SNOW IN HOLLAND

Last week we had our first snow this winter. We had about 10-15 cm snow and the next day everything was gone........

This pictures are made around the castle

in Doorwerth, about 10 km's from my home.

The tree on the pictures is said to be from the 12th century.

3" SQUARES

Also I wanted to show you a picture of the 6 squares I have finished until now. I love to make these little ones, but only wish I had some more time! I have a day off from work today, so I had time to finish some, now I have to start with ironing, not my favorite job......

Next week is spring holiday here in Holland and all mothers with little children want to have a short vacation, for me that means a workload of 42 hours, so not much time

for Crazy Quilting!

DAISY

Today a picture of my yellow labrador Daisy, ain't she funny?

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY

week 6

This week Sharon challenged us to do the Algerian Eyestitch.

In Dutch it is called the Italiaanse stersteek.

I have done the square one and tried a row in triangle form.

It is done with WeekDyeWorks yarn, mermaid nr. 4217, it is variegated yellow/green/blue/purple, the pictures don't show the beautiful colors. And sorry, I still have to remove the pencil lines...........

ENCRUSTED CRAZY QUILTING CLASSES

Last week I decided to join Sharon B's Encrusted Crazy Quilting Classes at Joggles.com.

Although I started Crazy Quilting for about a year ago, I have the feeling that I still have a lot to learn. I am very happy that there are lessons to follow on Internet, because it is difficult to travel to the USA or Australia to join lessons in Crazy Quilting!

(or I must win the lottery......LOL)

Yesterday evening I printed out the instructions for the first lesson and this is the block I made for this lesson. I wonder if I maybe better can make one that is more monochrome.......

ANOTHER SOH HEART RECEIVED

Today I received this oriëntal heart from Lori from the USA, ain't it pretty, the middle part is embroidered, I especially like the "chopsticks" in her hair!

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY
Week 5

This week Sharon challenged us to do something with the Chevron stitch, in Dutch Chevronsteek of zigzagsteek.I have sewn some rick rack to a heart I am working on with EdMar Iris variegated thread and did a variation in purple and yellow cotton DMC to one of my Victorian blocks.

3" CRAZY QUILT SQUARES












Lesa on CQForNewbies showed some 3" crazy quilt squares on her blog and asked who was crazy enough to swap some. Well, you must not say things like that to me Lesa.............LOL
Today I finished these two, one square took about 2 1/2 hours to make. I have put Fast2Fuse and a backing fabric to them, then stitched around with shiny Sulky thread by machine and must say, I really like them. Now back to making some more!

SOH - ANOTHER HEART ARRIVED







I already told you about the Crazy heart swap on CQForNewbies. This week I received this lovely embroidered heart from Donna in the USA. Donna, once again thanks for your nice heart!

BAGGIE ARRIVED FROM AUSTRALIA

I am in an Internet quiltgroup called Crazy Quilters Around the World. We are swapping 4 x this year, 3 baggies and a needlecase. I am paired to Maureen from Australia and she has sent me this nice baggie. I especially love the siggie, handpainted lace and shiny threads. She also sent a leaflet from the place she lives, boy, it looks like a great place for a holiday! Close to the ocean and lovely beaches, I really like the sun!

(Sorry for not updating for so long, but I had difficulties to start up my Blogger account)

FLEAMARKET

Last week I visited a fleamarket and did find some great things for CQ!
I especially love the 2 ladies
on a black background, with some little pearls around them
they will look great on a Victorian CQ block.

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY
Week 4

The challenge this week is the Cretan Stitch, Kretasteek in Dutch. I did some combinations of stitches and threads this time. On the first one I did use normal hot pink DMC for the Cretan stitch, then added the green stitches in rayon DMC and at last the light pink in Edmar Iris thread. On the second picture I did a double row of Cretan stitches, green in normal DMC and blue in metallic DMC, then added the purple cross-stitches in lilac rayon DMC. The third picture shows a Cretan stitch in normal DMC, worked through with a Heringbone stitch in variegated WeekDye thread, it goes from purple to yellow but it doesn't show on the picture. I still don't know what to think of this combination....

SWAPPING OUR HEARTS (SOH)

I am participating in 2 birthday swaps of Crazy Hearts on CQForNewbies. I picked february and june as birthday months
because March, when I have birthday, was already taken.
Today I received two beautiful hearts from Janet in Colorado, the pictures don't do them justice, Janet thanks so much for your lovely hearts!

