My friends teased me that they were surprised that I had signed up for this month’s guild workshop.  I haven’t done too many workshops in the last year because I’ve been so busy with my own projects and didn’t want to start something I couldn’t finish.   Before I started quilting 9 years ago, I had lots of boxes of unfinished needlework, knitting and sewing projects.  When the quilting bug bit me, I promised myself that wouldn’t happen with quilting.  Can’t say that I’ve been perfect, but I am proud to say I can count my UFO’s on one hand!

Anyway, I’ve always been intrigued by designs, especially the Celtic knots that are made with bias tape, so I jumped at the chance to take the workshop with Linda Hahn this past weekend.  Linda was just named NQA teacher of 2009, so I figured I’d learn a lot!  Wow!  what a great workshop!  She made it so easy!  We used Clover’s 1/4″ ready made fusible bias (it comes in lots of beautiful colors) and a pattern by Rosemary Kurtz.  The way Linda teaches it, you place a knot pattern under a transparent teflon pressing sheet and following the pattern, fuse the bias tape to the pressing sheet.  Once it cools, the “knot” lifts off an then you fuse it and either machine or hand stitch it to a background fabric.  It never occurred to me that you could make the knot and then apply it to the fabric.  Some of the corners took a little finessing, but otherwise it was pretty simple with stunning results. 

   I used the color “Earthtones.”  It’s  variegated with shades of green,  gold, and red.  Perfect for fall.

I had to miss my husband’s grandmother’s 89th birthday party to take this workshop, so I figure the least I could do is make her a Christmas present with one of the knots.  I thought a small pillow would make a nice gift.   My mother and I did visit her on her actual birthday this week – so I think I’m still in good graces! 

   My mom, Heljo, on the left and Grandmom, Peg, on the right.

Since my husband’s side of the family is Irish, I figure at least a few members will receive these as gifts.  (Hope they’re not reading this!)  (Between the Irish on my husband’s side and my Estonian heritage we eat a lot of potatoes! LOL!)

If you have the opportunity to take this workshop, I highly recommend it!  We finished making 4 knots in a half-day workshop.  I will probably machine sew them to a backing.  Linda recommends using a mono-filament thread and a zig-zag stitch.

 When I get the presents done, I’ll share.  Probably in December. 

Helle-May

This past weekend, I took a break to attend a local quilt show in Belvidere, NJ put on by the Evening Star Quilt Guild.  The show was not big, but it was very nicely put together.  My mother, friend, Linda, and my 6 year old son had a very nice and welcoming time. 

While we were there, I picked up a pattern by The Quilt Company (www.thequiltcompany.com) It’s called “The Wine Butler.”  There was a sample on display and I just couldn’t resist.  I’m not usually one to make small items, but I was craving some relatively quick satisfaction form a project.  While at the show, I also happened to pick up a 1/2 yard of fabric with the cutest little turkeys.  (There’s always lots of Halloween fabric to be found, but rarely something for Thanksgiving. )

I went home and realized that I had the makings of a very special addition to the Thanksgiving table!  But before I cut into those turkeys, I tried one with some other fabric first.  They go together in a snap!  The pattern even comes with enough “button” beads for 2 vests and 1/8″ ribbon for one.  I highly recommend visiting their website and ordering the pattern if your local quilt store doesn’t carry it.  Perfect for holiday gift giving!  My husband said, “Honey, why don’t you just make a bunch so we’re ready for whenever we are giving someone a bottle of wine!”  Of course, dear!

Happy sewing!

Helle-May

P.S.  Don’t forget to stop by www.HellemayDesigns.com!  The pattern for Driftwood is in stock!

Just went to bring in the mail (and the trash can) and what do you know – there’s the October/November issue of Quilter’s Home Magazine.  Somehow, I managed to wait until I got into the house before I even opened it!  There on page 47 was a picture of Dandelion Wine in all its glory! Can you tell I’m excited?!  Mark even gave it a nice little paragraph to introduce it.  The only small issue I have is that my blog site (www.hellemay.com)  is listed instead of the website www.HelleMaydesigns.com.  But I think that most quilters are computer savvy enough to get where they need to go!

