Meet Ralph!

Meet Ralph...Rudolph's little brother. You mean you never heard that Rudolph the Reindeer had a little brother??? He is too little to work hauling Santa's sleigh so he hangs around the Elves Workshop instead. 

This UFO almost got thrown out. I started him and was not happy at all with it. I did not like my fabric used and felt it was not well sewn. But a number of quilt friends and family convinced me to finish him off. I am glad I did because now I love him because he is so different. *grins*

Since I have been good and working on some UFOs, I decided I was going to start on a quilt which has been on my wish list for some years now. I have been wanting to make a Baltimore Album quilt but with a twist. What is that twist? I am using a taupe background fabric instead of white and using all taupe inspired fabrics for the appliqué instead of primary colors. My first block is all but finished...just doing some french knots above the tulips. 

I have to make some decisions about the setting for the quilt and if I want borders. I have had fun looking at lots of pictures of antique Baltimore Album quilts. I will share more as I progress.

And finally...since you met Ralph...I have to show you something that happened to Miss Pickles the Elf (who masquerades as Heidi ... lol). Last Friday was a really hot day here in Holland. Actually it was tropical at 34C on the terrace of Cranberry Cottage. On the way up north, Miss Pickles spied this truck in front of her. WOW! What a great way to have cool thoughts for an elf in hot weather.....CHRISTMAS TREES!!! 

Heidi

Has it been that long???

I have really neglected blogging lately. It is a busy time in my home and I seem to run from one thing to the next as well as one project to the next. Here is a little glimpse of what I have been working on...

I crocheted a wrap for my mother who visited us for the month of April. She always comments on my own shawl (click to view) so I wanted to make her one of her own. Her favorite color is red.

I made a one of a kind pincushion as a birthday gift for Bep who is a quilting friend. This was a frame for a picture but it just made me think pincushion. 

I joined a quilt themed book club. They sometimes do a quilt along as they read a book. We were rereading The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini and they started making Sarah's Sampler. I decided at the 11th hour to make one of my own interpretation. It is using 6 inch blocks and will be done with the garden maze setting. These were the first four blocks and my schoolhouse had to be reworked since then. I realized the next day after making it that doing patchwork when I am having a major FM attack is not a smart thing to do. *sigh* I have made more blocks but don't have a photo yet to share. More later of course...

In April, we had a spring surprise evening for the quilt group. I love these evenings because of the excitement of the ladies as they arrive anxious to see what the project was. They all made a crazy quilt strip as homework. Most thought it was going to become a bookmark but wrong guess. They got 4 small bottles and a birdcage button when they arrived and added a square to the sewn together strip to make a holder for the bottles/vases. Some of the finished holders are shown below. 

My goal for 15 UFOs is coming along so I will share another finish with you in my next post. Who knows...I might have the next finish done by then too. It is close to being done. But until then, I hope you are having a creative weekend!

Heidi

Dolls quilts and tea time for bears.....

In my quest to finish 15 UFOs this year, I added one more finish to my list. This quilt was started back in 2013 for one of Lori at Humble Quilts QALs. Who knows why it sat awaiting only the last strip of sawtooth border and quilting? I will edit my post later and let you know the size. I am at Cranberry Cottage for a quilter's weekend and forgot to measure it. 

This QAL was all about using on orphan block and creating a quilt around it. This block was left over sample block from my basic patchwork course I taught years ago. You forget over the years that those simple blocks you use to teach quilting are just beautiful blocks. I just love how this little doll quilt turned out! Thanks Lori for encouraging us to grab those orphans and give them a home. 

It prompted even the name for my quilt. 

Wednesday was busy day for Yona. He had a visit from his brother now named Muis (Mouse) who is seated on the right and his teacher Beer (Bear) seated in the middle. 

When Wilma and I finished our bearmaking classes, I invited our teacher Annemieke and Wilma to my home for a Teddy Bear High Tea. Of course, those three bears could not be left out! Yona had fun helping met set the table before our guests arrived and left a naughty mess on the table. He put bear paws (in the form of chocolate brownies) and bear poop (chocolate covered peanuts) all over the table. Silly bear!

I wanted to send Wilma and Annemieke home with a special reminder of our afternoon so I made them each a bear mug rug as a gift. 

That same evening, Beer was back home again with Annemieke and crawled into his bed with his mug rug to use as his very own quilt. Thanks Annemieke once again for sharing your talent for bears with us and for allowing me to share this photo of your own sweet bear. 

