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

Schnibbles Cindy Lou Who, a win, post from Germany and another finish

Here is a picture of my finished Schnibbles quilt Cindy Lou Who. I don't often say this of my own work, but I think it turned our beautifully! I love the fabrics and the colors. It is too bad you can't see the binding well, but it is a different fabric again, pattern like the red one, but then purplish/pink. Laura was quite suprised that I actually finished this quilt with backing and binding. Guess she knows me, because she said: "You usually only finish the top ..."

A close-up.

A few weeks ago I won one of Dzintra's blogaversary prices. Happy Hearts, a gorgeous stitchery pattern by Hugs 'n kisses. Thank you my dear friend Dzintra for letting me win this wonderful stitchery!!! It is going to be a very pretty stitchery quilt or maybe a nice cushion (O: I will let you know!




And look what was waiting for me on Thursday when we came home late from our visit to Laura in Amsterdam. A wonderful package from Gaby with beautiful Christmas fabrics and ribbon, a sweet pincushion that I will put next to me on the sofa where I stitch almost every night, and a lovely pin (click on the photo and look at the top left corner). Also have a look at the lovely tag Gaby made for me and the card she added with a very dear message.
Thank you so very much, dear dear Gaby (O: You know how to make a tired girl happy (((O:







And this week I also finished my Christmas Wish Quilt. The picture does not do it right at all, but I was too late to make pictures by daylight. I guess I should do it on time next time, because the weather was perfect today for taking pictures outside.



Here is my seventh block for my second Christmas Wish Quilt, which I am making together with Melanie, Lyn and Karen. Only two more blocks to go!






This week I only managed to make one block for my Sampler Celebration Quilt. The other one arrived yesterday. Now I have four more to go.

"Experience will give you the power to share

and you need the strength to care.

Wherever you go,

grow and glow."

~Bhajan~

Post from the UK and our visit to Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen, Aken)

My sixth block of the Christmas Wish that I am doing together with Melanie, Lynn and Karen. Only three more to go.

This week I finished two more blocks for my Web Sampler Celebration 4 Quilt. Eight blocks finished, four more to go.

As I said before, the more I make the easier and more fun it gets (O:

Then this week a lovely parcel arrived from my dear and special friend Melanie from the UK. I had send her some felt and autumn items and she wanted to do something back. I was totally stunned, when this all arrived! My parents were having lunch with us, when it came and my mother was excited as I was and I think my father was too, but he didn't really show, as an 83 year old dad *LOL*

Many many lovely buttons. If you look closely (click on the picture) you can see that there is a little bag with buttons for each season. Melanie and I have decided to make a table runner for each season, both of us not having made one before. These buttons will definitely give me inspiration!

When my mother saw the Cotwolds towel, she couldn't stop telling us about her visit to it. She really wants to go back some day. Since this towel meant so much to her, I told Melanie that I gave to her. She has many good memories there, so I thought it should be with her. For Melanie Cotwolds is very special too (O:

Ger and my dad enjoyed the candy (so did I) and can you see the lovely Halloween pin on the bottom right.

Thank you so much dear Melanie! You know you didn't have to do this in return, but you really made several people happy here (((O:

Please go have a look on Melanie's blog who just made another wonderful post. She is the one who inspired me to show you pictures of Aix-la-Chapelle, as was Stephanie!

And here are my pictures of Aix-la-Chapelle. Ger and I go there quite often for some shopping. This time however, we decided to be tourists and took a walk according to a marked walking guide. On the picture below you can see the mark for something special to be seen nearby. To follow the path, there was only one mark.

This is a bank window Very special.

Aix-la-Chapelle has many different statues. This tour took us along quite a few. Here is one of a girl carrying an Aachener Print. Look at her toes ...

This is a very special statue. You can move the limbs of the figures. I can't tell you what the statues are called, since I gave the tour booklet to a friend of mine, who wants to take her family for this tour.

Aachener Dom

A door of the old Stadhaus.

Part of the Stadhaus today.

A picture from the top of the Stadhaus staircase.


This was my favorite statue. Look at the lovely birdies sitting everywhere.





Be like the fountain that overflows, not like the cistern that merely contains.

- Paolo Coelho -