Winter White Schnibbles, blocks and strings

This week I received 6 more blocks for the two charity quilts. the ones on the left are from Maria (UK), the middle ones from Laurie (USA) and the right ones are from Bev (Australia). This week I will be starting on the one with the red middle part. I have enough blocks now, including the extra ones I made. Thank you so much Maria, Laurie and Bev for helping making these quilts! It feels very special and I hope I can soon show a result!


Deze week heb ik nog zes blokken voor de twee charity quilts gekregen. De linkse blokken zijn van Maria (GB), de middelste twee van Laurie (VS) en de twee rechtse van Bev (Australië).
Deze week zal ik beginnen met het maken van de eerste top. Ook Maria, Laurie en Bev, bedankt voor jullie hulp! Het voelt heel bijzonder, deze quilt te maken maken!

I finished my fourth (already) Schnibbles just on time. This one is the Winter White. I am very satisfied with it and always think the last one is prettiest. So, right now, I think this one is the nicest I have made so far (O: This month I should have worked on the Madeline Schnibble, but once again the post didn't deliver things on time, so the charm packs I had ordered came in much too late. Since I hadn't made the first Schnibbles, I decided to make this one (O:

Please don't forget to look on Sherri's and Sinta's blog tomorrow. They will be having the one and only Schnibbles Parade!

Ik heb mijn vierde Schnibbles klaar. Dit is Winter White. Ik ben erg tevreden met het resultaat. Eigenlijk zou deze maand Madeline Schnibbles gemaakt worden, maar de charm packs waren niet op tijd binnen, dus heb ik de eerst maar gemaakt, waarvoor ik eerder nog geen kan had.

Vergeet niet morgen op de blogs van Sherri en Sinta te kijken. Daar kun je de Schnibbles Parade bekijken. Er zijn altijd heel mooie quilts te zien!

And this table topper is made from the scraps and leftovers of Winter White. Five blocks are strings, made from the scraps of the blocks that had to be cut from 5" squares to 3.5" squares. This project is for the Loft Creations No Strings Attached Challenge. I will finish the bindings this week, so I can actually use it.

De table topper is gemaakt van de resten van Winter White. Vijf van de blokken zijn strings. Dit is een project voor de Loft Creations No Strings Attached Challenge. De binding zal ik deze week afmaken.

Here is my 5th Leanne's House block that I am making together with Jutta. Lots of stitchery. I put more balance in to this one with the fabrics, which I like more. It is a good one for the middle of a quilt. I can't suddenly change the way I worked with the fabrics.
The block was supposed to be finished in December, but Jutta and I agreed it would be better to have it finished by January. So, dear Jutta, now I am all ready to start with the 6th block! Really looking forward to it!

Hier is dan eindelijk mijn 5e blok voor Leannes House, die ik samen met Jutta maak. Heel veel stitchery. In deze blok heb ik meer evenwicht in de stofjes gezocht. Zo bevalt het me beter. het is de middelste blok, dus kan het ook. Maar ik denk dat ik de rest van de blokken weer op de oude manier maak, anders klopt het niet. Nu op naar de zesde blok, die we eind deze maand af willen hebben.



I have had the Gail Pan's Christmas Elves at home for a while already. Melanie, Suzie and I will be making this stitchery quilt together. Each of the nine blocks should be finished by the 2nd of the month. so, this one is all ready to be finished by then. I will post it next Sunday! I know that having these challenges with dear blogging friends, actually makes me finish quilts!
Thank you Jutta, Melanie and Suzie, for doing these projects together with me! And thank you Stephanie, for organizing the No Strings Attached Challenge! Never knew that making string blocks could be so fun and fast!

Samen met Melanie en Suzie ben ik aan Gail Pan's Christmas Elves begonnen. Een heel leuke stitchery quilt. We hebben afgesproken om iedere blok op de tweede van de maand af te hebben. De finish zal ik jullie volgende week laten zien.
Ik denk niet dat ik zo ver met deze quilts zou komen, als ik dit niet samen zou maken met anderen. Bedankt, Jutta, Melanie en Suzie! En ook Stephanie voor het organiseren van de No Strings Attached Challenge.

'Your task is not to seek for love,

But merely

To seek

And find

All the barrier built within yourself

That you have built against it.'

~Rumi ~

This and that and a European Virtual Quilting Bee

Today we had a beautiful sunny day. And of course I forgot to take the photos for this post when it was nice and bright. So, sorry about the pictures. The colors aren't what they should be.

Here is my fourth block of Leanne's House, that I am doing together with Jutta. Please go over to her blog and have a look at her Leanne's House block and ... the lovely Autumn stitchery she made for her Stitcher's Angel!

