woensdag 24 augustus 2011

Life and Health.

Hello everyone,

 For me today is a special day, for one year ago at the 24th. of August I was operated for colorectal cancer. And this afternoon I got the results of  this week's bloodtests etc.; they're all good, fine, positive for me!
Great news, the best I could ever wish and hope for.
I feel so blessed and grateful because, apart from serious concern ofcourse, this last year has brought me true love, friendship, help, peace, joy, attention and warmth from family, friends, doctors, nurses and everyone that was or came into my life.
 Neither Hope nor Faith I lost.
To me all that is one big Blessing.


Thanks for your visit, feel free to leave a message. I'd very much appreciate that :>)
  
 Cheers!

maandag 22 augustus 2011

An apple a day and our daily bread

Hi there,
 
 Look at this freshly coloured, juicy apple that covers my bread-bin:
 

For the white part surrounding the apple I used an old linen napkin from my grandmother that was a gift from my sister Jacqueline 
 Handstitched in the ditch, except for the apple shape.
 The butterdish and the sugar-caster are (sweet(ening)) souvenirs from Norway, where I lived for some months in Oslo, when I was so much younger than today. 
I love that country ( Ja, jeg elsker dette landet...) for its nature, language, art and  folklore. And for everything I forget to mention right now :>)

 Sleep well, sweet dreams, till soon.
 
Cheers!

zondag 21 augustus 2011

Stitchings, Sayings and Blessings.

Hello on this lovely Sunday morning!

