Ronda's quilt 1940s

The Nine Patch quilt is one of the oldest and probably the most popular of the quilt patterns. Though there are many variations, they are all based on the basic simple Nine Patch pattern. Some patterns have a variety in the size and shape of the squares, changing from the straight squares to rectangulars and to the more difficult curved sides.

This is my next project. I got it from Ronda during my trip in Seattle march 2010. Wasn't that sweet of her. It's called a curved or improved nine-patch, and it was very popular pattern in the 1930's and 1940's. It's one of those optical illusion quilts. Depending on how you look at it, it's a nine-patch in a snowball, or white pinwheels.

I don't know who made this quilt, and I don't want to offend anybody, but it I really must say, it wasn't a quiltgenius who made this quilttop. As Elaine would say: "no sharp points", especially where the curved corners come together it's really hobbelie-wobbelie. But that doesn't matter. Saturday and sunday I spend preparing and basting this quilt, cut all the threads from the back. Dinner on the sofa, because I needed the dining table for more important things. So I hope, that in a few months this "old quilttop" will be turned into a real quilt. One more quilt to add at "Caro's antique recycled quilt collection". Watch my blog, there is more to come.

Coincidence?

Today arrived this beautiful little quilt/stitchery from Krista. I love the colours she picked for me. She also put some little gifts in it as well.

Krista lives in Anchorage Alaska, about 4484 miles from here. Just like me she got a husband called Rob, who also likes to cycle. You could say it's a small world.

One step from finishing

The last weeks I spend most of my quilting time at my 1930's quilt, at least every day 1 or 2 hours. I bought the top almost a year ago at the Quiltshow in Issequa (near Seattle), and with help from Dieuwke and Willemijn, we quilted it again, all hand-quilting. Although this quilt was never quilted, because it was used as a summerquilt. No batting just a brown back, that I removed. And now sunday 23 Mai 2010 at 13.20 I finished the quilting part. Tomorrow I will start with the binding, so end of the week, a second quilt to add at Caro's Recycled Antique Quilt Collection. Well don't worry project no. 3 and 4, a logcabin (1900) and Ronda's quilt (1940) are waiting to be finished.

Friendship Exchange

I love swaps and exchanges. At the moment I'm doing two doll quilt swaps (with the US), a swap from the Quilting Gallery and a friendship exchange from our Yahoo-group "Crazy Exchange" (that's how I met Marne, and our friendship began). My exchange arrived yesterday at Joke in Groningen (nothern part of the Netherlands). The little notebook is made by my father. I love fabrics, he loves to work with paper and cardboard.
http://crazyexchangegroup.blogspot.com/

The road to a friends
house is never too long.

Japanese Garden

We really had a busy sunday. In the afternoon Tale, Elske and I visited the Japanese Garden in Clingendael. It's only open 6 weeks in springtime and two weeks during autumn. Clingendael is a lovely park. One thing more to put on your list when you're in the Netherlands.

Den Haag Centraal a la Carte

Testdriving Toprestaurants in The Hague. Rob and I spend a very tasty lunchtime yesterday. The Mondriaan School in Bezuidenhout invited about 16 very high classified restaurants in The Hague. Each restaurant made a little dish that you could taste. Rob and I especially liked the Fish restaurants. Well Marne one more thing to put on your list.

Busy with old stuff!!

I like old stuff, just like my dad. I really like working on my old antique quilts.

My 1930 quilt is almost finished, just 1,5 border to goI used a quiltpattern with a kind of rooftiles wich is very traditional and often used in old quilts.

I washed and ironed my Spakenburger fabrics. Those fabrics are all from the period 1900 - 1940, and they were all used in their cloths. The lady on the picture helped me through the boxes with the fabrics. I cut them into 144 5x5 inch pieces. And then 576 1,75 inch squares from red/white new fabric. I''m going to make a snowball quilt of them, so it show all they fabrics. And then two weeks ago I finally found my "porcelain dogs". I think they're so cute. More old stuff at home.

110 blocks finished of my 1930's

Today I can start with the 4 borders. And then my next antique project, there are still some projects waiting. Like this beautiful collection of antique fabrics (dated 1900 - 1940) I bought the fabrics yesterday in Spakenburg in a museum. More about this lovely town later. I really have to think over what to do with them. Can I combine the dark with the lights, or will I make several little quilts. Decisions, decisions to make....... Maybe I use the dark ones to make a basket quilt (one of my favorite patterns), and combine the light ones with a red homespun, using the snowball pattern. That probably shows the fabrics the best way.

Liberation Day in the Netherlands

Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) is celebrated each year on May 5th, to mark the end of our occuptation by Nazi Germany during World War II. If you walk or drive to the little villages you can see everything decorated in red-blue-white and orange. And you see a lot of canadian flags, because our nation was largely liberated by canadian troops.

Icecream in Garderen

Thursday our friend Yolande came along with her two boys (11 and 14 years old). The weather was even better then expected, so we went through the woods to Garderen for a icecream. During our walk we played "klootschieten", you play it with two team and two balls, the idea is to get in as less throws as you can at the finish. You play it outside just on a sand road. The rule is if you throw the ball in the mud or water, you have take it out yourself.

Update .....

Marne was complaining at me that I didn't update my blog for several days. Let's go.

I worked very hard on my 1930's logcabin quilt. Still 15 blocks and 4 borders to go. On the picture you can see how much hand quilting is going on in this quilt. I hope to finish the blocks this weekend, but that will be still a challenge. I love working on this old quilt, slowly it turns in a beautiful and very special quilt. Especially as you know what the condition was one year ago. Just a top, with loose seams, dirty and smelling. It's worth all the energy.

I'm in several swaps that asked for my attention: Friendship Swap, Quilting Gallery Swap and two doll quilt swaps organised by the Quilting Board. I love swaps, maybe because I love suprises in my mailbox. So this month the mailwoman will be busy in The Hague. No time to get bored.