Goodbye 2011, hello 2012

We wish you:

- no rain, but sunshine

- instead of sorrow, lots of joy

- good health

- and friendship

May quilts keep you warm, and doors be open for friends and family. You´re welcome.

Happy 2012!!!!

Rob, Caroline and Paco

X-mas gifts

 In the Netherlands we don't do really X-mas gifts. Although it's changing, but in our family we more have a tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas. So all our X-mas gifts came from our friends overseas. Rob and I really had a fun time at breakfast unwrapping gifts. There was my gift from the SSCS 2011, Jo made me this beautifull sewing bag, I adore it, and it contains my apple-corn project now. THANK YOU SO MUCH. And then lovely gifts from Seattle, quilt things and salmon "lekker". The little basket is made by Marne, when I'm in Seattle she's going to teach me how to make it. And the little quilt, that's very special to us. It's made from costume fabrics from Spakenburg. We (Elaine, Marne, Rob, Paco and I) visited the museum in june together. So this is a lovely memory of our time together.

X-mas

Here some pictures of the family, aren't they sweet my little nieces and nephews.

Merry X-mas

In the Netherlands we have two X-mas days. Today it's just a quiet day we spend together. Walking, a little bit of quilting, unwrapping our gifts, some reading, just enjoying time together, after some busy weeks at work. Tomorrow we''re having a family day at my parents house. My brother, sisters, their partners and five kids will be there. It's a long time ago we spend X-mas all together, because my brother and his family lived in China for three years.

X-mas holiday ........

.... 10 days free from work. My study starts the 10th januar, and I finished my paper two weeks ago. Well what are my plans: sewing, quilting,  reading on the sofa, walking the dog.... The weather is just grey and rainy, but after a walk, Paco and I are very comfortable under and up my X-mas quilt, we like to share. In the meanwhile I'm working at a reindeer quilt from Atelier Bep, and cutting lots and lots of houses. You know quiltvirus!

X-mas stockings

Yesterday I made 6 X-mas stockings, three for my nephews Thomas, Nathaniel and Chris, two for my nieces Sophie and Promise, and one for the dog Bo. I will take them to my parents and hang them up there, because we will celebrate X-mas in Epse with the whole family. For the time being they're hanging in our hallway.

I was doing research on the internet about X-mas stockings, what's the idea about this tradition. Well here is one of the stories:

Very long ago, there lived a poor man and his three very beautiful daughters. He had no money to get his daughters married, and he was worried what would happen to them after his death.

Saint Nicholas was passing through when he heard the villagers talking about the girls. St. Nicholas wanted to help, but knew that the old man wouldn't accept charity. He decided to help in secret. He waited until it was night and crept through the chimney.He had three bags of gold coins with him, one for each girl. As he was looking for a place to keep those three bags, he noticed stockings of the three girls that were hung over the mantelpiece for drying.

He put one bag in each stocking and off he went. When the girls and their father woke up the next morning, they found the bags of gold coins and were of course, overjoyed. The girls were able to get married and live happily ever after.(www.wikipedia.com)

Isn't that a lovely story?

Bus 24

Yesterday our friend Miep from Almere (where we lived for almost 20 years) came along. Making our plans we decided to do a short visit at the beach and then visit 1 or 2 museums with our museumcard.

Bus 24 is the solution. The stop is close to our house and it brings you all the way to Kijkduin (beach), along the way you pass 4 museums. Well the plans changed when we came to the beach, the weather was pretty good, we had the wind in our back, so we decided to walk to Scheveningen and ended with  a cup of tea in the Kurhaus (lovely the ceilings, and X-mas ornaments).

Building Spakenburger Houses from scraps

 The first two houses are build. I used scraps from my antique costume fabrics from Spakenburg, except for the light blue and the red-white. It was a little bit puzzling, would I use several fabrics for one house, or just 1 or 2. Well I think I like the blue house best. I think I prefer to keep the houses rather simple. How many I'm going to build? No idea, maybe I quit when I'm through my scraps. Maybe not, they're more work then you think. The house for today is finished. Tomorrow number 3. Or cheating and just make another one this afternoon. OEPS I just read the rules, we're supposed to start the 1th of januar, so just cutting them the next weeks, and no sewing. Or are there more quilters who already broke the rules ; ).

Midwinter Horn Blowing

 

During the advents week before X-mas till the 6th of januar you can hear the horns blowing in the east part of the Netherlands (where I grew up). It's a very old tradition.

But how old? There are different opinions about it. Some say 1500 A.D. is assumed the first year that they blow the midwinter horns, some say it started during the dark ages. There is document of 1815 in the county archive that mention midwinter horn blowers.  A father and son were accused of warning smugglers by using their midwinter horns.

They blow the horns to chase the evil spirits and ghosts away, and to welcome springtime, a new beginning. But it's also a way to communicate, when you hear the horn of the next village, you answer it with horn blowing. 

By the way, it's not done when you blow the horn when somebody else is blowing.

This sunday you could hear the horn blowers in the woods of Exel. It  gives a very special feeling walking in the woods, grey and cloudy,  and hear the horns .

Youtube video Hornblowers of Exel

  

Replacing my laptop through a sewing machine

Yes!!! My paper for my study is now really finished, and this morning I put it on the mail. That means there is now room on the dining table for my sewing machine. And I can assure you that it will be there till the 15th of januar (then my next course starts: Information management).