 Today I'd like to share some pictures with you; pictures from things I enjoy, cherish, that cheer me up or that I feel blessed with:
 So true!
~~~~~~~~~~

And this one......
 ..... isn't it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My kitchen window

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Last week I've been stitching these alphabet pumpkins:
 



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Wishing you a wonderful Sunday.

Almost forgot this one:

 
Cheers!

dinsdag 16 augustus 2011

Old love reviving

Hello dear friends,

Since I was seven or eight years old I made many samplers and other cross stitch works. I loved it and I still do. 
 After I finished the  X-stitched centre block of my Houses quilt my old love revived! 
 Because I am out of quilting spirit for a while I started yesterday evening a new little X-stitch project, another pincushion for my collection, and it is already finished as well :>)


 Isn't it a cuty?
 I saw it on the internet and I think it is awesome.
 In the pumpkin model you can read the alphabet.
Fantastic!
 And I've made myself another cute and special pincushion.
On to the next! More pumpkins to stitch.

Bye for now, thank you for visiting my blog.
 Cheers!

zondag 14 augustus 2011

Grandmother's Sampler

Good evening,
while stitching my thoughts easily go back and around......... to anyone, anyplace, anytime.
That's how I came to 'meet' my grandmother today again.
My grandmother made this sampler when she was only ten or just eleven years old. 


 It has a place of honour on my livingroom wall.
She was called 'Jeanne' and I am named after her.
It is in the genes, I think :>)

A new Sunday's stitch...

Hello visitors of my blog,

Today I added some personal words to the cross stitched centre block of my Homespun Houses quilt
  
 
  
pinned it to the wall amidst the other twenty, to get accustomed to the composition and to think about if, how or what I shall stitch in addition
  

 
This was today's Zondagssteek / Sunday's stitch (news).
 Have a nice evening and a good start of the new week!
Cheers!

 

zaterdag 13 augustus 2011

House number 21

Hello everybody,

 after the twenty patchwork houses I started to make the centre block, house number 21, and I do it in cross stitch, using yarn in colours matching those of the Dutch fabrics I used for the other houses.
Have a look, it's just the first part, but you can get an impression:



After a cup of coffee I'll go on with the stitching, while my darling granddaughter Loni Marije (16 m.) is asleep, staying for the first time with me in my house; just for one night.  I enjoy it so very much!
 Today there was no time for stitching ofcourse, with that little sweetheart around. We had a lovely bikeride this afternoon with Loni Marije sitting in the little bikeseat on the handlebars.
Then I cooked a healthy, lovely meal of carrots, broccoli, potatoes and chicken, with custard and fresh strawberries for dessert.
A quick bath for the little lady and eight little teeth were brushed. After that she was taken to bed and fell asleep almost immediately.... worn-out as she was.
I'm tired, not really worn-out, but I can feel I've got  less energy compared to twenty years ago, when I was running all day with, for and after my children :>)
This was a very joyful day.
 Have a nice weekend, 
 Cheers!



dinsdag 9 augustus 2011

Houses numbers 19 and 20

Hello :>)

And these are the numbers 19 and 20 of my Homespun Houses:



 Their roofs are made from a new chequered fabric, so two of a new kind can be added to  my Homespun Houses Project.
Twenty houses, all different, unique and all made from real Dutch folklore fabrics.

 It was great fun doing the sewing and it is not finished yet!
 I'll keep you updated about the continuing story of The Homespun Houses Project.

 Till soon,
 Cheers!


House number 18

Hello everybody,

 Autumn has arrived, dropping walls of water blowing them forcefully over the country. I do not really like that...
It also brought me a tough cold that makes me feel sick and sad.
 But, it keeps me inside, sewing :>) and enjoying my Homespun Houses Project, which is nearing its final patch and stitch.
Number 18 was finished yesterday:
Maybe a bit tricky, the red and green combi, but in the Zaanstreek, a region in Holland, the (historical) wooden houses are traditionally painted green and in case of tiled roof tiles are (orange)red. This may be an explanation for my tricky yesterday's action.
 There's an old Dutch saying: "Rood met groen is boerenfatsoen", meaning you better don't wear / use green and red together,   I don't care....
This Dutch House deserves a place in my Dutch fabrics Houses Project!
 Time to start sewing the final two houses!
Thanks for stopping by, have a good day.
Cheers!

maandag 8 augustus 2011

zaterdag 6 augustus 2011

House number 15

Hi there,

 the more I sew, the faster it goes, delivering the 15th. House already now:
  
 Did it take half a day to sew the first ones, now I manage to finish the job within three hours. I love the work, sewing by hand, at ease, so relaxing!  But still almost flow production :>)
 Enjoy your weekend.
 Cheers!

House number 14

Good morning,
 
 Yesterday number 14 could be pinned to the wall:
 
 
 Four more houses are waiting, cut and ready-to-be-sewn, to sofar finalise the Zondagssteek Hamlet :>)
project.
 
To keep haberdashery on my sewing table organised I invented this:
 

 
A wooden rotating board. In the middle an egg-stand turned into a scissor-stand:>)

Cheers!
 

donderdag 4 augustus 2011

Houses numbers 12 and 13

H@llo friends!
 
Proudly presenting Houses numbers 12 and 13:
 

 
 Have a nice day, wherever you are and take care.
 
 Cheerio!

woensdag 3 augustus 2011

House number 11

Hello!
 Today House number 11 was delivered:
 Together with the other 10 it already makes a nice wall decoration, I think:
 
 Cheers!

dinsdag 2 augustus 2011

House number 10

Hello everybody,

 House number 10 is a green house, or is it a greenhouse, or a green greenhouse?


 Each Tuesday afternoon my house is opened for a quilting bee, welcoming every busy quilting bee who wants to get or share ideas, joy, lessons, tea, etc.
 At today's quilting bee House number 10 was sewn.

 Have a nice evening and till soon.
 Cheerio!


maandag 1 augustus 2011

House number 9


Hello dear friends,

  the first Homespun Houses nine-patch is completed by this one:


 I pinned them in the wallpaper, creating the nine-patch:


  above the settee, in my and everybody's sight when in or entering the livingroom.
 That makes me feel G :>) :>)D!

 Another little thing I sewed for my granddaughter Nine yesterday (so a real Zondagssteek it is) is a ribbon for a soother, teething-ring or little toy, that can be clicked with the brace clip to a baby's hood or blanket. 


 Today is a lovely, sunny day with nice temperatures, which means the BBQ is on duty tonight in my  backyard!
Enjoy your day, evening and meal.
Thanks for stopping by!
Feel free to leave a message. I'd very much appreciate it.
Till soon
Cheerio.