Heart Swap II

My swap partner has received the package, so now I can let you see what I sent her.


I thought she might enjoy having a matching set of hearts to use as charms for scissors, keys or anything else she fancied. 




Then I decided that a bookmark is something we all need, so I made her one as well. I think my hearts were quite well received and have put a smile on her face.


You can have a look at her blog and see for yourself!

Heart Swap

A month ago I was tempted and joined a heart swap organised by Katrien whose blog I follow already for a while. Everybody was assigned a partner to whom we were to send a friendship heart by the end of february. The only requirement was that the heart should have a ribbon attached, so it could be hung to be displayed.


Yesterday I got a package from Anita with the cutest embroidered heart. I wanted to take a picture of it immediately, so I could post about it and let the other participants admire Anita's beautiful work. The weather was sunny, so taking a photo should have been a breeze. Should have ... 


I climbed on a chair in the veranda, so as to profit from better light and snapped a pic with my phone. So far, so good. Then I stepped down and that is when it all went wrong. In a split second my foot got entangled in some scarf, or a pullover that should not have been where they were in the first place. Should not have been ... Then I fell with a heavy thump on the stone floor of the veranda. Oh, how I wished I were a squirrel with a fluffy tail to land on and soften the blow. Luckily, I don't seem to have damaged myself permanently, but I have to tell you that at this moment (about 24 hours later) I still feel a dull pain where my fluffy tail should have been. Should have ... if it wasn't for evolution. 


On a brighter note, thanks to evolution I am able to tell you the story and can eat nuts while warmly snuggled in the sofa, rather that hanging upside down from a branch in the cold. And thanks to Apple designers my iphone, as if by magic, does not seem to suffer any pain after its equally flamboyant journey through the air and landing on the hard floor.


So here is Anita's present for all of you to enjoy. In the end, I did not even use the photo I took myself. I opted for a version my husband snapped of it in the garden.

Hearts are much loved in our family. My daughter never misses an opportunity to make one. Here's what she put on my plate yesterday evening. It's cheese - joy for the eyes and the taste buds!

Thank you, Anita! Your heart is in safe hands and will be well loved! Thank you, Katrien for taking the trouble and organising this swap!

Where am I?

Could anybody recognise my current location?

Vacationally yours

Sashiko Tutorial

A couple of months ago, together with some quilting friends, I took a class on sashiko. I have been admiring this beautiful technique for a while when I signed up for the lessons. Unfortunately, the instruction was "suboptimal" to put it mildly. We were left with a feeling of disappointment and regret for what it could have been .


Today, while browsing the blogs in my Google Reader, on  Sashiko Started It  I came across an announcement for a free online sashiko tutorial that will be delivered through the newsletter of Sashiko Stitchers  beginning July 14, 2010. All you have to do is sign up for the newsletter at  www.sashikostitchers.com or by emailing the organizer at sue@aboutfuroshiki.com. Then gather your supplies and we can enjoy a sashiko-along in two weeks time.


Until then, enjoy the good weather!

I've Got Mail ... Again

The postman came again and he didn't have to ring twice. Look what he brought me:

I love opening envelopes, especially when they contain goodies like that! 

Mary Anne Ciccotelli from Sewing and Beyond sent me a little present for taking part in a quilt quiz on her blog some weeks ago and I was not even the winner! Well, I think that in a way now I am. 

In all fairness, the quiz was not easy but I did work hard and got the answers right.

Mary Anne has free tutorials on cutting hexagons from fabric (no template, just a ruler) and on folding hexagons. Check it out - definitely worth trying! 

Now that I have a hexapin myself, I might try and make some for friends using her tutorial.

Thank you, Mary Anne!

I've Got Mail!

... and here is the proof!








The orange envelope lived up to my expectations - that's for sure!





















Out came a bag adorned with the cutest fabric collage and a sweet inscription.















And then out of the bag popped the top Emily from Em Celebrates! generously offered me a couple of weeks ago.

She posted about a couple of UFO's in need of a new home and I volunteered to "adopt" one of them. Thank you, Emily, for choosing me to take care of your flower children. I shall nurture them and let them blossom!





Here you can see me taking a picture of the top while profiting from one hour of sunshine (a rare commodity in the last couple of weeks) but for some reason I made a video instead of a simple photo (don't ask!), so if you want to see a better shot of what the top looks like you can peek at Emily's photo of it.

I think I'll let the top hang around while I make up my mind about adding some borders and raid my stash for matching fabric. I'll keep you posted.

BTW if you like looking at gorgeous nature and wildlife photos, do visit Em's blog and enjoy the sight of a mustang (no kidding!), an enchanted tree, majestic scenery, or if you feel particularly adventurous imagine yourself in this picture. Have fun!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

The Beauty and the Beast

First things first - the Beauty...

No fairy tale, no Disney story, no! This is the story of a pattern by Helen Stubbings from Hugs from Helen. She was asking readers of her blog to suggest names for her new quilt.

"Belle of the Ball" was what I suggested and she liked it, so I got the pattern as a sweet "thank you" from her. You should have a look at this beauty. I envy those who can see it in reality but the pictures say a lot already.

So, where does the Beast come into play, then?

Well, this beast was an integral part of the birthday celebrations of a certain 6 year old little lady. A very tasty part, I may add. I think she and her little friends enjoyed the "Dragon Party" for this joyful occasion.

Many happy returns of the day, sweetie pie!

A Comeback

It has been a while since I wrote here last but do not despair, my friends! I hope to be back with a vengeance. Here is a little starter.

About two months ago I was lucky to be able to join the Great Hexagon Quilt-Along (GHQA) blog. They have a pot luck every two months or so and I joined in for the first time. The theme chosen for September was "Dots". I committed to one set of 2x6 hexies and here they are:

I fussy cut this one, so the flower could have either light, or dark centre. It is a very subtle difference in colour and the pics maybe do not do it justice.

I had already cut one more set of 2x6 when I found out that the deadline for announcing submissions  had past. I thought I'll send this set to the winner as well anyway since it was already prepared. My daughter, who closely followed the process of choosing the fabrics, thinks it is the better one of the two.

Today I am sending them to our winner Valentina who has already started assembling flowers with a central hexagon featuring the name and the country of the maker. It will make one beautiful garden, I'm sure.

Dear Valentina, some more work is coming your way!