Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Boa Natal! Feliz Ano Novo!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

New design

While my husband was busy baking mince pies for I went to my studio and made a little bag for coins.
A friend asked to make this little bag and she enjoyed using at because she texted me at 2230 about how gorgeous it was! This is all handmade, 100 % cotton with metal frame.

Meeting with three ladies

Sue, Ursula, Theresa and I sat together stitched and shared our news. Theresa was making a bag for her friend, Sue came with her Portuguese carpet and Ursula did hand quilting.




I showed them how to ues fabrics to wrap presents. In 2007 when I visited Japan and bought a book and some fabric to wrap presents. It is a quite expensive way of treating your friends but I do think it is a very eco friendly.

IWP Christmas Craft Fair

Christmas Decoration Workshop

These Christmas decorations are easy to make and they are great for your home or present for your family and friends.

On 17 and 24 November I will run Christmas decoration workshop. If you are interested in please contact by email: patchworkpt[at]gmail.com

Mongolian quilters

There is a nice article about Mongolian quilters in Mongolian, sorry. But at the end of the article there are some photos. Please click on link and scroll done to see photos.

Ts.Selenge, a Mongolian girl, while studying in the States for her lawyer degree learnt how to make quilt. After returning to Mongolia she started to help unemployed women to learn the art and bring some income to families.

Various international quilters came to give lessons, now a New Zealander Kay Akoman/ Кей Экомен (not sure how to write the name in English) is giving lessons. After her lessons, she will sew 30 baby quilts and will donate to a Maternaty Hospital in Ulaanbaatar.

http://www.dailynews.mn/?vfile=9&vmet_id=20296&vmet_main=446

Source: http://www.dailynews.mn

Houston! We do not have a problem!

I think I solved my twister quilt problem. I looked at it for three nights while making a new bags and finishing others. Finally, puzzle is solved! I looked on internet for similar quilts and tried to understand their layouts too. Tomorrow morning I can start sewing. Thumbs up!

Probably, I might find a problem after looking at it with a fresh eye. Because I used two fabrics with big patterns. I should have used just one with big patterns and another with smaller patterns. Nevermind!

Here are my two new bags photo. I will give a workshop in November at Patch-Mania. I love my creations!

Inspiration! Full Stop!

After reading Angie's blog last week, I suddenly inspired to make a quilt. I have not made any for a long time. I have to say that from the beginning Angie was my mentor to start quilting, although I resisted for year or two not to start new hobby. Anyway, here is what she wrote on her blog and I decided it is time to start quilting just before 2012 arrives. It seened so easy :)

I did not have template to make a twister quilt and of course I googled. I found this site and I made my own template and now I have a puzzle to make. I was wake until midnight last night playing with my quilt still did not manage to put them back together :(

Now it seems like not so easy. I sewed another 5" blocks with Christmas fabrics. Oh dear! Hopefully, I will finish before 2012.

More bags

Recently made couple of bags after long time no sewing. With this red bag I am half happy. It looks nice in the photo, I guess my photography skills, ha ha ha... Actually, I did not use photoshop! Still thinking of what kind of handle to make.

This one turned out very well. I am sooooo happy with the result. Great one to have and blue flower makes an impact.

For more information about bags or my activity you can go to my blog threeoldempires.blogspot.com

Cakes and coffees

Three of us met last Thursday with coffee and cakes. Ursula brought her first grandson's photo album. Soon a tiny men will be big and will demand even bigger quilt from grandmother. She was working on a little quilt all hand quiting. Irene continued working on her houses. It was funny that she said that she likes simple things, we did not agree.

Regina came with her Easter quilt.

I made for my DD1 little summer dress and her Barbie matching dress too. I never ever in my life thought that I will make a dress for Barbie. Anyway, I made two dresses for Barbie!

Last weekend Lisbon celebrated Santo Antonio's day. Lisbon was full of smell of grilled sardines. More info here

Free motion quilting with Jenny Bowker

Last Tuesday I went to Caldas da Rainha to learn about free motion quilting. I needed someone to teach me basics and there was a one-day course organised with a Bernina dealer, Mario Felizardo. A little project can be done in one day. Look carefully, a little pattern continued from the fabric with free motion.