UGLY DUCKLING.......


















Judyth on CQForNewbies found 12 of these blocks, made a long time ago. She didn't know what to do with them until several ladies on the list voluntered to embellish a block.
Yesterday my "Ugly" block arrived and well, I wouldn't have picked that fabrics and colors together, but do find the block touching.... Think the fabrics are about 50 years old and just imagine that your mother or grandmother could have been sewing them to comfort you! I'll do my best and will find a way to make it a bit prettier, I am sure, this is really a challenge. I'll keep you updated, the block must be sent back before March 15th.

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY
Week 3


Detached chain stitch, or Kettingsteek in Dutch, is the challenge of this week. I made the lavender yesterdayevening, the look and smell always reminds me of France, where I spent so many lovely holidays.... Also I got an idea on what to do to the blue plaid fabric, the colors in the picture are not that good, but it are 4 lazy daisies with a purple bead in the middle. The last picture with the orange embroidery I did already some weeks ago. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

I told you about the bad weather we had this week. Here in Holland 7 people died, mostly because they got hit by falling trees when driving home.
I have a garden without a fence now, I am living on a corner so everyone can look straight into my livingroom now, not a comfortable situation! In my neighbourhood a lot of trees have fallen down and a lot of roofs are (partly) without tiles.

BIRTHDAY SWAP JANUARI

I just finished two hearts for the birthday swap on CQForNewbies.
They are for Rhonda and Peggy in the USA. I only have to make a backing on them so they are ready for applique, so they will be sent out with tomorrows mail.

Ati, I have already put a piece of the fabric in your baggie!

Here in Holland we have very bad weather today, it is raining the whole day and very stormy with a strong wind blowing, not my kind of weather.......

CQForNewbies Challenge nr. 3

Challenge nr. 3 is to cut up a piece of fabric that you have been patting, drooling over, admiring for a long time, a difficult one this time.....LOL
I dicided that I have to cut up this piece with Japanese geisha's, that I bought in Canada last year. Fortunately Lesa didn't say how big the piece has to be, so I think I will cut only a little piece for a Crazy Heart I am going to make, will show you the results later!

CQForNewbies Challenge nr. 2

I totally forgot to put up a picture from this challenge. This time Lesa asked us to show something out of the cupboard that had been hidden away for some time. I remembered I made this little Christmasquilt from
Debbie Mumm fabric in 1995, so this one was shown in my hall last Christmas.

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY
WEEK 2






This week Sharon has chosen the
buttonholestitch, festonsteek in Dutch, as challenge. Since I
worked a lot and had much appointments this week I couldn't do much sewing, so I show you one of my Crazy Staphorst blocks on which I highlighted the pansy with variegated DMC thread in buttonholestitch and did a row with half buttonhole wheels and beads.

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY WEEK 1












Here I tried the Herringbone stitch in the round on one of my Staphorst blocks,I used perle Edmar thread. Found it a bit empty until I visited Susan's blog and saw the idea of putting a button in the middle!

TAKE-A-STITCH-TUESDAY WEEK 1, results


This is the result of the "doorstrengelde flanelsteek" I told you about on Wednesday. It was fun to do, but I find the result a bit messy, don't know if I will use this one often!

TAKE-A-STITCH TUESDAY, WEEK 1

The first stitch that Sharon has chosen for this challenge is the Herringbone stitch, or Flanelsteek as we say in Dutch.
Looking at the Crazy Quiltblocks I made until now I realised that on everyone of them I made this stitch. Here you see some examples:













I love the combination with the Chevron Stitch Sharon showed us, I am gonna try this one out this week.
I found in an old Dutch book another strange combination: the "doorstrengelde Flanelsteek", I am sorry but I have no idea how to translate that in English.
You have to make the Herringbone stitch, then turn it upside down and wave through another thread. Here is a picture of the stitch, I will try to do this one and show you a picture later this week!

THANK YOU!!!

all for your sweet New Year's wishes and compliments!
Elizabeth, I will mail you privatly, Susan have a save trip to Texas and Lita, have fun moving to your new home, hope you get the chance to do some quilting agian soon!
Nina, I have just been to the postoffice, so the heart is coming your way.

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.......