congratulations Liina and Harold!

(Of course , I can’t find a picture of the two of them together – I’ll work on that!)

Driftwood is coming along

Check out the website  www.HelleMayDesigns.com  for an updated picture in the Driftwood journey.  I have put together one block for preview.  The colors are playing nicely together.  A little re-engineering of the block and I was able to achieve a set-in seam look without the set-in seams!  A little trick up my sleeve that I’ll explain in the pattern.  Happily, I’m still on track to get it done on time (quilt and pattern by the end of September.)

When I’m not sewing, I’m trying to pick a paint color to paint the family room (my project after the quilt is done.)  I don’t understand why I can put fabrics together with relative ease, but agonize over paint color!    I finally found a fabric that I  fell in love with to make upholstered cornices and drapery panels from JCPenney’s, but finding a complimentary paint color is killing me!  You know it’s bad when you walk into the paint store and the guys go – “You’re back again?!”  Right now my walls are a patchwork of those $5 paint can samples.  

Then I realized I would have to piece the cornice fabric to make the length I needed.  It is a paisley print and will have to be matched.  I was fretting over the seams showing, when my husband casually remarked, “Why don’t you just quilt over it?  That’s what you do when you don’t want your quilt block seams to show.”  I shot him one of those “Are you crazy?!!” looks and then I started thinking, he may be onto something!  Since I have to put batting behind the fabric anyway, why not quilt around the large motifs to give it some dimension before stretching it over the board.  Has anyone done that or seen that done?  So even when I’m taking a break from quilting – I might be quilting!

Helle-May

Home Sweet Home

What a summer!  The boys and I were on the go for 7 weeks straight!  3 weeks in Estonia, 3 weeks of summer camps and 1 week visiting friends in Chicagoland.  And there’s still 5 more weeks of summer left!  The kids don’t go back until September 9th!

This last trip to the Chicago area was spent visiting friends from when we lived there 2 years ago, including my old quilting  friends, the “Quilter Bees.”  I am very lucky to have found a new hive to call home with new quilty friends in NJ, but there’s nothing like going back to the original hive! 

Upon my return from Chicago, I received the remainder of the fabric I need for Driftwood.  My friends were very enthusiastic about the new design, so I am encouraged.  On Friday, I was trying to finish up my trial block.  Unfortunately, my sewing machine was not cooperating. After changing the needle and  checking out the bobbin case, I realized my baby might need a little extra TLC.  I regularly clean out the bobbin area, but I knew I was overdue for a proper cleaning.  Fortunately, my local sew & vac store services Janome (I sew on a Janome 6600)  and was able to turn my baby around in just a day.  He was surprised to see how clean the bobbin case was, but he said it was a different story when he removed the bottom plate!  That’s when he said he realized I really was a sewer!  I will admit, she hasn’t been serviced since we moved, nearly 2 years ago!  Ladies (and gentlemen!), don’t forget to take care of your machine!

So, now it’s time for some serious sewing! Other than a few day trips with the kids (and hopefully husband!), I plan to spend my mornings sewing and my afternoons doing some serious yard work.  It’s amazing how much weeds can grow in just 7 weeks, especially with all the rain we’ve had!  The planting beds were nearly spotless before we left for Estonia in June!  Oh well!

That’s all the news for now!

Helle-May