Oops-Lah

busy, busy, busy!

2012-02-10T00:07:00.000-08:00

Not only am I taking a photography class at the moment but this week I also took part in two quilting workshops . Dijanne Cevall, who is a textile artist from Australia, taught three classes at the British Club and I was lucky enough to be able to attend two of them.

The first day's workshop was called "Breaking all the rules"! We had to learn not to use rulers and rotary cutter, but cut freehand with scissors without measuring anything. Not as easy as one would think. It seems that we have an "instinct" to match seams. This is how far I got with mine. A lot of quilting still has to be done, but I'm pleased with it so far.

On the second day we learned to free machine applique and embroider. Dijanne had a few samples with her and we were all blown away with her free motion quilting.

"Pomegranate"

"Banksia"

(Dijanne dyes all her fabrics herself)

We got to play with three dimensional applique as well as foil and water soluble fabric. Unfortunately I was fiddling around with my "design" for too long and didn't have enough time to get to the quilting part. But I got the idea and now have to practice, practice, practice.

If you have a chance to attend a workshop, I recommend that you do. It really invigorates creativity and helps the juices to flow!

Happy Stitching
Vreni x

Another BOM and another block of the week

2012-01-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

This month it was Quilt Dad's turn to design the block for the Blogger's BOM Quilt Along

On its own, maybe not my favorite block

but I really like it together with all the other blocks.

As this is the fifth week of the year, it was also time for another house block.

It looks huge in comparison with my four first blocks.

Contrary to my earlier plans, I think I will make more of the smaller blocks instead of a whole lot of the bigger ones.
Wishing you a good start into the new week.
Vreni x

A little more progress

2012-01-23T01:27:00.000-08:00

All the hour glass blocks are made

and since some of them turned out a bit wonky I used them to make this little pin cushion.

I really like the colour combination.

Now I just have to applique the last few blocks, then I can start assembling the quilt top.

But I have once again become side tracked. I found a basket with scraps from the silk quilt I made a while ago (you can see the quilt here). I didn't think there would be quite enough for another quilt, but maybe a wall hanging. It turned out I had enough scraps for a decent sized lap quilt (36 by 56 inches).

I love the vibrancy of the silks.

I think I might try to quilt it with an invisible thread although I haven't had much luck with it on my Bernina 820. I will have to "fiddle" with the tension, otherwise a call to the very helpful Bernina agent is in order.

As today is the first day of Lunar New Year I would like to wish you all a very Happy Year of the Dragon.

Vreni x

Plodding on!

2012-01-14T02:07:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished my tessellation blocks. Mind you, I still have to applique some of them to the background, but the piecing is done! It took me quite some time as I usually only sew by hand during our quilt group meetings. Here are my last four blocks:

and here they are all together:

Now I'm in the process of sewing 144 hourglass blocks for the sashing.

Lots of small blocks

and lots of cutting

Not quite finished yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Have a great weekend.

Vreni x

Back to normal

2012-01-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I am happy to have the holidays behind me. Not that I didn't enjoy them, far from it, but it's good to be back in a normal rhythm. Just after Christmas Pam Sloan revealed the fourth block of the Blogger's BOM and this week I finally had time to make it.

I must be out of practice as I made a mistake. Can you see it? Yes, the checked blocks are not facing the same way, but it's either that or the stripes don't go the same way. I know I should take it apart or make a new block but I can't be bothered (at least not at the moment).

I think when the blocks are all together, the mistake is less obvious.

Jeanneke from Holland is organizing a quilt along which is called "Building houses from scraps".

I've long wanted to make a house quilt and since there's no better time than now, I'm going to join in the fun although I'm going to do it a bit differently. Firstly I'm not going to make a block a day; couldn't handle the stress and couldn't keep up either. So instead I'm going to make a block a week and I'm also not making the houses quite as small as in the pattern.

I've made a start with these four blocks. They are 5 inches (instead of 3 inches) and I paper pieced them.

I don't know yet exactly how it will all come together, I will see where it takes me. I'm going to call it "Building a Village" and might even add a church and some trees. And since I have tons of Japanese fat quarters in my stash (leftovers from my Japanese era), I'm going to use them and not buy any fabric. So it's not going to be a quilt made from scraps, but it will still have a scrappy feel to it as I will try to use as many of these fabrics as possible. It's a nice contrast to the colours I've been working with lately.

I hope your first week of the New Year has been good.

Cheers

Vreni x

Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle

2011-12-31T22:18:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the challenge Quokka Quilts has organized in conjunction with the Fat Quarter Shop? After seeing the fabulous bundles other bloggers came up with I just had to give it a try myself. Not as easy as one would think. With the hundreds and hundreds of available fabrics there are literary thousands of combinations possible. Funny enough, the two fabric I started with didn't make in the end. I decided to only use up to two fabrics from the same fabric line (except for the solids). The combination I came up with very much reflects the colour mood I'm currently in.

1. Happy Mochi Yum Yum Blueberry India

2. Happy Mochi Yum Yum Blueberry Fiji

3. Dazzle Sky Blue Flowers

4. Ruby Cotton Aqua Sundae

5. Folk Heart Red Floral Lattice

6. Modernology Rose Mod Vines

7. Modernology Sachet Impressions

8. Dazzle Sky Blue Circles

9. Pear Tree Bright Blue Partridge

10. Taza Yellow Ribbon Damask

11. Taza Yellow Lisa

12. Sorbet Watermelon Tiny Flowers

13. Bella Solids Hay Yardage

14. Bella Solids Ruby Ice Yardage

15. Bella Solids Christmas Red

Go and take a look and give it a go. It really is a lot of fun!
Vreni x

Review of 2011

2011-12-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

Projects finished in 2011

Finished tops, waiting to be quilted

Works in Progress

from left to right:

Joseph's coat quilt along

Tessellation quilt

Hexagon quilt

Blogger's BOM

scrap quilt

I hope to have above quilts finished by the same time next year! I just need determination and willpower not to start too many projects along the way.

There are a few more but I wouldn't call them "works in progress" as I haven't worked on them in a long time. Maybe they should be called "works abandoned".

Wishing you all a wonderful and happy New Year ahead with hopefully lots of inspiration as well as lots of time to stitch.

Vreni x

And the gift certificate goes to

2011-12-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Congratulations Anna, I will get in touch with you shortly.
I would like to wish all my blogging friends a Merry Christmas together with a healthy, happy and stimulating year to come. 
Vreni x

Forth and final Advent Sunday Give Away!

2011-12-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

Firstly, let's see who is the winner of last Sunday's give away: Random Number Generator picked number 20

Congratulations to Shirley who said...

Lovely snowflakes. Fingers crossed. Make sure you'll check your inbox for an email from me.

Now for the last of the Advent give aways, I'm offering a gift Certificate of $ 30 for one lucky winner.

Please leave a comment by Friday 23rd of December and I will announce the winner on Christmas Eve. The gift voucher will be delivered via email and the recipient will be able to redeem it right away. The winner may choose a gift voucher from a shop of their choice.

Good luck everyone, and make sure I have a way to contact you.

It seems I really can't stop playing with snow flakes. I guess I won't be finishing this little quilt in time for Christmas, but there's always next year.

Happy Fourth Advent!

Vreni

Voting now open at Quilting Gallery

2011-12-16T02:37:00.000-08:00

I have submitted "O Tannenbaum" to this week's themed Quilt Contest.

To vote go here. There are many lovely quilts to admire.

Have a great weekend.