A few weeks ago, Mark asked Kindred Quilts, the local quilt shop in Clinton, NJ, to kit all three of the quilts in the magazine, so if you’re interested, please go to the store or log onto www.kindredquilts.com.  If you actually go, it’s a cute little shop in a very walkable, historic town. Perfect for a Saturday afternoon in fall!

Oh yeah – and don’t forget to pick up an issue of Quilter’s Home!  When you’re done looking at Dandelion Wine, there’s quite a lot of interesting reading!

Helle-May 

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!)

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 

Well, I managed to survive being a Cub Scout Day Camp Counselor for a week!  I never imagined it would be so mentally and physically exhausting!  Fortunately, the weather cooperated.  There were a total of 90 boys at the camp and my co-counselor and I had 10 of the youngest: 6-8 year olds.  It was their (and our) first time at such a camp and on Monday I think we were all overwhelmed.  After 5 days together we had all learned the ropes (literally and figuratively) and managed to have a busy and fun week.

We did lots of fun things including learning to shoot beebee guns, having a try at archery, several woodworking projects, building and shooting  c engine rockets and a lot more.  I was going to post our group shot, but I hesitate publishing a picture of other people’s kids without their permission.  Just trust me that they were cute when they wanted to be!   There were a lot of challenging moments with our kids, but then they’d redeem themselves singing funny cub scout songs and flawlessly perforning the end of camp skit they were reluctant to practice! 

The best thing was to be there and experience camp with my boys.  Andrew was in my group and Stephen was in another older group.  If asked if I’ll do it again next summer – I’ll let you know!

Despite coming home exhausted, I managed to finish the design and select the fabrics for the next Island Batik quilt.  I have a very short timeline to get this one done since Fall Market is earlier this year and they want the quilt in California by Oct 5th.   I am working with a color palette outside my normal – so it should be interesting.  I will be starting a new page on my website  www.hellemaydesigns.com so you can follow it’s journey from start to finish.

This is my first full week at home since summer began.  I have a lot of catching up to do!  The house is a disaster!

Helle-May

The last few days have been very relaxing, just hanging around the farm.    This is a stork, whose large nest sits atop a utility pole.  Storks mate for life and come back to the same nest every year.  There are 2 babies in the nest.

On Monday, we attended a service at the local ceremony rededicating a monument to those who gave their life for their country.  Monday evening, we attended a celebration in the town square complete with folk dancing, singing and the first official bonfire in the area.

Yesterday was Jaaniõhtu – the shortest night of the year.  After Christmas it is the biggest holiday of the year.   Bonfires are lit all over the countryside and family and friends gather to eat, drink and be merry!  This time, we brought along some American traditions that seemed to go over very well:  marshmallows and glow sticks.  The glow stcicks actually resembled a type of worm that is found in the forest at this time of year that glow similarly to our lightning bugs (which they do not have)  Needless to say roasted marshmallows and s’mores were a big hit with the children!

This was my third Jaaniõhtu in Estonia and it was very comfortable for me now that mostly everyone that was here was familiar and just like visiting with family that you only see at any large holiday family get-together.  Three years can go by very fast! 

For my husband and kids, it was also more comfortable since there is quite a bit more English being spoken, especially by our generation and younger.  Estonian is a language only similar to Finnish and also difficult to learn.  The boys have picked up a few key words, but the Estonians like to practice their English!

More pictures later! 

Helle-May

This post is coming 4 days into our trip, but there just hasn’t been time!  So a bit of catching up to do! 

The first leg of our trip to Oslo went very smoothly.  It is impossible to fly directly to Estonia, so you must make a connection in Europe.  Used to be that only meant Helsinki or Stockholm, but now you can catch a connection nearly anywhere in Europe.  We chose Oslo this time for the reason that my Estonian cousin (my cousins’s daughter – so that makes her once removed?)  is working for an American company in Oslo and living with her Norewgian boyfriend she met in South Africa!  How’s that for international!  We found a reasonably priced flight that allowed us to stay overnight and leave Friday night for Estonia.  Fortunately the weather cooperated and we toured Oslo a bit for a day and a half.  Oslo is right on the Baltic Sea and has a beautiful harbor. 

