Cupcakes, a lovely Spring Fling Round Robin Quilt and something new

I needed something new to do. Somehow fabrics don't inspire me at the moment. So I went to the knitting shop and bought myself some wool, which I was planning to do for a long time. The woman was so kind to let me borrow the book, since it is no longer for sale. Next week I will buy some other colors to these two. I am going to keep it in the pink range. Maybe some purple.

Lyn told me she had send me a parcel. It arrived this week. Look at all the loveliness she send me. So many lovely cupcakes to admire and to work with (fabrics, buttons and a pincushion, shopping booklet). The mug is so pretty and so my color. I haven't dared using it yet, afraid something might happen to it.
Thank you my sweet dear Lyn, for these lovely presents. You spoil me way too much!

And I finally made the Card Wallet, designed by Lisa at A Spoon Full of Sugar. Lisa and her daughter Sarah make lovely projects and have wonderful ideas! Please go have a look at her blog. It will really inspire you!

The inside is a bit crooked. I once again learned to read the directions before starting. Not my strong side ...

And look at the lovely quilt that came back home this week. I made the middle block and three lovely quilters made the two borders and finished the quilt. I did the same with three other flimsies. Thank you Margaret, for organizing this! It was very challenging to work on this swap!

"The world is a great mirror. It reflects back to you what you are. If you are loving, if you are friendly, if you are helpful, the world will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you. The world is what you are."

-
Thomas Dreier

Have a lovely weekend and a creative and happy week!

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 to begin?

A lot has been going on this week in my stitchery and quilting world. I am unable to show you everything, since some projects are secret swaps and others are just not ready to be shown.

But this one is definitely ready to be shown. It is my the Monochromatic Four Season Quilt I received last week from Kerry. The colors are just perfect for me! It is my very first pink quilt!


And look at this beautiful stitchery detail. Incredible tiny stitches. the quilt feels very soft. Maybe it has to do with the colors ... Thank you so much, Kerry, for this wonderful quilt! You did an amazing job, even though pink is not your color!

I finished my fourth Verandah Views block. Once again, Cheryl did a wonderful job. My stitchery block didn't turn our so bright, but I think it fits perfectly to the other three blocks.

The Verandah Views so far:

And look at the gorgeous Easter post I got from Jutta, together with a wonderful Siggie she specially made for me, which will be shown further down this post. The cute little bird houses are actually egg warmers, but they found a very nice spot on our window sill, so we get to look at them every day! Vielen Dank, liebe Jutta!


Then, at the beginning of this year I joined the Calendar Quilt Challenge 2009. I finished up until mid March as you can see here and here. Yet, somehow this quilt never really felt like me.

Then I saw this quilt on Annelies' blog and the one Leanne made, with The 365 Challenge Tutorial.

Here are the fabrics I bought for this new challenge :

and here is the process of cutting and organizing. A total of 365 blocks in four sizes and 11 different colors. I haven't started writing yet, somehow not knowing what to write on my first block.

Notice the glasses. They are also very important in this process! LOL

Here is Jutta's beautiful Siggy and one from Cuny, with a special message about time.

This week I also finished my first border for the Spring Fling Round Robin-3 organized by Margaret. I can only show you a corner, for if I would show more, the person who made the center square would recognize it, since I used her fabric all over the border. I must say, working on a quilt this way really makes you think and combine colors. A very special and fun process!

And last but not least, I want to end my post with a gorgeous stitchery package Dzintra send me together with a pretty bookmarker for my Friday Night Knitting Club book. I actually finished the stitchery by Anni Dawn the day I received it! And as if Dzintra knew, I still had a frame that goes to it perfectly! Thank you so much, dear Dzintra! You really warmed my heart!

So with this friendship stitchery I want to end my post.

Have a lovely weekend and a creative and peaceful week!

Back from my break

We're back from our short break and had a very good time! The weather was good, so we were able to take walks on the beach and in the dunes.
We also visited Amsterdam on a sunny day. Here's a picture of the four season houses. If you look closely, you can see 'lente' = spring and 'zomer' = summer. These housefronts aren't maybe the best ones found in Amsterdam, but I loved the 'lente' and 'summer' part (I left out 'herfst' and 'winter').


A while ago I won Clare's giveaway at Clare's Craftroom with the number 10. Read the funny story, on how I won this giveaway here. This is what I found in the envelop. The bookmarker on the left is a good one for me, since I read a lot, in several books at a time. And look at the pretty card at the bootom right. It is really beautiful!
And this is what I found inside the present. The buttons on the card are for the gorgeous stitchery! I will make it for my sister Engelina (engel=angel), who does of course collect angels of any kind.

During our vacation I stitched the first block of the Bunny Hill BOM. Behind it you can see the fabrics I bought at my local patchwork shop The Log Cabin and will use for the quilt. I'm not sure yet, how I will make it. I will probably get inspired, once I stitched several of these wonderful blocks.

A while ago I joined the Spring Fling Round Robin-3. Margaret, who organizes this, asked the Round Robinettes and one Lone Red Robin, to make her two youthful 12.5"x12.5" quilt squares, one colored for a boy and the other for a girl. Here's the one I made for the girl. I might even like it better than the one I made for myself, which I am not allowed to show yet.

Go over to Lani's The never ending adventure. She's having a 'green' giveaway with wonderful things! Her blog is so much fun to visit! She always brings a smile to my face and sometimes even makes me laugh out loud. Can you believe that ...

Have a happy and lovely week full of sunshine and laughs!