Vreni

Third Advent Sunday Give Away / SMS Give Away Day

2011-12-11T01:49:00.000-08:00

Today's give away is in conjunction with

And this is what I'm giving away:

"Let it Snow" Twice the Charm by Kim Martin

If that's something you could use, then leave a comment before next Sunday (18th of December) when I will announce the winner . Everybody is welcome, no matter where you are in the world. For more wonderful giveaways go here to find the list of all participants (only by Monday).

And before I go, let's see who is the lucky winner of last week's give away.

The "Christmas Candy Rolie Polie by Riley Blake" is going to no 14, which is Diane H who said:

Thanks for a chance. Wow, I'm off to check out the flower tutorial - yours look amazing.

Congratulations Diane, make sure to check your inbox for an email from me.

Do come back next Sunday for the last of the Advent give aways!

I'm trying very much to get some "winter feeling" which I associate with Christmas. I've been making snowflakes as seen on Pinterest and it seems that I can't stop anymore!

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well too.

Bye for now.

Vreni

Second Advent Sunday Give Away!

2011-12-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

First, let's see who is the winner of last week's give away:

The winning number is 15

Martina who said:

"Tolle Idee, da mach ich doch gerne mit! Wuensch dir von Herzen einen schoenen 1.Advent!"

Congratulations Martina, you'll find an email from me in your inbox!

This week we have this Christmas Candy Rolie Polie by Riley Blake up for grabs.

You know the spiel; leave a message before next Sunday! Make sure I have a way to contact you in case you win.

Before I leave, have a look at what I've been doing this week. I've been seriously sidetracked once again by something I've seen on Sarah's blog

Now it's back to my Christmas card writing and baking Christmas cookies.

Enjoy your Sunday

Vreni

O Tannenbaum

2011-11-29T00:12:00.000-08:00

I saw a paper cut on Pinterest and asked Nina from Finland if she would share the pattern. She did within about one hour; what a nice lady! After making a couple of the paper Christmas trees I thought it would look lovely as a quilt too. I appliqued it with raw edges, then free motion quilted it. Here it is:

"O Tannenbaum"

I have entered this quilt int the 2011 Christmas Quilt Show, go and take a look at all the lovely creations.

It will shortly be wrapped up and make its way to its new owner, hopefully in time for Christmas.

In the meantime, the third block of the Blogger's BOM was revealed. Take a look here.

I like the look of it so far. It's definitely going to be a baby quilt; mainly because of the fabrics I'm using but also because it won't make a very big. The blocks are only 8 " finished and there will be 13 block (I have an idea how to make three additional blocks, so I will have 16 blocks).

This week my quilt from the ALQS 6 arrived on my doorstep all the way from the US. Shawn made me this lovely quilt called Crazy Lizards. It's beautifully made and I love it.

She also made me this name card holder. Just what I needed for my handbag. There were also a couple of chocolate bars in the package, but sadly I can't show you any pictures of those as they are long gone!! Thanks very much Shawn, I really appreciate everything.

That's it for me for today. Over and out!

Vreni

First Advent Sunday Give Away!

2011-11-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I love the Christmas season with everything it entails. I love decorating the house, baking "tons" of Christmas goodies but most of all I love making, buying and giving gifts. That's why I'm having a series of give aways during the month of December, on every Advent Sunday to be precise. It's also to thank all my lovely readers for sticking around. As today is the first Advent Sunday, here's the first give away.

Please leave a comment on this post, making sure I have a way of contacting you. The give away is open to everyone, no matter where you are. I will draw a winner next Sunday and at the same time announce the second Advent Sunday give away. Good Luck.

Cheers

Vreni

Christmas Crafting

2011-11-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

I made a few more cards:

Then I made these gift pouches, which I will fill with sweets and use as table decoration at Christmas. They are from a Japanese book but you can find a tutorial here as well.

I've seen these light bags in a couple of German blogs and wanted to try making one. Inside is a jam jar with a tea light. You can find tutorials here and here (use Google translator, if your German is a bit rusty).

I want to make some more but I have to start collecting empty jam jars first as I usually toss them out! I think they would make lovely little gifts for Christmas.

A friend of mine showed me how to make these gift bags. Wouldn't they be cute at Christmas morning instead of stockings?

Not long now and I can start decorating the house. Can't wait.

Have a lovely weekend.
Vreni

Friendship and other Blocks

2011-11-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

In one of my quilt groups it's custom to make a friendship block for the leaving member. The person leaving chooses and prepares the background blocks for everyone as well as a few coordinated fabrics. Unfortunately we have to say good bye to two members very soon. That's definitely the downside of our "expat" life. Nothing stays the same; people come and people go and one has to adjust constantly to the new reality.

I also made my second block for Blogger's free BOM. It was designed by Vicki Welch and you can find it here.

I think I like the combination of the soft blue with the red. I can't wait to see how it further unfolds.

I also found a lovely tutorial here via A Spoonful of Sugar for paper flowers and though I could make them into Christmas cards.

I hope you were also enjoying a bit of sewing or crafting time this week.

Cheers

Vreni

I won, I won, I won!!!

2011-10-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

Can you tell that I'm exited?

This is why

You might recall the quilt I've made for this year's Singapore Quilt Challenge. My Chinese Lantern received the most votes, can you believe it? I am tickled pink!

Look at the prizes; lots of Ruby goodness as well as coordinated solid fabric and Aurifil thread. But that's not all. I also received a couple of vouchers from a local quilt shop. How lucky am I???

And here are some of the other entries! All very nice, don't you agree?

Now I'm going to play with my new fabrics and start planning what to do with them!

Cheers
Vreni

I'm back

2011-10-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

After a lovely week in China, we are home again. It was great to be back in Shanghai and to catch up with friends and go to the markets as well as having foot massages!

In Beijing we mostly spent time with DD and her young man! We got to see their new apartment as well as DD 's classroom; very new and high tech. When I went to school, we had a black board at the front of the classroom. My kids had white boards but now they apparently have smart boards, which - I had it explained to me - are interactive white boards.

It was nice to see my Dr. Seuss quilt again

and DD was happy with the quilt I brought her.

As we've been in Beijing several times, we didn't do any touristy things. But on Sunday we had a lovely breakfast and then a stroll through the Hutongs. Although it rained, it was a blessed relieve as finally the air was "breathable" again after three days of very heavy pollution.

Just to give you an idea of how bad the pollution was. Take a look at these photos. This one I took from the hotel window when we arrived

and this one - as luck would have it - on our last day. It's mid morning in both pictures.

It seems "the kids" have settled very well in Beijing. In any case they do eat like the "locals"!!

How about a little scorpion for a snack? Not for me, thank you very much, although they tried very hard to convince me to try one. Apparently they taste like potato chips. Then why not eat potato chips, I ask you?

I hope your week is going well too.

Vreni x

Just in the nick of time

2011-10-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

We're going to China tomorrow; first to Shanghai and then on to Beijing to see our daughter (and her young man). Initially I was going to bring her this quilt, it only needed the binding put on.

But after seeing the orange sofa in their new apartment in a photo she sent me, I had to rethink, and fast! I decided to give her the quilt which was intended for my MIL for Christmas instead. I can sort out what to give MIL later on. That left me with exactly two days for sandwiching, quilting and binding the quilt.

With time being scarce I stitched the binding by machine to the back. I usually do that by hand as I hadn't had much success on earlier attempts. But using the blindstitch foot really helped and I only needed to stop and go back because the stitching didn't catch the binding on the back a couple of times. I will need a bit more practice, but I will definitely do this again.

All ready to go. Can't wait!

