Charm Packs with 42 different African prints!

It's about time to start cutting into my African fabric stash to make Charm Packs! 

I love Charm Packs because they are a fast and fun way to make an effective quilt. Especially with the abundance of colours in the African prints these fabrics will make everybody happy.

One charm pack is a bundle of 42 pieces of 5" squares of pre-cut fabric.

42 different prints in one Charm Pack

Most African prints are sold by the yard or even by 6 yards! When I bought my fabrics in Accra - Ghana I often came home with 6 yards of one print. If I was lucky they cut off 2 yards of one print. So the best thing was to go with some friends and split the 6 yards between us. There were always so many beautiful prints available at the markets that we often came home carrying heavy bags full with fabrics! So it's about time to cut them up and share with whoever is interested.

A stack of pre-cut Charm Packs

Things you can do with a Charm Pack

With the Holiday season ahead of us and to keep ourselves sane during these insecure times it's just fun to make small presents for our loved ones like coasters, placemats, a baby quilt, a tote bag, etc. For a baby quilt for instance, you need 2 charm packs. By using a charm pack as a beginner quilter you can grow your skills by making small projects.

A baby quilt made with 5" squares

Now available!

These Charm Packs are now available through my Etsy shop or by contacting me by email, see contact form at the top right. I also sell African FQs too. If you are interested just send me a note and I will get back to you! 

Cheers! Hilde

For the love of African Fabrics

Still from my introduction to Box Making video

A few days ago I was interviewed by Miriam Galadima - Benson of Quilts Africa Fabrics in Nigeria. We talked about our passion for African Fabrics and I showed her a few of my quilts. Due to delayed internet connection the video is sometimes blurred and not always in sync. This created hilarious moments! ;)

The interview is now on my Youtube channel.

In the first part of this video is a short introduction video to box-making included. At 21 minutes the interview starts where I tell a little bit about my creative journey and show some of my African Quilts.

Introduction to Box Making video

If you would like to watch the introduction to Box Making video only (or have a better sight) click on the link here below! Maybe even better: subscribe to my channel!

Have fun watching!

Groetjes, Hilde

Facebook event about the African Fabrics this week!

This week you can join the online summit organised by Quilt Africa Fabrics! For free!

For 4 days, from the 8th till the 11th of July, every day from 1PM - 4PM EST (7 - 10 pm Amsterdam time), there will be 3 speakers who will talk about their inspirations and their work with African Fabrics.

All the speakers will be live!

And I will be there too!

This coming Saturday, July 11th, at 2PM EST (8PM Amsterdam) I will show you in a short video how I make a box using a bold African print, followed by an interview with Miriam from Quilt Africa Fabrics.

The only thing you need to do is register for this Live Facebook event HERE.

If you can't watch the artists life you will be able to watch the sessions on a later time.

Hope to see you there!

Groetjes, Hilde

Quilting curves in Corona times

Afternoon sunlight shines through the finish top

During the past few months, when we all suddenly needed to stay indoors as much as possible, I started making a new quilt, my Corona Quilt! With many curves and waves in African colours. For this Double Wedding Ring quilt I wanted the rings to run differently, more like snakes, through the design.

On my design wall

Some close-ups

The center block is made with the African print called 'wedding ring'

Using my 4 wooden sticks to sandwich the quilt

With my quilting threads nearby in one of my Gecko Boxes I am now quilting by hand, one block at the time. I am not in a rush as I know this Corona quilt is giving me comfort while working on it.

Groetjes, Hilde

Spring Sale at Geckoboxes!

Since all craft markets, exhibitions and you name it have been canceled for the coming months I had to make up my mind!

I was supposed to have a stand at the Textile Festival 2020 next month and made

 quite a few boxes in different colours and sizes. As some are bigger than others and I have not really the space to keep them all hiding until next year's Festival, I decided to have a SPRING SALE at my Etsy shop!

Hop on over to my tiny WebShop and have a look around.

I ship worldwide ;)

Groetjes, Hilde 

A new quilt in Purple and Green

The combination of Purple and Green is one of my favourites.

This combo just brings me joy and happiness. So working on this quilt was simply fun!

This is an American size Twin quilt measuring 67" x 87" (170 x 220cm) and

it's available in my Etsy Shop!

