Tuesday 30 November 2010

Mom, can you make me a quilt???

Chat over Skype with my DD in London:

DD: Mom, can you make me a simple quilt?
Me: sure, but all fabrics are in the container on their way to Brazil...
DD: well, you can buy some new ones!
Me: I will be leaving in 2 weeks!
DD: I was thinking about a simple one with only squares, big squares
Me: hmmm
DD: :-))
Me: what colours would you like
DD: can you make me with some Asian fabrics? I miss Singapore...
Me: I will see what I can do
DD: :-))

Well, what can you do when your child wants you to make a quilt and you like doing this? I have 2 weeks left before I leave for Sao Paulo and not much on hands, so why not! My DD has lived in Singapore for almost 8 years, during her teenage years, and during the wintertime she misses the tropics a lot.

Can you imagine how happy I was to find a wide selection of Java batiks in a new fabric shop in The Hague?! They bring back good memories.
I will cut blocks of 25cm square and sew them randomly in rows.

This should be easy and quick, right?

I you are interested in the new fabric shop, it is De Boerenbonthal Stoffen. They have a shop in Amsterdam and since November 9 opened their second shop in The Hague at de Papenstraat.

Java batiks and boerenbont (traditional farmers cloth), two traditional fabrics the Dutch have a lot to do with!
I better get going and focus on this Asian batik quilt. Hilde

Sunday 28 November 2010

Set of 3 in snake print



One of the small things I wanted to do today was to finish this set of boxes. I made a box similar to the bottom one before, for a dear friend (click here). It turned out be such a nice combination of colours, that I wanted to make a few more in different sizes as you can see on these pictures.

Covered completely in book binders linen, snake print paper on the outside and Italian paper on the inside and a small metal handle attached to the lid.

Sizes are in cm: 24(w)x17(d)x11(h), 16(w)x12(d)x8(h) and 8(w)x8(d)x7(h).


The set of 3 boxes is available for 75 euros, not including shipping, anyone interested? Hilde

Thursday 25 November 2010

New house on the block


If you google 'house on the block' you get a lot of different options: ugliest, loudest, spookiest, coolest, best, looniest house... well, this one is certainly none of those, it is the latest one I made for my Dream House Quilt. Because that is what I still do: dreaming about our next house in Sao Paulo.


With Cosmo embroidery threads, I have spruced up some houses I finished before.


Our new home should have at least one room for my sewing and box making, some flowers in pots will be added and with the dogs there too it will be quickly my new best place to be!

Because we have not found a place yet, I will stay in Holland for a few more weeks. More sewing can be done on this quilt while slowly the snowflakes will start covering the streets. Just hoping to be in Brazil in time for Christmas!

And yes, I finished my Saturday project. It was an easy and simple design. This is me in my mom's garden!
Hilde

Saturday 20 November 2010

It's Saturday morning...


... and I am enjoying my cappuccino with a piece of Dutch cake. Some magazines and the daily newspaper are on hand and I am setting out my projects for today. Hmmmm, have a good weekend! Hilde

Monday 15 November 2010

Back to work


Thanks for all of you who voted for my doggy and my quilt Floating Flowers over the past weekend in the quilt contest from the quilters gallery! I did not make it though; there were many other beautiful quilts you could vote for. Never mind.

So let's get back to business! My parents were at my place for the weekend and I got a bit more quilting done on my UFO. Hopefully it will be finished before I leave for Brazil. I want to leave it behind in our apartment in Holland. 
This apartment is our save place where we can stay every time we come back from overseas. My UFO would be a nice quilt on one of the single beds where the kids usually sleep when they come back to Holland. The both live abroad; my DD lives in London and my DS in New York City. That happens when you drag them along while living overseas for more than 20 years... ;-)

A few more stitches and this quilt should be finished just in time. Hilde

Friday 12 November 2010

Please vote for me!


My Mini Schnauzer Spetter and my quilt Floating Flowers are entered  in the Weekly Quilt Contest from Quilting Gallery.
I hope you can take the time and visit us here.
After you have chosen by clicking on the circular button next to the name, please scroll down all the way, until you get to the bottom of the names of quilts. Then press the VOTE button.

 Spetter and I need all your votes!
Woof! Hilde

Thursday 11 November 2010

Looking for a house



Outside autumn is sending in rain and wind to play with the leaves on the streets. They even try to uproot some trees!
Inside music plays and I think about the next house to design. Is it a coincidence we have to look for another apartment in Sao Paulo after the contract for our first choice did not come through and I am stitching houses on blocks? Ah well, at least I can keep playing with colours and dream of our next home.
Our furnishings are loaded in a container and will go on a ship tomorrow. It will take about 3 weeks to arrive in Brazil and another few weeks before being cleared by the customs. In the meantime I stay in Holland in our small apartment, building my stash of house blocks with Japanese fabrics and think about a name for this quilt... Any suggestions? ;-) Hilde

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Japanese style (^_^)


Last week I started a new project with Japanese fabrics.
It is my first time working with this kind of material and their typical colours and I love it! Every fabric has a lovely woven structure and both sides are interesting.
The blocks are all done by hand and my box with Aurifil threads comes in handy. The threads blend in so nicely! All blocks, 24 in total, have an applique of some kind of a house,  like a tent, a lighthouse, a church, a windmill, a quilt shop, etc.
Later on I will add some embroidery with Cosmo threads.

The course is given by Anke Magre at the Quilterspalet. Thursday is the next lesson and I have some more homework to do...


I will keep you posted about the blocks to come. Hilde


Saturday 6 November 2010

Pincushionswap showtime!


It is finally time to show a very special pincushion! 

This is the first time I joined a swap in bloggers' world and it was fun! When Jeannet organized a Pincushionswap in September, I thought yes, let's do this! 152 quilters joined in from Holland and overseas! I was linked to Hennie who also has a blog.

Hennie must be a thoughtful and experienced quilter because she really took the time to think about something that would suit me: she made me this very nice Dutch Pincushion!
I was totally taken by surprise by the originality of the design. This pincushion is such a lovely and useful little piece of art I will treasure when I live in Brazil for a few years.


Her use of Dutch colours on one side and the tulip on jeans on the other is clearly made with love.
Thanks Hennie for your thoughtful present!
                                                

I hope you like mine too!
Hilde

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Time to sew!

My back is aching, but all boxes are cleared from my place and at the movers'.
This morning I stuffed them all in a van and my Bernina was sitting next to me in the front. I told her to be brave and that I hopefully will see her again in about 7 weeks... That is, if all goes according plan and we can unload the container before Christmas!

Time to relax and sew! This quilt I want to have finished before I travel to Brazil in a couple of weeks. Hmmm, no more boxes around me for the time being. Sew, sew sew! Hilde