dollquilt

Yesterday I made the binding around this little dollquilt. It was fun and easy sewing the blocks for this one. Maybe I'll make a big quilt too, some time?


Isn't this sweet! I bought these fabrics last saterday. My sister and me bought the same package. We both gonna make something from this fabric and don't show it to the other until it's finished. I can hardly wait to see what she's gonna make!
I also have a new toy, this easy to make yoyo's thing. And easy it is! The photo is a bit blurred, but believe me, the hearts really look great.

what's in the box?

A few posts back I showed you a box with it's contents, a "work in progress". I don't know if I told you, but I have many, I mean many boxes stuffed with WIP's. So I thought to bring in a new item on this blog called; "what's in the box".
Today box 2.

In it are two little embroidery works on linen. I bought the patterns in a shop in Antwerp (Belgium). A very beautiful shop that we had discovered on one of our shopping days. Sadly, the shop was gone the next time we visited Antwerp!
Full enthusiasm I started stitching until one day this little project wasn't in my head anymore!
Knowing me, I probably started something new, leaving this project in the box, forgotten!


This is the reason why I started this adorable embroidery pattern; the clothesline with all the quilts hanging on it! Isn't it lovely? A nice little cottage, Amish people picking blueberries....



My mother-in-law started to work on this pattern in the same period. I gave it to her as a present. But when she finished it, she gave it back to me so that I could hang the two of them together.
I feel ashamed for the fact that it's ten years (or more?) later and they still are in the box!
So I made a promise to myself, to have this finished and framed in the next month.
Hope I can keep that promise!

Note: I found this link on the internet with the original photo of the blueberry homecoming pattern. I changed the words into an alphabet.

let's quilt!

Just a little update on my last post.
As you can see I'm busy quilting. I like quilting by hand, using a hoop. With a hoop I find it easier to rotate and handle the quilt. Another reason is; my stitches become more even. I quilt a heart pattern in each triangle, I like to keep it simple. Hopefully I can show you a finished result next time I post!



This is what I came home to on friday! My Moo cards... they were waiting for me on the doormat. So cute...don't you just love them!

For I forget.... I have two more new fabrics added to my Kaffe Fassett collection. I particularly like the purple border fabric!
I hope to make a quilt out of my "Fassett's" some time! That's after I've find a nice pattern and my collection is grow out of its box!

playing with scraps

Lately I see so many posts filled with pictures of lovely scrap quilts,
that it inspired me to start making one too! A little quilt.
I use the mile a minute technique. You find a great tutorial here. Only I made a small difference. After I sew all the blocks I cut them in half diagonal. Then I rearranged the triangles in to a nice pattern and sew them togheter. It's a fast and simple way of using scraps.


This is what was left on my cutting table! I'm off now, have to cook some dinner. Otherwise my DH thinks I'm on the computer all day!

new blogger on the block

I'm happy to introduce you to my sister Heleen. She recently started a blog and wrote her very first post today! Her blog is still under construction and she's learning her way around it. It will be a pretty one I'm sure! She always makes such beautiful things. So take a little peek here to check things out and I'm sure she love it when you say hello!

Sorry Heleen... I put you on my blog, now you realy have to work on it!

blog block

Last week was a non creative one. I didn't do any sewing, knitting, stitching, no... nothing at all.
Though I was busy allright! I had my work outside the house, son's birthday, school (which I started last monday) and some household duties. And now I'm stuck here suffering a bit from blogblock. Don't have anything new to share!

So time to take the lid of the box and show you an (very) old w.i.p



It's an embroidery pattern from germany called "der haustierbaum". I think the correct english translation is: the animals tree.





My embroidery work so far....



I use Schürer embroidery floss for this project. The shops don't sell that brand anymore so I use whatever there is left in the box, and that's enough to get my going for some time!



The only thing I have to do is find some time!!

single socks

I'm happy to tell you that my mail is working again!! Miraculous, after four days not getting in my mailbox he decided to open up again!



There are more things in life that are a mystery. For example; single socks!
They come in to your life as a pair. Doing there job by keeping your feet warm.
You are doing your job by washing the socks on time. And then suddenly without any warning... one is missing!
Sometimes they are gone missing for months, unfindable!
After a while when you realized that they are gone forever you finally got the nerve to throw the other ones (you hold on to) away!
And then like a jack-in-the-box the missing socks pop up again!
Leaving you with a familiar problem.... single socks!

From now on I put away all single socks in a special made bag. They stay in there untill the other one shows up and they can be a pair again! So.. no more lonely socks in the landry basket.