Heidi

American Tiles - a rag quilt

Being busy with UFOs means less online time for me. My blog has been neglected while my quilting is having a big boost of progress. I finished two UFOs in February. One was the 50 Hearts Jubilee quilt which I already shared and the second is this rag tile quilt. I used this as a sample project last year with our group group's theme of rag applique but did not get the quilt done. Since I set a goal of finishing 15 projects in 2015, this was at the top of the list. A simple and fun quilt to make...

All you need is one charm pack and a piece of background fabric. I pulled out the squares that I wanted to keep whole and then started cutting some of the charms in half for two rectangles and some in 4 small squares. Start placing them on the quilt background to test your placement starting at the top left corner working across and then down. In the end, I had one rectangle and three small squares left over which I used for the quilt label. Pin each piece in place on a quilt sandwich (background fabric placed on top of a piece of batting and backing fabric) as you will be quilting this by sewing each piece in place. Machine sew each piece in place 1/4 inch from the raw edge of each fabric. 

I have not thrown this in the washing machine and am not sure I will. I might simple keep picking threads here and there to ravel the edges. It would make a great playtime quilt for children using fun fabrics. The biggest job was tucking in all my threads when I was done sewing. 

Heidi

A year older and a quilt richer.....

A year ago on this very day I turned 50 and started my jubilee quilt. Today a year has passed and I have a lot to be grateful for in life and much to look forward to. My jubilee quilt is finished and hanging in my living room as of yesterday. 

I spread out the work on this quilt, appliquéing my hearts throughout the year and in various and fun places. From sewing while in traffic jams to being on vacation these heart blocks hold memories. The last heart was appliquéd with a different fabric than the others and placed in the bottom left hand corner since I am left handed. 

The quilt was actually done a month earlier but I waited until the last day of my 50th year to sew on the quilt label which is when a quilt is really finished to me. I love The Bronte Sisters but especially Emily so choose a quote from Wuthering Heights to calligraphy on my label. 

So today, I am enjoying a relaxing day. Friends came by for coffee and pastries this morning. She even came in the house singing Happy Birthday to me in English. *grins* My husband and I are taking a walk in a local castle grounds and then having dinner out at a favorite restaurant this evening. 

This year, I have a goal of finishing 15 UFOs and this counts as the first on my list. 

Heidi

A fast paced start to 2015.....

Yikes! I have neglected this blog and see this is the first post of the new year while January is already 3 weeks past. But I have not been sitting around....well once in a while with a good book....as I have many goals set for 2015. 

First I decided to set two goals for this year with one being in our home and another with my hobbies. I am striving to finish 15 UFOs this year. I need to make a dent in the quilt tops I have laying around! There is an entire closet with them (I kid you not!) hanging there crying out for some love and attention. This month I want to finish a doll quilt (right photo) from Humble Quilts quiltalong called Faithful. I had to sew on the already made up last two sawtooth borders and then add a last border. It took no time at all and I could sandwich it ready to start quilting this weekend. Why did I put it aside??? I love how it came out! 

I am also putting the border on my 50 Hearts Jubilee quilt. I want to be ready to sew a quilt label on it on the last day of my 50th year. I am sewing the quilt binding on by hand and then need to make the tunnel before I start to design a label. 

Our quilt group theme starts each year in January. This year we are making crazy quilts. I bought each person a cute Dutch gabled house (from Action) and they used them to practice drawing out their crazy quilt design on muslin and then sewing the block with ribbons or laces of their choice. Here is the sample block. Next month we practice stitches and then they can get started on their quilts. 

Jannie (no blog) and I have started a new project for our monthly lacemaking afternoons. We are working on Kantje Per Maand (Lace per month) which is a 40 month project to celebrate the upcoming 40th anniversary of the LOKK which is the Dutch lace organization. We are on the second lace piece now. When completed, we are sewing the laces onto a piece of linen and then to a wooden bobbin as a lace sampler. 

I am using my roll lace pillow for this project which is very dear to me. I bought this pillow at a lace market second hand. It was unique in that it had the roll pillow and a small square to use for most kinds of lace. However, it was looking very much the worse for wear. But I recovered the tatty fabric and then put a pretty old Dutch band around the edges. It looks like new again and is pretty just sitting in the living room.

Last but not least, my friend Mieke (no blog) and I are still working on the Scheepjes CAL 2014. We decided to give it our own twist. We are making two of each of the blocks posted then adding various other blocks to give us a sampler afghan when it is done. We get together once a week to work in it and enjoy a long lunch together. 