Woh, imagine 4 weeks without study projects. I ordered my own X-mas present and it already arrived this week., the last 4 books of Jennifer Chiaverini.

On the 15th december the pattern of a new quiltvirus "Houses from scraps" will arrive. The virus is spreading all over the world. Click on "house" photo (right side), if you want to know more about it.  And there is Rudolf, he's the newest member of my homemade reindeer collection.



Rudolf, pattern Atelier Bep



Life can be so good, quilting (with friends) and reading quilt books

. 

SSCS arrived safely in Australia

It always is an adventure if you're sending parcels across the world. But Cornelia arrived safely on Dale's doormat.http://day-daysblog.blogspot.com/

Please, mr Postman

Wait, oh yes wait a minute mister postman

Wait, wait mister postman
Mister postman look and see

If there's a letter in your bag for me

.......

I like this song, especially singing it aloud in the car, you know when nobody can hear you. This song seems to be applicable to X-mas time, when the postman is bringing me gifts on my doormat. And yes there was a package in the mail today,  from my Secret Santa. Isn't this a lovely X-mas stocking? THANK YOU!!!! There is more but we were only allowed to open the X-mas ornament.

And Chookey is very precise about it ; ).

Want to know if we had a good time sunday .......

at Atelier Bep  ...... well I can assure you we did.  We met quilters from all over the country, and what's more fun then whole day talking about quilts wich each other. I really enjoyed, and it feels very good when people are really interested in what you do, and enjoy it as well. Thanks everybody for your kind and warm reactions.

I have written before about Bep, it's a very lovely quiltshop (in an old pig shed)  in middle of the Netherlands. Inside and outside is so much to see. What do you think of the little mouse. The cat on the table and the dog behind the stove?

I did a few show-and-tells in the kitchen. And Doris, lots of people loved your mother's quilt (Grace's Quilt) and especially the story how we have met each other. In the meanwhile Dieuwke was entertaining in the livingroom. Bep used her whole house to put in all her guests. We, Simone,  Gemma  and Loekie each had a corner in the livingroom, just behind the kitchen, so we were close to the coffee, gluhwein and cakes. Bep made lovely carrotcake for us.

MORE PHOTOS CLICK HERE

Well I only can say, if you're neighbourhood next year, don't forget to come. And if somebody is interested in a show-and-tell about my antique quilts please email me.

Caro, Dieuwke and Bep

A dozen of antique quilts .........

 ... want to see them? Come to Atelier Bep tomorrow (27 nov.), she will be having her X-mas sunday from 11.00 - 16.00.

This afternoon Dieuwke and I were just having fun with my antique quilts, playing around, sorting them out. Wich quilts will we take with us, wich quilttops and blocks are for sale.

So here some pictures just to get in the right mood. And I really had to show you the picture of Grace. Doris her daughter send to me. Isn't it lovely. Doris and I are still writing to each other. Of course Grace's quilt is coming with us, to make her tour 'through' the Netherlands. 

It will be very exciting because it's first time that I'm going to show my quilts, and of course you hope other people will enjoy them too. Well dear readers, maybe I see you tomorrow, and if not we will meet again in the bloggingworld.

Grace Taylor Turner

Wintertime: Little meatballs with carrots and potatoes in the oven

It's not that cooking is one of my favorite things. I prefer spending my time quilting (or studying). But this is a very good recipe for quilters. It's easy, you don't need a lot of ingredients and you can make big portions, and put them in the freezer.

It's from Marne's favorite shop in the Netherlands: Albert Heijn click here for the: RECIPE. If you want to read it in english, just use google-translate, works very good for this recipe.

Chookeyblue's Secret Santa Claus Swap

Each year it's fun. A lot of parcels are flying around the world now. Last week we finally were allowed to sent our X-mas parcel. My parcel is going about down under. Today my Secret Santa Swapper sent me an email to let me know that my parcel is on the way. But no clue about herself? Please, please, please give me a hint ; ).

Spending the weekend on the Veluwe .....

 ... in our summerhouse, walking in the woods, but no internet, so it felt a little bit like being cut off of the world. No chance to update my blog. But that's not the only reason.  I'm working very hard on my paper for my study Management Science, I'm planning to finish it the first week of december. Oefff. It's not all studying, I did a little bit of quilting. I finished one of my UFO's. I haven't count my UFO's yet, but I will during my X-mas holiday. I made the quilttop probably in 2010, didn't know what to do with it. So when my friend Yolande came along and saw the top, she said her mother would love it. Her mum is in a wheelchair, and we think this quilt will fit very well. So, some (machine)quilting, a binding around it, and now it's moving to the north part of the Netherlands. And of course there are  more Cornelia's.

What's going on...

..... well not much quilting I can assure you. I'm very busy with my Management Science, and work. But of course there is always something to tell. First Marne's request. A picture of my poison green baby quilt, dated around 1870. If you want to see this quilt for real come to Atelier Bep on the 27th of november. Then I'm also in the SCSS 2011 swap, I just finished my gifts, they're ready to post. The SSCS from Chookey is always very fun to join. Although Cornelia is little big for a little X-mas ornament, she is so lovely, so she will be moving down under. And not to forget Moosie. So you see I did a few little things.

There is also more news about Grace's Quilt. I received a lovely letter and beautiful pictures from Doris (Grace's daughther) from her mother, as young woman and as older lady. I will take Grace's quilt with me to Bep.