The last day of the year.....

On this day I take a look back through 2006. This was a joyful but on the other part also difficult year. It started
perfect in January with my first trip outside Europe. DH Robin and I went on a 9 days trip to Orlando, Florida. We had a great time, visited Universal Studio's, Seaworld and Disney where I met one of my big friends, unluckely he wasn't accompagnied by little Piglet..... In March I celebrated my 50th birthday and had a visit from my friend Imi, who brought as a surprise Christa from Denmark and a big bag full of presents from the Sewpals, an Internet quiltgroup I belong to. We spend 2 days together, visiting nice places, quiltshops and had a High Tea. In May I went to Ontario, to a quiltmeeting of the Engelbees, another quiltgroup I belong to. The Canadian members had organised this meeting and I have had the time of my life over there! We visited so many quiltshops, restaurants, the Waterloo Quiltfestival, the Niagara Falls and met quiltfriends from Canada, USA, Norway, Denmark and England. Dear Bonnie, Barbie and Lola, once again thanks for your wonderful organisation and friendship!
In June the bad part of the year started, I got seriously ill but recovered, my DH got operated for the 4th time, a 5th time followed in November and I got pneumonia for the 3th time, also I lost my job, I am now working for a temporary employment agency and searching for a new job.
But let's forget that, a good thing is that I stepped in the world of Crazy Quilting and this brought me a lot of diversion. I joined the CQForNewbies and ChainsofHearts list and did great swaps and got acquainted with a lot of nice people over there...
From this place I wish for everyone that the coming year may be the best ever!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

LAST HEART FINISHED

This is the last heart I finished this Christmas time. It says "To wish you a Happy New Year". The first one who wishes me a Happy New Year on my blog
gets it as a present!!!!

POSTCARD

This lovely Christmas postcard I received in todays mail. It is from Angelika in Germany. The picture doesn't do it justice, it has wonderful shiny golden parts on it, thanks so much Angelika!

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY

I have decided to join Sharon 's Take-a-Stitch-Tuesday challenge.
It starts on January 2nd. 2007. Sharon is each week going to work a stitch and experiment with it and will blog the results. Of course we have to do the same!
I am really looking forward to this challenge for the coming year.
The last weeks have been very heavy for me with a lot of work, I am really happy to have 4 days of rest now. It smells wonderful over here, I just baked a Christmas cake, it is a pity that I have to wait 2 more days before having a piece of it...........

PAISLEY BAUBLE BAG











Maybe you remember that I participated in the Paisley Bauble Bag swap on CQForNewbies. This is the lovely bag from Christy I received in return, I am only not using it for sewing, but to carry my make-up stuff with me......

Today a picture from a little Amish quilt I finished some time ago. Haven't had any time to finish something "Crazy", I am working for 2 companies at this moment to help out for the Christmas rush, so when at home I only sit and rest my feet..... LOL

I visited a big collector's fair in Utrecht and found these things for my Crazy Quilting over there, I just love the porcelain images, cats, fishes and of course the peacock.........

CRAFT FAIR AND JUDYTHS CHALLENGE

Today I finished a pillowcase for a craftfair on Dec. 12th.in the rest home my mother lives in. I am trying to make some Crazy Quilted items, hope they'll like it.
I also joined Judyths Challenge on CQForNewbies to organize my stuff. I bought some plastic containers last week and sorted out several buttons, charms, beads etc. Still need a bigger container for the rest of my buttons.....

Another week has gone,oh boy, time flies......... It feels like I have only been driving to hospital and other medical appointments for DH and haven't done anothing else. We still can't see the results from the operation,that will take much more time and a lot of practice, but I must say he has a beautiful scar, a flash like Harry Potter! Luckely I can sew in the evening, I managed to finish hearts for Beverly Ann in Kentucky (with fan) and Maureen in Australia(Christmas), ladies they will go in the mail tomorrow.
I have almost finished several Christmas hearts and did some more stitching to the Victorian block. I found out that I seem to like to embroider trees......and Susan, I will add a butterfly also!

