J o v i t a ' s P a t c h w o r k A t e l i e r

Feeling Your Love

2012-03-06T06:26:00.001-08:00

My goodness, it has been a week. Full of every emotion. We have laughed and cried, sobbed and grinned ... but more than anything we have been filled with love ... and astonishment as emails, cards and comments have poured in from around the world.

From friends and loved ones, from acquaintances, correspondents and from many many people we have never met.

We have never met ... and yet you send your love and thoughts, prayers and hugs ... and we have felt and continue to feel everyone one of them and your arms around us.

We've been knocking around our house ... getting up in the mornings (the hardest part of the day for me), stumbling through the day, staring into nothingness, packing up and sorting - maternity clothes and baby things that need to be stored, returned or passed on, cleaning house and eventually falling into bed (the hardest part of the day for my husband).

We've had each other to lean on and the days are punctuated with many many breaks to hold one another.

Today I woke up with a mission ... to turn this beautiful quilt block into a sachet filled with lavender to store with the knitting I had begun and the yarns I had bought to knit even more for Arne and Saskia.

You see, it was in a card from a friend here. And I thought a sachet would be a useful way to preserve the thought, the quilt block and my knitting.

I was all set ... and then I checked the mailbox.

Full again of more cards, letters ... and quilt blocks. These three came today.

Oh my ... words fail me ...

I can only say Thank You and know that it will never be enough.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers.

Who have taken the time to comment on Facebook or my blog.

Who have shared a special piece of music or a poem.

Who have sent a card.

Who have sat down at your machines or on your sofa to piece a little bit of love into a block for us.

Thank you.

We are feeling your love,

and our words fail ...

They're Waiting for Us

2012-03-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Someday I will share the story of finding the treasure chest ... nearly 15 years ago.

One item from that chest fell into my hands yesterday and opened itself to reveal a poem.

A sweet poem ... full of hope ... that gives us some comfort.

How does the Sun still Rise and Set ~ if the world has stopped turning?

2012-02-28T01:28:00.000-08:00

Today we saw the faces of ourchildren.

they were beautiful

they were perfect

I woke up thismorning

to feel them bothkicking.

Playing games.

they tapped in unison

1 – 2 – 3 – 4

Saskia & Arne

were born Tuesday

28 February 2012

We held them

as long as we could

and then we said

our farewells.

They are in the armsof angels now

keeping watch overus.

This chapter of ourlives has ended

and we don’t knowwhere the story will pick up again.

We don’t know when wewill feel alive again.

Maybe the comingSpring will warm our hearts.

Maybe it will comewith Christmas,

when it’s time tocelebrate the birth

of another Child.

the One that willhelp us through this agony

-------------------------------

I am going to step away from my blog for a while.

I don’t know when we will be able
to pick up the phone again, answer the door.

Do not worry.

I will be back but I will take my time.

The brick and mortar shop will be closed indefinitely
but if I have the strength and ability I will try to release some of my projects
(Nesting and Oma Lena) ... watch for small updates know and then.

Blog posts are likely to be sporadic ... as soon as I can I'll add a few blocks to
Morning Star, Morning Bright and release the border pattern for Got Dots.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Do You Mind if I Knit

2012-02-07T04:57:00.000-08:00

To keep my hands busy but my head quiet in the evenings I have a new hobby ... of course I don't have a "stash" to support this crazy hobby (hmmm, could it be worse than quilting?) but I have been pinning loads of project ideas.

So yesterday I went with my iPad in hand to Stoffenidee in Gent ... and came home with this ...

We're still not 100% about the babies' sexes although I think it's safe to say we're not having two boys. Shopping when you don't know can be very interesting ... here in Belgium the neutral is beige, blech - lots of beige.

So I'm trying to cover myself in the case of all contingencies. Friday another scan is scheduled so hopefully we'll know more and I will stop the incessant worrying - or does that ever go away? Tomorrow we're HALF WAY - 20 Weeks already. I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and say "ha, wake up, you were dreaming."

I don't have anything to show for all my yarn yet but you can get an idea of what I I have in mind here on Pinterest. Have I mentioned lately that I am addicted to Pinterest? ... oh yeh, and Chai :)

So now I have a weird question - do you think it would be weird to add yarn to my baby wish list? We already have oodles and oodles of baby clothes and are now saving up for the big ticket items like a stroller and carseats, cloth diapers and the perfect rocking chair. And I've gone a little weird and added a few of my favorite holiday cartoons to our Amazon wish list - but is it even weirder to ask for yarn?

There are sooo many things I want to make ...

By the way if you're a user, you can find me here.

One Cold & Snowy Saturday Morning

2012-02-04T04:48:00.000-08:00

The shop is open but it snowed yesterday ... there's enough traffic out there but I'm not expecting visitors - Belgian quilters just don't like to go out in the snow. But that's ok, I have a rotten cold and I'd rather not share it with anyone. I still got up this morning after a "reasonable" nights sleep, showered, dressed and opened the shop at 10 - just in case. Then I flipped the switch that turns on my sewing machine, desk lamp and iron and sat down ...

Three hours later I had this!

Well, three hours minus plenty of stops to eat a bowl of warm soup, blow my nose countless times and let the cats in and out and in and out. The dog? Oh, she'll gladly just stay in and curl up next to my new pellet stove ... or rest her nose on my lap looking at my with those sad eyes saying "are you sure you don't want to come out and play in the snow with me?"

Did I mention it's a balmy -9C / 16F out there! Hey, it's improving ... we woke up to -11C!!

I'll stay in, thank you, and play ...

Now, if this static would just go.a.way! I was cutting the squares yesterday to get started ... and having to peel them off my cutting mat.

The little strips from squaring up, instead of falling into the waste bin like I wanted jumped and stuck to the walls. That is - the ones that I didn't have to shake off my hands first! UGH!!

I'm going to take a break now and go whip up a batch of cookies for the hubby ... he's working this weekend. It's football (soccer) season so they're working 12 days straight loading trucks to head out to venues for finals. I thought he might want a nice cuppa tea when he comes home ... now if I could just decide what kind to make - any ideas??

Enjoy your weekend, Jovita

When your JOB is what you LOVE to do ...

2012-02-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

... it's hard to take a break.

I love quilting, quilting is my job. So I often find it hard to take time out and not think about a project that needs more work or a design for a new quilt. Wonderful color combos? I see them everywhere? New ideas are endless. Controlling the urge to start a new project - almost pointless. And don't even get me started with Pinterest ... just what an over active mind needs (not!) ... a place to see what everyone else things is wonderful.

Add to this wonderful mix the fact that I am pregnant ... don't get me wrong - I am completely over the moon. Today I am celebrating the beginning of week 19! After years of disappointments I am still waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me it's all a dream.

So this pregnant thing is adding a dimension to my quilting that I hadn't expected ... more excuses! Why I need to do this or shouldn't do that or can't (won't) have do another and even worse I don't have time. Being tired and having to alter clothes are one of those excuses.

Which explains the need to "relax" ... just take it easy ... when a couple of weeks ago I needed to reward myself for finishing two quarters of tax filings for our two businesses. Nevermind that the house needed cleaning and there was plenty of "work" to do ... it was the weekend. And I was too tired to knit - my new "hobby."

I needed instant gratification. NO math, limited color choices and basic skills required. I had been fighting the urge to start yet another project ... but I caved. And I'm glad I did. This is MY project. I don't have to think, I don't have to plan I can just grab the pattern and go ... well almost.

Enter the "Just Takes 2" block of the month quilt along hosted by Gay Bomers and Brenda Papadakis.

You can read more about it here, but the premise is two make a two color quilt using traditional patterns as seen in the Infinite Variety exhibition shown last summer at the American Folk Art Museum in New York. If you missed it (like I did) there is a very interesting (and free) iPad app ... I am still oogling these quilts!

But I have other plans for a red and white quilt so went down a different route when I began considering doing this BOM. Tangerine and Snow! Wow, huh? It's a real zinger. Then I remembered an amazing stripe I have from years ago - nearly an entire bolt. I had always pictured it in a young boys room but hadn't found THE quilt. So there you go ... I'll plug away at a quilt hoping that one day it will go in a little boys room with curtains of the same stripe.

But true to style I am making changes again ... reversing the values, leaving out blocks I don't like, substituting blocks I think make more sense because I'm not going to do the optional "redwork" embroidery, etc.These are the blocks I've made so far ...

1. JT2-A, 2. JT2-3, 3. JT2-4, 4. JT2-5, 5. JT2-2, 6. JT2-8, 7. JT2-7, 8. JT2-9, 9. JT2-11

And the next installment was just released. Luckily although slightly disappointing it's only two blocks. But I'm off to print and plan until hubby comes home.

Unfortunately stitching will have to wait as we have a *house job* tonight.

Our very mild winter finally succumbed to those Siberian winds and our temps plummeted ...

to -7C / 19F last night ... leaving our bath tub and sink drain frozen solid.

Camaraderie and Quilting

2012-02-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a fabulous way to end the month of January and celebrate a whole pile of friendship. Fourteen ladies trickled into the shop yesterday for the first Patchwork & Quilting BEE of the year.

We laughed and stitched the entire day away.

I even managed to snap a few pictures.

Stunning isn't it? The combination of Silk and Kaffe Fasset never disappoints!

You might recognize this! Antoinette did a lovely job of interpreting my free pattern.

Eveline is busy with our original Oma Lena BOM ... aren't her colors fascinating?

Bernadette had a new project with her today ... I can't wait to see what comes next ...

Proof that the sun was shining and they were still able to concentrate and chat and nibble.

All in all I couldn't have asked for a better way to kick of a year of quilting bees. Sad to see that the month of January is already over but excited about February - we're celebrating two years of the shop in Kalken! Stay tuned - that means a sale and special events!

{Tutorial} Morning Star Block 1

2012-01-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

This is a picture heavy post .. lots of pictures showing you

how I pieced and pressed this block.

I know I promised to have this to you last week but those taxes HAD to be done ... I finally finished them last night ... phase one at least. There's another filing due but I'm rewarding myself this week and do "my thing" and will take the next batch next week - fair enough right?

So here it is ... my step by step for sewing the first block of Morning Star, Morning Bright - the basic "Morning Star."

You'll start with cutting all your pieces:

Background:
   A  FOUR 3-1/2" squares
   B  FOUR 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles

Star:
   C  EIGHT 3-1/2" squares

Center:
   D  ONE 6-1/2" square

On the wrong side of all C squares, draw a line diagonally from corner to corner. I use a regular sharp or mechanical pencil. One good tip is to lay the square on a piece of fine sand paper so things don't scootch around. To preserve the markings on your ruler, apply one layer of clear packing tape and then trim around the ruler. Replace as necessary.

Now you're ready to make the flying geese units for the block - you'll need four using pieces B and C.

Referring to the handout provided with the block directions (click here) you'll place one C square even with three edges of a B rectangle and sew directly on the drawn line. Press and check before trimming - be sure to allow that 1/4" seam allowance.

Your seam allowance will be pressed toward the corner of the flying goose (see illustration on the left) and if you sew those "waste" triangles together you won't lose them because we can use them later. Repeat with the opposite corner ... and you'll have a flying goose plus two "wasteful" half-square triangle units.

If you make a bunch of blocks you can end up with a pile of half-square triangle units. Some might accidentally be even just a tad funny.

Ok, I'm getting just a tad distracted here ...

Once you have your flying geese units, you are ready to sew the block together in rows.

Press all seam allowances away from the geese.

Then you can sew those rows together into a complete block.

Wait!

Are you wondering

how I pressed those "they were too bulky" and now they're "funny looking" seams?

Here's a closeup.

First I work on the back side as I open and twist the seam at the same time and press just that corner with the iron.

I try to keep the "open" part of the seam as short as possible because I really AM . NOT . A . FAN of pressing seems open.

Then I flip the block over and press the rest of the seam from the right side. And yes, I always press from the right side so that I am sure my seams are completely pressed to the side.

So there you have it. A completed Morning Star block. Did I miss anything? Don't hesitate to tell me and I'll do my best to explain it further. In the meantime I'm off to get block two ready for you!

Happy sewing one and all and to all a wonderful flight! xox J

Make Mine a Double Please!

2012-01-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

Oh, it will feel so good to get caught up. There are some very niggling niggling things on my list that are driving me crazy ... but when you take off as much time as I did and just "hang out on the sofa" (doctor's orders) well, then some things are just likely to slide, right?

Well one thing I got right last week was to get my block designed, sewn and the instructions written for Konda's Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along which debuted today at Moose on the Porch. And guess what? Yep, it works perfectly with our very own Morning Star, Morning Bright Block of the Month. So you really should scoot on over there and check it out. You might not be ready to make the block but you can print out the pattern and put it in your Morning Star, Morning Bright BOM folder.

Oh, and while you're there check out Block One designed by Konda herself ... it fits right into our theme too!

I did work very hard today on getting the tutorial done for Block One of Morning Star, Morning Bright but not quite hard enough to meet the deadline (ie. my hubby coming home and wanting dinner ... me too - I'm starving!) But I did take a bunch of pictures, so here's a sneak peak and I promise to give you all the details tomorrow.

So I'm off to the kitchen ... fresh salmon and sautéed brussel sprouts with cashew nuts tonight - I'm on a serious fish kick right now! Yummmmeeeee!!!

Quilt Happenings - a weekend update

2012-01-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a great way to spend a Saturday. My darling husband chauffeured me to a sweet little quilt shop in Brielle, Netherlands. 't Atelier Quiltgebeuren had invited me to their Bloggerday to show my GOT DOTS quilt and demonstrate how I make my even little dots. Little did I know what a wonderful adventure it would be ...

L-R: Heidi, Ingeborg & her daughter.

Sweet, sweet shop! 't Atelier Quiltgebeuren

The shop is owned by mother and daughter-in-law team Willy and Janine. A lovely pair of amazing ladies ... I coulda shoulda taken more pictures but I was much to busy "babbeling" (nattering) with the their customers and a number of new-to-me friends. Janine blogs regularly so you should stop by and check out her beautiful work. She also offers a long-arm quilting service through the shop.

One of the first ladies to greet me was Heidi ... haha, Heidi ... seriously if I could convey the feeling I have every time I think about the weekend. We laughed, compared coasts, threw some punches - literally and laughed some more. It turns out Heidi is from New York ... most of you know I'm from Seattle ... the other ladies got a bit of a kick out of our (feigned) rivalry. Heidi blogs too Between Stitches ... her weekend report is here.

Also on hand was Jeanneke of Building Houses from Scraps fame. I'm sure I caught a few flies (or a couple of handfuls) when she said she's only been quilting 4-5 years! Pop over here and scroll down to the first pic - those are her quilts! Ok, I really must photograph all my finished quilts .. surely I have more than the five I manage to count when everyone asks me how many, how long, etc.

Els was lovely, snapping a funny pic of Heidi and I and writing a sweet description of us. Sadly it's in Nederlands but try google translator ... you'll probably still get the gist. AND she's got some fabulous pictures of the shop and classroom - yep, all those I didn't take.

Els' caption made me giggle "Hey Apple, what's up Seattle?"
Oh, and those quilts behind us are all from Jeanneke!

But I'm hoping to go back ... they're already talking about a visit to Kalken. I'm looking forward to another wonderful exchange of ideas and friendship.

So here's a recap of links you should definitely check out!

Janine's Stitches

Heidi - Between Stitches

Els' Blog

Jeanneke

There were so many wonderful ladies ... I wish I could have met them all personally and chatted longer but there was so much to see! >> If any of you were there and you have a blog .. be sure to let me know I'd be very happy to link you in!

Ingeborg - Quiltswaen

As for me and my babes ... we slept like logs last night to make up for the 4 hours we managed the night before. So today I have the energy of a hundred. First up - taxes. Then the tutorial for Block 1 of our new Morning Star, Morning Bright Block of the Month.

BLOCK ONE of Morning Star, Morning Bright

2012-01-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

We're going to start off basic ... it's a simple 12" Morning Star block.