This is my 10th block of the Web Sampler Celebration Quilt 4. I still have two more to go, but they haven't been delivered yet.

This is my 8th block of the Christmas Wish stitchery by Gail Pan. I am doing this together with Melanie, Lyn and Karen.

Lyn at Bluebird Quilts is having a lovely challenge! Three years ago she bought some Vintage Hexagon Blocks made from old worn clothings and she didn't know what to do with them.

Now she came with the lovely idea to preserve these blocks by sending 17 bloggers some of the blocks and letting them make a quilt up to 70 cm x 70 cm, which the participants are allowed to keep! I hope I will be able to join! This is so very special!

The picture was taken from Lyn's blog.

Then go have a look at the blog Block Party. Twelve women in a virtual quilting bee, sewing blocks for one another with blocks designed by some wonderful women. Please go have a look! I was thinking of starting a European Virtual Quilting Bee, to keep the shipping costs down. Is there anyone in Europe who wants to join. If so, please leave behind a comment or send me an email, so that I can start a Quilting Bee. This should be so much fun!!!

Now I need your advise. I am making an Advent calendar for Laura. I am wondering what background I should use. Plain white or the one with the Christmas trees print. The white one is nice and calm, but I think the one with the trees is happier. What do you think?

Melanie and I have decided to make a tablerunner for every season. We have started with the one for Christmas, using this pattern by Alda. Go to her blog and you will find some wonderful tutorials on the left side bar. She just posted a new one yesterday.

The fun part about this pattern is that you eventually have 80 1,5"x 1,5" bonus blocks at the end, from which we will make another quilt. Not sure yet what I will do with them.

Do you recognize the range I used for this tablerunner? It is one of my favorite Christmas ranges this year!

"Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open."

- Elmer G. Letterman

Leanne's House, a new friend for Laura and Web Sampler Block 1

Yesterday Ger and I visited Laura in Amsterdam. We had a wonderful time being with her. Here is a picture of the Museumplein. I don't really like pictures with so many people posing, but I guess this is a place everyone should have been to. It was great watching people look pretty for the picture. They were even willing to take off their coats in the rain, just to look nice.

I would have preferred the front to look this empty. So Laura advised me to take a picture of the back.



Many of you might have read about the terrible accident Terry's husband had this week.
Terry is a wonderful lady with whom I’ve had the pleasure to blog and email back and forth with.
Her husband has been in a terrible accident this week and has lost his lower right leg.
The blogging community is pulling together and supporting her family by making one or more quilts for her and her family. Can you help?!

Laurie from A Yankee Quilter has come up with this wonderful idea and is coordinating the collection of quilt blocks to make a quilt or quilts. Go over to see what you can do to help.
Please pass the word.

Then here is my finished sneak peek. It is a lovely little doll designed by Jodie from Ric Rac. The pattern is very well described. Even the dress with two sides was easy for me to make!

Here is the dolly still with me wearing the 'hug' dress ...
and here she is with her new friends in Amsterdam wearing the 'kisses' dress. Laura has given her the name Lieve. She has been a very good girl until now.

I finally finished the third block of Leanne's House. It was lots of fun to make. Not so much stitchery this time, which was a good thing. Jutta mailed her finished third block too today. So pretty!!!

Here is a close up of the appliqué. I really enjoyed making it.

This is my third Christmas Wish block I am making together with Melanie, Karen and Lyn.

And here is block 1 of my Web Sampler Celebration Quilt. Lots and lots went wrong while making it. I think I was distracted. But eventually it turned out OK. I already received block 3 and 4 too, so I hope to finish those next week.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited.
Imagination encircles the world."

- Albert Einstein

I am overwhelmed

In the past two weeks, several parcels have arrived my way. I am really overwhelmed by all the kindness and generosity.

The first suprise came from my dear blogging friend Dzintra. Dzintra had a giveaway a few weeks ago. She let Joanna draw a winner, which wasn't me. Then her DH asked her if she wasn't going to have another winner. Well, that was me (O: I won the 'Fly Away Bird' pattern by Hatched and Patched. I love her patterns!
Look at the bright yellow star Dzintra added and the little bird buttons reminded her of me. Thank you so much, dear Dzintra! You are very special to me.

I have been visiting Bev's blog for about a year now. Bev makes wonderful projects and you should see what she grows in her garden! She won Dzintra's first prize. Now how funny is that? Bev send me a lovely parcel with Australian magazines (O: and some lovely Debbie Mumm machine stitcheries. The cards she added are handmade and very pretty too.
Thank you sweet Bev, for this wonderful suprise. The magazines have such wonderful projects. I will soon hope to find time for them!!!