This week I haven't done much Crazy Quilting, my DH got operated for the 5th time. He lost most of the use of his right hand after a motoraccident
3 1/2 years ago and the surgeons are still working on getting some movement back. Because I had to wait a long time in hospital during the operation I decided to stitch a Victorian looking block from silks and some old neckties, so I had something to embroider! I must admit that I found it difficult what colors to use to get this Victorian
look.I will keep you updated on the embellishing, I only wonder if
the Victorian did also use cross-stitch on their blocks, I would love to embroider a butterfly on the block! The bookmarks I finished last weekend, they are my owm design, the purple one was also for my mothers birthday, who was very happy with her presents. The beautiful heart I received this week was made by Maureen in Australia, it has my favorite colors and style, ain't it pretty?

Autumn Challenge...

This year I participated in a birthday swap of autumn fabrics with the Sewpals, a group of 14 on the Internet. Now I have to start making a quilt of these fabrics, I am gonna make a quilt with autumn stitcheries in it and blocks of all different sizes but divisible by 4, I'll keep you updated! Of course it is supposed to be finished by autumn next year.......

1:12

Something totally different: my other hobby is making 1:12 scale miniatures. I told you about my friend who was coming last monday and we both worked on our little sheds.
Here you can see some pictures on how far I came. The shed I made from wood and I then tried to give it an old look. For the roof I have cut more than 200 pieces of an old tube, to make it look like
slate. I am now working on the garden around the shed. I made the
hydrangea (almost 2 days work) and am now working on the hibiscus on the right side of the door. Also I am planning a layout for the bricks. I will keep you updated, have made an appointment with my friend that we are gonna work on it every 14 days on mondayevening.

I have stitched some hearts again and have just started embellishing...........
My DH will be operated again next week on Friday, so I have something to do while waiting in hospital, mostly it takes an hour or 6, so I could get them finished then.

This weekend I finished the little presents for my mother. I found some matching purple satin bias binding, but boy, what a job to get this stuff around it, but finally I managed........ I don't know what it is, I have made lots of huge quilts and also very, very small ones all by hand, but when it comes to sewing purses and things like this, I just don't know how to handle it........
I also made a matching pincushion, think my mum will like it!
Now I have to clean my sewingroom, this evening my "dollshouse" friend Saskia will come and we are going to work on a little shed with a garden around it, scale 1:12, looking forward to that!

Today I have been working on some little Christmas presents, I made a backing to some hearts I embellished earlier and stuffed them, must say I like the result, they give a nice oldfashioned Christmasfeeling!

This is what I am working on at this moment, a CQ case for my mothers glasses, she loves purple. Also I am trying to finish some UFO's and started with some little Christmas presents.
Because the weather was very nice the last weeks, I have been walking a lot (of course together with doggie Daisy) to get some condition back after my pneumonia. The temperatures were high for the time of year, this autumn is the hottest in 30 years here in Holland, but from today the weather has changed, strong winds and rain and around 10o C., normally for this time of year.

Happy Halloween!!!!

This is the second block from the Teatime swap,
I received it from Maureen in Australia. Isn't it lovely, have to find a nice project to use it in!

Have been very busy this week with organising my sewing room, have finished the top of a little quilt with scarecrows and am working on some little CQ presents for my mothers birthday. She will be 77 in 3 weeks.
Also a picture of my doggie Daisy, she was so fast asleep that she didn't even notice me taking pictures!

This week I finished a heart for Jo in New Zealand, once again with "Dutch" fabrics,
so this is Staphorst nr. 11.



I also made an Amish heart to sent out to a lovely initiative to make quilts for the families of the 5 Amish children that died in a shooting 2 weeks ago at a school near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The last weeks I received some lovely hearts:
the outlined flowers heart from Carol in Canada, the brown/gold heart from Jo in New Zealand and the heart with the crocheted poppy
from Carol in the USA, thank you so much ladies, they look wonderful!

