Stitchy Fingers

As you may already have noticed I didn't do a lot of needlework related things for the last two weeks. The reason for this were all the preparations for the First Communion of my eldest dear daughter on Saturday 17th of May and everything before and after. It was a bright and sunny day which allowed us to enjoy each other's company and eat and drink in the garden :-). Maybe we spoiled her rotten but we sooo enjoyed it! ;-) A few weeks/months before we went to EuroDisney for three days, she got a new bicycle (little sis needed a bigger size so we asked if she wanted her older sis' bike which was the case so ... our "communion girl" got a new bike) and a Samsung Galaxy slate (or is it tablet ?) because she did well in school and can use this for practice and games :-). The garden party :-) Appetizers and (cold) buffet - look at that little hand (my youngest DD) snatching a small bread Ice-cream cake as dessert and the candy cake she got from her unc...

Yesterday mom and dad paid us a visit and mom showed me some of the stitching she really likes.  She is someone that stitches more on smaller and medium sized thingies than the BAP so I already heard her coming .... "can't you make me this and that ...?" Here's what she likes most: Lanarte - Asian Beauty Let's say that I'll consider it mom (all that on black ... go figure). Not even talking about the ones I like ... Lanarte - Asian Beauty and Oriental Sunset Lanarte - Geisha (in my stash) Before my parents came over, I also did spend some time in my favourite quilt shop in Antwerp to find the perfect sashing fabric for my Dear Jane quilt (and also find me some other colours for the blocks :-). Here's what I came up with: Makower "Small Leaves" used as background fabric for my blocks Makower "Scrolls" for the sashings Both fabrics have the same hues (which you wouldn't say looking at the pictures) and a...

Hi all, As you will know by now I'm obsessed working really hard on the Dear Jane quilt but ... there's still a long way to go. My first love will always be cross stitch and guess what ... via Amarin's site I've found a big cross stitch version (625 x 625 x-stitches) of the Dear Jane quilt for FREE . I've already downloaded and printed the charts :-). Preview of part 1/1 I already knew the versions by Linda Myers (her designs often incorporate houses and quilt blocks in cross stitch form) but this one beats them for sure. Here's a couple of pictures for those not familiar with her works. Quilt Sampler VI - Jane Stickle's Civil War Blocks   Quilt Sampler XIV - Jane's Quilt Garden   and   Garden Gate Quilt V - Neighborhood Quilts Quilt Sampler XIII - A Village Gameboard   and   Quilt Sampler XI - 19th Century Blocks Amish Quilt Show (one of my favourites) A Seasonal Sampling    Beautifull a...

Still hanging on with the Dear Jane quilt. Is it an obsession or something else? I don't know! Can't say that it's always a joy to work on due to the different and almost always challenging blocks but it sure is addictve! ;-) Another three blocks joined the fun which brings my total at 14 finished - out of  a grant total of 225! This sure is a labour of love! ;-) Here they are: (the first red block isn't included in this piccie)   G9 : start, Wednesday 7th of May 2014 - finish, Saturday 10th of May 2014   F8 : start, Saturday 10th of May - finish, Sunday, 11th of May 2014   D7 : start and finish - Sunday 11th of May 2014   And guess what! I started with a new layer of blocks ... red being the central colour! I guess I'll better be start thinking about sashings. If not this one is going to be too tedious to put together = rows and rows of the same wouldn't be mentally very healthy! LOL!

Hello all, Hope you were able to enjoy a long and sunny weekend? For us the first of May is a Bank Holiday and a lot of companies made the bridge to the weekend. For us this meant four days of uninterrupted holidays which we've spent at the Belgian coast. On the cross stitch side nothing happened but on the quilting side I've added another four blocks. It has slowed down a bit because I need to work as well to earn my living - LOL!!! Here they are ... F6 : Start, Saturday 26th of April - finish, Sunday 27th of April 2014   H6 : Start, Monday 29th of April - finish, Thursday 1st of May 2014   I7 : Start, Thursday, 1st of May - finish, Friday 2nd of May 2014 H8 : start, Friday 2nd of May - finish, Sunday 4th of May 2014 I hope I'm not annoying you with all this info and personal data but for me this is also kind of a journal to keep up with the actual making of this - to me - gigantic quilt :-). Updates on my stay at the seashore will follow ;-)...