Talk to you when I get back.
Cheers
Vreni

Thirties pin cushion

2011-10-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

I spent a very enjoyable week with a lovely friend who came up for a visit from Sydney, Australia. As she is a quilter too, there was of course much talk about quilts, fabric, quilting books, patterns etc. She brought me a lovely little kit to make a "Thirties" pin cushion. We decided to make one each and had a cosy day at home stitching.

This is my pin cushion, all stitched by hand I might add,

and this is the one my friend made!

Here they are together; aren't they just lovely?

I hope you are having a good week too.

Vreni

Stash Busting

2011-10-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

I'm determinant to reduce my stash; mostly so I can buy more fabric as there are so many lovely new lines on the market.

This quilts top is made with one jelly roll (Just Wing It by Moda) plus about 2 yards of white fabric. Although I have a few in my possession, it's the first time I've used a jelly roll as so far I just couldn't make myself open and unroll one. But I must say it was a joy to work with and it all came together easily.

For this quilt I've cut the strips myself. A few years ago I was very much into the shabby chic look and still have plenty of those fabrics left. I think it will go well with my mum's decor in her house. As both quilts are for Christmas presents, I better get going with quilting them.

Have you seen the free Block of the Month Jackie from Canton Village Quilt Works is organizing? If not, take a look here.

In my quest to reduce my stash I am playing along. Here's my first block. Now I can't wait for next month's pattern.

Thanks for stopping by.
Vreni

“Strip-tease”

2011-09-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

..... is the theme of this year's quilt challenge, the operative word being "Strip"!!! Every year, for the past 12 years or so, Singapore's quilters come together for a challenge. It's a low key affair with a little exhibition and a luncheon where everybody gets to vote. The rules this year are that at least 75 % of the quilts had to be made with strips no wider than 2 1/2 inches.

This is what I made!

It's a Chinese Lantern, in case you are not sure, and not a Christmas bauble nor a tree ;).

The fabrics I've used are all from my stash. It is imperative that I make a dent into said stash as lately I've been buying fabric again like no body's business. But that's another story altogether.

And now back to stitching. I've decided to make both my mum and my mother in law a quilt for Christmas. One top is done, now on to the next. I'll show you next week.

And here's something I came across today; nothing to do with quilting, but really interesting. Check it out!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Cheers
Vreni

What should it be called?

2011-09-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the finished quilt for the "ALQS 6". It measures 19,5 by 22 inches and is quilted heavily with various embroidery cottons.

The only thing left to do now is to find a name for it? Somehow it reminds me of the view from an airplane when flying over agricultural fields. Maybe I'll call it "A Bird's Eye View". Any better ideas?

I hope you are having a good weekend.

Vreni

Pottering about!

2011-08-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days when I had the urge to try out a couple of ideas I've been thinking about.

For the first trial I ironed a piece of fabric to a piece of freezer paper, the size of a computer paper. I used Microsoft Word and printed labels in different colours. After removing the freezer paper I cut the piece of fabric into strips, then turned the long edges over and stitched them down. Now they are ready to be cut into individual labels.

Label folded then sewn into the binding.

For the second batch I ironed a piece of fabric to a piece of paper backed fusible web, again, the size of a computer paper. This time I spray starched the fabric first, to make it less "floppy". With this method there's no need to turn the edges under.

Ironed on and then stitched around.

I then played around with a couple of ideas for - do I dare to say it - Christmas cards. As I have to make around 100 pieces I thought I better get my act together, so at least I know what I'm going to do and gather all the materials needed.

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.

Vreni x

What I have been doing this week!

2011-08-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

While rummaging in my UFO baskets I came across a few things I had forgotten about completely. I don't go there too often; guilt, you see!

I found a couple of "orphan" blocks, leftovers from this quilt:

This is what became of them:

a couple of humble pot holder!

Another thing I found while digging through those baskets was a bag full of fabric strips. I cut them from scarps a couple of years ago, I think I was still living in China at the time. As my scrap basket was quite full again, I cut some more and started to sew them into blocks. This is how far I got. I still have heaps of strips left, so I will continue with making blocks until I have enough for a decent size quilt.

I'm not yet sure how I will set the blocks. I will have to play around with them a bit, I think!

I continued with quilting my little "art quilt". It does improve with lots and lots of quilting, don't you agree?

Also, if you happen to go to the Weekly Themed Quilt contest here, you'll find a quilt of mine; Marianne's Garden. Voting is open until Sunday... hint hint... ;)

Cheers
Vreni

A stab in the dark!

2011-08-07T04:40:00.000-07:00

I've been admiring modern quilts, which seem to pop up everywhere. I really wanted to try my hand on making one too. As I have absolutely no formal or even informal art education, it really is a stab in the dark. For the colours I took my inspiration from this roll of binding.

First I made a pattern (I know, it looks like a five year old's drawing)

then I cut out all the fabric pieces

and this is how it looks sewn together. There were quite a number of Y-seams which was a learning experience on its own.

I'm going to quilt it with some embroidery floss to give it a some texture. Depending on how it turns out, I might use it for "Another Little Quilt Swap 6" which I have signed up for again.

And as is my wont, I had to play with the leftover scraps. Although it's made completely randomly, I think I might like this one better. "Not my cup of tea" was DH comment after I showed him. Oh well, it's good to try something new and out of one's comfort zone, don't you agree?

Have a good week ahead!

Vreni

More Dr. Seuss

2011-07-26T02:04:00.000-07:00

Do you also play with leftover fabrics, after finishing a quilt? I had quite a bit left form my Dr. Seuss project, enough to make a baby quilt. I usually make baby quilts by a "quilt as you go" method.

I start with a piece of backing fabric and a piece of a similar size batting. This time I spray basted them together, sometimes I just pin the layers (depending on the size). I then sew my leftover pieces and scraps into strips, about 4 inches shorter than the backing and as many as will fit.

After I've decide on the arrangement, I pin the first strip along one side of the prepared backing/batting, then line up the second strip on top, right sides together, pinning as well, and sew with a quarter inch seam along the side through all layers. Then I flip over the top strip and press it well. I continue with the next strip in the same manner until all the strips are sewn on. If you wish, you could now add borders (if there's enough space on the backing/batting).

After I've put the binding on, I decided it needed a bit more quilting since the strips on this quilt are quite wide.

Finished!

Vreni

Dr. Seuss

2011-07-17T03:55:00.000-07:00

Wile making this quilt, I fell in love again with Dr. Seuss' charming and imaginative characters. It also made me a bit sentimental as I remembered the time when my kids were at the age when they made their first reading attempts.

I used two "Cat in the Hat" panels as well a several coordinated fat quarters from Dr. Seuss Enterprises fabrics by Robert Kaufman. I cut the panels apart and put the individual prints on my design wall in a "pleasing way". After that it was just a matter of filling in the blank spaces in between and around the blocks with strips. Some of those strips are pieced and some are not. It might not be a very scientific way to plan and make a quilt, but it's rather a fun and fast. I then free motion machine quilted it; a piece of cake with my Bernina 820.

Some of the leftover panels adorn the back of the quilt!

I've made this quilt for DD who is going to teach a second grade class next school year. I thought it would be a nice addition to her class room.

The binding, all ready to be sewn on. I love the colour combination and I think I might use it as inspiration for my next (or the one thereafter) quilt.

I leave you with my favorite Dr. Seuss quote:

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

Vreni

Lemonade Biscuits

2011-07-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

I made these for my quilting group the other week. Since they went down rather well, I thought I will share the recipe here. They taste wonderful right from the fridge or even the freezer, especially on a hot summer day.

125g (1 stick) butter, softened

130 g (2/3 cup) sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla

135g (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) flour

1/2 tsp salt (I use less)

Glaze

75 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp lemon juice

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk, zest and vanilla. Then gently beat in flour and salt until dough holds together. Press into a ball and divide in two. Roll into two small logs, wrap into cling film and chill.