To show it on a single bed I had to bring the spare bed outside as my working table is in the quest room!

Don't worry, our guests can sleep inside whenever they stay over for the night! I just need to clear my studio when they come! ;)

The backside fabric is a soft cotton in green and beige and made by Julius Holland, one of the better companies that make African prints in The Netherlands.

All fabrics from the top are bought in Ghana.

Handmade with love

The final stitches are made to put the label in place.

Me, my dog and my love for making!

Groetjes, Hilde

'Bird Dance' found a new home

One of my favourite Bird quilts has flown out of the nest.

I was finally ready to let it go...

Because I knew the new nest would be welcoming it with love, I was able to send it across the ocean.

'Bird Dance' is a 1 meter square quilt mounted on a canvas frame.

It is one in a series of African Kaleidoscopic quilts I made when living in Ghana for 3 years. While making these kind of quilts I tried by bringing together odd colours and African prints in a certain way the kaleidoscope, or mandala, would come out better every time I made a new one.

close-up of Bird Dance

All fabrics used are genuine African textiles from the GTP factory in Ghana and Vlisco in The Netherlands. 

Especially the red bird print is one of my favourite African prints. 

It comes in many different colours and has many different meanings.

Swallows are a symbol of good luck. However the print also symbolises asking for a favour, such as the hand of a young woman. In Benin the print signifies asking for permission to have an audience with the king, while in Togo the print is called 'Air Afrique' because the fabric was used in the uniform of the local airline company.

In Ghana the pattern refers to the transience of riches: rich today, poor tomorrow, for money has wings and can fly away. (*source Vlisco Fabrics*)

Don't worry, I don't feel like I have an empty nest now! 

On the contrary: I am making space for new projects! If you are interested in my quilts and/or boxes please keep an eye on my webshop at Etsy as I will be adding more items soon.

Cheers, Hilde

A Box Update!

As promised: a picture of the final result of the hatboxes with their clasps and handles! 

The blue coloured leather matches beautiful with the fabric.

And on to the next deadline for my handmade boxes! 

In about 2 weeks time I will be joining the 'Wintersalon' of the Maaskoe Gallery in Rotterdam. Together with other artists I will be showing my boxes and some of my quilts and wall art! The walls and tables will be full of art and all will be for sale!

However, since we have a Parson Russell Terrier puppy my time in my studio is much less than I thought it would be! He is very interested in the cardboard pieces of the boxes... ;)

Still I managed to make a nice selection of different boxes like tea caddies,

gift boxes and boxes for all kinds of little treasures.

If you are in the area and still need some handmade Christmas presents please hop by at the 

Maaskoe Gallery and maybe you will find the perfect gift for your loved ones! 

The exhibition is on from December 14th until 29th, Thursday through Sunday 12.00 - 17.00.

Groetjes, Hilde

Back to the studio!

It's been a while since I posted last time but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything! My strength is coming back, physically as well as emotionally, and very important: it's starting to itch to go back into my studio and start making again!

I was lucky to have had an order to make hatboxes and slowly get back into making. First I made a sample with African fabrics which turned out really well if I may say so ;)

The front

The back/bottom with the hinges made out of fabric

Done!

After this one was approved I was asked to make 8 more with fabric provided for by 'Queen of Your Castle', a special coaching program for women to build up inner strength.

They embroidered their logo on the fabric for the lid before giving it to me. The handles and clasps will be added onto the boxes later by the client. Hope to show you a picture later!

Happy to be making again!

Cheers, Hilde

Hello, I am back!

'Fly away with me'

Hallo, daar ben ik weer!

Na de laatste blogpost is het stil geweest vanwege de chemokuur voor de Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in mijn kieren. De chemo is aangeslagen en er zijn geen kankercellen meer traceerbaar! 

Nu is het een kwestie van rustig aan doen, conditie opbouwen en proberen weer in de quilt-modus te komen.

Maar eerst mocht ik mijn werk exposeren tijdens de Patchwork en Quiltdagen 2019 in Rijswijk!

Hello, I am back!

After my last blogpost it has been quiet due to the chemo treatment for the Non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma in my glands. It worked! There are no more cancer cells visible! Now it's 'simply' a matter of taking it easy, build up my stamina and get back into my quilting routine! 

