Waiting for Me in Finland

These two lovely swap quilts were waiting for me when I arrived home in Finland! The first is by Imi in the Netherlands for the Summer Four Seasons Swap. I love the center stitchery, the colors, and the handquilting throughout. The second is from Teresa in Wales from the "Another Little Quilt Swap" with a great mix of colors and more impressive handquilting! Thanks to them both!

What I did on my summer vacation...

While teaching an awesome group of Korean primary school English teachers at the University of Montana for a month, I found very little time for crafty endeavors, but I do have a few small finishes to report on as I return the world of blogging as summer draws to an close. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by - I head back to Finland tomorrow!

The knitting continues:
I finished the slippers and am almost finished with my first pair of mittens! I used Järbo Lovikka yarn and combined their online Lovikka mitten pattern and the one in Robin Hansen's children's book Sunny's Mittens.

On the swap front:
For the July version of the 6-12" mini quilt swap, I sent both of these to different destinations in Washington State.

In return, I was very lucky to receive these two little beauties (on the left, from SheltonDHW, and on the right, from Alicia). Thanks!!

I also sent off another one of the strawberry series to Gina in Wales for the Miniature Booty Swap II.

Finally, here are the pillows I made for my mom in July. I'm hoping to add a few more to the collection in the future - maybe for holiday gifts!

I hope everyone out there (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) has had a good summer and I promise to get back to posting more regularly very soon!

Never Fear

I am not going to forsake quilting for knitting! I do have a couple of small hand quilting projects with me - that is if I find any spare time! (Yes, I'm teaching a course here in Missoula - for Korean primary school English teachers. That's the University of Montana in the photo above.) Below is a photo of the first slipper. I'm a little nervous it might be a wee bit small because I am knitting so tightly. I'm sure I'll find someone it will fit! If you read Swedish, the pattern is available here for free (Gäst tofflor, grattis beskrivning 5-29). If not, I believe Swedish Yarn in North Carolina sells an English translation (Raggi - the name of the Järbo yarn - pattern 5-29). It's super easy and quick and is a great getting-started pattern, I think. I'm using Laines Du Nord Korall Fancy yarn #558. (Here it is on sale - I haven't used this website, though.) I'm going to need a little more than the two skeins (100g) that the pattern suggests.

Caught a Bug in Maine

Caught the knitting bug again during my quick visit to my mom's in Maine last week. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the pillows I made or the chairs I recovered - hopefully I can do that in August when I stop by to drop off/pick up luggage on my way back to Finland.) I can now knit on four needles, decrease, and join yarn! Since she couldn't join me in Montana, my mom recommended this site for any questions I might have - I thought it might be useful for others. Working on a very cute pair of slippers - will post photos once I have the internet all sorted out here.

In the meantime, here are a few photos of my Maine travels:

Not MIA, just on the road

Lest anyone be concerned about my infrequent posting, I am in the US for seven weeks, busy visiting family and teaching in a summer program. This is my rough itinerary, in case you're curious, but I'll be flying, not driving! As much as I love seeing the Gulf of Bothnia in Vaasa, nothing quite tastes or sounds like the Atlantic. I'm looking forward to my first visit to Montana, too!

What have I been up to in terms of craftiness? Well, I did made tons of jam before leaving Vaasa. (Some of the ingredients came out of the freezer from last summer's crop!)

I have also finished up my Summer Four Seasons Swap quilt, which will be on its way back over the Atlantic by the weekend. (I really hoped to get it done before I left to save on postage!) The fish are needle-turned and there's a combination of machine quilting and hand-quilting with perle cotton. I tried prairie points for the first time here, too.

Finally, I'm working on some new couch pillows for my mom at the moment. Here are some of the fabrics - more photos to come!

Remember this Quilt?

I finished this quilt back in September 2006, just after I started blogging. I started piecing it by hand on trains in Romania and finished by machine in Finland. Well, The Color Purple has a new home! I started it with a friend in mind, but then she had a boy. (He received this for his first birthday and this on my last visit to England.) Now that little boy has a new sister, Maria Sandra. They will be amazed how quickly this quilt arrives - all I have left to do is the label!

Strawberries, Jordgubbar, Mansikoita

Please send help.

I am obsessed. And bleeding. Well, almost bleeding.

What started out as one of my three mini give-away quilts has turned into a red and green monster. (Speaking of green monsters, a week from Tuesday, I'll be here!) I bought some Marimekko Pieni Mansikka fabric on sale a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd use it to try a little handquilting with perle cotton. I've finished three small quilts (from 9"to 16") and don't feel finished with the series. I think I'm going to send one for the Miniature Booty Swap II. My fingers are raw, but I just can't stop. I'm trying to use the rubber finger tips you can buy at an office supply store. They are the only 'thimbles' I've been able to deal with. Hopefully, if I keep going, I'll build up some callouses! While surfing around yesterday, I noticed I'm not the only one with strawberries on the brain! Now I'm just hoping there'll be some in the market square to make some jam before I head to the US!