To bake, preheat oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F). Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Cut each log across width into 1 cm (3/8 inch) slices. Arrange slices on baking sheet at least 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, until edges are golden and centers set. Transfer to racks to cool.

For glaze; in a small bowl whisk together sugar and lemon juice until smooth and thick enough to spread. Thin with a few drops lemon juice or thicken with sugar if needed. Hold each biscuit along the edge and spread a thin layer of glaze with a small spatula.

Makes about 30.

Enjoy

Vreni

More Tessellation

2011-06-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have not spend as much time as I would have liked in my sewing room lately. With travelling and then my MIL staying for three weeks there wasn't really time. I did a bit of hand sewing and worked on my tessellations though. Here are the next four blocks. They are not yet sewn onto the background, so I might still switch them around.

These four will join those I made before. Here they are all together:

I hope your weekend is going well and you are enjoying yourself, whatever you might be doing.

Vreni

A bit sad!

2011-06-19T03:24:00.000-07:00

Today I'm feeling a bit despondent. The reason is that once again I'm loosing a good friend, meaning she is leaving Singapore to return home after being here for 14 years. We first met at a quilt group meeting many years ago and have become close. I will miss her greatly as well as our weekly get-togethers when we quilted and crafted. Of course I couldn't let her leave without making her a little something.

It's part of a new pattern set for four cushion covers called "From the Heart" by Kellie from Don't look Now but I've made it into a little wall hanging instead.

As most of Kellie's patterns it's done by raw edge applique and it came together quite fast.

On Friday I had another tea box workshop and both ladies managed to finish a box each. Didn't they turn out lovely?

That's all for now. I hope to be back soon.

Vreni

Crazy, or what?

2011-06-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Crazy yes, but nevertheless, I'm extremely pleased with the shopping I brought back from my recent trip.

Have a great weekend.
Vreni

We have a new winner!

2011-05-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Since I wasn't able to contact the previous winner by email, nor did I hear anything after I've left a message on her blog, I've decided to draw a new winner.

Michell said...
I love charm packs

Congratulations Michell, the Charm Pack is coming your way!

Pincushion Swap Unveiling

2011-05-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

I was the lucky recipient of Hilde's pincushion in the Swap I took part recently. But's not all; she also included a box of Clover Patchwork Pins as well as a packet of paper hearts for paper piecing.

I love the "mushroom pincushion" with the little hidden compartment in the base. Perfect for small odds and ends (like the band-aid Hide put it in case of an emergency). She also put in a couple of cute buttons and a length of lovely ribbon. Thanks very much Hilde!

And this is the pincushion I made. It went all the way to Val in Brazil.

I hand pieced it using the English Paper Piecing technique then hand quilted it.

Thanks Hilde and Hilde for organizing this swap. I hope it wasn't the last time ;). If you would like to see more lovely creations go here.

Happy Sewing!
Vreni

And the Charm Pack goes to:

2011-05-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Homemade from the Heart said... "Great giveaway! Thanks for a chance to win!"

Congratulations "Homemade from the Heart". I've sent you a separate email.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment. There were 350 all together, which left me speechless, literally (and that doesn't happen too often ;).

Cheers

Vreni

I have not been able to contact the winner of the
Charm Pack. If I still haven't heard by Monday, 30th of May, I
will draw a new winner.

Another Giveaway

2011-05-22T02:39:00.000-07:00

Since the response to my last give away was so awesome, I though I'll take part in the May Giveaway Day hosted by Sew, Mama, Sew.

Click on the button and find out more and to see the list of the participating blogs (I think the list will be up on Monday morning)

Here's my humble offering:

Charm Pack "9" by Sanae for Moda

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment and if you are a follower, please leave a second comment to this effect for an additional chance. Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if you are the winner, such as a link to your blog or an email address. This giveaway is open until the 25th of May and to anyone, no matter where you live. I will draw a random winner on the 26th of May.

Good luck!

Cheers

Vreni

Home, sweet home!

2011-05-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I love coming home from a holiday. As much as I like travelling, there's no better place than home. But I have enjoyed being "home" in Switzerland; have enjoyed the food, the shopping and of course meeting up with family and friends.

But I've promised you photos, so here they are:

Our first stop was Dubai; we had a lovely trip into the desert,

and saw the highest tower (880 m).

Then we arrived in Switzerland. The weather was fantastic; apparently it was the driest and warmest April in history (or something like that). It was the first time in 25 years that I was there in Spring and I've so enjoyed seeing all the flowers in full bloom.

This is the farm where my mother grew up. I've spend a lot of time there as a child and I always love visiting as it brings back many happy memories. By the way; the farmhouse dates back to 1763 and has been in my mothers family for 5 generations.

The next stop was Boston. Here too, Spring was very much apparent.

The highlight was DS graduation. It was held at the TD Garden.

It was a bit like "Looking for Waldo"

Oh here he is (the one in the middle, not looking too happy).

My "boys"

Next time I'll show you the goodies I brought back with me. I've gone slightly crazy with buying fabrics, but then one has to take advantage when one has the chance, don't you agree?

Cheers

Vreni

..... and the winners are:

2011-05-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

The Hullabaloo Layer Cake by Moda goes to:
Flo @ Butterfly Quilting , who said...

What an amazing give away! I love all this fabric!

Enjoy your vacation, travel safe.

The Bali Pops Strawberry Fields Jelly Roll goes to:
Mumma's Mini Me's - Kym, who said....
I am a follower :) Thanks for the giveaway.

And last but not least

The Modern Workshop Jelly Roll by Moda goes to:
Cassie who said...
I've blogged about the giveaway!

Congratulations to the winners and thanks everybody for playing along. It's been fun!

I will be back with photos of our trip next week after returning home. In the meantime, take care and Happy Quilting.

Vreni

It's Give Away and Holiday Time!

2011-04-12T03:31:00.000-07:00

Before I swan off on holiday I thought it's time for a little give away... or two.... or three!

The first one is for everybody who leaves a comment on this post. Your name is going into the hat for this:

Hullabaloo Layer Cake by Moda

And if you blog about this give away then you'll stand to win this. Please also leave a comment, telling me where you blogged about it.

Bali Pops Strawberry Fields

And last but not least; this one is one for my loyal followers (old and new) only. Again, leave a message that says that you are "following" and your name will go in the draw for this:

Modern Workshop Jelly Roll by Moda

The give away is open to everybody, no matter where you live. The last day to enter will be the 9th of May and I will draw three random winners upon my return. I will get in touch with the winners, so please make sure I have a way to contact you. Good luck everybody.

The suitcases are packed and we are ready to go early tomorrow morning. We'll have a little stop in the desert (Dubai) on our way to Switzerland. At the beginning of May we'll whiz over to Boston for DS graduation. I can't believe my baby is graduating University!
I hope to pop in here from time to time, but don't bank on it.
In the meantime, take care.
Vreni

The fastest quilt ever!

2011-04-10T01:51:00.000-07:00

Of course I had to drop everything and give it a go. I didn't use a jelly roll; mostly because I didn't want to "waste" my lovely Bliss roll, but also because I didn't want to make it quite as big. I used mostly scraps.

After I've finished sewing all the strips together it looked rather colourful, and not necessarily in a good way. I appliquéd some flowers on as it's meant to be a baby quilt. And there's another reason for the flowers as I had to patch over where I had - once again - cut into the top while snipping off stray threads. I've lost count how many times I've done that. One would think one would learn, but sadly not me ;(.

