Caro's blog

The Hague in the snow

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:09:00 +0000

When it's snowing in the Netherlands it's a big chaos on the roads. I think we're not used to snow anymore. If you had to work yesterday, you got a hard time to get there. No buses, no trains, no trams, and a lot of traffic on the roads. But if you having holidays like me, it's lovely to walk with the dog through The Hague and enjoy the snow.

Driving back Home

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:01:00 +0000

It took us about 4 hours to drive 120 miles (200 km) on sunday. Slow and steady. So you can understand that we were very glad when we saw The Hague. MORE PICTURES

Day 2, still snow in Brugge

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:44:00 +0000

MORE PICTURES, It's saturday, still snow and a cold wind blowing. The first thing we did was having an English Breakfast on the "Grote Markt". English breakfast will give you a good base for the morning. So we decided that some exercise would be a good idea. Well if you want some exercise in Brugge, we can advise you the "Belfort". To have stunning views of Brugge, and it was stunning with the snow on the roofs, you only have to climb 366 steps up.

The rest of the morning we spend shopping, we bought a pillow with a cocker spaniel on it (Brugge tapestrian), two ornaments for the hallway, and some other little gifts. Shopping is very fun in Brugge, beside the tourist shops you can find lots of special shops, for an example a dress shop for your dog/cat.

In the afternoon we had a very good time in the Brewery Halve Maan (Half Moon), another 220 steps to climb during the guided tour.

Brugge in the snow

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000

MORE PICTURES

Brugge is a lovely little town in Belgium, so a very good start for our X-mas holiday. And even more suprisingly, we have snow in Belgium and the Netherlands. Yesterday we spend most of our time with just walking through the little streets, eating and of course a quick visit to the quilthshop. Today we have the beerbrewery on our list, ice-sculptures and the Brugge museum.

And of course shopping, choclate and eating!!

Thank you Edda

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:05:00 +0000

I organised a X-mas exchange for the intergroup "Crazy Exchange". And I got this lovely present from my partner Edda. She lives in Iceland. It's very pretty. I'm not good at embroidery at all. So it's wonderful to get those gifts.

I'm really happy with it. The ornament will be hanging in my X-mas tree.

Ronda (she lives in Seattle) was my partner, so I made her a X-mas mailbag with a X-mas pig on it. For some reason she loves X-mas pigs. It will be fun to see her in Seattle in March. Only three months to go.

The mailman or mailwoman...

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:37:00 +0000

has a very busy time here in The Hague with all the swaps/exchanges/gifts that I find on my doormat. This week my parcel (Chookey's Secret Santa Swap 2009) arrived from down under.

Vanessa, she lives in Australia, sent me two lovely X-mas ornaments, and one big gift, that I can't open before X-mas. Very exciting!!!! Still waiting for one more parcel from Iceland. It will be fun at X-mas morning.

Dress makers dummies

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:05:00 +0000

1 for my mum, 1 for my sister and 1 for me, all from the book Tilda's Summertime.

Spanish cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:32:00 +0000

Last friday my mum and I followed an evening class Spanish cooking with Maria in Warnsveld (near Zutphen). We had lots of fun, and a lovely dinner. PICTURES. It was just a small group (only 4 people) so we had to work very hard. We smelled lovely afterwards, because the spanish kitchen uses a lot of garlic. We made: fried broccolli/courgette, stuffed tomato, spanish omelet (tortilla with eggs and potatoes) and french toast with tomato-tapenda. For dessert we had baked bananas with sugar, liquor, and ice-cream. I think I need a balanceweek. Next class will be 29 januar.

This is one of my favorite recipes, very easy, very healthy, very tastefull. I tried it yesterday at home. And I'm not great cook, but even I could do it.

FRENCH TOAST WITH TOMATO TAPENDA

- 1 french bread

- 1 big or 2 small tomato

- 100 gram Serrano ham/bacon (Spanish bacon)

- 3 table-spoons of olive oil

- salt and pepper

- 1 piece of garlic

Cut the french bread in slices of 1 inch (2 cm). Cut the tomatoes and garlic in pieces. Put the olive-oil, salt, pepper, tomatoes and garlic in a bowl. Make a sauce with your blender. (Taste it, to know it's oke). Butter the tapenade on the bread, and on a top a little piece of serrano-ham.

If you want you can first toast the bread in the oven.

Little bottle bag

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:12:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:15:00 +0000

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!!

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:15:00 +0000

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"

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:39:00 +0000

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 ....

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:05:00 +0000

...... 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 ....