Every block we make in this quilt is based on this basic Morning Star which includes Flying Geese units. For this block I'm going to suggest the Quick 45° Angle Method (a handout is below) because you'll be able to use the leftover triangles later ... think of it as being one step ahead of the game.

You'll Need:

Background:
   A  FOUR 3-1/2" squares
   B  FOUR 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles

Star:
   C  EIGHT 3-1/2" squares

Center:
   D  ONE 6-1/2" square

Use pieces B and C and the Quick 45° Angle Method hand-out below to make FOUR flying geese units. Then you're ready to assemble your block.

I know some of you are very proficient in your quilting and others need a bit of help. I'm running out of time today but absolutely wanted to post this ... so on Monday I'll post a tutorial of the block ... with a picture of the back of my block so you can see how I press my seams.

Tomorrow we're off to the Netherlands to the Quiltgebeuren to share my GOT DOTS quilt! I am so excited ... the owner asked for my permission to have a group of ladies meet up in her shop to work on my quilt together and a bunch of them are coming too. I am sure it will be a day full of chatter, show and tell and lots inspiration. I promise to take pics and will tell you all about it on Monday!

NEW QUILT BLOCK of the MONTHMorning Star, Morning Bright

2012-01-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

I haven't been sleeping well lately ... one of those crazy prego things that I'm just learning to deal with ... I crash and then am suddenly awake in the wee hours ... hence the name of a new Quilt Along!

So ... does this intrigue?

The block on the right is Block 1 from the Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along by Moose on the Porch Quilts. The other two are just two of many many many for the Morning Star, Morning Bright Quilt Along.

This all started because right around the time I signed up to design a block for Konda's Fat Quart Quilt Along we found out I was pregnant ... and boy, oh boy, the combination of the two. New ideas, hormones, stars, new ideas, more hormones - you get the picture right ? ... I couldn't sleep! So I got up and sketched about 20 different stars. But she only needed one ... eleven other designers were taking care of the rest.

But now my brain was abuzz and I couldn't stop so I thought why not? Let's do a Quilt Along here ... no major rules, a bit of unknown but fun fun fun ... are you in?

Here's what I know so far ...

ALL the blocks will finish 12" square (many of you know that's HUGE for me but trust me .. it's going to work AND be gorgeous!)
All the stars represented are variations of the "Morning Star" - that block you see in the middle
It takes 54 blocks to make a twin quilt with no sashing or borders, 72 for a queen and 90 for a king.
I will be posting at least one block or variation every single month. I promise. Sometimes there will be more!
It will be fun

What I don't know ...

Exactly how much fabric we will need ... I started with a pile of reds and whites then threw in a few blacks and I'll see how far it takes me. I'm guessing though that if you had 3 yards of one color group and 3 of another you'd get pretty darn far.
If you want a button to go on your blog? Yes? No? ... let me know!

So ... tomorrow I'll share the cutting directions for that great big gorgeous block in the middle and you should mark your calendar for January 17th to check out Konda's Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along at Moose on the Porch Quilts because the block I designed for her works perfectly here too!

And then start throwing questions at me ... what else do you need to know?

The Big Secret Project(s)

2011-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well I can finally share more ... it's taken me awhile to get this far. First an unexpected surgery then weeks and weeks of bed rest. But I put all that time in hospital and at home to good use.

Remember those 1200 hexagons I planned to take to Seattle with me? Well, since we had to cancel our trip I never bothered with the bag I planned to make. Just as well because it would have been waaaay to small. Instead I tossed them in one of my Longaberger baskets, gave them a good shake to mix them up and propped it up on the back of the sofa.

Before you know it one was sewn to the other and another and another. Until I had "blocks" of 25 ... in fact I've made 20 blocks of 25 already! So 500 of 1200 are sewn together and I'm not losing steam. I'm telling you these things are addictive.

It helps that I couldn't do anything else ... at least not flat on my back. Knitting and crochet were impossible. Applique and traditional piecing were pretty difficult too.

But hexagons? Oh yeh, bring them on!

A few weeks ago the doctor said I could get up and about more but that only lasted a week before he sent me back to the sofa again.

But ... Tuesday ... he gave me the all clear. So I really feel like I can share the progress on the biggest project of my life!

We're pregnant ... with twins ... due in June

and we couldn't be any happier.

We've spent a lot of time wandering and tiptoeing and cartwheeling through the clouds lately. Can it be? Is it true? Well yes! Those ultrasounds don't lie. Instead of blobs with heartbeats (which is as far as we've gotten in the past) we have two little beings bouncing around inside me! Each with a heart beating strongly, two waving arms and two kicking legs and more! It all seems so unreal.

So as you can imagine we are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with big smiles this year! I've managed to do a little bit of baking and tomorrow we'll go have tea and cookies with my old quilting gang from Mülheim. Then we're spending Christmas Eve with Axel's parents, his aunt, cousins (two) and their children (four). The traditional meal is fondue - one pot of cheese and two pots of broth for meats with lots of condiments and great crusty bread. Everyone brings a salad ... this year we're contributing Carrot & Raisin salad .. my lastest love (or is it a craving?).

So I wish you all a wonderful wonderful Christmas and the very happiest of New Years! May the sewing, quilting and crafting elves visit you in their sleep and sprinkle you with magic dust.

xox Jovita

Absent but Not Idle

2011-12-20T05:17:00.001-08:00

Twelve hundred 3/4" hexagons, a photo by Jovita's Patchwork Atelier on Flickr.

You might not have heard from me for awhile but I assure you there are good reasons - which I'm hoping to share soon.

In addition to preparing for the holidays I've kept my hands busy assembling hexies.

Of the 1200 that I basted I've sewn nearly 500 into "blocks" of 25 each. Can't wait to show more .. stay tuned.

And if I don't make it back before Christmas, I wish you and yours the very best.

Tons of love and happy stitching, Jovita

Crazy Christmas - FREE PATTERN

2011-12-08T01:40:00.001-08:00

I can't tell you how excited I am about Christmas this year! I promise I'll share more soon but it's been busy and hectic and all for the very right reasons.

Yesterday I was teaching an ongoing Crazy Class .. Antoinette's theme is Christmas and she had a rectangular space she needed to fill. Yeh, dumb .. I didn't take pictures but I promise to next time I see her.

Well we looked at her quilt for awhile and then decided she needed a sleigh. So I sat down and drew one.

She was tickled, I loved the 5 minutes it took to draw and we both thought you might enjoy it too.

Antoinette plans to applique the body of the sleigh and the presents, the runners and decoration will be embroidered with 6-strand floss and the bows on the packages might be silk ribbon embroidery. But you could do anything you want. If I had the time I was thinking simple redwork .. how about you? If you stitch it, I'd love to see it. Please email me a picture, link to your blog or post it in our Flickr group.

So this will print out at ... I don't know ... whatever size. But you are welcome to enlarge or reduce it to fit your needs.

~ here's a very quick tip to enlarge or reduce any design ~

Measure the design you have. Then determine the size you want. Use the length or height ... it doesn't matter. Then take what you WANT and divide by what you HAVE. So if this sleigh currently measures 10" long and you want it to be 6" you'd divide 6 by 10 and get .60 which converts to 60%. Yep, that's the number you plug into your copy machine. It works the same for enlarging .. you want it bigger, let's say 12". Well then 12 divided by 10 is 1.2 which converts to 120%. Voila!

So I was here and now I'm gone .. more soon. xox Jovita

Sneak Peaks

2011-11-17T11:35:00.001-08:00

I have been shamefully AWOL. There's been a lot going on and honestly you'd be bored with all the details.

Let's just say IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PARIS!!! You see, I turned 40 and next to flying to the East Coast for the changing of the seasons I wanted to go spend just one night in Paris and hit a really good flea market on the morning of my birthday. But I postponed .. for practical reasons .. fall is always busy getting a new class schedule ready, tidying the garden and this year planning two harvest parties - one is definitely worth a post of its own. I'll at least try to share some photos later.

Plus we were scheduled to fly to Seattle on November 2nd for two weeks. It's been 2-1/2 years since I left and the pull of some wonderful friendships had me. We bought tickets and then cancelled. It just wasn't meant to be - not yet.

But a friend from here is there now and she's agreed to bring back a pile of quilts for me. Pretty cool, huh? I left three of them with long-arm machine quilters when I moved to Belgium 2-1/2 years ago and my mom has a queen size one for me. Right now we just don't know when our next trip will be and I don't trust most shipping options for quilts so it's so nice to have the option of someone I trust - thank you so much Leah.

And Liz for whipping around yesterday and picking them all up for me - you're a star. She even took pictures for me. She knows I'm dying to seeing and this gives me record if they do for any reason ... No!, it doesn't even bear thinking about.

Here are a few peeks ... they all need binding so I know what I'll be up to over the holiday break.

Small disclaimer: this is the first time I've blogged from my iPad so I hope the pic qualities are ok and that I caught all the crazy typos.

Seamweaver

2011-10-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Liz is jumping on the wagon and posting on her blog more often. She started it off sort of as a personal account but .. well, you know how it goes .. who doesn't like a little more feedback, inspiration and prodding?

Lucky for me, I met Liz a few years ago when I had my shop in Mukilteo but unluckily we were only able to spend a short time together before I moved to Belgium. The wonderful thing is that the thousands miles and time zone difference has done nothing to diminish our friendship. We keep in touch primarily by texting via skype .. several times a week .. she's always there for a quick question, a pick me up, a very good laugh and tons of inspiration.

So I hope you'll hop over and tell her you'd like to see more of her projects!

Liz is an amazing seamstress and just finished her daughter's absolutely drop dead gorgeous wedding dress - I almost posted a pic .. but then .. hey what would she blog about (insert Very Big Cheeky Grin here).

Liz and I did a swap last winter that I loved .. so much fun. We've got another in the works but the deadline isn't important anymore - two weddings in one summer is a good enough excuse for me ;)

She's also one of the girls Under the Willow Tree so I'm hoping I can get her to post there a time or two too. The summer meant we were all very busy but now that prime quilting season is upon us I am sure you'll see a lot more activity from everyone.Which leads me to another thought ... I've noticed that quite a few of my customers from Mukilteo have blogs of their own. Are you one of them? Would you like to link up somehow? I thought it might be fun. Many of you met each other in the shop but don't or haven't had contact since our sweet little shop closed. Hmmm, maybe an idea for my birthday post .. a big huge party! Stay tuned!

Oh October

2011-10-01T11:31:00.001-07:00

You're here already ...

October is my favorite month! More life-changing events have taken place in October than any other month. Fitting, really, since my birthday is in October.

And this one is especially momentous .. I am turning 40!!! Not a big deal really, just always fun to celebrate those big even ones. Forty doesn't bug or scare me but I had hoped to celebrate in some special way. Maybe not after all .. it's a long story.

But it's going to be a busy month ... hang on and get ready for a great ride!

I managed to ring in the new month with a half hour of sewing tonight.

Konda's Star, a photo by Jovita's Patchwork Atelier on Flickr.

The pattern is Block 1 from the Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along by Moose on the Porch Quilts.

I reversed the light and dark, left the medium in the same place. Love the red background and alternating (ooops) B&W points. Not so excited about the kind of smudgy looking star in the middle.

The ooops is because I realized *just* in time that I only had 7 of the black and white floral pieces so quickly grabbed the polka dot to use for 4 of them. It's quirky but I think gives it great personality.

The Quilt Along Starts Today

2011-09-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Oh my, is it really the end of September? ... I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Moose on the Porch Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along started today!

Isn't Konda's block lovely?

Click here to jump on over and get her directions. I hope you'll join us .. I can hardly wait to whip out my block tomorrow - they're 12" so should piece up fast. Now if only I could choose colors quickly! That's a hard one for me. I noticed today that nearly all my quilts can be divided into two stacks. Either PURPLE / BLUE or BRIGHT MELONY colors. Yikes, huh? Time I changed that!

Stay tuned .. we already have the schedule and my block in this quilt along is schedule to debut January 17, 2012 .. wow, that sounds far away. But I promise it will come sooner that you and I expect.

By the way, I would love your ideas for the "door" prize I should give away ... leave me a comment and let me know what you would most like to win from me please.

Jane in Rainbow effect ..

2011-09-20T09:28:00.001-07:00

Jane in Rainbow effect .., a photo by Jovita's Patchwork Atelier on Flickr.

Sorry about the tease ... to appease, here's a peak at all my finished blocks .. another six are at various stages of incompletion.

Carnival (Kermis) Brights!

2011-09-20T09:07:00.001-07:00

ooops .. you'll find this post over Under the Willow Tree.

Don't Miss Out

2011-08-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Some of you might not know that I blog Under the Willow Tree with a bunch of friends around the world.

It's been quiet over the summer but I just shared some fun and new things. You'll definitely want to stop by if you're looking for just the right take-along project as kids return to school and sports schedules resume .. or for your own lunchbreaks and waits and doctor's appointments. Or even, for just those few minutes you snatch for yourself each evening. Just be sure to stop by and check it out!

The Tense and Waiting Game

2011-08-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

the waiting game, a photo by Jovita's Patchwork Atelier on Flickr.

I saw this and knew I needed one too. It was harder than I thought but I'm glad I persevered.

It would have helped if the pattern correction had been included with the kit .. instead of me fighting with at 3am during a sleepless night.

I'm hoping it will dry by tomorrow so I can take it along to a friend's 50th birthday bash (outside) ... the evening will likely be cold because ...

it's autumn here ... although you won't find me complaining. It means I can dip into my shawls and sweaters and starting making random piles of pumpkins. Bought some today! Everything feels early. I snapped this picture after my purchase today.

Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to be one of the designers for the Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along hosted by Konda of Moose on the Porch Quilts.

Starting September 27th, every other TUESDAY, instructions for a new 12" block will be posted at Moose on the Porch Quilts. All of the blocks will be star blocks made from fat quarters and some background yardage. Every two weeks there will be a guest blogger at Moose on the Porch Quilts introducing himself or herself and his/her block. At the end you will have made a fun quilt 65" x 84" (or 74" x 93").

I was also a designer for Konda's Layer Cake Quilt Along. You can see the block I designed here.

I hope you join us! It's sure to be a dazzling show of wonderful star themed blocks.

I {heart} Gent

2011-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Axel and I spent the afternoon in Gent on Saturday. It's terrible, really, to admit that in all the years we've been together we haven't taken much time out to just explore and relax. Our staycation this summer really reminded us to do this more often. So we made dinner plans in Gent to celebrate our anniversary and went into town hours early to "browse."

Click on the photo to see more pictures of our day out in Gent.

It was busy and very hot so headed to the underground carpark at KOUTER, when we popped up out of the parking lot onto the market we found a wonderful international market going on. Stalls from all over Europe .. I bought this lovely coinpurse from a man who was selling all kinds of leather goods made by his family in Hungary.

Then we headed toward the GRASLEI, we didn't really have anything in particular in mind .. except ending at the restaurant for our reservation at 6:30. But then we remembered that I wanted to hold an iPad 2, we've been talking about getting one but didn't want to take the plunge until I had at least had one in my hands. SOLD! I can hardly wait, even though I know it will disappear with Axel when he goes on tour for two weeks the end of September.

Still heading into the center of town, we stopped in at one of my favorite shops: Dille & Kamille. Even Axel doesn't get bored in here .. it's full of all kinds of great kitchenwares, garden items, children's toys and more.
We bought ourselves the perfect anniversary gift .. a ravioli form!

After that we just kind of wandered here and there following our feet through the crowds - it was really busy! The best times were went we wandered down the empty streets without any aim, but darn there, we forgot to take pictures.

We even found an English bookstore with lots of old hardbacks including Pollyanna of the Orange Blossoms and a couple of other historical reads for me.

