QUIP day

Saturday was QUiltInPublic day. The organizers in Antwerp had chosen a superb location: Central Station. Under the big glass roof we sat with more than 70 quilters, we patched, quilted, admired, chatted and we had a marvelous day. I fell in love with the cat quilt you can see above, fabricated by Yvonne . She gave me permission to use the cat shape for my own fabrication. So probably you will see some cats come by in the future.
I had a bit of a holiday feeling, all those trains arriving and departing, people with suitcases... The public was for the most part very enthousiastic and admired the work of many of us.
I built houses on the quipday and when I came home in the evening, I still was in the mood and I stitched another one.
It was a long time ago since I had such a good day, felt really happy.
A big thank you for the organizers!

Civil War Love Letter Quilt

A new project on the go!
After endless looking through my books, I decided to start with the Civil War Love Letters Quilt. I will stitch it in red fabrics in all its ranges. Red is my alltime favourite colour and also the colour of love, so what better choice could I make?
The first 4 blocks are made as you can see above.
The next thing is the Civil War Diary quilt. I will make it in blue fabrics.
A third project will be the Farmer's Wife sampler Quilt, made in all kinds of colours.
I will stitch the blocks every now and then, between the other projects, I allways like to be on the go with several things, bored with one, I take another and in the end all get done one day. And there will always be the "need" for a nice fat quarter!

Designwall

This is a picture of my designwall. On my painters easel I have put a large wooden board and covered it with an old blanket, so I can pin things on it.
At the moment there are first of all the scraphouses. As you can see, there is progress. I designed a larger house to put in the middle of the top. It is only partly designed as I got stuck, there is place above the roof that isn't filled in yet. Right of the big house come 3 little houses as on the left part and beneath it come 3 more rows of houses. In the end I will have 52 little houses, one for every week of the year and a big one in the middle.
In the left upper corner, my hexagonflowers are out again, little things to do in the warm weather that is going on now and hopefully for many more days to come.
you van see a little brown thing just beside them, it's an arm for a doll from the Tilda designer. Probably a project over many months.
Kermit and his friends will become Christmastree decorations for my daughter who is a big fan of the Muppets.
In the left lower corner is the beginning of a Dresden plate flower. I purchased a template a while ago and had to try it.
And the notes you see beside it are the final instructions I wrote down for the fishesquilt, a project for the summer holidays.
On another (little) easel is a block of the top we (had to make) made in the patchwork course. Some of my fellow students are part of my monthly workgroup and took it up again to finish it. So I did also, I hope the blocks are finished in September, so I can choose fabric for the border and the back then.
And on another place in the livingroom are my selfedges.
The red blocks are on yet another place, 3 of them are finished now and the fabric for the 4th one is chosen.

Other little things were made also, a little pincushion for one of the teachers of Robbe, while he was stitching it, I made one for myself also, it was such a cutiepie! I'm afraid the picture isn't very sharp though.

A bit of everything

Way too long ago again since I wrote something in this blog!
I have done bits and pieces of everything, designing stuff, reading quiltbooks. And playing way too much on the I-pad!
My scraphouses don't go quick. 12 of them are almost done, I have 4 more envelopes with the fabric sorted, the weeks that I still have to stich. Today is my last day at work and then I have 8 days off, so probably I will have some more houses done.
I finished a second block of my red top, so 10% done. I plan a third one during the next days.
Also in the planning is the fishesquilt, the borders have to be on it and the appliquations have to find its place.
There is also the event in Veldhoven where I want to do a lot of seeing, making pictures and of course, shopping! I already made a list of 'musts' and 'maybes'.
My oldes grandson had his Confirmation last sunday. As you can see he is not a little boy anymore. He has become a fine lad and a big animal lover. As you can see he is big friends with one of their cats, an old and skinny Poessie (which means Kitty) and his Danish dog Jeffke (little? Jeff) He has a hint of colour above his upper lip and his voice is breaking. Now the 'fun'time of puberty can come along. Fortunately I can cuddle his two brothers to death :-)))
We had a family gathering and a lot of fun. Next year it's his brother's turn and also my dad's 80th birthday, more festivities to plan!

Houses and cushions

I've decided to make 52 little houses from scraps, one for each week of the year. I'm busy stitching the 6th this week, so a picture of the 5 already done is at it's place here. I chose the fabric for the sashings and I think it comes out very nice.

My grandsons 'ordered' a cushion for Christmas. They chose the figures from fatcatpatterns. The little one wanted a car as he is mad about them, it had to be yellow as it is his favourite colour. The middle one chose the fabric and the gecko. He already ordered a gecko quilt! And the oldest one is crazy about dinosaurs since he was a little kid, so the chart was chosen quicxkly. They all were very happy with their cushion.

I want to make a quilt for myself in red, my favourite colour. I made the first block, itis in combination with white and black. I'll need to make many more blocks, but it looks so nice that I think that won't be a problem.

Then there is the alphabet. I started it long ago and it had to be ready when the oldest one went to first class. In two years the little one will be in first class, ready to read and write, so my daughter suggested that it would be time to finish it by then :-)

The last picture is from the latest workshop, it will be a map to put blocks in the making and ready made in it. You never can guess what my favourite animal is... The red fabric is a fairy favor from an American Yahoo pal and it is so nice in combination with the catfabric. I will show more of it when it is finished.

Scrap home

Here they are, the first houses from scraps, they are so nice to make and the best part, you can use the tiniest scraps for it!

I want to make some more befor I decide what fabric I want to use for the sashings.

And now, while enduring the stormy weather, I will pick up some scraps and ...

Back again!

Yes, it's too long ago since I blogged, no time (who can sell me a bottle of it?), too tired, a million other reasons...

But I'm back.

I already made a resolution for next year! Jeanneke has come with a challenge. To make a little house of scraps every day. I'm sure to have no time for 366 houses (next year being a leap year), but at least one a month. On the 15th she sent out the chart and I must say, my fingers are itching, I already searched through my scraps!

I did an appliqué course, the first two "homeworks" ar done. I'm rather pleased with them.

I worked on the fishes top for my oldest grandson. The cushion top of a dino is ready to quilt, the cushion top of a gecko is almost ready to quilt and I will have to do another one with a truck. The three of them will have to be ready for Christmas. Fortunately I had some holidays left, so I have the next week off to finish them in time. The fishes quilt has to be ready for the 15th of April, as a gift for my oldest grandsons Holy communion.

I also begged for selvedges with my teacher and did a little stitching with them, such a nice thing to do. There will be more added in the future. And I hope to make some more hexagons too next year.

I will have to start on another quilt, this time for my second grandson, he has his Commuinon in 2013 and he wants a gecko quilt to go along with his cushion. I have the fabric for a Halloween quilt for my daughter, to give her on one of her birthdays in the future. I also have the fabic for a red/white/black quilt for myself. So plenty to do, besides that there are the regular questions for siggies.

Meanwhile, if I don't come back before the 25th: a Merry Christmas to all of you!