As I have mentioned this is the land of the midnight sun!  Here is a clock to prove it – 9:00 and no hint of sunset!

On Friday, we took a boat ride to an island right off the mainland where there were several museums.  We went to the Viking Ship museum.  On display were 3 viking ships that were discovered in the late 1800’s.  They had been buried in the 800’s along with high ranking officials.  Similar to the Egyptians, the Vikings must have believed in an afterlife and buried their dead along with food and tools.   Also of interest to me was the fact that only the wool and silk weavings remained somewhat intact but not the linen.  They were small fragments but amazing nonetheless for their intricacy.

Before we left the harbor area on Friday, we bought some freshly caught and cooked prawns off a boat.  Evidently that is one of the first signs of Norwegian summer.  As a send off, we enjoyed a dinner of fresh Norwegian prawns and salmon.  Yum!

We arrived just before midnight at the Estonian airport in the capital city of Tallinn.  I think we literally closed the airport, being the last people off the plane.  Even the passport control agents were so eager to go home that they met us at the plane. When I couldn’t find our passports fast enough, they waved us along. 

Saturday was our day of rest.  It is a sure sign that we have visited often enough now, that we are not barraged by countless receptions upon arrival by my many relatives.  Each time I come it feels more and more like coming home to visit with relatives that I just haven’t seen in a while rather than meeting people who are more like related strangers. 

Estonia has caught up quickly with the west in the past 18 years and so the cultural and economic differences between us are also not so great.  For example, I am writing this from the 100 year old farmhouse that survived with the family through Soviet occupation and am connected to the internet via a wireless router.  On my first visit here in 1994, there was barely indoor plumbing!  Amazing!

The sheep have come home!  More tomorrow!  Helle-May

Our retreat ended Sunday after a filling brunch.  By all accounts it was a very productive one.  After getting the binding on my queen size block exchange quilt, I spent the rest of the weekend working on diagrams for the Treasure Chest pattern.  It’s still taking me longer than I’d like, but it is getting easier.   Here’s a pic of all of us.  Not a very flattering picture of me on the right side. 

Despite both sons being home sick all week (again! – it’s been a rough year!), I managed to finish the pattern and approved the proof on Thursday.  I should have the pattern in the shop just before I leave for Estonia.

Best laid plans…  I promised more about Estonia, but it’s been a little crazy here.   We will be staying with family on my father’s side.  Despite being an only child with virtually no family here, I have a pretty good size extended family in Estonia.  Our trip is planned to get there just before one of the best holidays – Jaanipaev.  It is  a summer solstice celebration, complete with family get togethers and big bonfires.  Unfortunately, this year the weather does not seem to be cooperating.  It’s still pretty chilly, reaching only into the 60’s during the day and back down to the 30’s at night, with plenty of rain.  3 years ago, it was 3 weeks of sunny nearly 80 degree weather. 

In addition, we will also be there for the National Song and Dance Festival.  Estonians love to sing and dance in their national costume.  The song festival has been going on since 1869!  The song festival will included 1,000’s of people singing on stage at on outdoor ampitheater in the capital city of Tallinn.   Learn more about it at www.laulupidu.ee/eng.

Each area of Estonia has a different national dress and it differs by century.  The women have beautiful full skirts made from woven striped wool – the colors determined by region.  The blouse is made from white cotton, and embellished with beautiful embroidery.    At my wedding, I changed into the national costume for a portion of the reception and my cousin who attended from Estonia, wore a costume from the 19th century.  Everyone danced to some traditional Estonian waltzes.  It was a really neat part of the wedding that everyone remembers. 

Estonia is an interesting country in that although mostly an agrarian scoiety, the people are very highly cultured and have a great appreciation for the arts, theater, music, and art galleries abound.  I am sure it has to do with it’s strategic position on the Baltic Sea and the fact that it is been an important part of trading routes for centuries.  Estonia has only been independent for small pockets of time, having been ruled at diffeent times by the Germans, Russians, and the Danes.  Nonetheless, Estonians have still managed to maintain a strong sense of national pride.  We are a strong and stubborn breed – my husband would heartily agree to that!

Best get back to laundry and packing!

Helle-May