Oh yeh, I wanted to run into the yarn/fabric shop. I had no idea Stoffenidee had moved (two years ago!), but the new shop owner was very very friendly and pointed us in the right direction. I swear I have the most patient husband. Off on a jaunt, past Gravensteen, a bit further and yep - there it was! I love their new location and they were soooo much more friendly this time. Is it because I speak Nederlands now? Although, when stuck they were happy to switch to English and then back to Nederlands when we figured it out again. Came out with a sweet bag full of yarn for this project and an impulse buy of yarn and whoppen needles for the simplest shrug or "teapot warmer" as my friend Janice would say.

There's more fun girly stuff to share, but this post is already getting long and I've probably bored you so I'll do another tomorrow and show my LACE PURCHASE .. it's to die for!

We ended the evening at the Raj along the Kraanlei. We sat outside, the weather was amazing, the service great but the food sadly wasn't much to write home about.

14 years and counting

2011-08-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Axel and I are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary today. Geez, it's hard to believe it was so long ago.

We have some fun and funnier as well as some hot and hotter (weather-wise) memories of the day. We did it smart, a very tiny celebration - just 10 of us including the priest and our friends' baby but complete with a hand-made wedding dress and vests for all the boys. It was very relaxed .. oops, I might not have done my hair (which you wouldn't know since I was wearing my mom's wedding hat) and well, my fingers might have been green - from putting together impromptu bouquets just minutes before getting dressed. I'd only change one thing if I could and that is to have better pictures .. but maybe not .. maybe the memories are better. I'd love to show you another pic or two but I've yet to find the negatives and scan them. Maybe for our 15th.

In the meantime, we've packed a lot into these fourteen years, plus the two years we dated before that.

We met in Seattle, moved to England, moved back to the US and at the same time rented an apartment in Germany (because that was cheaper than a storage unit in England plus gave us a place to stay when we came to visit his family and for me when he went on tour). Five years ago we made the final leap back to Europe and made Belgium our home.

When I met Axel I was a twenty-something office worker who still hadn't decided what she wanted to do. I've worked as an office manager (several times), in my share of temp jobs, as a nanny, in a fabric store here and there and taught more quilting classes than I can count. Now I'm a stay-at-home business owner with more ideas than I have time to create.

Axel had left his job as a university lecturer to work in tourism for a friend in Seattle, he went back to lecturing for a while when we returned to the UK. He drove buses and has continued to be one of the darned bestest tour driver/guides to hit the road in Europe - just ask his customers. Now he's working for the football (soccer) industry - who would have thought?

We've been through some tough years .. some *really* tough years .. but if I had one bit of advice to any newlyweds out there - I'd tell them that the best comes after the worse.

I take you, for my awful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life, until death do us part.

We have really struggled through it all - through sickness and financial hardships and more ... but the best really does come later, much later - with a lot of work and compromise.

And to celebrate I'm cooking home a yummy dinner for tonight. From our garden tomatos who have also gone from better to worse and right now I'm hoping they'll turn out best .. I'll share more tomorrow in the little grey cookbook.

Saturday celebrate in full style with a stroll through Gent ending with an Indian meal - we're both looking forward to that - cross your fingers that the weather plays ball.

Custom Fabric

2011-08-17T03:49:00.001-07:00

a few pieces for my hexagon quilt, a photo by Jovita's Patchwork Atelier on Flickr.

In the course of working on my latest hexagon project I began wishing for motives and textures I couldn't find in my stash.

Axel and I want some specific things in this quilt so we made a list and I went on a hunt for images: bicycles, watches, moose, steam trains were on Axel's list. Most of what I want I had in my stash (funny that, huh) but I fell in love with this butterfly.

Our initials in bold red will look great with the poppy theme fabric. And the 18p stamp .. well we were married on the 18th of August in West Drayton, England.

Ordered an 8" x 8" swatch of this from Spoonflower today. It's supposed to take 6-7 days to ship. I can hardly wait to feel it - I've heard good things.

If you could print your own fabric, what would it be?

Ok, back to work! Me, not you .. enjoy the browse and happy stitching as always.

xox J

Jekyll & Hyde

2011-08-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

The two latest projects in my sewing basket. One started as a class sample, the other because a pile of fabric was screaming at me. Sometimes I wonder about my split personality .. do you have a "style" .. or do you wander out and about and every quilt has a unique look?

Both of these projects are likely to end up on a bed some day ... one for our bedroom, one for the guest room. Which one would you rather sleep under?

And both are sewn by hand. The smaller one uses the English Paper Piecing technique, the brights are traditionally hand pieced.

BOTH feed my addiction to hexagons. Off to the sofa for a quiet evening of stitching after *another* rough night of sleep. Geez, when will this end?

You can see more of my addiction to hexagons here.

fueling my addiction to hexagons

2011-08-07T10:20:00.001-07:00

more hexies, a photo by Jovita's Patchwork Atelier on Flickr.

when you have a problem, stopping is harder than you think ...

An Abundant Day

2011-08-05T04:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was amazing ... I'm still dragging my butt out of bed in the mornings and getting what I need to get done, but yesterday I felt like Superwoman!
By 11 am I had :

bread rising (but it flopped and weighs a brick)
eggs were boiling to go into sandwich filling for dinner and Axel's lunch today
beets from our local CSA were simmering away
zucchini bread was in the oven - you can get my new recipe here - yummmeeee!
and I finally refined my recipe for mock apple pie - it turned out really good this time.

1. my A-7, 2. hand-pieced HAL, 3. Zucchini Bread, 4. Blogged A-7 5. Cooked beets 6. "Scandinavian" sandwich filling

Oh, and in the midst of all this, I was WORKING! I wrote this really long, picture-packed blog post about how to piece A-7 block for Contemporary Jane.

But I have to give most the credit to Superman, who came home after his own busy day and cleaned up the kitchen after I had packed up my basket with zucchini bread and pie and ran out the door to cooking club with our local CSA. What fun! I think there were 8 to 10 of us and we used red beet in 6 different recipes.

pureed soup - with carrots and onion garnished with cream, chive and a nasturtium
baked - with garlic and herbs
as a carpaccio with capers
pan-fried with peaches
raw salad with apples and raisins
as a coulee with ginger and raspberries served over ice cream

I think that nearly all the vegetables and herbs came from our field. Fresh dill, anise, thyme, oregano, chives and more! It was fun, our first meeting. I think it's fair to say they were all a tad surprised but intrigued with my baked "vegetable" goodies. I am loving the CSA experience and am hoping to get more involved and cooking up some new recipes for us all.

What is "Reverse" Applique?

2011-08-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

I've had a couple of questions about what "reverse" applique means? I thought I'd see if I could come up with a simple explanation for you all.

WHAT is reverse Applique?

The term reverse applique applies when the desired shape is cut out of the upper layer of fabric and appliqued along the inner edge of this "hole" to reveal the fabric below.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT from "normal" Applique?

The easiest way for me to paraphrase this is ...

"normal" applique is stitched

counter-clockwise around the
outside of the shape which sits
on top of the background.

reverse applique is stitched

clock-wise around the
inside of the shape which sits
beneath the background.

... of course this is if you are right hand-handed.

If you are left-handed ... "normal" applique is stitched clock-wise and reverse applique is stitched counter-clockwise.

Here's a quick photo-cap:

Down-load a printer friendly version of this picture tutorial here.

WHY do reverse Applique?

One reason for doing reverse applique instead of "normal" is that the background fabric would show through ... for example if you were appliquing a white snowman or ghost onto a darker background. You would get what is called "shadowing" or "ghosting" around the inside edge of the applique shape. So you could applique the lighter object behind (in reverse) your background.

Before I decided that my black fabric should be on top, I checked if there would be a problem. See that black showing through in the top picture? Well that means that if I had appliqued a green melon shape on top of the black, you'd not only see a green ghost (in the seam allowance) but also the black showing through the middle. I could have avoided the black in the middle if I cut my background out from my applique but I *almost* never do that.

Of course there are other practical, dimensional and even fun reasons for doing reverse applique.

For example when you want to add detail without adding another layer on top. In both cases here the detail in the rose, leaves and star are created using reverse applique.

For my "boy" version of Bunnyhill Designs basket BOM, I am appliqueing a star first and then adding the elements of each month's theme on top. The outside edge of the star is of course "normal" applique, the inside is done using reverse applique.

So, I'm sure you have more questions, so feel free to ask away and I'll do my best to answer them whether it's more about applique or anything else you're curious about.

Happy stitching! Jovita

It's a Wrap

2011-08-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

Officially our vacation / staycation is over and Axel went back to work this morning. It was tough, but I crawled myself out of bed, drug my bod downstairs and had breakfast with him. It was nearly noon and two iced coffees later before I woke up enough to climb back upstairs and shower.

What a vacation! I can't remember when I had a better time .. and I know when the last time I was this tired .. but geeez, shouldn't I be rested and raring to go after two weeks of bliss. Not likely! I think this might be the most action packed vacation on record!

Just a bit of as much as I can remember :

went exploring 2 days
made two bracelet / cuffs
enjoyed a few meals in the garden
watched a few movies
made buckets of iced coffee
finished 3/4 of our bathroom renovation
knit a new shawl
got ready for a big garden party
built a picket fence

And laughed our silly heads off about the amount of pouring rain we got and were grateful we hadn't tried to go away ... who wants to be stuck in an over-priced hotel room with a bed that's too short for your 6'8" (203cm) husband when it's raining? Not me!!

But best of all during the entire Staycation I enjoyed every minute of watching my husband relax, smile and laugh.

There is more ... lots more ... photos, projects and ideas to share .. but this is as far as I could get it together. Off to grab another mug of iced coffee and hang out in our warm, sunny, tidy garden.

Summer decided to return ... today!

Staycation

2011-07-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Axel and I have only ever gone on ONE real "vacation" it was 5 days into the eastern part of Germany. I loved it, we loved it ... I have some great pictures of this trip. It was moons ago, 6-1/2 years ago. It was a very stressful job due to a bunch of stuff going on in the shop and lack of available internet connections to put me at ease. I want to go back and this time enjoy every minute. And we did think about it, and we thought about the Ardennes, but then we re-thunk it all and decided this year a "Staycation" was our best option.

First, there's the dog to think about, then the whole problem I have with paying for a bed in July when *everyone* else is also on holiday and willing to pay top dollar when I have a perfectly good bed at home, and lots of little jobs we want to get done and and and ... so this year we're staying home and so far we're loving it!

We've got this plan, a 3-day rotation plan. One day we do whatever we want, one day we hit the road and go exploring (and have a nice meal out) and the 3rd day we work on projects around the house and garden.

Yesterday was our "do what we want." So first I made a set of reversible cocktail napkins and then I was browsing Pinterest .. seriously .. if you love to find quick and easy inspiration, this is the place!

See!

First I saw this, which got me curious so I found this and then this. So I plunked myself on the sofa yesterday and made this ...

But who can stop at one? So now this one is in the works. Oh, and I did a bit of tidying too and found the sweet little girl on the way ... just one of many little wooden things we bought on that trip to eastern Germany.

If you'd like to see more of our trip feel free to browse this little slide show I put together. It includes pictures of our first buying trip to find indigos and the process involved in creating them.

GOT DOTS Lollipops Pattern

2011-07-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Here you have it ladies & gentlemen, the long-awaited pattern for the LOLLIPOPS Block - part 3 of the great GOT DOTS quilt along.

And just to tease you a tad more .. there is a border in the works .. here's a peak. Click on the link below or here to download the Part 3 pattern booklet and happy stitching. I am looking forward to seeing your pics added to our Flickr group!

My Heart went THUMP

2011-07-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

Do you work from home? Ever work yourself into a complete tizzy and then crave the company of co-workers to talk you down? I had a Friday like that last week. Frustrated with so many things on so many levels I couldn't put a single thought together. By the time Axel came home I was a lost cause, I tried to explain and then ask him for ideas ... he was lost. Poor guy, he had no idea what I was talking about. Somehow I managed to talk myself down, but it was a rough, rough day.

Saturday was great and I made loads of progress on my white picket fence ... a small object that is beginning to represent so much.

So between Saturday and Sunday I woke in the middle of the night to thumping in my head. It wasn't a headache, but boy was it thumping, echoing my heartbeat which seemed to be a tad faster than usual. I finally got up and during the course of the day drank two huge cups of coffee (after giving it up and not liking the taste for over a year)! I sat down at my desk and drew up some plans: basic weekly to-do lists and a daily checklist. Some things are simple like make dinner plans and change the bedding. Other things were huge, like remember to eat a healthy lunch, clear my desk every night and make a plan for the next day before I finish "work" each evening.

This week has gone much better ... much! It feels better. That crazy heart / head thumping episode messed up my internal clock but last night I finally got a good solid nights sleep - long may they continue.

Yes, I'm still a tad bugged about the list of things that need doing .. all around really .. in the house, the shop, the studio. The list always seems to get longer rather than shorter. But that jolt of creativity I had a couple of weeks ago is still flowing strong in spite of the frustration.

Yesterday I finished hand-piecing the first twenty-five blocks of Got Dots together .. I am so in love with this project! Every dot, every heart, block, row .. it's lovely, it's satisfying and I'll keep going until it's big enough to nap under but for now it can hang on the wall of the shop, smiling on everyone that comes in. It will also get a border but it's simple and sweet so I'll continue on that in the meantime. On my list for this afternoon is to double-check the instructions for the Lollipop (formerly known as Bowl) block and get them posted on the blog.

I'm going great guns on Nesting as well ... I think I might even have the top completely appliqued and together by the beginning of September. The patterns are coming along well and I just have one or two that need a bit of tweaking here and there.

And then there's this .. finally .. in the midst of my panic on Friday I made myself a needlebook and took photographs step by step so I could finally put together packets, patterns and maybe even some finished product (etsy?).

So sometimes we put our panic and self doubt to good use - long may it continue!

Now I'm off to have a healthy lunch, play with Whisper, get a jump start on dinner and throw some laundry in the washing machine. This afternoon a fabric rep is coming and I'm hoping to find some new goodies for the shop.

Design Process .3.

2011-07-12T03:39:00.000-07:00

Asking (and Letting) the Design Tell it's own Story

You can tell summer hit here because I really dropped the ball. We've had fantastic weather and it feels like there are a million things to do. It would be so easy for me to hide in my studio all day and create ... but "real life" calls so I've had to leave the stitching for the evenings.

When I left you last on this project I felt like it was going in a very different direction than I thought. No longer a "typical" piece of patchwork with some hand embroidery and applique, this piece was beginning to tell it's own story.

The basic elements were still there, quite a few of the motifs from my original brainstorming were working. But clearly that bird needed to be bigger so I let her take over and then I just listened while she told me a story. I grabbed a blank sheet and started scribbling away while she sang her tune.

Set her free

For your song

will always be

in her heart

She will build

her own nest

And make you proud

So now I sit here with these saltwater pearls in my hand, ready to add them ... Ready for her song to be complete. Thinking about Mary and her love for her daughters with every stitch.

Happy stitching, Jovita

Friday the First

2011-07-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

Really, it's the first of July already ... I'm having a hard time with that one ... but maybe I'll get over it.

This week has been busy, Patchwork Bee was Tuesday; then the shop was open, I was teaching class and was generally very busy on Wednesday, Thursday was quieter and I can't remember what I did .. yes, it was yesterday.

But Friday, today, is my day "off." I had so many things I wanted to do, but first, just one Jane. Ha! Ya, right! Six later I've finally had enough (never mind that the last one took 2 hours - completely my fault). So I thought I'd show and share what I have so far minus those that are in various stages of hand completion.

In case any of you are wondering the solid Kona that I am using as my "background" is Bayou. A couple of you have asked so I'll do my best to include that in future posts.

I am sooo loving it. But now I'm really considering / reconsidering what I will do with my sashings ... because I'm definitely thinking I'll go away from what Jane did. I've been pinning a few ideas on our Contemporary Jane pinterest board.

So on that note, I'm off and running onto the next Friday task. The shop is open tomorrow so have a few things to get done around the house.

I hope you have a great First, a wonderful Friday and Fun this weekend! Piecefully xx

One Sunday, Two Janes

2011-06-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

It was a fabulous day here .. the sun was shining, we got the grass / dust mowed and Axel took a nap (after a 5 hour drive back and forth, plus errands with his parents yesterday *and* babysitting with me for friends until 1am, he deserved it).