All ready to go to a local quilt shop which is collecting baby quilts to send to Japan.

And it seems it has become a bit of a tradition of late to show you the boxes I or my friends have made during our workshop. Last week we ditched quilting in favor of box making during our quilt group meeting. I think everyone enjoyed it and was quite pleased with the results.

We're off on our home leave (I'm still calling it that, although I consider Singapore home now) later in the week. But I'm back before that for a little give away. So watch this space.

Vreni

More quilts and more boxes

2011-03-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

Remember the stack of fabrics I showed you a couple of weeks ago? I added a few more, all from my stash. Some of them I had for at least 15 years, if not longer. It gives me satisfaction to be able to include those fabrics with my newer ones and to see how well they go together. For the time being this quilt is going to join the pile of tops patiently waiting to be quilted.

Luckily this quilt is now finished, thanks to a nice lady with her new long arm quilting machine. I like how it turned out and love the variegated thread she used. The only thing left to do is to wrap it up and send it to Australia where hopefully it will brighten someones day.

These boxes, or should I say trays, were produced during our weekly craft session.

This little beauty my friend made. She covered and lined it with raw silk and it turned out lovely

And this red one is mine. I covered the edged with book linen and the outside with Japanese paper, then lined it with Chines silk. These little trays are perfect to keep jewelery in or for displaying collectibles.

Take care
Vreni

Boxes, Pincushions and Quilts for Japan

2011-03-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

Liv and I had another lovely day last week crafting together. Here are the two tea boxes we've made.

I tried a new way of making the separators which I saw at Hilde's and it worked beautifully!

Talking about Hilde: she and her friend Hilde (yes I know, a bit confusing) are organizing a pin cushion swap. You'll find all the information here. Why not take a look and maybe join in the fun.

If you want to do something to help those poor people in Japan, visit Janet. She has all the information needed if you would like to donate a quilt. Of course there are many organisations collecting money; but is there a more personal way of showing that you care than giving a quilt to someone who has lost everything?

Vreni

"One Block" and other "Wonders"

2011-03-10T00:23:00.000-08:00

I have two of Maxine Rosenthal's books - one Block Wonders and One Block Wonder Encore - and always wanted to make one of her quilts. But only after I've seen my friend Hilde's quilt I finally got serious. The beauty of making these quilts is that you only need one fabric (and a contrast for the border). It's fun to see how each hexagon makes a new pattern.

I'm pleased with how it turned out. I haven't decided yet how I will quilt it. I'm tempted to hand quilt it myself as I haven't done any hand quilting in while.

My friend Liv and I are meeting one day a week to work on our tessellation quilts. We both first fell in love with "tessellations" when we saw Giselle's BOM organized by Material Obsession. The idea is that we choose the fabrics and cut all the pieces for one block when we meet and then sew it at home. We had fun digging through each other's stash and what a stash this girl has. Do you know that saying about "who dies with the most fabric wins"? Let me tell you, it would most definitely be her.

These are my first four blocks. I haven't decided on the background fabrics yet.

And here are Liv's. While my blocks are quite bright, Liv's are more muted.

As you can see, Liv has already eight blocks finished while I have only four, although we jumped off the starting block together. But that's neither here nor there :)

This book and the charm pack arrived here last week. Marnie from the Smith Mountain Lake Quilting Store was kind enough to sponsor the Valentine quilt contest (which I won), organized by the Quilting Gallery . Thank you very much Marnie!

And if that wasn't enough I also got this lot, which was a gift from me!

I, like so many others, just love the Dr. Seuss fabrics and I'm intending to make a quilt for my daughter who is a brand new primary teacher. The solid coloured charm packs I want to combine with the charm packs I recently won at an auction. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the Little Menagerie Fat Roll, but that's beside the point. I just wanted it, and that is rather that ;).

And now to my next project. I've decided I won't buy any fabric for it and only use my stash. This is what I found:

I hope I'll be able to show you more next time.

Till then, take care.

Vreni

Freestyle

2011-02-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

Once in a while I like to make quilts that way. I just start somewhere and see where it takes me. I've made this quilt top for this cause. I've decided to have it machine quilted by a new local longarm quilter. I thought I would call it "Finding Order in Chaos" (as it does look a bit chaotic).

And this is what I made with the "leftovers"

If you remember, I took part in the Another Little Quilt Swap 5. This little quilt arrived this week and by chance it was made by my good (blog) friend Jess in Australia. I love the colour combination - blue and brown - gorgeous. From all the lovely quilts made for the exchange, this was my absolute favorite one. Aren't I lucky!

Jess also made this little needle envelope for me (I've admired it a while ago on her blog) and she put in an extra piece of fabric. Thanks so much Jess.

My offering has arrived at its destination as well, see here. By the way; I won first place with it at the Weekly Themed Quilt Contest. Thanks for your votes!

Other than that; I went to see "The King's Speech" yesterday and loved it. Oh yes, we also had our 30th wedding anniversary this week (of course I was a child bride, I kid you not ;), and this February marks 25 years since we left Switzerland. Our daughter was just one year old when we moved to Australia and as you can imagine, the grandparents weren't best pleased. During our years in Australia our son was born (yes, he's the Aussie in our family) and from there we moved to Taiwan, then Indonesia, then back to Taiwan, to Singapore, to Shanghai in China and a year ago we moved back to Singapore. I often wonder how our lives would have turned out if we'd stayed at home. The kids wouldn't be speaking Swiss German with an American accent but most probably English with a Swiss German accent ;). On the other hand they would also speak French and maybe Italian instead of Chinese. But non of us would want to change a thing and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in so many different cultures.

That's it for today.

Vreni

Comings and Goings

2011-02-11T23:35:00.000-08:00

Singapore Post has had a busy day yesterday! First it had to deliver a package to my doorstep with all these wonderful goodies inside.

It's from retro mummy in Sydney. She held an auction a couple of weeks ago for the Queensland Flood Appeal and I was the winner.... yay....! Corrie was so kind to put in an additional piece of fabric. Wouldn't this be perfect to make a little sewing box with?

Then there's this package with my little offering for "Another Little Quilt Swap 5" which is on its way to..... no, I'm not telling yet. But I can tell you that the name of the quilt is "My Valentine Tree". I thought it quite fitting as Valentine's day is coming up very soon.

Incidentally, I've also admitted this quilt to the Weekly Themed Quilt Contest as this week's theme is Valentine's Day. Go over there and take a look.

Have a great weekend.
Vreni

By the skin of my teeth....

2011-01-29T21:10:00.000-08:00

....did I make the deadline for this round of "Another Little Quilt Swap" which is tomorrow! This time the quilts are quite literally "little" as they are not bigger than the size of a A4 paper. Mine turned out to be 8.5 by 11.5 inches.

I used Japanese fabrics and raw edge appliquéd it and then quilted it by machine. I added some flowers and small beads.

Let's see where this little quilt is going to live.

Happy Quilting

Vreni

I've lost my steam....

2011-01-23T01:47:00.000-08:00

.... and I don't really know why. After moving house and then having family here for Christmas, I somehow have a hard time getting back into a blogging routine.

I have managed to organize my new sewing room though. It's quite small - again - and I had to arrange and rearrange a few times to make sure I made the most of the space I have. I think I'm now satisfied. This is one side of the room....

and this is the other. The room is very bright, which is good for working but not so much for taking photos.

My lovely medicine cabinet, which holds all my treasures, is now in the hall just outside my room.

I also have managed to do a bit of sewing. I'm taking part in "Another Little Quilt Swap" again. This time the quilts have to be the size of a sheet of A4 paper. I've been playing around with a couple of trees. Don't know yet which one I'll submit though.

