It is rainy day here, but no worries, wool is very
absorbent and yet warm!
I AM SO GLAD TO BE BACK!!
I have read your comments over many times and I love
every single one. I have missed you all too; this is the reason why I have felt
like I was not living all aspects of my life, there was something missing. Writing
the blog connects me to myself as much as it connects me to you. When I
started this more than ten years ago, I could not have believed how much this would
mean to my life.
Sometimes it is scary, in a way that you can read so much
between the lines. Even though there are things that I don’t write about, I am sure
they are there, somewhere, hidden in between for you to hear. It is humbling in
a good way, we are all in the end bare, naked human beings with errors and
mishaps, with sad and sorrow, but then, of course with joy and happy and triumphant
moments too.
I am trying out Instagram a bit. Last week I
updated it a few times and have continued doing it this week as well. I upload
this and that, random pictures of my crafting mostly, I try not to overthink
and thus hope it helps me remember what I have been up to and that it would
make it easier for me to write as well. But it is an experiment, this is my
calling 😉
Few thoughts about double knitting. It is not as scary
as it might sound. I hope one of these days, I will have someone available to
video my method of double knitting. I love it for mittens. I have yet to try it
for hats and scarves and for a jacket. I know there are brave ones out there
who are doing double knitting lace! I am not sure if I ever get that far though,
it sounds challenging. I have watched Sockmatician’s tutorials on Youtube and also, a Craftsy class by Alasdair Post-Quinn of Double-Knitting.
I feel like I have so much to talk about, but one
thing at a time, we have a long winter (or summer down there) ahead of us to
catch up, so today I will share a few pictures and thoughts about the Wedding
Quilt.
I have not felt very creative during the past couple
of years. It is true I made the little kittens and I love them, and wanted to
get into making knitted toys more; made one sheep, but I just did not feel
right or the usual thrive was missing. In a way I feel that I should make more
toys and crochet pictures…
do you remember my dogs? I have drawn a bunch of
them to crochet at some point, but … again the usual enthusiasm was missing. I
was beginning to feel scared of losing my creative side.
I read from somewhere (I did not check this
information, so if I got that wrong, excuse me, I am pulling this out of my
memory) that our most famous composer Jean Sibelius lost his ability to compose in his late years and if
it could happen to him, a hundred times more to me then. I cannot believe I am
writing this here, he was a great man, and I am not comparing me to him, but
somehow this little tidbit about him made me very worried. Then again, I read
from Carla Sonheim’s blog
(who is an amazing, inspiring artist) that she has these times when she dabbles here and
there, and she has learnt to trust that one day, she will find her way again and
settle into something new and interesting. I was hoping that I would belong to
Carla’s group.
I told my husband that I was going to make a Wedding quilt,
but I was not making my own design and showed to him what I was going to make.
He looked at my thoughts and my beginnings of the quilt and said that it is all
good and wonderful but WHY ARE YOU NOT MAKING YOUR OWN?
He was not yelling, but the astonishment in his voice
read as if he was truly speaking capital letters. I made few excuses and told
him I did not feel very creative and was worried of making an ugly quilt.
I realized I needed to make a turn and do something
else. I took a basic, simple block and a very basic layout and decided to make special
applique blocks in between of Sonja’s life so far.
Here are few samples… All the blocks in the quilt mean
something, they all represent different persons and moments in her life. There are
no filler blocks, all are meaningful.
Here are Tina and Piki (these blocks are
from EQ8).
Here are Moomins, Sonja’s favorite characters since she was 2 years
old. The same fall when the twins were born, Sonja was little bit under 2
years, and Moomin books were made into videos and she spent hours watching them
while I took care of her baby sisters. (I am so thankful for the Moomins, their
language is good Finnish, the choice of words really well thought out, the
storylines have something for children and adults; all in all she was in good
company… even though I feel I should have spent more time with her, but you do
what you do the best you can in the circumstances… and she is a lovely woman
today, so I did not manage to spoil her with all my crazy ways… she could tell
a lot of funny and odd things if she wanted… dear, let’s just keep them in the
family, ok??)
Of course, there is the Lovebird with the couple’s
initials. And the anchor, as her father is a seaman. And the crab, she knows
its meaning, but she has a crab tattoo.
All our animals are represented, there
is the late Mr. Cat, Kille.
If you look at this picture, there in the left
side, sort of in the middle, are two elephants. That is me and her, and it
reads Baby Mine and that is also the name of the quilt, as she is, truly, Baby
Mine.
In all the hustle and bustle around the wedding, I did
not take a better picture of the quilt. It did not feel important when it was
so very busy, and I was just happy and relieved, I got it done in time. But there you have
it, the story of the quilt.
I am preparing today to go to a quilting retreat this
weekend. The retreat is all about bags; I need to get packing and putting the
house in order. Hope you have a good weekend,
Wool with you,
Lene
This last picture is of me. My DH and I got to go for
a test drive with our friends’ electric bikes… driving was so fun, I could not
believe how fun it was going uphill, it was way more fun than going downhill. I
was a quick convert, forget the hard cycling, we need these bikes.
Your quilt is beautiful, and the best of all presents.
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you
ReplyDeleteThat quilt is something special !!!