And while he napped, I played!

Cut and sewed these two blocks - the math I did yesterday, but yes, today there were corrections. Both blocks are rotary cut and machine pieced, they are A-1 "Pinwheel Gone Awry" and A-2 "One Two, Buckle My Shoe" from page 17 of the Dear Jane® book by Brenda Papadakis.

I am loving how they turned out! You too?

Well then you should surely think about joining our Contemporary Jane quilt along featured Under the Willow Tree. A bunch of girlfriends from my previous shop are all doing it together and would welcome anyone who wants to join - the more the merrier. The construction method I used for these blocks will be blogged too .. including lots of tips and hints!

We are making "our" Janes ... we're not using reproductions but sticking to fabrics that reflect us now and allowing the freedom to add, change or leave out blocks that don't fancy us. To get an idea of what we mean, check out our "Contemporary Jane" board on Pinterest. For more useful Jane links, please see this post

My Jane? I'm using primarily Kaffe fabrics, but anything that plays nice goes too! The 2nd block is made using "Peacock" by Amy Butler ... how couldn't I?? Here are just some of the fabrics I'll be adding to my quilt .. and the basket I'll be keeping this project in, of course!

Yes, HOT ... and that is what we are expecting ...
for 3 days, weather to exceed 90F / 32C.

Axel is already dreading it and drew up the beginning of his defense plan today. I was supposed to sew black out curtains for the living room and he install our air conditioner and a ceiling fan in our bedroom. Um, nothing happened. But tomorrow I will cut the board we need to have the air conditioner ready for tomorrow night. Sorry love, the curtains are just not going to happen until we finish painting that corner and hang the rod. Love you, x

Contagion Alert!!

2011-06-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

I would love to call this a Friday Finish, but alas I must still quilt it ... if you know me, you'll know that can take a while, but I could not wait to share this little piece I whipped up!

Everything was all set for our Patchwork "Garden" Party last Saturday but I was itching to work on something last Friday night. The first section was nearly finished before we clocked off and went to bed.

Something bit me and it was something very contagious.

It's probably the fasted start to finish I've ever done. Made especially simple by no pattern or lines to follow. The only pattern I drew carefully was the bird. All the leaves were cut and appliqued free-hand. For the dots, I used the same method as I do for "GOT DOTS."

The story of this quilt started with seeing this quilt. I was in LOVE and even pulled a stack of backgrounds from my stash to make my own. But there was no way I could justify starting another big project or even a swap. I'm happily drowning here as it is ... so many projects including GOT DOTS, Contemporary Jane, various BOMs in the shop, plus ... all.of.these.

But when inspiration and creativity strikes
what.is.a.girl.to.do?

By the way, Nifty's was inspired by this quilt featured in this book. I don't think I dare even admit to myself that this quilt is now calling my name. For now I think I've got a handle on this bug .. although that stack of backgrounds is still there and loudly calling my name. When it calls too loud I tell it to hang on a minute ... this creativity is brewing and plans are starting to take shape ... later, much later.

In the meantime "Set Her Free" is really shaping up too! Tomorrow I can start adding the finishing touches and hopefully quilt her next week so I can tell Mary I mailed it on July 1st!

Design Process .2.

2011-06-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

Choosing Fabrics & letting them influence design

So we left off this new project design with a few ideas ... I had sketched a couple of motifs I wanted to include and decided on a color scheme .. it was off to the stash to see what I could find with Mary's remit of "beachy colors: pale blues, seafoam green, biege"

I was able to narrow it down to this 9 ... or maybe 10 ...

and was planning to keep it a very simple patched background with motifs on each rectangle ... a quick math calculation indicated that finished rectangles of 2" x 2-3/4" should be about right .. and keep me inside our goal of 8" x 10".

With a few snips of various fabrics for each motif and with my sketches in hand, I headed upstairs for the evening to see where this would lead. Boy oh boy .. never try to watch TV and design at the same time ... my poor husband has the patience of an angel. In the future I'll keep the designing to my office although I can applique quite adeptly while "watching" television.

My rectangles were throwing me a few good "problems"

the egg was easy to applique
the cage - hmmm, not sure I care for the proportion
I loved the bird shape but wow, it'd be really small if to 2" x 2-3/4" finished rectangles
and that branch ... how was I going to portray that well in a vertical space.

It looks like this calls for a bit more re-designing to do .. but I'm feeling good about where this is going!

Design Process .1.

2011-06-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Step One - inspiration and idea sketching

I'm working on an idea for my swap with Mary. It's supposed to be done by July 1st .. hmmm, I think I may be a few days late .. but I think I'm on to something good!

Here's the task:

anything with a bird theme or circles
beachy colors: pale blues, seafoam green, biege OR reds, yellows, greens
includes appliqué or embroidery
8"x10" or smaller

ok .. fabric selection .. I tended immediately towards the "beachy" feel and I'll show that later, but I also knew I'd be embroidering or appliquéing birds and nests .. they are definitely an obsession of mine right now.

embroidery / appliqué ideas

nest
cage
tree / topiary
bird - duh!
polka dots - not sure why ..
leaves .. think spring
musical note - for song!
.. and something i can't read .. hmm ... what was that
maybe a branch with cherry blossoms

... we'll see what happens tonight.

Patchwork in my "Garden"

2011-06-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

It turned out to be a lovely day inside and we welcomed so many warm, smiling faces that it made my day!

Yes it rained, after the driest April, May, June in years ... it's been pouring here for the last few days. But nobody is complaining and our gardens are loving it.

Contingency plans for our "Garden Party" were easy and everything just moved indoors. Luckily we have experience as 3 out of the last 5 years the weather has not cooperated.

To see details of these and more photos, click here.

My many, many thanks goes to Annie for taking so many photos during the show and tell! But Annie, next time you're here we have to take pics of your wonderful grandmother's flower garden, it is truly breathtaking.

Thank you so much to everyone who came, it was truly a wonderful and "gezellig" day that I enjoyed very much. I apologize that we don't have a photo of everyone ... I have more but didn't think you would like if I posted them on-line ... eyes closed, talking mouths, etc etc. But I have many pictures in my mind and won't forget the fun we had!

Missing

2011-06-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for a while ... in fact it seems the entire month of May has slipped by along with a few missing weeks from April and here we are already more than half way into June.

Time flies even when you're not having fun.

It's hard to know how much to say, how much to "broadcast" and what to just chalk up as history. But it's not just history, it's my story and my husband's and we're hoping someday all this leads to a family. It's there that we're struggling, having a family .. of our own.

I began writing this the end of May, just after the 3rd miscarriage in 18 months ... some days are better than others but little things still feel like hurdles.

What helps:

light work in the garden - thankfully I'm back to full-blown garden work except starting the lawn mower - dang that made me mad ... when did I become such a wimp!
planting vegies and flower boxes full of wholesome food and colorful blossoms
friends who are just there but don't judge, who make me laugh and cry and who listen.
reading - even if it makes me cry
snuggling with Lewis, thankfully I don't think this cat will ever outgrow it, although now that I'm getting back to work he sure wants a snuggle at very inconvenient times.
going to bed early even if it means I'm up early

What doesn't help:

comments that begin with "if it's meant to be ....
"friends" who thinks they have the "answers" to our situation
an impatient Whisper who wants nothing but to play ball (which was pretty much a no-no for far too long .. although we're back at it now and have discovered a new bouncier ball that she can't pick up with her mouth and offers a lot more challenge and exercise.)
a demanding Clark
having to wait ... again ... to heal before we start ... again.

Yesterday was another doctor check up and to talk about what happens next. Thankfully he's "humoring" me and doing some blood tests ... yes I know, it's a small chance but why not rule it out.

Due to complications during the last two pregnancies I have been put on bedrest and had to close the shop which I find very frustrating. We're working on a plan so that won't happen next time.

And yes, if you're wondering, we're not giving up ...

The shop re-opened the 1st of June and I've slowly been getting the momentum back. It's not easy ... but it's happening. And the last few weeks have been very productive ... the rest of June and July are looking very promising.

I'll show you updates and pics throughout the summer but we've seen progress on lots of projects including ...

GOT DOTS - I now have 15 blocks sewn together and am just two short of having 5 rows wide by 5 rows high. Can hardly wait :) Maybe this weekend!!!
my courtyard quilt (english paper pieced hexagons)
Contemporary Jane some of the ladies have been very busy and have added lots of pics here
a crocheted Sunburst afghan
Oma Lena's Flower Garden BOM
Nesting BOM
"Magic Vine" applique

... and a whole lot more ... Here's a top I managed to dash together in two days just before I was put on bed rest. Kits will be available (most of the fabrics are from Barbara Brackman's Civil War Reunion line).

p.s. I have turned off comments for this post ... if you'd like to contact me feel free to do so by email. I am not looking for sympathy or counseling. I just wanted to let those of you who are wondering what's been going on and why I've been a bit distant and non-responsive .. please don't take it personally. If you'd like to comment on any of the projects, please do ... all the links are to my Flickr photos so let me know what you think. Thanks a bunch!!!

Breaking the Rules

2011-04-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

There are a million things on my to do list. And these weren't on it ... but I finished our quarterly sales taxes and needed a little boost. Cut a folded a few bundles of fat quarters of some of the new fabric that came in this week and whipped up three of these beauties. Well I have to call them that but to be honestly I think I broke every rule in the book ... cutting was iffy, sewing was squiffy, marking was .. um .. non-existent. But all in all they turned out ok. I have enough pieces cut to make six more blocks ... do I keep going?

Oh, and ignore my foot and the floor (of my studio with whom I have a love / hate relationship). Both were in the way but wanted to post quickly and figure out what's for dinner tonight.

I'll be back tomorrow to introduce Mary as she takes her rightful place in our gang Under the Willow Tree and post the 3rd block of Got Dots ... I missed the 15th - how did that happen??

And then of course there are Contemporary Jane blocks to show and and and .. really, things are hopping around here and it's not just the Easter Bunny ...

... seriously, have we seen enough of these? ...

Everyone's a Winner!

2011-04-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jennifer and Els ... you've both won a kit to make the easy-peasy Easter pennant. Send me your addresses soon and I'll pop them in the mail to you!

But honestly, everyone is a winner! I thought I'd tell you all how to make this quick pin cushion.

I sewed mine by hand but if you're comfortable with a couple Y-seams it's not difficult to stitch by machine.

You'll need:

Twelve 60˚ diamonds
Six matching hexagons
Two cute buttons

I made mine using 2" diamonds and hexagons and it measures a whopping 7" - the advantage is that I can never lose it!

Here's a pic to show you how I pieced it together.

And another to show how I pressed my seam allowances.

Once you have this, you'll join up the side seams and sew the star on the other side. Leave one side seam open to fill very full with batting.

With a button on top and one below, sew through several times and pull tight.

Enjoy! Jovita

p.s. if you make a pin cushion, please post a pic to JPA's Flickr group, thank you!

Crazy Spring (Give-Away)

2011-04-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Spring has most definitely sprung here .. gorgeous weather, sunny days, blue skies and warm nights. Yesterday we switched our winter duvet for the summer one .. and slept sooo much better for it.

Today was our monthly "Crazy" class ... instead of a typical crazy quilt we do a variety of things using various fibers and techniques.

This is today's result and I couldn't be happier ...

The nest measures just 1-1/2" (3.8cm) wide and uses 6-threads of Weeks Dye Works floss in two colors plus a few strands of 2mm silk ribbon. The moss is worked with 2 and 3 threads in french knots of 2-3 wraps. The leaves and flowers are both 4mm ribbon. It's tiny and I love it! I will smile every time I look at this little piece.

I also made this sweet egg last week using felted wool and embroidery. I tried to take a pic of it in the window of the shop but alas it's just too sunny ... sorry

But see that pennant line hanging above ... would you like to win one?? It's not complicated really ... a length of rick rack and a stack of diamonds cut from 30s repro fabric then pressed in half and hung over the line. Voilá - it's cute, simple and hey - you can always use the fabric to make one of these pin cushions after Easter!

It's easy to enter ... just leave a comment before the end of the weekend. I'll do a drawing on Monday and get it in the post to the winner so you can add it to your Easter decorations!

I know many of my friends are not enjoying the surprises that Mother Nature has had in store the last couple of days so I hope this cheers you up a bit ... here's a shot of my courtyard garden (the chicken wire is *supposed* to keep Whisper from trampling things)

Anyone have a theory why that one daffodil not only shot up 6" above the rest but refuses to face the sun in spite of 3 days of gorgeous sun ...

Fresh Tomatoes

2011-04-07T03:52:00.000-07:00

I can hardly wait ...

Not only will I get them from our local CSA but I have plans to plant quite a few in our garden too. You can never have enough tomatoes in the summer. Heaven knows store bought in or out of season never tastes the same.

I think I'm going to piece this up to hang in my kitchen!

If you'd like the pattern for my tomato,
leave a comment (be sure your email is available)
and I'll email it to you :)

If you'd like to design your own, visit the V&A, it's very cool and I could play way too long. But nope, I'm off to lunch then work ... today is one of those days when I absolutely LOVE my job!

This was one of my first big juicy toms from our garden in Schellebelle.

I do love my toms!!

Lettuce Pause

2011-04-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I bought the tiniest of lettuce starts on a local market. 10 for 1€ ($1.43) so we bought a variety and I planted them up in window boxes in the kitchen. Look at them .. they're huge!

Tonight's dinner? Salad! (Check out The Little Grey Cookbook to find out what we put on it.)

It looks like we can finally stop buying it - hip-hip hooray!

Do you yearn for fresh vegies too but don't have a garden of your own? Have you thought about joining a CSA (Community Shared / Supported Agriculture)? I am so excited that we have one near us. It's the first year but capacity often fills up fast so we jumped on in. I know -we have a garden- but now I can concentrate on some unusual things and stuff to preserve, etc.

So ... if you live near Kalken ... be sure to check it out. Here's an email we received today from our "farmer." There's more info on the website but be sure to contact Rony he'll answer all of your questions!

Hoera!!! Het heeft geregend, en het werd tijd! Al wat gezaaid werd de vorige weken, is gekiemd of staat zelfs al boven: erwten, spinazie, rucola, meiraapjes, raapstelen, tuinbonen, ..., het gras op de paden. Ook de ajuintjes die voor de regen geplant zijn, beginnen al te groeien. Totnogtoe nog niet teveel onkruid ... hopelijk blijft het zo.

Alle ajuinen en sjalotten zijn geplant, de aardappelen nog niet ... nog 30 kg pootgoed te gaan. De rogge die we in het najaar lieten zaaien heeft de grond schitterend doorworteld, maar is nu redelijk lastig om zonder drastische maatregelen weg te krijgen ... redelijk arbeidsintensief. Ondertussen staat het plantsysteem hier ook op punt, en loopt alles redelijk vlot.

Een deel van de aardbeiplantjes zijn ook al geplant. Mmm. En Eva heeft een hele resem kruiden gezaaid in trays, lijst zie volgende nieuwsbrief.

De tomatenplantjes groeien dag na dag ... we moeten dus dringend de tunnel plaatsen. Een aparte oproep volgt. Het is een grote klus, en we kunnen zeker wat helpende handen gebruiken.

Iedereen welkom op het veld !
Groetjes, Rony & Eva
www.oogstgoed.be

If you're not near us .. then check out where one is locally in your area. There are so many reasons to do it:

no packaging
fresh from the ground and into the pot (with a quick rinse of course)
many CSAs are bio (ours is - yippee!)
your kids get to see where there food comes from

I apologize for the multiple posts today .. but I've been having problems with my photos showing up in google reader and on facebook. This seemed the only way to check ... hopefully I fixed it :)

Dear Blogger ....

2011-04-06T04:02:00.001-07:00

I am having a blogger issue that I can't seem to find an answer to .. BUT THE PROBLEM IS NOW FIXED .. ONE LITTLE MISPLACED BUTTON.