Of course, I had my photo opportunity with a famous quilter, Jenny Bowker. She has been quilting for 15 years. She started quilting because of her diplomat husband was posted to the Middle Eastand could not continue her work as a scientist. Now she travels all over the world teaching, giving talks and attending quilts shows. During lunch she was telling us that she would have only four days in June at home in Australia. July was her happy month, she will be at home for two weeks.

This is her Australian landscape quilt. Lots of details and lots of free motion.

This is one of her many amazing quilts. First of all it is huge, as you can see from the photo. Great details!

It was my second time going to Bernina organised courses. Last year I went to see and do some work with Doris Teixeira, an amazing Brasilian artist. 31 May was Jenny Bowker's last of four days course in Portugal. After she was traveling to Holland, Germany and some other countries to continue her European tour! My thanks to Mario and Alda, who worked hard and gave me an exciting day with my sewing machine, fabrics and great time with Jenny.

A cat and a hat

This little cat is made by Ursula. Happily hanging behind a chair.



And here is the cat in full display.



For a nice spring weather I knitted a white hat for my DD1. Once in a book shop I saw a knitting book showing how to use beads for knitted garments and here is the result.

No internet and busy, busy

Hello everyone, I am sorry that I have not been able to post for a while. First of all I did not have internet for a while. My sister was here last week for couple of days and she helped me to bake some cakes and biscuits. I was really busy baking for three nights in row for my DD1 birthday and entertaining my sister during day time. After all these hectic days I have to recover, right?

Anyway here are some photos of last last meeting. Ursula brought her big double spiral quilt. It just reminds me that I have to do mine one day.

This was Fatima's second visit and last time when she was here she made a cushion but decided to convert into a bag. She has a very good sewing skills.

During morning she looked through about little library magazines and found another cushion to make and this was the result at the end of the meeting.

Ursula started making these appliqued cushion with Paula. I might consider making them as well. But when?

Irene worked in one of her hundrends of projects. My Pfaff was happy to have a Irene's Pfaff as a company.

I made ten of these little coin purses. At the IWP coffee morning these were sold for the charity for Japan. All of these purses had a Japanese print. I loved making them all and the money went for good.

It was a nice sunny spring afternoon and we had delicious and healthy lunch, while my husband slept on the lawn with his dog.

Our dog needed dog sitting because he was bitten by a tiny little one while walking and he needed some stitches on his left ear. A vet stitched his ear several times but he is going to have split ears.

Birthday Quilt Blocks

If you know who came this Thursday you can just look at below quilt calendarn and try to guess. A printing companies make calendars for all sorts of areas of human interests. Here is the one for quilters. Looking at these images Irene's birthday really matched her work interest.

Regina brought her wedding present. This is the bedsheet embroidery with her and her husband's initials, all handmade with nuns using silk threads. The work was perfect, even better than machine embroidery. A piece of art, which could be in a museum.

Now she is standing with her night dress, hand sewn. Again perfect work, like machine work.

Ursula enjoying her late morning coffee with her tiny doll. She finished binding her baby quilt.

Happy Susan with her bag wallhanging. It will be send to far-far-away land to her friend.

Inspired by her bags Susan started another little quilt with shoes and bags. Shoes were paper-pierced and she made bags smaller.

We had a new keen learner. Fatima came to make a cushion. This is her ver first patchwork cushion and at the end of the meeting she made two. Sewing was in her blood, her mother used to sew clothes for living, even bridal dresses.

I forgotten to take Irene's work. She was there yesterday, handstitching her quilt.

My work not always here because I do concentrate more about other members work. While teaching Fatima to make cushion I sewed binding for my bag wallhanging.

More birthday presents

These are my birthday presents. Dutch Irene's presents were very appropriate that I straight put my needles in a very cute needle holder. It was easy with Ursula's chocolate, we ate them all straight away. Yummy! But I will decide later what I will make with golden coin fabric.
Ladies were very colour coordinated with my bright blue cushions. They are having coffee, cakes and chocolate.

Irene brought her make it row quilt. She is making with Helen in Arco-Iris.

Some of her quilters were very creative. Here is the row with button flowers.

Here is someone painted chickens.

Regina worked hard and did washing up as too. Thank you, Regina.

Irene was busy with her small, no tiny projects.

Ursula brought her bag wallhanging to show us.

This is the back of the wallhanging with her name written. Mine is still not yet finished.

She made for her friend notebook cover with her friend's design.

I cannot remember what I did last Thursday. I definetely, remember eating chocolates. Still eating... Different ones.