But first I was able to show my work at the exhibition of a Patchwork-and-quilt-show in Rijswijk, Holland!

My own 'gallery' (panoramic picture)

Voor deze quiltshow mocht ik 40 meter vullen. Met 13 verschillende werkstukken en verschillende foto's die iets vertelden over de herkomst van de verschillende materialen die ik hiervoor heb gebruikt, leek het net of ik mijn eigen galerie had. De meeste werkstukken had ik gelukkig al klaar voordat ik ziek werd, enkele heb ik gemaakt tijdens de chemo periode. Het werken naar deze show toe heeft mij enorm geholpen om positief te blijven tijdens de afgelopen maanden.

I was able to show 13 different pieces over a length of 40 meters in total, accompanied with pictures which showed the heritage of the materials I used for this show. It felt like being in my own gallery. Most of the items were already finished before I got sick, some of them I made during my treatment. Working towards this show really pulled me through the days in between the chemo's and helped me to stay positive.

Some fabrics in my 'shop'

Gedurende deze dagen waren de stofjes waarmee ik de quilts gemaakt heb ook te koop. 

Binnenkort hoop ik ze ook op mijn online Etsy winkeltje te plaatsen.

During these days the fabrics I used for my quilts were for sale. 

They will be for sale at my online Etsy shop soon.

Show and Tell Time

De caleidoscoop quilt 'Fly Away With Me' kreeg heel veel complimenten. Het is dan ook een joekel van 3x3 meter! Door het kleurgebruik lijkt deze quilt bijna 3D, er zit diepte in. Een van de vragen die vaak gesteld werd was: "hoe lang heeft u hier over gedaan?" Het antwoord is ongeveer 4 maanden, verspreid over een jaar. Hij is (nog) niet te koop, ik hoop dat ik er nog een keer mee mag exposeren. ;)

The kaleidoscope quilt 'Fly away with me' received a lot of compliments. It is an huge quilt as it measures 9 feet 10! It looks like the star comes out of the quilt, like a 3D object, due to the way I used the different colours. The most common question asked was: "how long did it take you to make this one?" The answer is about 4 months, spread out over a period of 1 year. It is not for sale (yet) as I hope to show it at some other exhibitions. ;)

Het was zo leuk dat zoveel vrienden, familie en volgers kwamen kijken, het was gewoon een groot feest! In de volgende blogpost zal ik de andere quilts van dichterbij laten zien.

Hier zijn alvast wat foto's en een filmpje van 'mijn galerie'!

So many friends, family and followers came by to say Hi, it was just overwhelming! 

In the next postings I will show you close-ups of the other quilts as well.

In the meantime here are some pictures and a video from 'my gallery'!

Groetjes, Hilde 

A quilt is like a dress

A quilt is like a dress:

You squeeze and mold it until you feel you got it right!

Happy New Year!

Groetjes, Hilde

Something about Hodgkin and creative therapy

Laat ik maar met de deur in huis vallen na deze periode van stilte: ik heb geen fijn nieuws,

na weken van onzekerheid heb ik de diagnose non-Hodgkin-lymfoom gekregen.

Lang verhaal kort: ik ben nu onder behandeling met immuuntherapie en chemo (R-CHOP). Vorige week de eerste chemo via een infuus gekregen en over 2 weken krijg ik de volgende. In totaal 6-8 keer, dus ik ben er voorlopig zoet mee.

I will come straight to the point after being away for some time:

I received bad news, I am diagnosed with non-Hodgkin-lymphoma. Long story short: I am treated with immunotherapy and chemo (R-CHOP). One week ago I received my first treatment and in two weeks time the second dose will follow. In total I will need 6-8 treatments, so this will keep me busy for some time.

In de periode van onderzoeken en wachten heb ik mij uitgeleefd op het ontwerpen van deze nieuwe quilt: de double-wedding-ring quilt. Met al die drukke prints op de Afrikaanse stoffen is het best lastig om er toch een samenhangend geheel van te maken. Mijn gevoel zegt dat het klopt! ;)

During the period of waiting in between the different medical researches I let myself go and designed this latest project: the double-wedding-ring quilt. With all the different bold designs on the African fabrics it is not so easy to find the right balance, but I think I did well! ;)

De templates die ik hiervoor heb gebruikt komen van Victoria Findlay Wolfe

Het naaien van de ronde vormen viel reuze mee, dat ziet er moeilijker uit dan het in werkelijkheid is! Na even oefenen ging het nog best snel!