Thanks for your patience :)

Jump on our Jane Train!

2011-04-06T00:10:00.000-07:00

Clockwise starting top left:
D-13, A-5, B-4, J-6

For me the Jane train has been circling for years - do it, don't, do, don't and all the pros, cons, reasons and guilts why I should or shouldn't. But I've finally decided to jump on and thoroughly enjoy the ride. I have to blame Maria ... she finds things that just get my blood going, then there's a sleepless night, a stack of fabric pulled from stash plus some more and what do you know?

So .. what's the plan?
To get you involved of course!

We *know* you want to join us. Maria and Deb are in for sure! I think we have Karen convinced ... Jill and Cathy are talking about it and Lesley is thinking about it too! This could be so much fun.

Maria, Deb and I are all going modern / bright / rainbow / Kaffe-inspired / not-traditional. Not sure about the others yet but I know they'll let us know.

My Color Palette

If you need more inspiration ... check out my Pinterest board.

I've made six blocks to "test" my background choice - Kona cotton solid "Bayou." These are my four faves so far ... Sadly, it's raining so my pictures are limited ... in fact these are scans (which explains the odd shades of the bayou - my scanner is being temperamental ... but hopefully you get the idea. The upper left corner is most accurate for the "Bayou" and the sashing will be the same.

So here it is .. the plan is to start mid-May / June and do a minimum of four blocks per month.

To give you an idea of how easy going we're going to be here's my plan: It's important to me that I make MY quilt and not one like the many many Janes, Baby Janes, etc that are out there. So here's what I'm thinking about and where I might to go with it.

Fabrics

: Kaffe, Jacobs, Mabry (I carry these in my shop in Belgium) plus some of my own faves from the stash. What's great about some of these large-scale prints is you can get multiple blocks from the same fabric without them looking the same.

Background

: Yep, it's for sure - Kona cotton solid "Bayou".

Blocks

variations

: I will make all the blocks I like, probably leave out some that I don't and add a few of my favorites (ex: a churndash and maybe a little house)

Size

: it all depends if my honey and I like where it's going .. if so I'll make it bed-size but will have to *add* a lot more blocks then because our bed is so long to accommodate all 6'8" of him.

Border

: probably not the triangles, but don't worry we'll still post about them as we go along.

Methods

: machine piecing (traditional and maybe foundation paper-piecing) hand piecing and hand applique ... a couple of reasons for this. I am going to do what works best for each block and I'm not worried about "mixing techniques."

So, go do some browsing - my pinterest board and google images are good places to start ... then get your thinking cap, choose your colors and find the fabrics that get your blood pumping. And stay tuned ... we'll tease you with more right up until we start .. and even then it will never be too late ...

and p.s. if you find out that you love Pinterest as much as I do and don't want to hassle with the wait, let me know and I'll send you an invite.

"Infinite Variety" (on-line photos)

2011-03-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts

My hat goes off to the Museum and Show organizers for not only allowing photography but encouraging visitors to upload their photos to a central place where everyone could also see them.
I can only imagine what it felt like to be in that room with so many people all oogling over 651 quilts owned and "accumulated" by Joanna S. Rose who kept them "in a big cedar closet most of the time." I'd love to see that chest.

A Day Out

2011-03-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

The bathroom decoration-turned-renovation is still progressing. Grouting is finished and hopefully I can silicone around the bath tomorrow ... real showers are on the horizon.

So today we're off to Germany to have lunch with Axel's mom for her birthday. I finally get to give these to her.

I look pretty spiffy except for the grey paint that I can't get off. It is *definitely* warmer weather to stay here so the skirts have come out of the closet !! Yippeee.

Read more »

the not so "magic" frixion gel pens

2011-03-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while we stumble on a new product that just seems too good to be true. Quite a few customers have brought these to classes or bees and tell us how wonderful they are.

Me? ... I'm always skeptical. My pretty much hard and fast rule is that if I don't know what's in it, I won't use it on my quilt. Pretty much a wait on the sidelines kind of girl to see if the hype is really as good as it seems.

Plus I've been too busy to try them out ... so I was quite pleased to see a review written by Charlotte Warr Andersen posted on Becky Goldsmith's blog. Charlotte doesn't have her own blog so has given permission for us to pass this information on.

Things are Growing!

2011-03-10T03:12:00.000-08:00

It's been busy busy around here ... we've had a few good days of sunshine and the wind / temperatures were mild enough that I managed to do some weeding in the garden. The 265 bulbs I planted in the courtyard really made lots of progress this week ... I can hardly wait for the mini daffs to open their sunny buds.

Monday was an amazing day here. It actually got too warm in the car ... whatta feeling! I took Axel to work in the morning so I could have the car to go by the garden center. I stocked up on primroses and spring bulbs and planted up two meter-long planters for our kitchen window sills. It's a wonderful feeling to come down in the morning, open the blinds and be greeted by an explosion of color.

Whisper and I were just talking the other day about how much easier this winter was. It seemed to go by much faster ... she thinks it's because we didn't have that very deep freeze over the new year. But I think it helped that we always had blue skies when we looked out the shop and kitchen windows into the courtyard.

Evenings are spent with Dots ... lots and lots of dots. I can't tell you how much I am enjoying this project. It's contagious and addictive. The layout here is not right, for that you need to look at the sketch in the right column of my blog but for now I'm one dot away from having 17 blocks finished. And I've trialled the Bowl Block, here's a close-up.

And Angéle has finished her table runner! Isn't it scrumptious. She chose not to quilt it so just hemmed a really long (over two meters) length of fabric then used the Dots template and overlapped the first row of dots each time to get this fantastic centerpiece. Yes, I'm drooling and seriously contemplating a 3rd dots project ... yes, I know, crazy! Third you ask .. oh yes, I still need to show you pics of my bright and cheerful dots blocks.

I have lots more to show ... another mini project, the beginnings of an Amish swap with Liz, new pillowcases .. and .. and .. and .. I have been busy ... the spring bug has hit :) But I might be a little AWOL the next little while, you see we're going to paint our bathroom and then our kitchen. Both are huge jobs as both involve panelled ceilings and the bathroom has tons of really ugly tile to cover up. So when I re-surface, I promise there will be more updates. And if I get a chance I'll drop by with a few pics here and there.

Happy Spring, Happy Sewing! xox Jovita

A Winner's Packet

2011-02-28T03:40:00.000-08:00

Remember the U Pick block tutorial I wrote last week for the Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along ... Konda picked two winners and I got to send something sweet to Grethe in Norway!

*** Keep reading cuz you could win one too! ***

What's in the package?

A kit to make the pin cushion you see pictured here. It's an original design by me and coordinates with my Nesting block of the month. The kit includes the wool, rick-rack, beads, buttons and silk ribbon.
Three skeins of hand-dyed embroidery floss also for the pin cushion.
A vintage-inspired packet of needles
A greeting card with five 9" pieces of top quality Jacquard ribbon attached, the card can be mailed to a friend or the ribbons used to adorn many projects.

I hope you enjoy it Grethe!

By the way, I know that some of you have sewn this block as participants in my Skills-Building block of the month (it was block 5A). I've started a Flickr group for everyone to see how many different blocks you can get from this by changing the layout or color selection. I would love for you to up-load your blocks and add them to the U-Pick Group.

But even if you haven't participated in my Skills-Building BOM, you can go download the tutorial, make a block and post it in the U-Pick Flicker Group. No fooling, on April 1st, I'll pick a random winner and you'll get a pin cushion kit too!

In the meantime, you can see all the blocks made for the Layer Cake Quilt Along here. Konda's Quilt Along is a lot of fun, you should check out all the blocks!

U Pick

2011-02-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Moose on the Porch Quilts is hosting a fun quilt along using Layer Cakes and I got to play along as one of the designers. Too fun, right? Phew, yeh! First I had to decide which block I wanted to share, then make it in 12" (that's huge for me) plus make sure you could get all the pieces from a Layer Cake (a 10" square).

I had a blast! and came up with this ... the U Pick block.

Every one of these blocks is made using the exact same elements and the fabrics in the same position ... I just shuffled the 9 units around to get the different options.

So, if you're wondering what layout I chose to sew my units into .. here it is!

I took a pic of the back for you too so you can see the pressing instructions in action.

And a close up of the points .. this is why I recommend not pressing the half-square triangle units until you've decided which layout to use.

So be sure to go check out Moose on the Porch Quilts
and the first 9 blocks.

You'll find the link to my block instructions here.

p.s. You can also play around by sewing the (red) bar to the (cream) edge of the goose instead of next to the triangles.

I ♥ U (aka Got Dots part 2)

2011-02-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Keep reading for more about Part 2 of the great GOT DOTS quilt along ... we're sure you'll love these hearts as much as I do. xox

First I hope you are all having a wonderful day. I just put dinner in the oven - something new that I'm hoping Axel will enjoy followed by Flowing Chocolate Cake before I head off to a quilting bee. Yes, don't worry, he's fine with that ... in fact very fine with that. A quiet evening at home is the best {heart} gift I could give him tonight.

You see, I kept him awake last night and not for the fun reasons. More because my tummy was talking to me because we had french fries from the local (literally next door) frituur last night because we had to come up with a quick fence fix because Whisper decided she should start jumping it because there's obviously more fun stuff to do "out there." So I'm going out, he's staying in and chilling and next week we're going for dinner in Gent.

So ... it's here ... part 2 of the great GOT DOTS quilt along! It took me a little while to get it all drawn and written up for you ... but yes, indeedy, these Hearts are for you - Happy Valentines Day!

I really enjoyed appliqueing these hearts and hope you will too. I found it was easiest to applique every other heart (either the big ones or the little ones) and then fill in between with the other size.

Here's an idea of what your quilt could look like if you did just the Dots and the Hearts blocks ... but don't forget - the Bowls block templates will be coming in April in time for Easter.

I've also added a new page to my blog ... now you can link up to the great GOT DOTS quilt along.

You can download the templates and info here or here. Or you can browse through it here below.

! ! ! H a P p Y H a P p Y H e A r T ~ D a Y ! ! !

x ~ o ~ x

Jovita

to all my European friends who are unfamiliar with this ...
x = kiss & o = hug

p.s. If you want to know more about the quilt featured at the top ... it's a mini(? - 18" x 22") I made a few years ago .. if you'd like the pattern let me know and I'll add it to the blog - it was a lot of fun to make!

Drooling at the Victoria & Albert Museum {SALE}

2011-02-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

George III reviewing the troops (detail)

Unknown maker, 1803–1805

Some of you may know that I went to London last summer to see their Quilts 1700-2010 Exhibition. I fell in love over and over again! The quilts were amazing and I'll keep comments to myself about the exhibition itself - the choices ... the organization ... the curator ... I could go on and on ... but I won't.

In front of this quilt top, I could have stood *all* day ... sadly they had placed it at a dead end so I did not want to be a hog ... there were many others who wanted to enjoy it's beauty. Of course there was this quilt, this quilt top, another top and this bed "hanging" among many others that I could have poured over for hours. In the words of another blogger ... Jean, The Sneaky Magpie and many others were invited to a preview - the rest of us weren't allowed to take photos" so be sure and check out their blogs too.

The Victoria & Albert Museum describes the quilt top:

"Unlined patchwork coverlet made from a wide variety of plain and printed cottons. At the centre is a circular, figurative panel that has been pieced and embroidered, showing the review of volunteer troops in Hyde Park by King George III. The image is inspired by a print by John Singleton Copley of 1799. The ground is white cotton with a repeating pieced design of segmented circles in printed cottons. Each circle has a variety of different patterns within it, including stars, squares, crosses, diamonds and flowers. The printed cottons include coral-like shapes, dots, florals, hearts and anchors. Many are block-printed cottons from the late eighteenth century, and some were originally glazed. The central panel may have been inserted after the completion of this patchwork, as it cuts through two pieced representations of the sun and the moon. It suggests that the two may once have been separate patchwork projects, although they may have been worked by the same hand as both the stitching and textiles are consistent. The border comprises 40 pieced vignettes, alternately circular and oval in shape, showing patriotic, domestic and naval scenes taken from contemporary prints and paintings. The number of patches per scene ranges from around 23 to 45. Additional embroidery has been added to the central panel and border, worked with silk threads in chain, satin and long and short stitches. There is also evidence of drawing, and some areas have been stamped with black ink, such as the small birds in the central medallion. The coverlet is unlined, and small fragments of the original paper template can be found in several areas."

Would you like to know more:

The curator's thoughts on the King George Coverlet are an interesting read.
Susan Briscoe's discusses the possibility that this quilt top was a group project.
Janet Barnsley's has posted more photos on her blog A Quilter's Journal.

I've been obsessing about the King George top since July and am dying to make a small wallhanging of the blocks (for our living room?). At first glance you would think there were 100s of different blocks - but it turns out there are just 16 circular blocks which are repeated throughout the top. So I was planning on drafting them and having some fun on the side ... guess what? I don't have to. Marta did it for us!

Want to join us in the King George Sew Along (SAL)? Yes, her posts are in Spanish but Google translate does an "OK" job ... and the pattern downloads are in English. If you're as keen as I am, grab this button and join the fun! Now, what colors .... Oh, yes, you should check out Samsy too, she has also drafted and made a couple blocks too and I *really* like her colors.

So what prompted me to finally remember to tell you all about this quilt? The V&A is having a SALE! including the fabrics which were specially printed by Liberty's for the Quilts 1700-2010 Exhibition.

FAQ: the great GOT DOTS quilt along

2011-02-08T02:35:00.000-08:00

Everything you want to know about the great GOT DOTS quilt along and more.

Q Where did the inspiration for this quilt along come from?
A A friend and I saw this quilt on display in the Bellevue Arts Museum. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Q How big are the blocks.
A My blocks are 6" / 15cm finished blocks but you are welcome to adapt this to any size you desire.

Q How big is the quilt?
A It's been so long since I saw the original ... but I think it was about 72" wide.

Q How big will the quilt be?

A I am actually working on two quilts: one will contain all three types of blocks (dots, hearts and bowls) and I am not sure yet how big it will be but first I am going to plan for a top that is 42" x 54" and then decide if I want it larger. This means I will need a total of 63 blocks with a layout of 7 blocks across and 9 blocks down.
For the 2nd quilt I am using bright colors the dots blocks for a contemporary twist .. I'll share more about that quilt soon.

Q How much background fabric will I need?
A For 6"/ 15cm finished blocks I cut my backgrounds 7" / 18cm to allow for trimming after the blocks were appliqued.
For a quilt using 63 blocks and
40" useable fabric width = 2-5/8 yards of fabric.
42" useable fabric width = 2-1/8 yards of fabric.

Q How much fabric do I need for the dots, hearts and bowls?
A I am using only scraps for the appliques, so giving you a quantity is quite difficult.

each DOT block contains 21 dots - you need a 1-1/4" circle for each dot.
the HEART block contains 5 dots plus 8 hearts - for each you need about 2-1/4" x 2-1/2".
the BOWL block contains 11 dots plus a 1-1/2" x 2" piece for the bowl.

Q How many different blocks are in the GOT DOTS quilt?

A Three (3): The dots block, the hearts block and the bowl block.

DOTS

HEARTS

LOLLIPOPS

Q Where do I get the templates to get started?
A Check the right-hand column of my blog for links to each part of the quilt along as they are posted.

Do you have more questions, feel free to send them my way and I'll add the answers here!

I {heart} DOTS

2011-01-31T09:50:00.000-08:00

It's been busy, busy here this weekend with scraps of fabric flying in every direction!

We're just about ready to roll out Part Two of the great GOT DOTS quilt along. So I'm testing the templates now to make sure you'll like them. I appliqued the first four larger skinnier hearts in a couple of hours this afternoon and have the very sweet little hearts basted in place for tonight's handwork.

I *nearly* showed you a pic of my living room from this weekend. My husband was sorting through boxes of his touring info on one sofa while I had piles and box of scraps on mine.