And as if that weren't enough... Terry and I have been mailing on very regular basis. She ends every mail with a lovely self made siggy. I enjoy each and everyone of them, Terry!
She asked me my address one day, saying she had something to send me. Look at the gorgeous little quilt she made for me. The fabrics really are me and I love the way she machine quilted it! I will try that with one of my quilts too one day. (The little circles were left behind by the candle holders I put on this quilt.)

The picture really does not do this quilt right. I tried to give a better impression with a detail, but it is really much prettier!

So the past few weeks have been full of suprises! But, I have been busy too with some projects! I actually finished the mini blocks to the second block of Leanne's House. I now have to sew them together.


I have also been working on the Spring Fling Round Robin 3 quilt. I have finished quilting it and now I have to put on the binding. Something always went wrong with my binding. So I asked Jacqueline at The Log Cabin quilt shop. I made a very easy to fix mistake. Thank you, Jacqueline, for showing me how to make the binding!

Next week it will also be time to send away my Christmas in July parcel. Some finishing touches to be made. Unfortunately I have not found Christmas paper to wrap it up in. Ah, but that will make me creative, to think of something else (O: I must say, it has been fun to work on Christmas projects so early!

And just a quick peek on what I have also been working on with fabrics from Kaffe Fasset, which I have had for about 10 years now. I just randomly put the blocks together and am not sure how I will make it. Still many blocks to make with these wonderful fabrics (colors are much brighter in real).

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it."

- Ivan Panin

Where did the time go?

I can hardly imagine how fast the time goes. It has already been two weeks, since I made a last post. I have been working on several projects, but since a lot is also happening in and around the family, there has been less time for it all. And, then there are projects I can still not show because they are secret swaps. Some nice objects for another post.

This week my PIF from Sherri arrived. Sherri is a wonderful person and makes very inspiring and often unbelievably pretty projects. I found myself very lucky, when I was able to join her PIF! Here is a detail of the tablerunner she made. Look at her quilt work!



And this is the tablerunner. The picture does not do it justice, but it was the best. It fits perfectly on our livingroom table and brightens up our room (this picture was taken outside, so that you don't get the idea that it is our table in the living room).

This is a handmade card and look at the cutest mini-honey bun from Aviary Sherri added to the PIF. Thank you so much, dear Sherri, for these lovely PIF presents!

I've been spending quite some time on Leanne's House Block II. A block with a lot of stitchery and lots of French knots. Not sure whether I will finish it this month, as I also want to finish the Christmas Wish and Verandah View BOMs.

I am also still working on The 12 Days of Christmas stitchery by Anni Dawns. So much fun to make in between all those other projects. One of my sisters already finished hers. She did it within 12 weeks! Now that was a very clever goal. She now started one for one of my other sisters.

And this is the one my daughter Laura is working on. Click on the picture and you will see the tiny tiny stitches she uses. Incredible.

Here is a sneak peek of one of the presents for The Christmas in July swap. Luckily the Quiltshop I go to sells Christmas fabrics all year round!

The quote I want to share with you this time:

"That's when you're at your best, when you're focused and you're serious and passionate about what you do, but at the same time you can relax and have fun and be confident."
- Derek Fisher


HAVE A LOVELY LOVELY AND CREATIVE WEEK (o:

Long long time ago

Hello everyone! It has been quite a while since I last added some news to my blog. Things have been a bit busy and out of the usual around here. Laura finished her final exams on Tuesday and her results will be in on June 18th. Ger went to the three day pop concert Pinkpop, where even Bruce Springsteen gave a concert. Then, Thijme returned early this morning (4.30 am!) from the now legendary soccer match Cambuur - Roda JC (his favorite club). And it was worth it all. Roda won after having to take panilties.
And me. Well, I've been busy with this and that, such as stitching, quilting, visiting my parents, going to my favorite quilt shop The Log Cabin, some gardening and reading. I finished the hilarious novel 'The Undomenstic Goddess' by Sophie Kinsella and started 'The Secret Lives of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd. A very touching story.

I finished my first Leanne's House block together with Jutta. This month we will be working on our second one.



For Sarah I made this bag for our flower swap. The stitchery pattern is by the German designer Ursula Schertz. She makes wonderful happy projects! As soon as I have more time, I want to make this stitchery quilt for myself.

I finished my 5th block of the Verandah Views.

This block I will be making 20 times for the Summer Block Swap. In return I will receive 20 other blocks in one color family per block. The pattern for this block is fun and easy to make. For a tutorial see here.