I just remembered that I forgot to put a picture on my blog from my finished Paisley Bauble Bag, here it is:

Luckely I am feeling much better by now and can start blogging again.
I have sent out my CQ blocks for the teatime swap, they are on their way to Gayle in the USA and Alys in England. I received a
teatime block from Vanessa in the USA. We did also swap recipes,
here is her recipe for zucchini bread:

3 lg. eggs, beaten
2 c. sifted selfrising flour
2 c. gratted zucchini, not peeled
2 t. cinnamon, 3 t. vanilla
Combine eggs, oil, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in bowl.
Alternate zucchini and flour with mixer, add walnuts last.
Makes 2 reg. loaves.
350 o, 30 min. or so.
Have fun baking!

Now I have only the last teatime block left....

I also finished the last block from the CQ swap that started in february (which was my introduction to Crazy Quilting), it is for Kaija Liisa in Finland. She asked for blocks in mostly purple and green with Psalm 23 theme. I embroidered "the Lord is my Shepherd" in Dutch on it.

I have been tagged!

Gerry has tagged me to tell 5 weird things about myself or my pets because""I have such whimsy in my CQ and embellishing!". Don't know if that is good or bad, my dictionary translates whimsy as a bit strange......LOL
Well,you can tell me if I am a bit strange after reading these 5 weird things about myself:

1. I collect Piglets, Winnie the Pooh's little friend, I find him so moving.
2. I love to wear hot pink, I even have matching purse and shoes.
3. I am fascinated by speed, I just love to watch motorracing (especially Valentino Rossi), A1 GP and Formula 1 and am not happy when people disturb me when looking at it.
4. I asked my DH what he found weird about me, he said that I refused to cut my hair, because he likes short hair.......LOL, yes, I am a bit stubborn!
5. My dog Daisy knows when it is 5 p.m., when the clock strikes 5 times she awakes, comes sitting next to me and wants dinner at this time. When I don't react, she starts barking!
Well, I could go on and on..........
I just had a look at all the blogs in my "Favourites" and they have all been tagged already, so I end up being "whimsy"...LOL and not tag anyone!

Sorry, no much posting this week, I am in bed with pneumonia.
Received 2 nice hearts today from Jo in NZ and Carol in Canada,
will show some pictures later this week.
Tina thanks for mailing that I am so "tealented" after seeing the blocks for the Teatime swap...LOL
Back to bed......

I have finished 2 blocks for the Teatime party now, hope to get another one done this week, it was really fun making them.

I want to share a picture with you that I received this morning...
Next year in June I am going on a walking trip to Scotland with a
group of quiltingfriends. Here you see me dreaming of the trip, have you seen my red walking socks.......LOL My friends know me well, I drink tea all day and collect Piglets and you see me often dressed in hard pink!

And the start of the blocks for the
Teatime swap.........

The start of my Paisley Bauble Bag.........

Today a picture of my 1:12 scale Amish dollshousequilt made of 1/4 inch hexagons.
I am really busy at this moment making blocks for a "Teatime" swap and with a Paisley Bauble bag. Will see if I can show you some pictures later.

May Britt and Jo, thanks for your compliments on my moonfish, glad I could make you smile..........LOL

Last week I received 2 wonderful hearts from Helina from Finland (with roses) and my "Big Sis" Beverly Ann from the USA (dragonfly).
Thanks so much for swapping ladies!

Yesterdayevening I have started to make a Paisley Bauble Bag for a swap on CQForNewbies.
I made this embroidery, but think it doesn't look much "Paisley", more a sick moonfish......LOL
What do you think?

No, today not a picture of my sewing room..........LOL, but a roombox that I made some years ago. The samplerquilt on the right measures 4 x 4 inches, 10 x 10 cm.
Next to patchwork my other big hobby is making miniatures, scale 1:12 for my dollshouse and roomboxes.

Today I received 2 wonderful hearts. The light one with the red roses is from my friend Lorenza in Italy, Lorenza you did (as ever)
a great job! The "Americana" heart I swapped with Susan Nixon from the USA, Susan, I like it very much and it is a nice reminder of the trip I made to the USA earlier this year!



I also want to show you a picture of a stitcherie I just finished.