Heidi

Advent mystery solved.....

The mystery of my advent quilt is revealed today...Christmas Day. Here are the 25 little quilt blocks on the reverse sides. I really enjoyed stitching them all. You can see the other side on this previous post.

There are references to the patterns my quilt group members turned in along with some things dear to my husband and I. A few examples are in the photo below but enlarge the first photo to see all the blocks. The "Joyeux Noel" as my way of saying thank you to the various French sites where I found some designs, a candle in a lantern on the 13th for Santa Lucia as Jos and I lived in Sweden when we were first married, the nativity for the 25th, a pretzel which reminds of the German Weihnachtsmarkts which we love so much and my kitty Dagi and Miss Pickles the Elf. These are just a few of the motiefs I used. 

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas wherever you are celebrating and may 2015 bring you happiness and many creative moments!

Heidi

Quilted Christmas 2014.....

Last week was our annual Christmas party for my quilt group. Each year, we have a 3-course dinner which is planned by half of the group members. This year our theme was "Nederlandse Nostalgie" or "Nostalgic Dutch style". We started with old fashioned Dutch vegetable soup with bread and herb butter. Our main course was kale stamppot, hachee (goulash style) meat and a sauerkraut casserole. Dessert followed with ice cream tarts and homemade orange bavarois. We topped our dinner off with coffee or tea served with assorted Christmas chocolates. It was all delicious!

It is quite something to see the tables all set up for 16 people. The feeling of belonging together among this group was very obvious around the table. Christmas cheer was in great attendance and we all had a fun evening.

This year, there were two challenges. The first challenge was for everyone is the group. I gave them each four small squares of various Christmas fabrics from my stash. They all started with those same four fabrics and were asked to make an ornament to be swapped during the dinner. They were allowed to add their own fabrics as long as the original four were in the ornament. Above shows the results of everyone's labor. It was fun to see what they all made. 

This is the one I made. A wooden spool tree with my fabrics glued to the spools. 

We also had a mug rug swap for those who wanted to do something extra. Names were drawn and you made a mug rug for a specific person. Eleven of us participated and here are the results of everyone's creativity. They all turned out beautifully!

I had drawn Bep's name. She loves going on vacation in her caravan so I made her and her husband each a mug rug to use while out travelling in their caravan. 

It is hard to believe that a another quilt year has passed so quickly. As the year draws to a close, I am working away now on the quilt theme for 2015 for our group. It promises to be a fun year to come.....

Heidi

A quilt season comes to an end.....

Each year, I choose a theme for my quilt group. In December, we have completed our theme ready for a new year. 2014 was the year of a season of trees in rag appliqué technique. For each season, the group used the same background and tree shape but created the season around it. My trees were then sewn into a patchwork window frame to reflect a season in each pane. 

Here are a few peeks at some of the quilts from a few members in the group...

"He who plants a tree

Plants a hope."   - Lucy Larcom

Next week, our group will celebrate Christmas with a large dinner party and admire our gifts being made for each other. 2014 went by so quickly and we are now looking forward into 2015. 

Heidi

The advent of peace and happiness.....

It seems impossible that December has arrived. I spent the last few months redoing my advent quilt. This quilt had been a project I designed for my quilt group's theme in 2012. Throughout the year, the ladies were allowed to submit pattern ideas for each other to use on the figure side of the little quilts hanging on the large quilt. This quilt became something I could not appreciate any longer after a rift some members of the group caused. I needed to do something to give myself the gift of this quilt back again. 

So I went about carefully taking my blocks apart and redoing them all in red French inspired stitching. I did use the ideas of most of the patterns from the group but in my own way. I am really happy with how it has turned out and it has become a symbol for me of the peace and happiness that Christmas is all about! 

For today, I am sharing the number side of the quilt blocks and the first block of December's figure...a house in a winter mountain setting. 

So as the holiday season begins and we await the arrival of Christmas, I am inspired by the council of many of the quilt group members who have given me wisdom over the past year...

May your December be a time of special blessings in your own life.....

Heidi

Note: More blocks on my advent quilt will be revealed as December progresses.....

Catching up a little.....

Having lost our new kitten Elwin really threw me off kilter over the summer. Click here for the story if you have not already read it. I have been so sad about it and although I throw myself into my handwork I have not been sharing much lately. So I thought I would post a couple of finishes from over the summer. 

First, the crazy quilt heart is something I made when my cousin Shari and her husband Matt came over to visit. I wanted to make her something she could keep that would also remind her of her visit. 

