Happy Stitches

My (quilt)friend Willemijn has started her own Webshop Happy Stitches: http://www.happystitches.nl/. She's specialised in fabrics from Amy Butler and Heather Bailey. And she got lovely patrons. One of my favorites are the books from Anni Downs. So I'm really curious what you think of her webshop.

Springtime

The last weeks we had wonderful weather, sunny with nice temperatures. So when I look out the window I see the trees in the backyards turn green and rose. Rob is enjoying a little nap on the balcony, and in the park we saw these little black ducks (waterhoentjes). Life feels so good in springtime.

Cycling and Patchwork

Rob was on a short holiday last week (wednesday till tuesday). On thursday and friday he had a congress in Maastricht. Friday-evening he started his cyclingtour together with his friend Tale. They made a cycling-tour through Belgium (Hasselt, Soersel) and the Netherlands (Middelburg, Ouddorp), back to The Hague. I think they cycled about 440 km. PHOTOS.

The weather was great, and lucky, most of the time they had the wind in their back.

Well what about me?

They left me alone with Paco (our dog). Time for some quilting. I used the whole house, fabrics, ironboards, patterns were standing everywhere. Saturday-night I was sewing till midnight. So I finished the top of this springquilt in one weekend. It's made from two charmpacks (5 inch) and two other fabrics, all bought at my favorite quiltshop: http://www.quilterspalet.nl/.

This quilt is for myself. It's called a split nine-patch, I love making these pattern. They're easy, the result is great and you can make a lot different patterns. I made the top with the sewing machine, I think quilting I will do by hand.

Easter Bunny .....

... where are they come from? And why do they bring us chocolate eggs in a basket on their back? Who put the eggs in the basket? And why do they want to hide them in your garden? You can find answers on the internet. But most of it all has to do all with our past. Just like eggs, bunnies are fertility symbols of extreme antiquity. Well very interesting. The Easter bunnies I made are just for fun, one for my summerhouse, and the blue-white for Marne's dutch corner. Tomorrow it's Easter Monday, so in the Netherlands it means extra day free from "work". An extra day of quilting.

Weeder wanted...

When we were in Doesburg Marne and I saw a lovely quilt with the text: "weeder wanted", "where's my green thumb" and "dirt therapy". Because there wasn't a patron of it, we made our own design and cut the fabric, just the morning before she was leaving a few hours later on her way to Seattle. I think we're really quilt-addicts!!! It's still a long time to februar 2010. The border is made with the string-piece technique, Marne explained to me how to do that. It's really easy and fun, and good to get rid of your scraps. This is very good site about this technique.