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:14:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:45:00 +0000

.... 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

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:19:00 +0000

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 ...

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:09:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:03:00 +0000

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.

Sashiko

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Today I followed a workshop Sashiko by Irene Outshoorn at the Quilterspalet in The Hague. I had a fantastic afternoon, and this really is technique I want to learn more about, and practise more. It's not very complicated, but to make regular stitches, that's not always easy. Sashiko is a japanese quilting/sewing technique. Originally it's white thread on a indigo-blue fabric. It was used to make clothes stronger, or to decorate. Especially in the little villages each family had his own favorite patterns. If you want to read more about it, there is a very good book translated in dutch from Susan Briscoe, it's called Sashiko Handboek / The ultimate Sashiko Source book. Instead of blue indigo fabric, I used a brown japanese fabric.

Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:19:00 +0000

This weekend we're in our little summerhouse, just enjoying autumn and having a birtday party from my mum and dad. Friday, the weather was lovely, so we made long walks through the colouring red woods. Today we got real dutch autumn weather: windy, rainy and cold. Quilting- and party weather.

Fabrics, Cessius, Tilda, bookcover .....

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Friday I finished the baby-quilt for Cessius. Cessius is the baby of our neighbours downstairs, and was born about 8 weeks ago. Because of my whooping cough, we had to wait. I wasn't complete satisfied with the quilt, it needed something, so I put his name on it, to make it very special.

Thursday I found suprise in my mailbox, a big envelop with fabrics from Marne, I think they're lovely to make a country X-mas quilt. I just bought a book today, 301 blocks for X-mas. I'm not sure I will finish it this year : ).

In The Hague http://www.parimar.nl/, you can find cheap quiltbooks here, or order them.

I made some little things the last couple of weeks. One of the things I finished and gave to my friend Yolande is this note-book cover. It's very easy to make, on the blog Abyquilt you can download the pattern.

I was just thinking of a list of all the projects I have to show you from the last couple of weeks. I really was in a kind of Tilda mood. So next week I will show you pictures of my Tilda collection:

- bears

- bath-angel

- angel

- wall hanger

- mailbag

- quilt on the sofa

and my personal favorite the reindeer.

Doll Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:33:00 +0000

Saturday Granny (Rob his grandmother, 83 years old) and I went to the doll-exhibition in Rijswijk. We had a lovely time. She's a dollmaker and she needed a little wig for one for her new projects. I especially liked the doll-houses and furniture. I was really tempted to buy a big Doll-house, but instead I bought this little wooden shop, to make a quiltshop. Granny already started making little roles of fabric. Isn't it cute!!!!!

Little hedgehog

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:27:00 +0000

Even when you're living in the centre of a big city you can be suprised. Walking with Paco through the park "Haagse Bos" we saw this little hedgehog crossing the path, and hiding in the bushes.

Stitchers Angel Swap.... ....

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:37:00 +0000

my parcel travelled 10.809 kilometers (6716 miles)

to finally arrive in Chile.

I always feel relieved when it is safely arrived on her doormat.

My swapfriend Odette has a lovely blog: http://odette-spatch.blogspot.com/

Chandeliers and pajamas bags

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Last year (october) we moved to our new house, we (especially Rob and his oncle) did a lot of DIY, and then it was finished. But no lamp in the living-room. It took us almost a year to find the right lamp. And there, in a very small shop in Putten, I fell in love with this Chandelier.

Oke, the weekend wasn't all about chandeliers. I did some quilting. I worked on my X-mas wall hanger, pictures will follow later, and I made two pajamasbags for my little nieces Esmee (1 year) and Sofie (4 years). Of course in their favorite colour ROSE.

The free pattern you can find on: YOURZOAP (hobby --> werkbeschrijvingen). Yourzoap is lovely little shop in Lelystad with a big collection of Tilda-fabrics. The pattern is in dutch but here are the instructions and sizes in english:

The original sizes are:

55 x inches x 16 inches (A)

55 inches x 8 inches (B)

39 inches of ribbon

55 inches of bias tape

I used the sizes:

55 inches x 18 inches (A)

55 inches x 6 inches (B)

39 inches of ribbon

Instructions

Cut the fabrics, take the smaller piece of fabric (B) and either put bias tape along one of the long edges [to finish that edge smoothly] or use a second piece of fabric to make to make a lining. I personally prefer to use lining.
Then the wrong side of fabric B goes against the right side of fabric (A). Sew some lines through both pieces to make sections in the smaller piece. Fold the whole thing together and sew it up to make a bag. Make a casing to insert the ribbon around the top to close the bag. Good luck.