And look at this lovely letter I received from my 8 year old niece Lieselot today. This really made my day! If you click on the picture you can see that she used another color for every line she wrote. Thank you, dear sweet Lieselot!

I have also been working on the second border of the Spring Fling Round Robin 3 and the Christmas in July swap. No pictures that I can share with you yet, until it is all posted and received.

Finally I want to share this quote with you:

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."
- Frederick Keonig

Leanne's House

Yesterday was Koninginnedag. It is the day we celebrate our queen's birthday. What should have been a happy day ended in a terrible tragedy, with seven people killed and two more severely injured. Children were injured too. What goes through people's heads, when doing something like this?
But I still wanted to show you the inspiration Konigin Beatrix gives us. My sister, who teaches 3rd grade, gave her class a coloring picture and look at the wonderful results. If my sister had said she had made this picture in a museum I would have believed her!



A while ago I visited Gaby's blog. She was making this gorgeous Sunbonnet Sue quilt. I couldn't help myself making this for her. The pattern was designed by Ria Lanser, who started a pincushion club. I wasn't going to join it, but what she makes is so much fun, easy and fast to make, that I couldn't resist.

And this is the pincushion I made for Jutta and me, the flowers taken from Leanne's House quilt, I think it is block 2.

And today Jutta and I finally started Leanne's House quilt. We were really looking forward to it! I started cutting the first three mini blocks of block 1. The pattern is very well described!

Lyn at Bluebird Quilts is having a blogaversary giveaway! She made a lovely welcome hanging, has a very cute angel bunny and has added some check squares. She is inviting everyone to join the fun!

For those of you who are stitching Verandah Views by Cheryl at Willowberry Designs. Her fifth block is out and gorgeous once again.

Jenny at Elefantz has her third block ready to download for the Shabby Roses BOM. It is very pretty. I will be saving it for another time.

And a good saying to end this post:

"Your heart is full of fertile seeds, waiting to sprout."
- Morihei Ueshiba

Have a lovely weekend!

The beginning of April

Two weeks ago, I joined the Siggy Swap with Annelies at Quilts and Siggies. This is the siggy I made for Annelies.

From Annelies I received this siggy and ...

from Micki from Ireland, I received this one. It is machine embriodered. Very pretty!

Then a few weeks ago, when I mentioned that I was going to start Leanne' House in May, together with Jutta, Monika told me she would send me some materials I could add to it. Look at the lovely fabrics and threads she send me. Thank you so much, Monika! It all fits perfectly to what I have so far!
Monika is also making Leanne's House. She has already finished block 1-6!



And then finally, this week I received two patterns I had ordered at the beginning of December last year. It was really worth waiting for after all. The patterns are explained very well, with many many pictures. So I think I should manage to make them!

Then I received some wonderful news this week. My former 4th and 5th grade teacher will be visiting from California at the end of April. We've known each others for 40 (!) years now. The last time she was here was 10 years ago. Then we visited her 6 years ago with our children. This is so very special to me!

And remember, if something doesn't go the way you want it to go, "He that can have patience can have what he will." - Benjamin Franklin.

Off to do some ironing now. And my daughter just baked cookies, so I really have to try one (O:

Have a wonderful and happy week!

Another challenge and some lovely fabrics

Last weekend my daughter Laura, mother and sisters started The 12 Days of Christmas, designed by Anni Dawns. I must say, they were all very talented. My father and youngest sister did all the catering LOL. We were very spoiled, which made the stitchery even more fun (O:

Look at Laura's tiny stitches. My oldest sister's stitches were this size too. She's the cross stitch specialist.

In May, my blogging friend Jutta (whom I met via Helen's Hugs and Kisses) and I will start a new challange: Leanne's House. I really look forward to this new project.
In my stash I found these fabrics, which I will most likely be using. The top three are from Jutta.

Then I added six new ones after going to The Log Cabin.

And here are the fabrics I bought in Amsterdam at Den Haan & Wagenmakers. A beautiful shop with designing and printing reproduction antique Dutch fabric. So very different from all the patchwork shops I am used to. Lucky my daughter will be moving to Amsterdam in August of this year to study there. Then I will get many many chances to visit this gorgeous shop (((O:

It is so good that the month March has started, with all those BOM designers bringing out their third block. And once again, all the new blocks are so pretty. I guess I'll put the 12 days aside for a while and start working on the BOM projects.

And last but not least, I finished my PIF's! I must say, I am quite happy with them. I'll post a picture as soon as the four 'PIF-people' received them.

Have a lovely week. "Don't wait. The time will never be just right." - Napoleon Hill