The bag is made on a clothes-hanger so I can hang him on the radiator next to my ironing board.
I used the ribbon I found in the triftstore.





some details

No mail today...

I'm writing this post to let you know that my email is not working.
The problems started friday, and after a trillion attempts to fix it, I still can't go in my mailbox!!
I think I have to ask help from a professional. And hopefully then the problem is solved soon.



I have to be patient till then.
So by this post I thank you for your lovely comments and I promise to write a note back to you soon as my email works again!

creative mom

Another week has past...time certainly goes fast!
First a thank you for all the lovely comments I recieved on my last post. For those how asked me to write down the knitted star pattern; I'll think it over. You see the problem is I'm dutch and writing knitting instructies in english???? I don't know all the right words. But when I have a try at it, I let you know and will post it for sure!
I’m still busy knitting, I think I got the knitting virus real bad this time. I'm reading all these wonderful inspirational blogs, it must be contagious!




I knit star points and sew them together. I want to make a blanket out of it, a sort of patchwork blanket from wool. I'm still using soedan wool. My mother has two banana-boxes filled in all kind of colours that I'm free to use. So there's enough to keep me going for a while.
My mother is real enthusiastic about my blogging experiences. When she's at my place she always want to check out my blog and the blogs from others. She herself is a very creative woman, to bad she doesn't know the first thing about computers! Because she sure has lots of creative blogging material! She and her house, that's packed with all kind of books and crafts material keeping me inspired all the time!

These old (1958) Italian patternbooks came from a secondhand bookstore. Mom bought these a few years back and recently gave them to me. I never knew she had them! They are full with great patterns to make dolls and stuffed animals. They are made from felt and fake leather. I'm sureyou can make them in fabric too. I didn't try one out yet but I did found a little handmade doggie that looks just like the one in the book.









The four books above have instructions written in Italian. I can't read italian but the pictures are very clear and understandable.
The book below is written in dutch so maybe its wise to start with a pattern from that book first!




At last....If I ever got tired from all the knitting and wanna do something completely different..... I can always make wine! Maybe not enough for a whole bottle, I'll be satisfied with one glass!

knitted star

A few weeks back when I was doing some shopping I saw a lovely little knitted star. It was because of its bright colours that it strike my eye. I couldn’t decide if I should buy it or not, I already spent enough money that day! Yes… that’s me, can’t shop without buying. I always come home with something, usually things I don’t really need. And my common sense said I didn’t need this star! So I left the shop without buying.
But the star didn’t left my mind! I thought why not give it a try, I know the basics of knitting. So I picked up some wool and knitting needles and got started. Well, I can tell you now, it wasn’t easy at all! It took me a long time before I even had one star point knitted that could get my approval. I was trying over and over again! Did some looking up in the books how to increase and decrease. I thought I knew, But no...ehh, I didn't!
Finally I had the first star point successful finished.
The rest after that was easy and fun.
I can use this star as a pinncushion or make it a hanger.



I used soedan wool and knitting needles size 4.5
It was a long time ago since I used the knitting needles, but it felt good. I'm in for some more knitting!

found it!

Here is a Picture of the doll cradle I was telling you about in this post. I found it at last in a closet on the attic behind all the campinggear.
Sorry for the fact that it's a bit of a blunt shot. I admit.. I'm certainly not the worlds greatest photographer! And I had to shoot the photo with a mobil phone because there wasn't another camera around! That's one thing to put on my wishlist a "digital camera"!
On the cradle lays the finished little checker and stripes quilt.

I also finished the quilt for the August doll quilt challenge this week.


I sew this little quilt on the machine and hand quilted it.


For the back of the quilt I used a french fabric that is printed with birds and flowers.



The pattern is called "crazy nine patch" and it was so much fun to make.
Now that those two projects were done I was searching for something else to do. I could pick up one of my ...... ufo's, but I was in the mood for something new!
I got some inspiration by looking at my small collection of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.



And made this applique tree.



Have a nice weekend everyone!

Calico bag makeover

Underneath this bag hides a simple calico shopping bag.
The kind of bag you sometimes get for free at the store.
They often have names and logo's printed on them. If you don't use those bags anymore than this is a great way to recycle, it's easy and quickly done.



step 1.
unstitch both sides of the bag so that the bag will look like this
(photo below)



step 2.
Sew fabricstrips,lace and ribons on the right side of the open bag so that
the whole surface is covered.



step 3.
Close the bag again by stitching both sides.
Turn the bag and .......



finish!



You see it's so simple as can be !