I have also committed to make a few blocks for "Quilts for Queensland" and this is my offering so far. I'm might make a few more blocks and then send a finished quilt top but I have to see how I get on.

Sorry, for the quality of the photos. I really, really need a new camera. I would have bought one a long time ago, if I knew what I wanted. I'm not really into photography (DH was always the one taking the pictures in our family) and therefor I really have no clue. On one hand I need something fairly easy to use but on the other I also want to get some good quality pictures. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Vreni

looking back, looking forward

2010-12-30T22:20:00.000-08:00

Projects finished in 2010

Not very impressive compared to what other people have achieved, but then I've moved house twice this year, had 15 house guests staying, and and and....I'll think of another excuse in a minute ;).

Works in progress

I hope to finish these in 2011! I just need to sit less in front of the computer and more at the sewing machine! It's as easy as that. Maybe that should be my New Year's resolution, but I have actually given up making them a long time ago, as they don't work for me.

A very Happy New Year to all of you with hopefully lots of time to be creative.

All best wishes

Vreni

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T02:21:00.000-08:00

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.

Roy L. Smith

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!
Thanks for all your support and encouragement.

Vreni

Don't miss this great Give Away!

2010-12-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

(click on the picture for details)

Good Luck!

I need your vote, please!

2010-12-17T00:26:00.000-08:00

I have submitted another quilt to the Weekly Themed Quilt Contest at the Quilting Gallery.

It's called "On the look out for Santa". I made this little quilt a few years ago for a Quilt Challenge here in Singapore. If you like, you can vote here.

Thanks and I hope you all have a good weekend.

Cheers
Vreni

The cookies are in the bags!

2010-12-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

and on plates

From top, left to right:

Basler Brunsli (chocolate, spices and almonds)

Biberli (gingerbread with marzipan filling)

Anisbroetli (anise seeds and Kirsch)

Laeckerli (see recipe here)

Mailaenderli (butter and lemon)

Schoggichugele (chocolate and hazelnuts)

If you would like any of the recipes, please let me know and I'll email them to you.

And I managed to make another one of these for a Christmas gift.

We made them with my sewing group. Don't they look great all together?

Now I'm going to finish "streamlining" my home for the packers tomorrow. Please keep your fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. I will see you on the "other side".

I hope you are enjoying the Advent.

Take care

Vreni

What's up with orange?

2010-11-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

It's rather weird but it seems I have a penchant for orange at the moment. Weird because until recently I hardly ever gave that colour a second look.

It started with this:

Then came this:

Now I'm working on this:

And in the kitchen this is going on:

resulting in this

It's a trial run for Christmas and I found the recipe here.

Speaking of Christmas. There I was at the beginning of last week, secretly congratulating myself on how well I was doing with the preparations; made or bought most gifts, some already sent, some ready to go to the post office, All of the one hundred Christmas card envelopes have been addressed and some of the cards even written, the baking has commenced!

Then a spanner was smartly chucked into my works. It turns out that we have to move house before the end of the year. It's a long story and a treacherous one at that, so I won't bore you with it. We have been frantically looking and it seems we have found a very nice place just next door from where we are now. Instead of waking up to this view

I'm going to look at this in a couple of weeks. Yes, a couple of weeks!

We better get a wiggle on as the first guest will arrive on the 11th of December, followed by my mum and DS a week later. Sadly, this is going to be our first Christmas where we won't be all together as a family. My DD and her young man have to work and won't be able to join us :(.

I hope your weekend is going well.

Vreni

Here it is, at last:

2010-11-06T01:41:00.000-07:00

The Fabric Covered Box

(The Art of French Cartonnage)

Materials needed:

Grey card board 2.5 mm thick (1/10 inch)

Book Cloth (sometimes called Book Linen)*

Fabric

Batting (optional)

Decorative paper for lining the box

Opening Tassle or Ribbon

PVA Glue (white glue)

Ruler

Pencil

Cutting Knives and/or Rotary Cutter

Scissors

Bone Folder*

Glue Brush

Cloth pegs or small clamps

*Can be found in good craft/paper or bookbinding shops.

First decide on the size of your box: width, depth, height. Then measure and draw out the lines on cardboard.

You will need:

2 pieces for the lid and base (width by depth)

2 pieces for front and back (width by height)

2 pieces for sides (height by depth (depth minus 0.5 cm)

Cut the cardboard pieces . Note that I use the rotary cutter instead of the cutting knive as I find it easier. Take care to cut precisely.

When all the pieces are cut, they should look something like this.

Now glue your box with PVA (or any clear drying glue). First the front and back onto the base

then the sides in between.

Cut a piece of batting the size of the lid and lightly glue in place (optional).

Lay your piece of fabric, face down, on the table. By moving the box step-wise over the fabric, mark out with a pencil the outline of the box. Make sure to leave a 4 mm space in between the back of the box and the lid.

Now add a "tab" of about 2.5 cm around the whole outline of the box and then cut out on that line.

Now your piece of fabric should look something like this.

Cover the base of the box with a thin but even layer of glue and wait a short while until the glue doesn't feel wet but slightly sticky.

Now stick it precisely onto the outline of the base on your fabric.

Cut 45 degree darts into all for corners.

Then apply glue to the front and back and stick fabric to the box.

Now tip the box so it is standing on its front wall and cut and remove a rectangles at both corners. Then make additional cuts as shown.

Then glue these two small tabs onto the edge of the side walls

and the large tab into the box.

Now stand your box on its back wall and cut a dart parallel to the edge of the back wall on both sides.

Then glue these side tabs to both sides of the box.

Now fold in and "finger press" the extra fabric tabs, making sure they are straight, then glue in place. Do the same for the other side of the box.

Apply glue to both side walls, the edge and a bit along the inside of the box and then stick the fabric on and into the box.

With the box still standing on its back wall align the lid now with the box, making sure you leave a small gap for the hinge.

Then apply glue to the sides, fold the tabs over the edge as shown and stick down.

The front edge is then trimmed by cutting a triangle as shown then folded in, then glued lightly. Now fold over and glue this tab to the inside of the lid.

Cut a hinge from bookbinder's linen; lenth of spine by 4 cm. Draw a line 1.5 cm from long side and trim about 1.5 mm (the thickens of the card board) on each side so that the cloth fits perfectly inside the box.

Glue out the hinge and stick it down. Immediately force the cloth into the joint with a bone folder. Rub vigorously until the cloth is well adhered to all surfaces.

Now let the box sit open for a few minutes to let the hinge dry.

Lining of the Box:

Measure the inside of the base adding 0.5 cm all around. Then measure the front and back (height minus 0.5 cm, width plus 0.5 cm on both sides. The sides are measured minus 0.5 cm for the height.

Now draw the cutting lines on the wrong side of the lining paper and cut out.

You will need these five pieces of paper.

Score lines 5 mm from the edge all around then cut and remove the small squares in the corners.

Now fold the sides up.

Apply glue to the bottom of the box and carefully stick the paper in, making sure you don't get any blisters.

Then score and fold the front an back papers at the narrow ends and glue into place. Note how the papers cover all the corners.

Lastly glue the side papers in.

In order to be able to close the box, we need to attach an inner lid to the box lid. First measure the inside of the box and cut a piece of card board very slightly smaller (about 1 to 2 mm). Cover this inner lid with either the lining paper or as shown here with the fabric.

Find the middle of the box lid, mark it and fix a tassle or ribbon with the help of a piece of double sided tape.

Apply glue to the inner lid and carefully glue the inner lid onto the box lid, making sure that it is placed so that the box can be shut.