I made a sampler pillow using various red and linen fabrics combined with a fabric with a sampler print, zigzag trim, laces and buttons. Originally I wanted to make this to use out in the garden but when Jos saw it he said I could not use it outside. He thought it was too nice. I put it on our bed instead. 

Finally, I finished a shawl that I was inspired to make after seeing this one found via Pinterest. I have been searching for a nice pattern and this was just right for a new kind of yarn at a shop called Zeeman here in Holland. This yarn is so pretty and this vintage pattern was just the thing to show the yarn off. Now all I need it for autumn weather to arrive. *grins*

So even though a sad heart has kept me quiet in the blogland, I have had busy hands as you can see.....

Heidi

Potholder quilt finish...

 

Thrilled to bits, I can now show you my finished potholder quilt. I finished it last month the day before we went on vacation. This was my quilt group's theme project last year. I tea dyed muslin which is great fun to do. All my choice of drawings for the stitchery hexies are sewing related. 

The back also turned out nice and could be used as well as the front of the quilt. Enlarge the photo or search under potholder quilt to see more details. 

Ik heb mijn potholder quilt in mei voordat we weg ging op vakantie afgemaakt. De potholder quilt was de 2013 thema van mijn quiltgroep. Ik heb ongeblekte katoen eerst in de thee geverfd. Wat een geweldige manier om stof heel uniek te maken! De tekeningen voor de stitchery blokken hebben met naald en draad te maken.

Achter is ook mooi geworden en kan ook gebruikt worden net als de voorkant. Vergroot de fotos om beter de details te zien of zoek onder potholder quilt. 

I made this to use in my studio on the table there but for now it is on the coffee table in the living room. It works well in there too. I am really pleased with how it turned out! I love doing the stitchery as well as making many tiny patchwork blocks to sew into the hexie shapes. 

Bedoeld voor de tafel in mijn quiltstudio mijn quilt past ook goed in de woonkamer. Ik ben erg tevreden hoe het geworden is! De stitchery was leuk om te maken maar de smalle patchwork blokken waren nog leuker om te naaien en dan hexies van te maken.

Heidi

Time can be beautiful!

Sometimes you stumble onto a brilliant idea! I was searching for some inspiration for my hexagon quilt that I am making along with my friend Sonja. I decided on sewing them together as diamonds to place between red hexies. Here are my first 3 diamonds. Sorry the photo is bad but I took it with my phone to send to Sonja over the Easter weekend.

Soms kom je een bijzonder idee tegen. Terwijl ik inspiratie zocht voor mijn hexagon quilt die ik aan het maken ben samen met mijn vriendin Sonja. Ik heb besloten ze als diamanten te plaatsen tussen de rode "hexies". Hieronder zie je mijn eerste drie diamanten. De foto is helaas niet helemaal scherp omdat ik alleen mijn telefoon bij me had dit weekend en geen echte camera.

I stumbled on Kimono Reincarnate blog with a fabulous idea! I loved it so much that I drove to IKEA the next morning to buy a Smycke clock and get started. My diamonds would have to wait a little longer...

Ik ben Kimono's reincarnatie blog tegen gekomen met daarin een fantastisch idee.  Ik vond het zo goed dat ik direct naar IKEA gegaan ben om deze Smycke klok te kopen en te beginnen.  Mijn diamanten moeten maar even wachten.

With various fabrics picked out of my stash, I got to work tracing the hexagons to the exact size for the pieces of the clock. Having the center hexie white didn't look nice with my fabric choices so I carefully snipped the hexie to fit around the clock itself. ModPodge and foam brush in hand along with a couple of hours to sit and glue all the fabrics and this is the result...

Ik heb een aantal stofjes gekozen uit mijn kast en ben aan de slag gegaan om hexagons uit te tekenen die precies even groot zijn als de onderdelen van de klok. Het middelste blok heb ik ook bekleed anders zou het wit afsteken tegen de rest. Dit moet je wel voorzichtig doen. Met ModPodge lijn en een speciale kwast heb ik de klok in een paar uurtjes gemaakt en alle stofjes erop gelijmd, hieronder zie je het resultaat:

I love it!!! Thanks Melanie for some wonderful inspiration that has added a personal touch to my quilt studio. 

Het is geweldig! Met dank aan Melanie voor deze fantastische inspiratie die het mogelijk heeft gemaakt om een persoonlijk tintje aan mijn quilt studio mee te geven.

Heidi