Little bottle bag

I got this lovely fabric from Margaret (Scotland), because she lives close to the sea. I don't live probably that close to the sea, but it's only a few miles away from my home. In the winter we love walk along the beach with our dog Paco.

In the new book of Tilda (Summertime) I saw this little bag for your bottle. So I really had to try it, how would it look with this fabric. Great I think!!!

Garderen

Yesterday Dieuwke and I went to a little quilt-exposition in Garderen. Henny Oosterbaan was having a kind of X-mas quilt exposition in her own house. I love her house and her style.

The house is situated in the woods, with white walls and a reed roof. My friend thougt it just looked like a little Dwarf-house. They welcomed us very warm-hearted, especially because we came all the way from the Hague. The Hague - Garderen is about a 1h20 drive, 72 miles. Quite a distance in the Netherlands (probably hard to understand for a lot people, but Holland/Netherlands is very small country). PHOTOS EXPOSITION

I must tell you something very typical about the Netherlands. Most most people that lives in the east-part of the Netherlands, think it's quite a journey to go to the west part of the Netherlands. That's a big journey (you really have to plan and prepare it ; ). On the other hand, we, people from the west part don't think the east part is that far. So for some reason it's easier to go from west to east, then from east to west.

Well the advantage is that we got a very warm-hearted welcome, an extra cup of tea, because we came all the way from The Hague. So we were treated very special.

Friendship Bag arrived!!

Swaps are so exciting. You never know exactly when the mailman/woman will deliver it. And it's always a big suprise what's in the envelope. Today my "friendship" bag arrived, it came from Scotland, and it was several weeks in the mail. Scotland is not so far from the Netherlands, but anyway. A lovely bag, I will be hanging it in my bathroom with little soaps in it, very nice earrings (also home-made), lovely pieces of different blue fabrics, wich are perfect for my doll-house quilt, and some sea-fabric, perfect for a Tilda-project from the book "Summertime". So thank you very much Margaret!!!! I'm really very happy with your alle gifts. I will make good use of them.

Summertime, "les soeurs Gribouille"

I got this lovely book from my sister. So my collection of Tilda books is complete now. Although it's all about summerprojects, I think I will start as soon as back from my three-days course from work, these project are so lovely. Can't wait.

Last weekend I finished my black autumn cats. I bought the fabric and pattern at the Sewing Expo in Rotterdam. Don't they look stubborn, these little cat-sisters. You can find The pattern is in the Quiltmania Autumn 2009. I bought the complete kit (quiltmania and fabric) at Dorry.

For my mum ....

...... I made this quilt. As I told you a few months ago, my mum like sewing children clothes, doll clothes etc. so I try to convince her about quilting, she bought some fabric. But no, she isn't a quilter. All those fabrics where waiting in her cupboard. I took them home and made this quilt. The fabrics are from the Haan & Wagenmaker. For those who're not dutch, the Haan en Wagenmaker is a very special quiltshop. Their site presents cotton chintzes, a quilting fabric based on antique Dutch manuscripts. So if you're in the neighbourhood ... don't forget this quiltshop in Amsterdam.

I love Tilda ....

I got most of her books. And I'm really a fan of her. Her patterns are very easy to make, you don't have to be very expierenced. Her books are lovely to go through the pages, and I love her style of fabrics. I found a very good shop, where they got a rather big Tilda

colletion Your Zoap in Lelystad, as I promised you a few posts ago, here update of my Tilda collection: MORE PHOTOS ...

- 1 quilt (big enough to keep yourself warm on the sofa)

- 2 bears

- bath-angel

- sleepy angel (hanging on the door of our spareroom)

- X-mas wall hanger

- mailbag

- bedroomangel

- reindeer (one of my favorites)

Quite a collection, and waiting for more to make.

Fabric, a wreath and some raffia...

.... this is how you can make a lovely autumn or X-mas wreath.

The idea isn't from me, I found it on the site of Atelier Bep. On the blog of Monique you can find a very good instruction with pictures.

For mine, I used a charmpack of Nancy Halvorson, Marne sent me this a few weeks ago. Charmpacks are very handy, you just start and don't need any cutting ; ). I put a glass in it with a little candle, and now it's on my dining table.

A sunny sunday in Arnhem

My niece Esther is living in the neighbourhood of Arnhem. Her husband Han works in Sonsbeekpark, so yesterday we got a special tour, and afterwards good mexican food.

The weather was lovely, saturday rain and sunday lots of sun. Before Sonsbeekpark we went to the Openluchtmuseum. PHOTOS ARNHEM

A dark and rainy day with a BIG SUPRISE ...

Today I received my Stitchers Angel suprise. And I finally found out who was my partner. Because in the email you use a secret name. Well my partner is from the USA, her name is Diana and she lives in DuPont (just around "corner" from Tacoma/Seattle).

Rob and I were having lunch, and the doorbell rang, we didn't almost hear it, but lucky we have Paco, who likes to bark when the doorbell rings. Rob went downstairs, and came upstairs with a box, and not just a box, but a very big big box. In this box where the most beautyful gifts. She made a lovely "play-bone" for Paco, that I will hang above his basket in the hallway, I don't want him to chew on it.

A lovely X-mas angel, I'm already going to hang that up. I know it's still 8 weeks till X-mas. A pincushion. A lovely bag in cream and brown, the colours suits very good with our house, with a lovely rose on it. A lovely bookcover with a note-book in it, I will take that with me on my Seattle trip.

Well I'm so spoiled, really, because everything was put in a sewing basket, with lots of goodies (pins, fabrics, candies, buttons and ribbon). This will be my "Tilda" sewing basket. You know I'm a Tilda fan.

I think my husband liked the "bear poop" and "whitetail deer poop" the most.

DIANA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An Inspirated weekend in Dalfsen

We planned it for several months. Visiting Dieuwke's aunt in Dalfsen and finally we did go. Unfortunetaly Willemijn couldn't join us, totally unexpected she had to work. She really was fed up (de balen). I can imagine!!! And we really missed her. PHOTOS. Dieuwke's aunt Joke really has a lovely home. She too is a quilter, but she also is a stylist . So as we would say in the Netherlands her house is a "plaatje" (lovely home). In every corner is something to see, a lot of their furniture is home-made or bought in second-hand shops, and refurnished. They (Marco and Joke) are very good in DIY. And don't you think their parrots Koko and Pukkie are lovely.

Of course we did some shopping during the day, a quiltshop that's really interesting, if you like folkoristic fabrics is Stegeman. You also can buy second-hand traditional clothings items here.

The evening we spend quilting and talking in her wintergarden, with the woodburner and candles burning.