Clamp in place until the glue is dry.

If you like, you can now make partitions for your box. Cover some cardboard strips (height of box minus 1 cm) and cut into partitions, making sure they fit exactly wall to wall.

First glue in the longer partitions, then measure and cut the small ones in between.

The inside of the finished Tea Box!

Admire and enjoy your Box!

If you need help with this or need clarification on anything, please don't hesitate to contact me. See email address on side bar.

Have a great weekend.

Vreni

A caddy for this and a caddy for that!

2010-11-01T03:33:00.000-07:00

Wondering what this is?

It's a smaller version of the Hexie Caddy I made earlier (don't you just love this Kaffe Fassett fabric?)

It's 3/4 of the original size (1.5 " instead of 2"). The tutorial can be found here.

Then I made this block caddy.

As I'm planning to use it as a moveable "design wall" as well, I covered both the inside and the outside with flannel to make it more "sticky". It's about 17 " square, so should be large enough even for the biggest blocks.

I never know where to store individual blocks (so far I used an old Pizza box). The idea came to me after I showed some of the girls in my group how to make these cutting mat folders. On one side you have a small cutting mat and on the other a sheet of sandpaper and the outside can also be used as a small ironing board. It's really handy to take along to workshops or group meetings.

And this is the beginning of some Stack and Whack quilts. A couple of friends and I are doing it together as it's always more fun to work and have a chat at the same time, don't you agree? We got the inspiration from here.

That's it from me today. Take care.

Vreni

Baby Quilts

2010-10-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

We have once again had several visitors; I only brought our latest guest to the airport yesterday evening. Therefore I haven't got much to show you in the quilt/craft department. So I thought I show you some quilts I've made a while ago.

This little quilt I made two years ago for my new niece. It was the first time I made Prairie Points and I think it gives the quilt a little more "dimension" and little fingers have something to play with!

The pattern for this quilt I found here. It was featured as a mystery quilt. Each week the new instructions for the next step were posted. I really enjoyed making it this way, as it breaks the work down into small portions which were fast and easy to complete.

As I made it for another new baby I decided it needed something babyish so I embroidered the little horses in the corners. I used Sashiko thread for the quilting and I made rather large stitches.

Now I have a window of no house guests for about a month. I hope I'll be able to make the most of this time.

Have a happy day!
Vreni

A new gadget

2010-10-11T23:57:00.000-07:00

Do you like gadgets? I do, especially the quilty kind and I usually can't resit buying them when I come across a new one. They have not all been a success, some of them I have yet to try out.

Recently I found a new ruler called "Twister". Let me show you what I did with it:

First I cut 5 inch squares - I used some of the fabrics I dyed myself - and sewed them together first in rows then the rows into a rectangle. Then I sewed a border around it.

Next I cut the blocks with the help of the Twister aligning the printed lines with the seams.

Once all the blocks of the first row have been cut, I sewed them together before I started to cut the next row.

After all the blocks were cut and then sewn together again it looked like this:

Finally I've put a couple of borders around it and voilà! This little quilt top will go here where it will be quilted and then given to a local Orphanage.

On balance I like the Twister! It's easy and fun to use but you end up with quite a lot of little scraps, too small to use for anything else. But hey, there's no danger of me running out of fabric in the near future, is there? The Twister comes in two different sizes and is a product of CS designs www.country-schoolhouse.com.

Until next time, please take care!

Vreni

Boxes

2010-10-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Aside from quilting I like to make boxes and sometimes I combine the two. This box with the appliquéd lid I made for Jess of Scappy n'Happy and she just emailed to let me know that it arrived in Australia.

Here are a couple more examples of boxes with appliquéd lids (sorry for the quality of the photos).

Tea Box

Small jewellery box

I've learned this craft from a friend a few years ago and during our time in Shanghai I taught weekly classes, mostly from home. I had a room set up just for that purpose, which was very handy.

Here are a few examples of boxes I or some of "my students" made.

I'm planning to put a tutorial together for the fabric covered box. Check back here in a little while. In the meantime have a happy weekend!

Vreni

Lovely Stuff

2010-09-24T01:18:00.000-07:00

It seems that bog land is swamped with lovely giveaways at the moment. Take a minute and visit Happy n'Srappy and leave a comment, I promise you won't regret it. You'll have to do it fairly sharpish though as the draw is tomorrow.

Then there's another wonderful opportunity to win some goodies; Sarah of The Last Piece is giving away some fabric bundles of her new, not yet released fabrics. They are mouthwateringly beautiful and I can't wait for them to hit the shops (just in case I don't win).

I finally got my act together and finished my little gift for Jess for our "private swap". I'll show you (and you, Jess) only this much.... your guess is as good as hers ;). It will be travelling south shortly!

Happy weekend everyone.

Vreni

More surprises!

2010-09-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems last week was a week for surprises. I got my very first award:

It came from here:

Katerina describes her blog this way:

"Greek blog, about all the small pleasures in life.. and the greatest of all; Food!

Go over there and take a look at this quirky blog where you'll find loads of lovely recipes among other interesting things.

The rules apparently say that I have to reveal seven facts about me.

So here goes:

1. My real name is Veronika but I call myself Vreni, which is very Swiss by the way!

2. I am an only child; my husband insists that's why I'm so spoiled ;)

3. I have two children; one girl and one boy. That was clever of me, right?

4. When I was younger I hated handiwork. As a matter of fact, I was absolutely useless at it!

5. My husband and I have lived in eight different countries on three continents since we got

married nearly 30 years ago!

6. I don't drink alcohol (don't like it) but I'm definitely addicted to coffee

7. I have a terrible sweet tooth!

And now I have the pleasure to pass this award on to:

Hilde of Quilts and Boxes who loves to make boxes, like I do,

Jess of Scrappy n'Happy who has been very kind since I first started blogging,

Shirely of Stitcherydo who makes the most beautiful hexagons,

Sofie of SewSofie who loves making dresses for her cute little girls, and

Lynda of Lynda's Quilts, who makes quilts, not only for all of her family, but apparenatly for her whole neighbourhood as well.

Please go and take a look, I promise you won't regret it.

Thanks again Katerina for choosing me! It has been fun!

Cheers

Vreni

I've been spoiled!

2010-09-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

Look what the postman brought yesterday all the way from Australia! Jess of Scrappy n'Happy and I decided a couple of week ago to have our very own little swap. And this is what she made for me.

This very cute pin cushion. Look at the lovely buttons on each side.....

.....and a handy thread wallet, including the lovely embroidery floss.

Jess was also one of the first people who left a comment on my blog when I first started blogging a few month ago and I was tickled pink that someone would actually read my babble ;). So thank you Jess for the lovely gifts as well as your encouragement!

Of course I am nowhere near finished with my gift for her. But I'm working on it and have decided to make a tutorial at the same time. Since it's supposed to be a surprise , I won't reveille what I'm making, but check back here in a couple of weeks.

And this Hexie Caddy I made myself with the help of an excellent tutorial by Penny of Penny's Hands. It's completely sewn by hand. I'm now planning to make another, a bit smaller one, to take along when I go to my quilting group. Take a peek at Penny's blog; it's a treasure trove of free tutorials.

That's it for now.

Cheers
Vreni

Home Alone!

2010-09-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

My latest guests have departed on Monday, my DS has gone back to Boston for his last year at university and DH is travelling, so I'm having the house to myself for a few weeks! Bliss! I have big plans for this solitary time. Lots and lots of sewing among other things!

I've finished a few more of my hexagons rounds; just a couple more and I can start appliqueing them onto the background fabric.