Oh my ... it . was . a . mess!

But this is what it looked like after all that *organization* ... I think I'm set now for scraps for this quilt and will enjoy watching it grow and grow and grow. This basket and tray sit next to the sofa now ready for evening "entertainment"

I think I just mocked up the label for my quilt too ... but I may write it " i {heart} dots " ... not sure yet :)

Here's a quick shot of the 170 dots I cut out and basted around cardstock in the course of two evenings. 170 sounds like a lot o' dots ... but it takes 21 for each dotty block so, um, that's a whopping 8 blocks in that little Bonne Maman jam jar.

I Made a Mini for Me

2011-01-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

I spent this week tackling one bear of an unfinished project and felt like I was entitled to do something fun for myself. I figured it'd take me a couple of days, a bit of sewing here and there. But color me surprised ... from cutting out to the border only took me about 4 hours!

It all started while I was reviewing Quilting Gallery's 2011 list of BOMs, Quilt Alongs and Challenges which included a mini-quilt tutorial by Terrie Sandelin of Bits and Pieces. Well, after the mini quilt swap that Liz and I just did I absolutely had to go check it out.

Civil War Crossing Quilt Tutorial
by Terrie Sandelin of Bits and Pieces

Terrie's four-part tutorial was fantastic and uses the methods in her book Miniatures in Minutes and a super simple cutting method by Anita Grossman Solomon.

Here are the steps I followed and comments where I might have done things a little different than Terrie.

For the twelve blocks I chose twelve, four each of three colors: Turquoise, Red and Pink

I followed Terrie's cutting instructions and cut twelve 4-1/4" squares (one from each fabric). Instead of using the diagonal lines on a mat, I used a 1" wide ruler I centered it corner to corner on the square and cut along each side.

I did not foundation piece the blocks like Terrie did - I pieced them like any old patchwork with a scant 1/4" seam. This did mean that all my seams were on the bias, but I sewed and pressed carefully and did not have any problems. Here's a couple of pics of what my blocks looked like after they were sewn.
FYI - I've added two links to tutorials for foundation piecing.

Once my blocks were pieced I could have trimmed them to 2-7/8" squares so they would have finished at 2-3/8" but Terrie's finished at 2" and I wanted a small quilt so I went ahead and trimmed them down to 2-1/2" (I am going to check if 4" squares would have been big enough).

Terrie and I add our sashings differently. Regardless of whether I'm sewing a large quilt or a mini I always add my sashings to each individual block. First one side strip and then another strip that already has the cornerstone attached.

I left off the last row of sashing and cornerstones all the way around before adding a wide border (it doesn't show well in my pic) - the same white as my sashing.

I also put my side borders on before adding the top and bottom.

Needless to say, I am totally jazzed about having a finish for me! For now it's pinned to the wall with this other turquoise and red lovely while I decide how to quilt it. And now I can get back to work ... it looks like another busy week ahead.

Happy stitching to you all ... and go check out Terrie's blog! xox Jovita

Mother May I Have ... "a do-over" ... please?

2011-01-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

We're mid-way through January, you haven't heard from me for two months and

I'm *finally* wishing you a !! Happy New Year !!

Yes, I'd like a do-over ... please ...

It was *another* stressful end to an old year and if I was a cynic I'd have to wonder if the holidays will ever regain that sparkle for us. Suffice to say, I spent the entire month of December on bed-rest - doctor's orders. Without getting into all the nitty-gritty and over-share that I'm never too sure about in blogs, facebook, broadcast emails and dare I mention Christmas letters ... I'm fine. I'm healthy. Things . are . going . to . be . ok. It was a tough month and ended sadly but we're picking up the pieces and moving on.

But honestly ... two years in a row? Last year we moved in December (never again!) and we were also dealing with highly-emotional issues throughout the entire 2009 holiday season. So this is not what I needed, wanted or wished for Christmas 2010. Our home in Kalken has yet to see our Christmas decorations. For two years running no cookies or fruit cakes were baked - thank goodness for the very brandy mini mince pies that a friend sent from England and a sampling of cookies and sugared almonds that Axel's mom made for us.

So I'm just going to take a stand now - 'nuf said - it's a New Year, Clean Slate ... and I am going to make a difference! I don't make New Year's resolutions ... but I can tell you that I'm 20 pounds lighter and the scale is still tipping in my direction ... yes, I'm loving that!

Most of all this year, I'd like to carve out more sewing time for myself. I have a million QUiPs (QUilts in Progress) and it would be so nice to get a few finished. Nope, ain't gonna do it - I will not set a number to this goal. I'll do better just tackling them one at a time - some will be quick finishes ... others will just take ages. One . at . a . time . is my motto.

But ... when my friend Maria announced on the 9th of January that she had not one but TWO finishes already for 2011, I figured I'd better get started so I grabbed the one closest to me.

Axel's Snails Trail started as a family project, the plan was that we would all make a quilt for each other. We started off with the best of intentions but by the time we got to my quilt things didn't go so well ... I thought that by using foundation piecing the results would be a bit similar. Um, nope, eh-eh, not a chance.

Unfortunately I am having to do lot's of do-overs. Oh well, it's for a good cause, right? I think I'm up to about 100-ish blocks so hmmm, nearly half-way there. But having pulled out the packet last Saturday, I've logged anywheres from 1 to 3 hours of piecing each day. Not bad ... but sadly I've had to set myself a daily goal of minimum 5 blocks / maximum 10 blocks per day ... because unfortunately I have to "work" too ... and otherwise I'd just sew and sew and sew and ...

Here are the nitty gritty quilty details - in case you're interested...

started in 2003 or 2004?
4-1/2" finished blocks
foundation paper pieced (mostly *through* the paper, although now I'm using freezer paper and am finding I can re-use my template about 5-6 times)
goal is for it to be about 63" x 76-1/2"

need 238 blocks to make this happen
the "black" fabric is a very dark batik that includes a touch of blue ... probably a Hoffman ...
the "blues" are various shades of cadet, grey-ish blue and a bit of aqua-ey turquoise
it will look gorgeous in his office - it was inspired by this poster that I've always loved
I plan to hand quilt it ... if the batik isn't too much of a hassle ...
debating whether or not to use black batting - to avoid bearding but will it muddy my lighter blues?

oh, PS, that Christmas card / letter ... we're still working on that ... honest :)

Happy Everything! xox Jovita

Good NEWS!

2010-11-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well ... no news must be good news, right? I was shocked to see that I haven't blogged since the end of September. October flew by in a flurry here's a peak of what it looked like.

It was full of FIRE!! Of a variety of kinds. The most important being the one someone lit under my butt! My friend, Liz, and I started a mini swap and I whipped up hers in the first two days ... now it needs quilting so I can't show it until that's done, and she receives it in Arizona - I'll share as sooooon as I can.

The 2nd FIRE relates to this very old post. The good news is that Gabi's replacement quilt is finished!!! Done and dusted. It truly deserves it's own post so I'm afraid you'll just have to wait a tad bit longer. But I promise the waiting will be very worthwhile.

The BEST FIRES are the one that leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy! We hosted our (fifth??) annual Harvest Fest on October 30th complete with our now (long-standing) traditional drop donuts and apple cider. Home-made pizza and really cute leaf cookies that I forgot to take a picture of rounded off the menu. For me the best part was that the husband count was up to FIVE ... fun was had by everyone. You can also see more photos of the evening here.

November is nearly half over and yes, even I will begin the countdown to Christmas. This year we are determined to enjoy the holidays to the fullest - decor, baking, visiting, gifting, hoping and celebrating.

Yesterday we painted another 1/3 of the living room so it will be ready for decorations. Sadly there is another 1/3 and a bunch of curtains to go. But it's a start.

So, you see, no news IS good news when it comes to me. Things are very busy in the shop between new product arrivals and LOTS of classes. Which of course means lots of prepping and sewing. I have a million things to show and share and just as soon as I can I will.

Today I spent clearing more dead wood out of my office. Anything that won't be needed, touched or wanted before Christmas is getting boxed up and put in the closet. Biggest note to self: stop dropping everything on the sewing table so it's easier to sew!!!

By the way the Great GOT DOTS Quilt Along is going great - many ladies here in Belgium are participating and I hope to share pics of their blocks when they bring them in the shop.

Part 2 of the quilt-along will be released soon - stay tuned!

And PS ... if you've sent me an email or message but haven't heard from me, please bug me!!! If you're waiting for more info about shipping costs for the owls - don't hesitate to bug me as well. I've had so many appointments the last months that getting to the PO seems like an insane possibility. Hmmm, but I *must* go to the bank to *finally* pick up my bankcard sooooo it's very likely that all of that could happen tomorrow ....

So I'll be back soon ... I haven't forgotten you and really miss your comments and thoughts ... so feel free to share any here ...

xox Jovita

Whooo hoot! updated

2010-09-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie to bring these fun guys to you.
First, how big are they? On average about 2" / 5cm tall.

These three I made just for me ... (but if you really want, I can make kits)

These little five are looking for homes ... just drop me a line and let me know which one wants to come live with you. (they're filled with polyester and lavender so they make perfect drawer pomanders)

This sweet trio is available in kit form for you to make yourself. Kit includes tummies and bodies and vintage porcelain button eyes - you'll need to provide needle, thread and filling of your choice.

These three are ready to hang out under the Christmas tree!
What? Yes! Already ... and yes, I know - unheard of!

If you'd like to see my flock of owls grow, keep on eye on my flickr set "Owlets."

UPDATE for KITs and OWLETs:

I am embarrassed to say that I finally made it to the Post Office to check on shipping to the US.

All owlets and kits contain hand-dyed felted wool (not felt), 100% cotton fabric and a pair of vintage porcelain eyes.
All prices include shipping from Belgium and generally take about 7-10 days to arrive in the USA / Canada.

Kit = $6.50 (includes fabrics and porcelain eyes, you need to provide filling of your choice)

Owlet = $9.50 (sewn entirely by hand and filled with polyester batting and a teaspoon of lavender buds to repel insects and give off a wondeerful scent when lovingly squeezed.

The easiest way to do payment is for me to send you a paypal request. Paypal now allows you to pay by credit card without setting up an account with them.

Thanks for your interest in my little creatures - they're guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!

dark and bleary

2010-09-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry for not posting this week. I really have been busy and have lots to show, but after kermis and the resulting lack of sleep I came down with something. Enough that I even broke down and went to the doc - probably the first time in 10 years ... it's all in my head. No really, stuffed up nose, sometimes weepy eyes, heavy and tired. So I spent the weekend on the sofa - but not with empty hands ... I made these ... but the weather is not cooperating so good pics were hard.

Whhoooo hoot! Can you see us in the dark?

I've also been fast and furiously busy with more blocks from my Bunny Hill Designs BOM from *last* year. Pulled fabrics and prepped pieces for at least another dozen blocks (because I'm doing two quilts at the same time). Hopefully I'll get the embroidery done on them soon so I can show off too.

Got Dots is growing as well ... and I promise an update post soon.

In the meantime it's another busy week in the shop - quilting bee today, QUiPs tomorrow, open also Thursday. Hmmm, maybe Friday ... bear with me.

xox Jovita

My muse made me do it

2010-09-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

So when I gave Axel a quick kiss on his way out the door this morning I forgot that he wouldn't be home tonight. He's delivering something for work about 4 hours away, then heading back to Duisburg to take his aunt out for afternoon "kaffee und kuchen," then spending the night at his parents and heading home tomorrow.

Wow ... a whole day and a half to myself. I have so much to do ... I should be working on this, that and definitely this (especially because I really need to hang it in our living room soon - see below)!

Unfortunately my day has been a little bit all over the place. Yesterday (and again this morning) the electrician was here to repair numerous things including re-wiring the corner of the kitchen where our microwave - I won't bore you with the details of this job - suffice to say I now have an ugly cable on the *outside* of the house. Regardless, this meant I needed to move everything the cupboard holds onto the kitchen table. Then when he left last night I decided that since the cupboard was empty and moved I should paint the wall behind it ... I have been toying with this idea for awhile and wanted to use the same dark green I had painted the kitchen in Schellebelle. It was a quick job first thing this morning but hmm ... now I'm wondering if it's too dark ... ?

We've also been trying to figure out what to do with our living room. We just moved it upstairs ... it always think of Jane Austen's period when I think of this ... but our house is nothing like that. It's just that I really needed my office to be bigger and have a dedicated class table in the shop. So we hired a furniture lifter to shift our vanilla sofas upstairs through the french doors. But that created the whole problem of the dealing with the ghastly wallpaper. When it was our bedroom I could live with it - eyes closed! But now it's driving me crazy. Look at this horrible texture. So ... what would it look like if I painted it? Or if my muse painted it?

First I tried the new color I was considering for the living room - ugh - I accidently bought oil-based. Ah-ha! When I was digging out the kitchen paint I also found a partial can of my favorite favorite blue that we had in the living room in Schellebelle. I dashed downstairs, cleaned my brush, stirred that blue and ran back up to see what would happen - I LOVE IT! Now if only that oil base would dry so I can paint over it before Axel gets home. It is going to make the room a little bit darker but it has those lovely windows / door. And the sofas are light - very light - too light. Will deal with that in another 5 years ...

In the end not a single stitch was put into anything today. But the shop just closed so dinner, walk Whisper and then ... hmm, paint or sew? Which one will it be?

Oh .. and I promised to tell you about the Mülheim girls' dots ... before I head to get dinner I will blog about the Under the Willow Tree - so be sure to check them out there!

The best Medicine ...

2010-09-15T03:39:00.000-07:00

... is a day with friends ... I guarantee they will chase away all the cobwebs and snarls.

And Wow - what a day I had!! Yesterday Axel and I jumped in the car for a quick (2-1/2 hour) drive to Germany. Before he went schlepping groceries for his parents, he dropped me off with a bunch of girlfriends who meet up every Tuesday.

I first met this crowd when we moved from England simultaneously into our storage-apartment in Geldern (about 45 mins from his parents) and back to the States. We knew we'd be flying over often enough that a regular place to stay would be important. It only took a little bit of research to realize this little apartment just a few minutes walk from one of Axel's best friends was cheaper than a storage unit in England. It meant I could sew and have a "normal" life when Axel was out touring and it gave me the opportunity to meet THE GIRLS.

They're all quite a hoot and keep each other in stitches. Somebody always has something new to share ... and more often than not there's 10+ things to show each week. They are a constant source of inspiration and ideas.

Gabi was working on her flower garden - isn't it gorgeous? Every tiny little scrap of fabric is Kaffe Fasset. The hexagons measure about 3/8" on each side.

I met Karin for the first time - a warm, friendly lady who can KNIT and I mean really knit. Gabi knits too and was working on a gorgeous shawl, but she had already put her project away by the time I pulled out my camera. Someday I'm going to get the two of them to teach me how to do this. First I need to finish sock of my socks. I have knit three, but still don't have a pair - the story of my life :)

And Angela dyes her own fabrics and makes the most outstanding quilts. She's been working on this one for a couple of years ... 9-patches made using the English Paper Piecing method.

It was a wonderful day ... packed with laughter, ideas, inspiration, friendship and best of all patchwork and creativity. I also showed the my GOT DOTS project and immediately "infected" three of them. I'll save those pics for tomorrow. I was exhausted at the end of the day mostly from trying not to mix up my German and Nederlands (which was pretty much a lost cause).

There was a semi (lorry) accident on our normal motorway so we came home via a different route. Quite tired and too three four-legged critters that were happy to see us. Today I've come down with *another* cold, the shop is open, our village is getting ready for Kermis (the ferris wheel will be set up across the street - right in front of our bedroom window).

I want to do is stitch, stitch, stitch - I have a few more Got Dots blocks to show you, another snowflake and more. But I need to take pictures of everything.

I hope you're happily stitching away! xox Jovita

"Not I" Said the Little Red Hen

2010-09-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

If you're saying this, you should head right over here to enter my give-away going on Under the Willow Tree.