Your quilt is AMAZING! What a wonderful gift!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to see you are back!!! Your quilt is amazing and what a wonderful gift!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, that quilt is the stuff dreams are made of! What a wonderful gift for your daughter. And now I must see if I can find you on Instagram ... :-)
ReplyDeleteOh my, you do not need to worry about your creativity, yours is definitely there! The quilt is beautiful and what a tribute to the life you share with your daughter. A perfect wedding gift! I'm glad you are back to sharing your creativity with us, I missed seeing your posts pop up in my blog feed. Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonder-full quilt! How lucky your daughter is, to have such a creative and thoughtful mama :) Thank you for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteSuch a special gift that I’m sure will be cherished forever. I absolutely love it! I’ve missed you during your time away but totally understand. I’ve been in a creative “funk” for a bit.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful. So much love, so many memories. It must warm her heart every time she sees it.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I am grateful for about winter -- it has taught me that though I get bored with taking pics of what I see outside (every winter!), spring comes next, and as soon as something is blooming, my interest revives.
This steady dependable "bored/uninspired, then not-bored" cycle leads me to expect that when I feel completely uninspired, I should just keep playing, and eventually I will be happy with what I'm doing again.
I suspect this is true for all of us. Maybe we need a new medium, or a new technique, or new inspiring things to look at, but our creative energy is there, somewhere, just waiting........ The more we can fiddle with something, and not worry about how "good" it is, the sooner we'll find something interesting, I think. :-)
So nice to see your blog popping up in my feed. And on IG. Don't worry about your artistic 'block'. I think it happens then it sorts itself. Just go with the flow. You are very artistic and very inspirational.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing quilt! You are so talented. Please keep coming here to share your life with us. We missed you.
ReplyDeleteThat quilt is a precious wedding gift and will be treasured for years to come. I think being a maker means beginning again and again. We all go through periods of quiet thinking time. It is just a time of wondering what will come next.
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always a gift and always appreciated. Even in the quiet periods, it is a truly creative life. Thank you!
ReplyDelete'Baby Mine' quilt is indeed a beautiful baby. Full of all the love and creativity anyone could want.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing and reading about the cute individual blocks, but when you showed the whole quilt I was stunned at its BEAUTY! The subtle colors and the green diamonds setting each block apart make it so, and the appliqués make it PERSONAL. A masterpiece!
ReplyDeleteThat really was the best wedding gift, or any gift. We both love it very much and I see it every night since it rests on our bed. I was so surprised when I first saw it and you explained all the pictures and their meaning, you put in so much thought and effort! We love it and you ❤❤❤
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is beautiful and very moving, with all those memories stitched into it. And yes, everyone should have an e-bike.
ReplyDeleteYour daughter will cherish her quilt forever! What a wonderful way to commemorate her life & the important things in it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I've been checking on your blog for months and this morning discovered two posts! So glad you are back and the quilt is so lovely. I'm sure your daughter will treasure it forever.
ReplyDeleteI love your Baby Mine quilt. I hope you can begin to understand how much creative talent you have and, in the future, just GO FOR IT! I can't imagine your daughter's reaction to the quilt. I would have wept!
ReplyDeleteDear Lene,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! I am so glad for your beautiful family news. Another family begins in the endless cycle of birth-love-death. Best wishes to Sonja and her man snuggled with the Moomins.
My own daughter is being married to a good man next week.
Creativity ebbs and flows. I was a weaver long ago, and then for 20 years I only knit socks. Now I am a weaver again.
Ellen in Connecticut
What a beautiful and amazing quilt. It takes my breath away. How can you say your creativity has left you when you can do this. I wish I was as creative and talented as you. Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. I am so glad that everyone is okay. I have prayed for you while you were gone. I am glad that illness was not a cause for the blogging break.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful and amazing quilt. It takes my breath away. How can you say your creativity has left you when you can do this. I wish I was as creative and talented as you. Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. I am so glad that everyone is okay. I have prayed for you while you were gone. I am glad that illness was not a cause for the blogging break.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful quilt, made more special by all the memories it holds.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your instagram name? I looked, but could not find you.
And I am so very happy you are back! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely to reconnect with you. Your double-knit mittens and hat are great. The quilt is a masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteDear Lene,
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing us the beautiful wedding quilt. My mother was a great quilter, so I know very well how much thought and planning it takes, as well as all the hours of work to produce a quilt. Fortunately, a quilt will last for years. I am still using the wedding quilt my mother made for me 40 years ago; I'm a widow now and my mother's gone, too - but her work and the love it represents remain.
Baby Mine! That was a favorite bedtime lullaby for my daughter. Always makes me teary. What a beautiful, meaningful quilt.
ReplyDeleteAbout creativity - some writers say that it is not, for them, waiting for inspiration. They just every day have to sit at the typewriter for 8 hours and write. Something will happen, and it might be good and it might not, but they HAVE TO do it. But they have agents and publishers and editors waiting for them, and are doing it to make a living. We have different motivations, and 20 years of sock-knitting doesn't do anything for or against my "real" career.
ReplyDeleteI tried not to worry because you have (and are entitled to!) your own life. But I was very happy when I saw your posts. The quilt is beautiful and such a keepsake for your daughter and new son-in-law.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is absolutely stunning! Good to see you back. :)
ReplyDeleteYou did an extraordinary good job on the quilt, so lovely!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good and useful information and share your creativity.
ReplyDeleteความงาม
That quilt is simply amazing, and one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever seen. Please don't worry about losing your creativity. It is still here in full force!
ReplyDelete