The templates used are from Victoria Findlay Wolfe

It isn't so hard to sew the curved lines as you might think. After a few first lines it went fairly quick!

The quilt top is finished!

Om de quilt te dubbelen gebruik ik 4 lange latten die ik op de hoeken met een lijmklem vastzet. Dit vierkant leg ik op de rugleuning van 4 stoelen zodat ik niet over de grond hoef te kruipen. De achtergrond van de quilt pin ik met punaises op deze (span)latten vast met de goede kant naar beneden. Daarop leg ik de batting en daar weer bovenop het patchwork. Met veiligheidsspelden pin ik de drie lagen aan elkaar vast.

De quilt is bijna 2x2 meter en past nog net op de spanlatten in de huiskamer.

To sandwich this quilt I used 4 long bars which I connected with 4 clamps at the corners. This wooden square I placed on the back of 4 chairs so I didn't need to crawl around on my knees. The backing fabric was placed first facing down on the bars with thumbtacks and the batting on top of this followed by the patchwork top. With safety pins I tacked the 3 layers together.

The quilt measures 80"x80" (2x2 meter)

De quilt was mooi op tijd klaar om gequilt te worden voordat ik de eerste chemo kreeg.

The quilt was sandwiched in time and ready to be quilted before I received my first chemo.

My first chemo is done!

De eerste chemo viel mee, ik ben er niet ziek van geweest, alleen vreselijk moe en traag. En verdrietig. Het is daarom fijn dat deze quilt klaar is om gequilt te worden, dat geeft mij heel veel ontspanning en rust. 

My first chemo went okay, I didn't feel sick, only very tired and slow. And confused. 

Right now it is very soothing and comforting to hand quilt this latest project.

Quilting = Creative Therapy

Groetjes, Hilde

My Mammoth quilt as a special backdrop for the wedding party

Daar ben ik weer na een periode van stilte. Natuurlijk heb ik niet stil gezeten! Alle Afrikaanse stoffen zijn uitgepakt en liggen in stapels door het hele huis. We zijn op zoek naar grotere woonruimte en tot die tijd is het even behelpen.
Gelukkig had ik mijn XXXL caleidoscoop (klik) al laten dubbelen en kon ik daarmee achter de naaimachine. Het hele gevaarte van 3x3 meter paste maar net onder de naaimachine! Met een walking-voet zijn alle naden gequilt.

I am back! All African fabrics are stored away and I finally started quilting my XXXL Kaleidoscope quilt (click). This mammoth quilt of 9x9 feet just fitted underneath my sewing machine and with the help of two extra tables I was able to quilt all the seams in the ditch with a walking foot.

De naaimachine had ik dwars aan de eettafel gezet en een kampeertafel ervoor zodat het hele gevaarte zowel aan de voor- als zijkant ondersteund werd. Best wel spierballenwerk!
De tijd begon te dringen want deze doek moest wel op tijd af zijn voor de bruiloft van een vriendin! Toen mijn moeder haar been brak en verzorgd moest worden werd het wel even spannend...
Gelukkig kwam een vriendin helpen met de klus van draadjes wegwerken.

After I finished all the quilting I got some help from a friend to tidy up all the loose ends. This way this huge project got finished in time for a wedding party!

Het is gelukt! Nu nog even alle losse draadjes en restjes van de vulling er af plukken...
Last hand at taking of all the loose bits and pieces...

Cleaning up this mammoth quilt. The ceiling is not high enough to put it up completely!

Klaar om naar de feestlocatie te gaan! Het wordt de achtergrond voor de foto-booth waar de gasten samen op de foto kunnen gaan.

Time to bring this one to the wedding party scene! It will be the backdrop for the photo booth!

Mede dankzij de leuke theaterattributen werd deze foto-booth een groot succes! 

Hier een paar leuke foto's van het feest:

Together with the stage props this backdrop was a great succes!

Here are some pictures:

The bride with her friend

De quilt is weer thuis en is beschikbaar voor feesten en partijen!
The quilt is back home and available for events!
;)


Groetjes, Hilde