Thanks so much for all the comment s and ideas I've received so far for my first 9-patch. I don't think you'll mind ... but I've decided to keep the drawing open for another week. It's my fault ... I *finally* sent out a big email to all my friends in the States to give them the heads up that I'm blogging again. Otherwise, just those who are on Facebook knew about all the recent activity.

Plus after reading a few of your ideas I browsed through my stash and found these ... I thought it might inspire a few more ideas :)

I have all these ideas about decorating my studio in these colors and would love for it to have the feel of the little tableau you see below. But unfortunately I don't think it will work in this house ... it was built in the 1930's and has a wildly patterned cement tile floor in brown, greyish and creamish. The fireplace is also quite a statement ... oh, what to do ... what to do ....

Still I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite inspiration pics ...

(i've lost my source, if you recognize
this please tell me)

Big huge, happy sigh!

2010-09-10T03:22:00.000-07:00

My class schedule for September - December is finally, finally finished. Many many thanks to go friends who helped with the translation.

Apologies to those of you who can't read Nederlands - but this is such an achievement I had to share it. My new goal is to start NOW on the January - June schedule and include color pics of the projects ... but first I'm off to play with my dog, do some laundry and maybe a cartwheel or two.

xox Jovita

Announcing GOT DOTS and a Give-Away!

2010-09-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

So we're ready to begin ... I've had so much fun getting this all ready to share with you!
First I'm going to blame Barb for getting me all worked up about dots, cherries and berries again ... I've always loved them and have so many quilts I would like to make that include these lovely polky dots.
Barb's quilts reminded me of the dot quilt that has been lingering in the back of my brain ... one I had seen with my "sista," Dana, in an exhibition at the Bellevue Arts Museum. It has such charm. The maker was obviously using up every little scrap she had. Well I have scraps too. Boxes, buckets and bins of them! So I'm all jazzed to use up a bunch of them and I'm hoping you'll join me in the fun as we venture into the great Got Dots Quilt-Along.

How does it work? Easy, download and print out a little explanation and a few templates here. Then dig out your scraps, start sorting and snipping. Before you know it you'll be ready to make a bunch of these fun dotty blocks.
What do you need? Background fabric(s) - each block is 6" finished but to allow for applique shrinkage I cut my backgrounds into 7" squares. Each dotty block requires twenty-one 1-1/4" scraps of fabric. That's it. Oh yeh, you'll need needles and thread and a bit of spray starch is recommended - see Barb and Crispy's tutorials below.
Want to join us? Please leave a comment on the blog and/or in the Flickr group - we would love to know who is going dotty with us.
Share your blocks on Flickr too! I've already opened up a group and added pics of my blocks and some of the original quilt. I look forward to see these dots multiply.
Want to win some dots to get you started?
We've got lots of ways for you to enter a give-away for some great dots to get you going ... dotty ... hehe.

Leave a comment here on this blog and tell us what colors you are already dreaming about.
Become a follower of my blog Jovita's Patchwork Atelier
Become a follower of our blog Under the Willow Tree. By the way - there's a give-a-way going on there too ... i really really looking forward to reading your ideas :)
Add a Got Dots button and link to your blog - and be sure to tell me about it.
Tell us what you think of the pics we've already uploaded to the Flickr group.

Wow - that's a lotta ways to win - good luck!

Want to share it with your friends? No problem - point them to my blog, print out the info for them, whatever you like. (But please remember - my "pattern" is for private use only - in all fairness, please don't sell it. You are welcome to share it (hand it out for FREE) in your shop, guild or amongst friends but please make sure to leave my info on the copies.) The "patterns" will be released as part one, part two ... not sure how many yet. But it's all free, you'll just want to stay tuned to get all the parts.

Tutorials

Barb's method - I do mine exactly like Barb but I have a TIP ... let the spray starch soak into the dot before you put the iron to it. Otherwise you end up with a lot of burnt starch on your iron - trust me, I've done it too many times.
Crispy's method - I am very intrigued and think I might have to try this for my next project or for my own dots that I don't swap.
FYI - for the great Dot Swap I think it's better if we all stick to the same method - ie. basted over cardstock.

Feel free to give a shout out on your blog! If you have a blog, please then grab a button below - yes I had fun making these too - there should be one to coordinate with the colors of everyone's blog - but if not, give me a holler and I'll custom make one - just because I can :)

Linky info ...

Cut and paste the following HTML code into your blog or website.

<a href="http://www.jovitaspatchwork.eu/gotdots.html/"><img src="http://www.jovitaspatchwork.eu/gotdots/gotdots_YOURCOLORCHOICE.png" alt="Jovita's Patchwork Atelier - the great Got Dot quilt-along"/></a>

Choose your favorite Got Dots button.
Then where you see YOURCOLORCHOICE in the HTML code - change that to the button color you would like. Change only those words, everything else should stay the same.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Button choices


fresh2	berry2	choc2


figtree2	green2	melon2


redteal2	rwb2	teal2

Going Dotty

2010-09-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

It's been quite the busy week ...

In Belgium you can tell summer is winding down and everyone is keen to get back to quilting. A total of 12 ladies joined us for a fantastic quilting be on Tuesday - half the group used our new table in the classroom, the other half gathered in our kitchen. It was lovely ... but after a 5-week break speaking hardly any Nederlands I was exhausted. Darn, I forgot to take pictures. But I *promise* I will next month.

The shop also re-opened after our summer break so I've been busy getting the class schedule figured out and translated. It's quite a job but I think it's nearly finished. As soon as I can I'll provide a link where you can download it.

I'm also working on a really fun quilt-a-long idea involving dots - lots of dots! More soon, but in the meantime let this inspire you.

Unfortunately the biggest down-side to me being so busy is that Whisper is acting up ... you know I only ignore her and never play with her ... Yesterday I took her to the field behind our house .. it was gorgeous, the sun was shining, the cats were playing (going to the field is an all-family outing) and Whisper was in heaven. The nice thing is I have this video to make me smile all the times she's driving me up a tree.

Here are a few more pictures from our "outing." And there are a few more in my Flickr gallery.

Today was our monthly Crazy Bee ... here are just two of the four "bugs" we embroidered. There others were a ladybug and a snail but didn't photograph well so I'll show those on another day when the sun is out.

The weather has taken a cooler turn and I'm loving it ... sweaters! Plus I can wear my wool vest with felted wool rose corsage - someday I'll write up a tutorial. They're a breeze to make and are lovely gifts.

The bad thing is that I'm feeling a bit yucky, that obligatory fall cold - but Axel's gone to get chinese for dinner - yummm, they make the best Chicken Soup.

The shop is open tomorrow so no sleeping in and Axel has to work all weekend (12 days straight - thanks UEFA). Hopefully I can hole up and stitch and just jump up when customers come in ... so I can finish a few Got Dots blocks to show you next week!

xox Jovita

Frosty Flakes block #4

2010-08-27T04:23:00.001-07:00

Am pleased to being staying on track with this project. One little hexagon flower with a bit of embroidery and bead embellishment isn't much but it goes a long way on the "I've accomplished something" list.

Check out the Flickr album for more pics of other Frosty Flakes.

I'm busy plugging away in my studio, a quick trip to Ikea last night resulted in the rest of the "design wall" storage.

Today, I've got the music cranked ... what may seem like a strange mix of language and styles ... but it's keeping me going ...

* Pink Martini
* Michel Bublé
* Paolo Conte ~italian~
* Katie Melua
* Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
* Neil Diamond
* Michel Sardou ~french~
* Reinhard Mei ~german~

So if you'll excuse me ... I'm off to get some more of this mess cleared away.

Plugging Away ...

2010-08-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

So it's still a bit of a construction / re-organization zone around here. The furniture "lift" came Friday night to move our two sofas upstairs via outside and through the french doors (there's no way they'd go up the staircase. But we still need to drill holes and pull the cable wire upstairs so for now we're watching TV evenings in my studio - courtesy our garden chairs. It doesn't feel very elegant, but by the end of the day of sorting, shifting and piling up (see those tables that still need to get sorted out!!) we're quite happy to plunk down, put feet up and just watch a bit of something funny.

The shop and classroom area are coming along nicely and I can hardly wait to re-open on Wednesday just to see everyone's reaction. By the time we're finished with this re-fit we will have doubled our shelving space for bolts and added a comfortable classroom table for six with a view into our little courtyard where weather permitting we can gather to stitch on a regular basis.

Thankfully I'm still able to carry on with hand projects in spite of this disaster zone. My Courtyard Quilt is coming along nicely - I ended up adding 3 more fabrics to give it a bit of a lift and have pretty much decided on the layout ... it would be nice to have it done before our open house starting on the 1st of September.

Block three of Frosty Flakes was posted last Wednesday. I was glad to have already prepped and appliqued the "flowers" so it was just a matter of adding the embroidery and beads. Voilà! Here she is ... Plus I've posted a pic of the first five flowers so you can see the color pallette I'm working with. plus Dawn started a Flickr group where you can see what everyone else is doing.

Happy Sewing!! xox Jovita

Yesterday was my Wedding Anniversary ... 13 years!

2010-08-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I might show you a pic or two but my scanner isn't set up yet in the new studio and the only one I can find on the computer is this one of my dad and I.

It's hard to imagine that so much time has passed but then we have to admit that we have packed a ton into those 13 years. We've moved "across the pond" three times, into homes in England, the States, Germany and now Belgium for a total of five household moves. For the sake of sanity we won't count any moves involving storage units, the shop or classroom.

Axel is working very hard right now - they are right in the middle of "the season." So we decided to wait until the weekend to go out for an Indian in Gent - I can hardly wait - my mouth is already watering.

Since we stayed in last night, I made his new favorite dinner ... it's a variation on a recipe I found here. Only I make it with chicken using a combination of this recipe and a family favorite that my mom just called "soy sauce chicken wings." I'll post my adaptation soon. For dessert we had his favorite cake - the same one we had for our wedding day and later for our reception - with thick Cream Cheese Frosting.

Then I got to thinking ... it's been !13! years ... and we *still* don't have a quilt on our bed. Not that he's that bothered being a European duvet kind of guy.

But still ... I've started two ... isn't it time to get one finished ... but which one first?

I think I need to make quite a few more of the Monkey Wrench blocks for it to be big enough but will be easier to quilt (maybe?).

The Amish 9-patch, on the other hand, just needs two borders ... but how will I quilt it? (you can read more about this quilt here).

And then there's the whole question of size ... did I mention he wants to get a King Size "Long" now? We have had a custom bed for some time now - Queen Long, the mattress is 60" x 90" / 152.5cm x 229cm (Queen is usually 80" / 203cm long). A California King is only 84" / 214cm long.

Then again, my first quilt does fit ... so maybe I should just leave it there for a while ...

But first I need to get more put away in my office, the sewing machine(s) set up, pressing and cutting space organized ... and then, ~then~ ... I CAN SEW! In the meantime, here's a peak of the shelves that are starting to look more like this :)

One Step Closer

2010-08-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am moving my office / sewing room / studio *again*

I wish I could tell you it looks like this.

But alas, I can't, and I have to tell you this lovely room belongs to Jenny B Harris and you can see more here.

I've lost count of how many times I've done this move and am only slightly encouraged knowing that every move has meant more storage (not always a good thing) and more organization (something I always welcome).

So today our old living room looks looks like this ... um, no ... I can't show you a pic of that. The sofas are still here - pending the lug *upstairs* and boxes/piles look like they are going to slide everywhere. Never mind the ladder, the tool box and vacuum cleaner.

The best I can show you is this. And yes, it is only the beginning of my storage wall for fabric and projects. Your seeing about 1/2 of it - when it's finished it will measure 276cm / 9ft high x 300cm / 9-3/4 ft wide. Huge! But I can hardly wait.

The upper portion will be covered with doors that will act as a design wall - which I would have preferred went to the floor but isn't possible due to one very helpful tail and the cheeky face that goes with it. Plus this gives me some lower storage for things I am working on at the sewing table. I think the one row of shelves will remain open for easy access to the Workbasket.

So another trip to IKEA is in order to buy a few more cabinets that will go to the right of this. Then I can start filling it will my stash so it will look something like this ...

I fold all my fabrics around a 6" ruler, they fit on the shelf perfectly and I found a great tutorial here if you'd like to try it for yourself.

Snowflakes

2010-08-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Two posts in two days is probably not the goal I want to set for myself, but I was too excited to not share with you this sweet little project I'm working on.

As many of you know, I have a million projects and I should *really* think hard about starting another. But ... first they were snowflakes and there are only nine (9!) of them. Then I started thinking about using silk for shimmer and well I think reason left me there.

But it's true, they're quick and easy and a delight to make. And something I ~~might~~ will definitely finish - by this Christmas. There I posted it here, so you can hold me too it.

The 10-week project is posted one block per week on Wednesdays by Dawn Hays of "As Sweet As Cinnamon". It's a lovely project and easy to take anywhere or to work on while enjoying a movie/sofa night - last night I began block one and today finished two. Think about joining us - just click on Dawn's button to the right.
Project details: silk dupioni (in 5 shades of blue/aqua), white and blue hand-dyed variegated threads from Weeks Dye Works, pre-cut 1/2" hexagons and seed beads in opalescent white and turquoise. the background is a fabulous white-on-white snowflake print. All product (except beads) are available at Jovita's Patchwork Atelier.

Greetings from a summery Belgium!

xox Jovita

It's been too long ...

2010-08-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been ages since you heard from me ... at first I thought it might be just the summer ... then the summer turned into autumn, there was a winter to be endured, spring came and went and another summer arrived full of activity. It's nearly 16 months since my last flight from the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

I can honestly say I'm quite settled in Belgium. And I'm loving it (ok ... I hate the wind & winters) but the rest is a all doable and more often than not very very enjoyable.

My Courtyard Flower Garden
Using 1-1/2" hex and a selection of
fabrics from Fasset, Mably and Jacobs.

Life here has been incredibly busy, last December we moved to a bigger house (smaller yard) which includes built-in shop space. In February Jovita's Patchwork Atelier opened ... the new shop is even smaller than our little one in Mukilteo but it has been warmly welcomed by many. I still carry the gorgeous ribbon from Germany and silk of course. New additions have been the wonderful and colorful works of Philip Jacobs, Brandon Mably and of course, Kaffe Fasset.

I am also doing a lot more hand-work which I've always enjoyed. So English Paper Piecing, Needleturn Applique and Wool Applique keep me quite busy. When I'm not "working" you'll find me puttering in the garden, cooking up a storm, playing with our animals or sitting with my knitting or crochet.

There's a lot to catch you up on including projects, anecdotes from life in Europe, design ideas, free patterns and tutorials. So I hope you'll bookmark my blog and come back often to visit.

xox Jovita

The Kiss of Spring is a Wonderful Thing!

2009-04-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: This entry was originally posted on my old blog 29APR2009. Life has changed, the blog has changed and the shop now has a new home. But it's history and some of it's interesting ... and I hope you enjoy some of the background. signed JG, 12AUG2010

Phew - I am so glad Spring has finally arrived ...

First thing you'll notice is that it's been ages since I've posted ... why? Well, there's been a lot going on and I hope you'll understand.

I wanted to move my blog - involves finding the right location and the actual move - accomplished yesterday. We hope you like the new look. It turns out that move wasn't right either. I'm hoping this new start will be the right one.
In January I had to make the very difficult decision to close our showroom in Everett (Washington). Decisions like this make me want to stick my head in the sand ... but made it needed to be and I think (eventually) it will feel as right as it should. It was the right decision, I know that now and am loving having the shop here in Belgium. But a visit to the NW would not go amiss, I am missing everyone sooo much!
I travelled to the US for 10 weeks - yes, 2-1/2 months - all in one go. That's just too darn long to be away from home but there was a lot to do. It turned out I bounced around staying with a bunch of friends which was a lot of fun but did cause (just a little bit) of disorganization.
Therefore ... many things fell by the wayside - the blog was just one.

Here's a picture of the container we shipped to Belgium - thank goodness to a number of friends who helped me pack it just two days before I flew out ...

