To open or not to open

This package with quiltfabrics from The Haan en Wagenmaker is so nicely wrapped. I think I just leave it for a few more hours waiting on my diningtable.

By the way if you want traditional reproduction fabrics from the Netherlands, be quick, they stopped printing those fabrics, so there is not much left anymore in the shop in Amsterdam. That's why this big package is on my table.

Oh well, what the heck.I'm going to open it. Aren't those fabrics lovely.

 I'm afraid they have to wait till july before before I will use them. You see my diningtable is filled with study books again. On the 15th of july my businesscase Financial Management has to be ready.

You're a quilter or not ...

Palace Soestdijk

Our favorite breakfast: French toast

.... so that means special little bags for the dices. Aren't they cute.

Marne and I made them last night, after playing the game "pocket Farkel".

She went home today. She and Elaine has been here for almost a whole month. Elaine left last saturday. Marne today so that left us some quilting time together. We really had a great time. Of course we haven't finished all our projects.

Saying goodbye wasn't easy, but in november I will fly to Seattle, that's only 6 months.

Something to look forward. Cu soon Marne and Elaine.


The scoring points printed on the frontside of the bag

Playing Farkel pocket

Marne taught us a new game. You only need 6 dice, a pencil and a piece of paper.

Here are the instructions.

Tomorrow she will be leaving, going back home to Seattle. Our house will be so quiet.

1500 points for Caro

 Add your points according to the following score rules:
Ones = 100 points
Fives = 50 points
Three ones = 300 points
Three twos = 200 points
Three threes = 300 points
Three fours = 400 points
Three fives = 500 points
Three sixes = 600 points
Four of a kind = 1,000 points
Five of a kind = 2,000 points
Six of a kind = 3,000 points
Straight 1-6 = 1,500 points
Three pair = 1,500 points
Two triplets = 2,500 points

Read more: Pocket Farkel Instructions | eHow http://www.ehow.com/how_8339077_pocket-farkel-instructions.html#ixzz2TOCYYVwd

Marne and Caro's Quilting projects (part 2)

Between all the activities, like having lunch, visiting exhibitions etc. there is a lot of quilting going on.

Yesterday we had a fun quiltingbee with Emma and Diana. Emma cooked us a very good french lunch, with lots and lots of cheese. Yammmie. Diana showed her cute little sewing box. She and Emma are working on the same BOM of Petra Prins.

I'm trying to finish some projects, like the button-stars flag and a quilt for Mies. The quilt for Mies is finished, and it looks much better then the towel.

Marne is working at her Spakenburger project, it contains 25 different costume fabrics of Spakenburg, all weared by women of Spakenburg. The challenge will be to finish the top before she leaves on thursday. Tomorrow part 3, shopping at the Haan en Wagenmaker in Amsterdam.

Chinese terracotta warriors in The Hague

It's hard to believe that is already half of mai. Here in The Hague a cold wind was blowing. Not a day to go out for shopping or sitting on a terrace with a glass of wine. But there alternatives: visiting the Chinese Terracotta warriors, just a 8 minute walk from my home. It's really worthwhile going. Very impressive.
For more information about the exhibitio click here.

n

Quilting tip .....

.....  from my friend Diana. An exposition of Antique Dutch Quilts from An Moonen in june.

You can read all about it on her blog.

Marne and Caro's quilting projects (part 1)

When we were at Yvonne's house we saw this cute little quilt hanging in the kitchen. We forgot to take a picture. But she send us one. Thank you Yvonne.

I made a pattern in inches. You can decide for youself how wide you want to make the border. You can frame it, or put a binding around it.

Materials:
- 50 buttons to represent the States of America
- a piece of blue fabric
- a piece of red fabric
- a piece of cream fabric
- brown thread (DMC or country thread)

Cutting (including 1/4 inch seam allowance).
From the blue: 1x square:  "2.75 x 2.75" inch
From the red: 2 strips:  "1.25 x 3.5", and 2 strips: "1.25 x 5.75" inch
From the cream: 1 strip: "1.25 x 2.75", 2 strips "1.25 x 5.75"

I just used old buttons from shirts etc.
Good luck!!! Marne and Caro

Saying goodbye to Elaine

It's amazing, they (our Seattle friends Marne and Elaine), arrived on the 16th of april, and yesterday Elaine flew home.

Of course we had a farewell party at Mauce, one of our favorite restaurants in the Theresiastraat. There was one more thing on her list before she could leave: eating bitterballen. Typical dutch. It the small variation of the "kroket".

See you in november. We will miss you. Rob, Marne, Dieuwke, Caro and Mies

Museum Spakenburg

With two Seattle girls around, there is so much going on. We discover a lot in our own country.

And some activities we did check before they came. Like for example this Museum in Spakenburg.

There are two museums in Spakenburg, and they're both lovely.
You have the "Klederdracht en Visserij Museum" behind the church. It's also a little paradise for  quilters because you can buy a second-hand costume fabrics there, and the quiltshop with Spakenburger fabrics is just 100 yards away. But we had to skip that. Running out of time ; ).

The museum we visited was the Museum Spakenburg, close to the harbour. At the moment they have an exposition about clothes and fabrics. Photo impression of Spakenburg and the Museum.

 

Quiltfun in Katwijk

Katwijk? Yes Katwijk.

That's where Marne and I were last night.

How did we come there?

Marne and Yvonne met on the internet, both quilters, both doing something with travelling and RV's through the USA. You know how that works.

So Yvonne invited us to join her quiltbee on their regular thursday eve. We really had a good time with Yvonne, Yvonne, Mariëlle and Patricia. And of course had a little show-and-tell.

Yvonne lives in a house that was build in 1805. She grew up in this house, and after the death of her parents she came back again.

What makes this house extra special is the Jewish cemetary in the backyard, it dates from 1758.

Geertje, Steventje and Maria .....

..... the three sisters of the Mariahoeve (small farm) in Putten.


What made their life so special. Well their father bought in 1905 some land and build a little farm on it in 1907.

After the death of their parents Maria, Geertje, Steventje and their brother Gerrit run the farm. If you enter the farm, the time hasn't passed since the begin of the 20th century. They worked and lived (till 2003 when the last sister Maria died), as their parents did. They had electricity, and later on a telephone, but no washingmachine, they didn't use any electric except for lamps.

Although their brother had bought them a electric washing machine in the 60s and did all the washing.

After his death in 1973 they never used it again. They were afraid of it. So they did the old way again.

And that was with everything, they did the old way, without machines. There was a vegetable garden, apple trees, some chickens a few cows, pigs and a horse. All day they were working. After the death of Maria in 2003 the farm became a museum. And this museum is as I call a little treasure, really worthwhile visiting it. Marne, Rob, Elaine and I had a great tour!!!!!
Here is a photo impression of our tour.

 For more information:  http://www.mariahoeveputten.nl/

Featherweights at Atelier Bep

My Spakenburger Quilt made of old purple mourning fabrics.

What a lovely sunny sunday we had.

It makes me so happy to meet all the other quilters chatting and sharing quilting.

And what made it very special that I could share it with my friend from Seattle.

You never get bored at Bep, there is so much to see. There is the kitchen with coffee, cake and soup. Her shop in the pig shed. Filled up with fabrics, pattern and other stuff, we quilters, desperately need. And her garden with chairs and tables where you can sit and just quilt.

What else is there to say: Life can be so good!


Here is an photo impresssion of the Featherweight Day.