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Wednesday 7 May 2014

Beijing visit and a quilt

We have just come back from a few days in Beijing, visiting our daughter. We were very lucky this time with the weather as it was sunny and cool and the sky was blue. The last couple of times when we visited it was either terribly polluted or it was raining.

Although we have been in Beijing a number of times, there's always something new to explore. This time we "climbed" a little hill behind the Forbidden City to get a bird's eye view.

We also visited the "Bird's Nest", the Beijing National Stadium as it's officially called, which was built for the 2008 Olympics. We have seen it before but only from the outside and it was interesting to go inside. As we were living in China in 2008, we remember all the hype about the Olympics and especially the Bird's Nest. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, which happened to be from my home town Basel.



A stroll along the Houhai Lake in the Hutongs


The Lama Temple was also on our to see list and it was well worth a visit. We were lucky as it wasn't too crowded.
 






Cute kids everywhere. 

We walked under these beautiful ginkgo trees and as usual I had to pick up some of the leaves and take home.



They will go from this to this:

The leaves are painted with silver art clay paste, then fired in a kiln and then polished. 

I brought along a quilt I made recently for my daughter's college friend who just got married last weekend. Said daughter is going to visit the States in the summer and will be able to hand the quilt to the happy couple. I got the inspiration from Pinterest (where else?) and found an excellent tutorial here.



The backing is Flower Lattice, a very early and rare Kaffe Fassett print which has long been discontinued. I adore this fabric and have been hoarding it for a special occasion, just like this. 

I even put a label on, something I've been neglecting recently. 

The Binding is a  Riley Blake Designs called "Red Flutter Stripe".

I hope to get back to you soon with progress on my Auntie Green's Garden. And don't forget to come back next week for the SewMamaSew Giveaway Day. 
Till then, take care.
Vreni x

13 comments:

Shirley said...

Enjoyed the visit alng with you Vreni and I love the ideas that come from Pinterest. Your daughter's friend will love her quilt.

Jess @ Scrappy n Happy said...

Looks like you had a lovely trip! The ginkgo leaves are amazing, do you do the silver thing yourself?
The quilt is beautiful too, I have been admiring that pattern a lot!

Wendy said...

this post brings back such wonderful memories. I was in Beijing in 2003 and really loved it. It was the endpoint of a journey through Siberia and Mongolia and I wasn't expecting to like China as much as I did. Sadly, they knocked down the most wonderful and traditional area of Beijing to build that stadium. i was lucky enough to visit before they did so.

Julimond said...

Liebe Vreni
Peking sieht so anders aus, als man es sich vorstellt. Mir geistern da immer Bilder von versmogten, mit Autos und Fahrrädern verstopfte Strassen vor Augen. So schöne Bilder hast du gemacht.
Womit hast du die Gingkoblätter verarbeitet? Ich konnte nur "Silber" verstehen. Die sind richtig toll.
Dein Quilt ist wunderbar.Der wird sicher viel Freude machen.Die Rückseite ist auch toll.Danke für den Link zum Tutorial.
Ich wünsche dir eine gute Zeit. Hier ist alles o.k., ich fühle mich gerade supergut.
lg
Iris

conny's quilts en creaties said...

Great trip you made to Beijing. loveley pics!

Anonymous said...

Lovely to see the pictures of Beiing. I was here two years ago. Once a time we go back for holiday.
Greats Frea from the Netherlands.


Rossana said...

What a beautiful trip!!! Special places and special events! I like the quilt....expecially the contrast from the modern top and the wonderful and precious back!

Ailsa (Cape Pincushion) said...

Very interesting trip, thanks for sharing it with us.

Thimbleanna said...

Oh, you lucky girl! I've always wanted to visit Beijing, although, I wouldn't even know where to start! Your quilt looks wonderful -- how sweet of you to share your precious backing fabric. I know they will love it!

Kati from Kati's Quilting said...

Such beautiful photos, Vreni, I'm so glad you shared them! I was always fascinated by the curved Chinese architecture. You've been to some gorgeous places. Glad you had nice weather!

Susan said...

I have recently discovered this pattern, I make it with half square triangles. It looks fantastic just in the two tones. I'm sure it will be loved.

Sallie said...

I made the same grey and white quilt for my DD's wedding!

Lynda said...

Such a fun trip. Would love to travel myself but I can't seem to get my husband on a plane without a bunch of whining and nerves! Absolutely love the quilt. The back is wonderfully bright against the subdued colors of the front.