while waiting...

I'm about to go and visit my friend Mieke and give her the two quilts for her birthday.  Another quilting friend An, is joining me, so while I was waiting, I decided to try something new and play a bit with a new program another friend in Paris told me about.  Fun, playing with my computer!  So much to learn!

This is a thank you to my friend Chantal who loves Darwin and took me and him to a new park this past weekend.  She took all the photos while we were there using my camera, so I made this as a "thank you".

It was really a great day - I just can't get enough of those beautiful Rembrandt clouds.....

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Edit: Just wanted to let you know that "Winter Garden", the baby-rib quilt and the Knuffel Quilt (cuddle quilt) are with their new owner who burst into tears when I gave them to her.  It feels really good that she's happy with them...

finishes for a friend

Hi Ho!
It's a windy but sunny Saturday here in Holland. Actually, the  perfect kind of weather to hang out quilts and blankets to air.
After spending the morning doing some household chores and re-potting some needy plants in the kitchen, I've finally a moment to post some projects I've completed for my friend Mieke in time for her birthday next week.



As I had mentioned before, I received several boxes full of fabric and UFO's and what-not from Mieke and dug around to see what I could find. This was one of the first things I fished out of the boxes and decided to completed it for her. I believe it was intended for her grand-daughter, so now that it's done perhaps they can read books and snuggle under it together.




This one was from a kit we each bought together at the European Quilt Championships in Waalre a few years back.  I had already completed the top, and it was waiting in the closet for me to complete.  Mieke's kit was still intact, so to save time, I used my top, bought the backing and finished it for her.  I can always make it again using her kit.  I had already chosen backing, binding and batting for mine, so one of these days I'll get started on that as the baby rib fabric is wonderfully soft and makes for a great winter quilt.

Now that those projects are done I'll continue with the triangles quilt and try to get a start on the Houses of Hawk Run Hollow.  I've been running around taking care of things and quite frankly have been too tired to settle down and sort threads and such and get started.  Perhaps tomorrow.  I need to figure out how to prepare the Au Ver a Soie threads to loop them around a hole in the proper lengths.  Anyone have an idea?  Any advice or tips are very appreciated!

Ok.  Time's up at the computer, and off I go!

Take care and see you soon!

the saturday post...

Didn't expect this to come so quickly from Gitta's, but here it is: the Hannah Beeby  1816 Sampler by Timeless Designs.  I've seen Carol working on it, and thought a lovely sampler to add to my little growing collection.  Now to study it a bit, and decide on linen and color....

There's a SAL for this sampler as well, I've joined - it'll help me keep working on it!  It's been a bit quiet on the SAL, and Carol's feeling a bit lonely over there, so hopefully I can keep her some company soon.

As for other news - 

It's weather for Ducks here again, so I yesterday employed the services of my daughter and her friend to help me sandwich Mieke's baby-cord quilt.  They did a lovely job, and DD's friend Kim was really inspired and....after having a chat with her, she wants to try her hand at quilting!  Wonderful no?

Later, while listening to the rain ( after walking the dog in it I might add)  and keeping "the patient" company on the couch, I snuggled under the quilt and began knotting it with found wool that matched perfectly with the fabrics.  It's a good thing it's the temperatures have cooled down!

Have to cut this short, Since Ro can't walk, I've enlisted a friend of ours to accompany me on a long walk with Darwin.  Since my back is a mess, I need help getting Darwin in and out of the car, washed down and rubbed after he's been for a swim.  Also, if he gets stuck in the woods, or water I have a strong pair of arms to help me.

So, let me get into my hunting boots and Barbour and get wet!  

(although I just love these walks with my dog, sometimes, just sometimes, I wish he was a goldfish....today is such a day because it's REALLY bad out there and I'd rather be stitching.....LOL!)

productive monday...

Happy Monday!

Not much to report: except that I finished machine quilting the baby quilt for Mieke, took a break from that after an unsucessfull search for a proper/matching binding fabric, and decided to work some more on the triangle quilt, as you can see in the quick snap taken above.

Now DH is BBQ-ing outside and the smoke is coming up and in through my sewing room window....and I'm being "smoked" out of my room!....

Hmmm, guess it's  time to finish up, close the window and move downstairs to do some work on a sampler?

Hope your Monday was less complicated!  lol!!

from Mieke's stash

Slowly getting back into the rhythm of things since coming back from vacation.

Yesterday I managed to sit down between batches of laundry to do some work on the Ann Grimshaw sampler, and today, again, between household chores, sat down to work on a quilt from my friend Mieke's stash.  I was planning on showing some goodies brought back from Italy, but haven't had the time to sit and photograph those yet - call it laziness!

As I've mentioned before, my friend Mieke is no longer able to quilt for health reasons and so has given me her stash to do with as I please.  In return (shhh!  don't tell her!) I've been going through her stash, pulling out unfinished projects to complete and give to her so she may enjoy them.  It's my way of thanking her.

So here's a shot of a baby quilt I found in one of the boxes: it was cut and pinned, but not very well, so I took it apart, replaced the original thick polyester batting that my machine would refuse to make good stitches for, and replaced it with a cotton batting that my Pfaff is much happier with.  I'm machine quilting it in a simple cross-hatch pattern.  Once that's done, I'll dig around my own stash and try to find a matching fabric for the binding.  It was intended for her granddaughter and started before she was born, but can still be used for nap time, or snuggle under during reading time.

It took a bit getting used to quilting by machine, the fiddling with the fabric, keeping it neat so the stitching would be straight.  Even though I was careful to make light pencil lines using my quilt pencil, the lines came out quite dark, so I hope they will come out in the wash!

This is good practice in either case: my red and white log cabin quilt is still rolled up, waiting to be quilted, so hopefully I'll be more confident when I get to that project, which will be very soon! 

There's another project for Mieke coming up soon, this time from a kit we both bought a year or so ago.  My top is already completed, and waiting on the WIP pile, while hers needs to be cut and sewn.  This time I'll be employing the help of another quilting friend to sew it together so we can get it done on time to give both quilts to Mieke for her birthday this month.  Will we get it all done in time?  Stayed tuned to find out!