I returned back from Seattle last Friday and am becoming reacquainted with my home and garden. Ha - if I thought my "work" list was long ... you should so the household list of things to do. That of course never ends. We moved to a bigger home/shop in December '09 and I'm slowly (painfully slow) getting it re-decorated and looking more homey.

Regardless, I'm going to forge ahead. You'll see many changes at PEACOCK & periwinkle - yes, we are still around - we still carry ribbons, silk and many other wonderful things that you have always enjoyed from us in the past. Yes, indeed, P&P has gone through some changes. The shop is now branded "Jovita's Patchwork Atelier" - to make it more European multi-language friendly. But P&P will still be around more in it's original capacity as a "resource center." I hope to tell you more about that soon.

So - rest assured I'm back and eager to show and share everything I've been up to ... stay tuned! Well, it turns out I wasn't as rested as I hoped. It took me nearly a year to build up the energy to re-open the shop and another summer to be ready to tackle blogging again. Long may this new burst of energy last.

Survey Results

2009-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the results are in for P&P’s first customer base survey. It was a very interesting experience for us. So many of you answered and we’ve compiled the results for you below. Many of you added comments, personal messages and suggestions. Thank you so much!

We’ll aim for frequent surveys to reflect your interests so keep your ideas coming. Our next survey will also expand on these results to clarify and add to the results.

We received comments about why and how we have our machines serviced. Things we love and hate about our machines. So many thoughts and ideas - I will be expanding on them in upcoming blog updates, so be sure to check back soon and often.

How many Sewing Machines do you own?

38% of us own 4 or more sewing machines
24% of us own 3 machines
22% of us own 2 machines
16% of us own 1 machine

What Brand of sewing machine do you primarily use to piece your quilt tops?

Baby Lock	3%
Bernina	30%
Elna	3%
Husqvarna	4%
Janome	10%
Kenmore	2%
New Home	2%
Pfaff	24%
Singer	2%
- Featherweight	5%
Viking	11%

How old is your Sewing Machine?

4% of our machines are “New”

(less than one year old)

17% are 1-2 years old
28% are 3-4 years old
33% are 5-10 years old
35% are 10+ years old

How often do you clean and oil?

12% weekly
30% monthly
14% every three months
14% twice per year
22% once per year
8% answered “Am I supposed to?”

Do you service your machine regularly?

11% answered “No”
17% answered “Yes, I do it myself”
48% answered “I take it to the repair (wo)man annually”
24% answered “I take it to a repair (wo)man only if I have a problem”

Those surveyed were asked to choose 3 criteria which they deemed 'most important' when deciding where to take their machine for repair or service?

66% answered “Location / Convenience”
54% answered “Brand Affiliation”
53% answered “Turn-around Time”
47% answered “Accessibility” - ie, the ability to speak to your repair (wo)man directly
32% answered “Cost”

Are you happy with your current machine or would you like to buy a new one?

72% answered “I love my machine and don't want to change”
26% answered “I'd like to buy a new one but the current economy has me thinking twice.”
2% answered “I'd like to buy a new one and am on the lookout!”

In addition to piecing, what else do you use this machine for?

79% of us use the same machine for various Craft and Sewing Projects
77% of us also use the same sewing machine for Straight Line Quilting
57% of us use the same machine for Free Motion Machine Quilting
66% of us use the same machine for Garment Sewing
63% of us use the same machine for Machine Applique

Do you use a different machine for quilting?

64% answered “No, I primarily hand quilt or send my quilt tops to a Long Arm Quilter.”

36% answered “Yes”

Christmas Cheer & Challenge Revealed

2008-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

This last Tuesday was our annual challenge reveal in Mülheim . . . what a wonderful day. The picture above was a peak through Gila’s studio window as we gathered around a merry table to chat, stitch and share.

We all took home a little pile of fun and festive things. Here’s a peak at what stood

before me on the table. Everyone brings little “goodies” - a few of “us” hadn’t but will make up for it in a new year.

This year many of us did bring yummies to share and we feasted on a gorgeous and very festive beet salad with apples and walnuts, smoked trout, a cheese board and variety of bread plus broccolli salad and pumpkin pie from the Goldschmidt kitchen and of course cake - to celebrate Gila’s December birthday.

Gila also unwrapped her birthday blocks - this year we each gave each other one block following a set of guidelines, I’ll tell you more about those later in January. Our challenge next year is to do actually do something with the blocks . . .

The culmination of the day was to “reveal” our challenges for this year - our theme was “CRAZY.”

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a “where is it” problem. With all my to’ing and fro’ing, I couldn’t the piece I wanted to use. It was a Christmas-themed crazy in Reds, Greens and Golds. I had made tons of progress and wanted to finish it off in an unusual way . . . but lo and behold - I could not find it anywhere.

Searching through my studio I was berating myself out loud and at one point mumbled “this is just plain crazy, there’s no way I have time for *another* project.” Well, that thought led to another and the phrase “Just Plain Crazy” stuck in my head big time. So . . . yes, I started another project. Of course this is as far as I got. Of course, there was quite a chuckle as I pulled piece by piece out of my basket.

Click here to see all of our Challenge entries from 2008
plus a few from previous years as well.

Christmas is Coming

2008-12-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

. . . and the goose is getting fat!

It would help if the silly goose didn’t keep tasting all the yummies she’s busy baking. But, it’s so hard. It’s at this time of year that I get all those yummy flavors that I miss from home . . .

Molasses & Gingerbread
Anise - I put extra into my Pfefferneuse
Cornbread - for my stuffing of course
Pumpkin Pie and all kinds of spices

and mmmmm, yummy moist Fruit Cake that I can hardly waiting to slice into. Color me weird if you want to but I LOVE FRUIT CAKE.

However, I am picky, it can’t be too sweet and absolutely must be very moist. What can I say - my mom made the best! Actually she made two recipes - a “Light one” and an “Inexpensive One.” The latter being darker and moister, gooier and full of raisins and candied fruit.

The recipe is below - give it a try, you never know. You might like it - or love it like I do.

I also thought I’d update you on my Festival of Trees that we’ve been doing as a block of the month. It’s been fun, very and so popular that it will be back next year!

Reserve your space now – then choose to pick up your fabric kit or have it shipped to you in January. Just $60 for all twelve months, including the fabric for the top, binding and the pattern. Quilt finishes approximately 40” x 48”. Designed by Barbara Brackman & Karla Menaugh,

And here’s a sneak peak at my challenge entry for the group of friends in Mülheim (Germany). The theme these year is “Crazy.” We’ll see how far I get on this. “Sew little time” right now with Christmas preparation and patterns-writing for the shop. Our group reveal is this coming Tuesday . . . wish me luck!

Click here to see 2007 challenge results.

Mom’s inexpensive Fruitcake

2 Cups raisins or mix of raisins and dates
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Water
5 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Cloves

Mix above ingredients together in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool, then add:

3 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Walnut Pieces (optional)
and Candied Fruit to taste - if you don't like candied fruit, increase amount of raisins, dates or consider chopped dried apricots.

Mix thoroughly and pour into paper lined bread pans. Bake at 325 F for 1 hour.

For maximum “moist-ness” pour one tablespoon of rum, cream cherry or other sweet liquor over baked cakes. Repeated weekly until Christmas your cakes will stay fresh throughout the New Year season too.

print PRETTY card - Fruitcake.pdf

print BORING card - Fruitcake.pdf

Harvest Fest Donut Recipe

2008-10-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Phwew! You can tell it’s fall again. It’s always this time of year that I finally gather steam again and try to get back on top of things. I’m not sure where October went but it was packed full of wonderful things!

I celebrated another birthday, visited, dined, chatted and shared wine with many friends in the Northwest and finally returned “home” to Schellebelle (Belgium) on the 15th. The last two weeks have been filled with numerous trips to purchase furniture for my studio and I’m nearly set. There are still boxes to filter and put away . . . somewhere . . . it’s amazing how quickly these new spaces fill up. But it’s fantastic and I can’t wait to pull out my sewing machine. It’s been away in lieu of catching up some of my computer work.

But today is Halloween - honestly, it never has been one of my favorite holidays. I prefer to celebrate the harvest season - pumpkins, golden colors, reds, rust and candles.
To celebrate just a bit though I made drop donuts - yummmm! Many of you will remember these from various autumn and winter events in the garden at our previous location.

Nothing conjures the taste more than a mouthful of pumpkin pie or these orange-flavoured drop donuts!

DROP DONUT RECIPE

2 Tablespoons Shortening
1/2 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon (or more) Grated Orange Rind
2 Cups Flour
2-1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup Orange Juice - fresh is best!

Mix all ingredients until a thick batter. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil. Cook at 300F for about 6 minutes until golden brown. Test temperature first with one donut. Break open to see that it is cooked through. If it is seems dark enough on the outside but not cooked thoroughly lower the temperature to ensure they will cook all the way through. Drain on paper towels then roll in granulated sugar.

Print PRETTY Recipe Card.pdf

Print boring Recipe Card.pdf

Busy – Sewing Samples for you!

2008-08-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Color me Guilty! I haven’t been updating my blog or pics of my design wall.

I’ve been sewing and prepping non-stop for my next trip to the States. Here are a few pics to wet your appetite.

Both simple patterns, but very red – these two quilts really caught my eye! Hmmmm, maybe ideas for quick but eye-catching quilts to use up some of my stash . . . ?

These blocks are from our new block of the month. It’s just $60 for the whole kit using solid cottons.

There’s more and my suitcase is getting full – I can hardly wait to see you all! See you in September!

Lost Quilt(s), Lost History

2008-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

It’s August - summer holidays here in Europe. And that mean everyone is on holiday. I’m not kidding. We recently needed new brake pads for our car, the mechanic told us we were just in time to order the part, before his supplier went on holiday. I wanted to buy flowers for a friend (explanation later) and we have a wonderful choice of 5 flower shops in our little village - they were closed - all five shops - holidays! Axel can get to work 10 minutes quicker on a daily basis because so many people either leave town or stay home that the roads feel literally empty. In Paris - you don’t have to pay for parking for the whole month of August. Firstly because all the parking attendants go on holiday, but secondly because so many shops are closed that it doesn’t warrant fighting over spaces. And our leaking shower - yep - it will leak for the rest of the month . . .

We all love to go on vacation . . . and many of us secure our homes, arrange for a neighbor to pick up the mail, water the plants, either take our pets with us or leave them with friends, etc. But how many of us think about a kenneling our quilts and heirlooms? The story below will explain why all of a sudden this is on my mind . . .

A few weeks ago, I received an email from my friend Gabi. I thought it was weird because I knew they had gone on holiday - two weeks in the mountains and by my calculation we were only 1/2-way through it.

The gist of the email was surprise! She and her husband, Eberhard were back from vacation - early. They had received a phone call from a friend who lives in the same “hof” as they do . . . there had been a fire in their apartment.

As I’m reading her email in my scrappy Germany, I’m thinking of all the beautiful quilts she has made, heirlooms from her mother and mother-in-law that she had shown me with so much pride, her expansive collection of wool - in finished sweaters, socks begun, and so many skeins waiting to be fondled. My heart was in my throat and I could barely read it aloud to Axel.

I phoned Gabi to see if I could help as I was driving over for a couple of days. I’d bring dirty close if she wanted help in the apartment or was willing to provide distraction if she needed some girlie time.

When I got there I could hardly believe my eyes. The sofa where the fire broke out was gone! The wall behind now looked like a huge fireplace like you’d see in old stately homes. From the knees up, the apartment turned grey and then black as the smoke had accumulated at the ceiling. There was substantial fire damage but that was limited to the living room - that sofa, behind which Gabi stored all of her knitting wool. Next to the sofa used to be a small table, first draped with a 40” square whitework “Hessesche Stickerei” hand embroidered by her mother. This was crowned with Gabi’s favorite Japanese quilting books - they were totally destroyed. I asked about the cloth from her mother which she later showed me - an entire corner was missing, it was totally grey and covered in scorch marks.

This is all that I managed to salvage from her beautiful 9-patches.

Quilt Show – Gent, Belgium

2008-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today I visited a Quilt Show in Gent presented by the Vlaamse Quilters Guilde. It was just what I needed for some contact with “quiltsters” (feminine form of quilter) here in Belgium. From the moment I walked into the show I felt welcomed and at home among women who also share my passion.

I began in Nederlands, she answered in English, asked where I was from and took €2,50 (just $4) for the entrance fee. Everywhere I went, women were smiling, nodding and enjoying themselves. The show included the largest number of Dear Jane quilts I had seen in one location. This is probably my favorite Dear Jane so far.

Both simple patterns, but very red – these two quilts really caught my eye! Hmmmm, maybe ideas for quick but eye-catching quilts to use up some of my stash . . . ?

Next I wandered outside to the circus style tent and found my absolute favorite . . . that I liked this very yellow quilt was quilt a surprise . . . not sure why, I’m still exploring that. But I fell in love with it more and more and more.

Of course, the best quilts are also best viewed from the back. The subtle daylight showing through from the front really softened the entire effect – and of course really highlighted the exceptional hand quilting.

There were more – 141 – in all and I could go on and on. But the highlight of my day was truly visiting with the ladies. I enjoyed a cappuccino and piece of home-made cake with Loes and Dora. Then I joined the Open Quilting Bee in the courtyard – the weather has turned warm, but there was cloud cover and a gentle breeze. This guild breaks for the summer holidays and resumes in September, so many ladies were milling around and catching up with each other, their projects and families. They were all very welcoming and I exchanged small chat in a mix of English and Nederlands.

But oi vey – I also heard a lot of French – I may need to learn it sooner than I thought.

J o v i t a ' s P a t c h w o r k A t e l i e r

Feeling Your Love

They're Waiting for Us

How does the Sun still Rise and Set ~ if the world has stopped turning?

Do You Mind if I Knit

One Cold & Snowy Saturday Morning

When your JOB is what you LOVE to do ...

Camaraderie and Quilting

{Tutorial} Morning Star Block 1

Make Mine a Double Please!

Quilt Happenings - a weekend update

BLOCK ONE of Morning Star, Morning Bright

NEW QUILT BLOCK of the MONTHMorning Star, Morning Bright

The Big Secret Project(s)

Absent but Not Idle

Crazy Christmas - FREE PATTERN

Sneak Peaks

Seamweaver

Oh October

The Quilt Along Starts Today

Jane in Rainbow effect ..

Carnival (Kermis) Brights!

Don't Miss Out

The Tense and Waiting Game

Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along

I {heart} Gent

14 years and counting

Custom Fabric

Jekyll & Hyde

fueling my addiction to hexagons

An Abundant Day

What is "Reverse" Applique?

It's a Wrap

Staycation

GOT DOTS Lollipops Pattern

My Heart went THUMP

Design Process .3.

Friday the First

One Sunday, Two Janes

Contagion Alert!!

Design Process .2.

Design Process .1.

Patchwork in my "Garden"

Missing

Breaking the Rules

Everyone's a Winner!

Crazy Spring (Give-Away)

Fresh Tomatoes

Lettuce Pause

Dear Blogger ....

Jump on our Jane Train!

"Infinite Variety" (on-line photos)

A Day Out

the not so "magic" frixion gel pens

Things are Growing!

A Winner's Packet

U Pick

I ♥ U (aka Got Dots part 2)

Drooling at the Victoria & Albert Museum {SALE}

FAQ: the great GOT DOTS quilt along

I {heart} DOTS

I Made a Mini for Me

Mother May I Have ... "a do-over" ... please?

Good NEWS!

Whooo hoot! *updated*

dark and bleary

My muse made me do it

The best Medicine ...

"Not I" Said the Little Red Hen

Big huge, happy sigh!

Announcing GOT DOTS and a Give-Away!

Going Dotty

Frosty Flakes block #4

Plugging Away ...

Yesterday was my Wedding Anniversary ... 13 years!

One Step Closer

Snowflakes

It's been too long ...

The Kiss of Spring is a Wonderful Thing!

Survey Results

Whooo hoot! updated