I've also been reading a lot. I just finished the newest book by Barbara Kingsolver; The Lacuna. I really enjoyed it, as I did her previous books. It's a work of fiction but set in true historical background. Not an era of history I knew very much about and I had to google a few names, places and events to find out what was fact and what fiction.

I'm a big fan of Alexander McCall Smith books. I've read them all (with the exception of his children's books) and I'm now in the process of reading the second book of the Corduroy Mansion Series The Dog Who Came In From the Cold. It's very entertaining while the characters are highly believable. McCall Smith is indeed the master of "feel good stories".

Back to the couch where I'm sewing and watching TV! Not a thing I normally do on a Saturday morning when people are around ;)! So don't tell, OK?

Vreni

Miniature Quilt Contest

2010-08-27T03:56:00.000-07:00

Do you remember this little quilt?

Well, I have submitted it to this week's contest at

If you would like to vote, use the link on the side bar.

I'll keep my fingers crossed ;).

Have a great weekend everybody.

Vreni

What have I been up to this week?

2010-08-25T01:44:00.000-07:00

On the quilting front not terribly much! I've finally finished two rows of my JC quilt and I've made loads more of the petals - 130 to be precice! Not my favourite part I'm afraid.

But as you can see, I do like playing with them!

I've also been baking. I've made Basler Läckerli - a speciality from my home town.The Basler Läckerli (also Leckerli or Läggerli, lecker meaning "delicious" in German) is a traditional hard biscuit from Basel, Switzerland. It is made of honey, almonds, candied peel, spices and Kirsch and is enjoyed as a local speciality all year round. Basler Läckerli were originally created by local spice merchants over 700 years ago. For us it's a "staple"; I make a batch every few month or so. Because there is neither egg nor butter in the recipe they last a long time - if they last, that is ;).

450 g honey (16 oz)
300 g sugar (I sometimes use brown sugar or half and half) (10.5 oz)
1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon
1 pinch clove
1/2 tsp nutmeg

100 g candied orange peel (cut into small pieces) (3.5 oz)
100 g candied lemon peel (cut into small pieces) (3.5 oz)
200 g almond chopped into small pieces (7 oz)
1 zest of one lemon
1 dl (100 ml) Kirsch (cherry brandy)
600 g flour (21 oz)
1 ½ tsp baking powder

Method:

Put the honey, sugar, cinnamon, the nutmeg and the clove into a pan and bring slowly to a boil . Remove from the heat and add the candied peels, the almonds and the zest. Mix well, then add the flour with the baking powder and the Kirsch. Put the dough on the table and knead together while still warm. Roll out directly into well greased baking trays about 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Let stand for a few hours or over night and then bake for 15 to 20 min by 220 C (425 F) degrees in the middle of the preheated oven.

150g (5 oz) powdered sugar
3 to 5 Tbsp Kirsch or lemon juice

Mix and glaze the baked dough while still hot before cutting into small squares or rectangles.

Cheers
Vreni

The good news is....

2010-08-10T04:04:00.000-07:00

I've finished the silk quilt. The bad news is, I've made a bit of a mess with the quilting. It's the first time I've used my new machine for quilting with the walking foot, and somehow I managed to put it on the wrong way. I couldn't figure out why the stitches were so uneven and also not quite straight. I tried changing the needle, changing the tension but nothing worked. Only when I took the walking foot off, after I've finished, did I see my mistake. Arrrr.... Anyway, what's done is done. I don't have time to unpick everything as the quilts needs to go to the post office tomorrow, so it can be in the UK by the 22nd. At least I know it was my mistake and the machine isn't faulty!

Because of the trouble with the machine, I've kept the quilting to a minimum.

Hopefully some people will like it and are willing to buy some raffle tickets since it's for a good cause. All proceeds are going to the Christina Noble Children's Foundation. If you would like to know more about this terrific organisation, please see here.

That's all for today.

Cheers

Vreni

How lucky am I???

2010-08-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Very lucky indeed! Because I got one of my top choices in the "ALQE4" and I couldn't be happier. This little quilt came all the way from the US, from Tennessee to be precise. Carol designed and made it and she calls it "Flowers in my Garden". This is the front of the quilt.....

and this is the back! Isn't it lovely?

Thanks very much Carol. Would you like to see more of the things this talented lady makes? Then head over to her blog and pay her a visit here.

I'm still plugging away with my silk quilt. I'm now in the process of machine quilting, nothing too fancy, just in the ditch.

I have also been fussy cutting more hexagons. There's quite a bit of wastage but then I do have loads of fabric, so why be stingy, right?

I hope you are having a good weekend.

Cheers

Vreni

A new landmark in Singapore

2010-08-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

If you ever visit Singapore and you don't suffer from vertigo too much, you might want to go up to the Sky Park on top of the new hotel Marina Sands. I took two lots of visitors up there during the last couple of weeks. Last week Thomas (DS) came along although he really doesn't like heights and was nervously avoiding getting too close to the edge.

As you can see, the weather was perfect with the sky as blue as can be.

The grand stands below are for the F1 Grand Prix which is scheduled to take place in September. It's the only race held at night.

The pool is 150 m long; unfortunately you have to be a guest at the hotel to be able to enjoy it.

I'm not sure if I would want to anyway. It seems to me just a bit too close to the edge!

This week I have to finish my silk quilt; the deadline is Friday. I don't do well with deadlines anymore, I probably wouldn't last more than a week in the corporate world these days.

Hope you have a happy week.
Vreni

ALQS finished!

2010-07-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I received the name of the recipient for my little offering to the current"Another Little Quilt Swap". It is winging its way across oceans as we "speak" and I hope it will arrive safe and sound. To keep the suspense a bit longer, I won't reveal the destination quite yet.

With guests constantly coming and going I have only managed to make a couple of these little string bags. They are hand pieced and are actually a lot of fun to make. Hand piecing is not something I do often; to be honest, I don't think I'm very good at it. But I did enjoy making these as they can be finished in a couple of hours.

I better go and see what my guest wants to do today.

Cheers

Vreni

The first finished silk quilt!

2010-07-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

I forgot to show you the finished silk quilt my friend Jeanette made. Sorry, the photo is terrible, but you can still see how beautiful it turned out. Now I have to get my skates on and finish mine as well!

Cheers

Vreni

Another "Good Bye" and other stuff

2010-07-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

This friendship quilt was given at a farewell dinner this week to one of the members of our sewing group. She is leaving Singapore to return home to the UK early next month. It's always sad to say good bye but luckily she will be coming back from time to time as her son is still living here. All the best Carol, we will miss you!!!

I had a blast with my Dutch friend. We did a bit of shopping, a bit of sight seeing and a LOT of talking. This is her before the final of the world cup; as you can see, she still has a big smile on her face. After she left, I found the orange t shirt in the rubbish bin ;).

I haven't been very productive the last few days. I've played a bit with my hexagons (taking over the dining room table)

In case you are wondering how I prepare my hexagons, I will show you:

1. Cut your fabric (I fussy cut mine) and then cut a piece of aluminium foil (can be reused many times) a bit bigger than the fabric. Layer the foil, fabric and paper template.

2. Fold over all sides, taking care to get neat corners.

3. Press with a hot iron on both sides (be careful not to burn your fingers as the foil will get very hot).

4. Wait until the foil is cool to the touch and then unwrap the "parcel" carefully.

5. Press again on both sides.

6. Voila, you have a very neat hexagon and if you are careful, you don't even need to baste it.

I leave you with this picture of a sun set taken a couple of days ago from our house. Doesn't is look like the sky is on fire?

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Cheers

Vreni

Silk Marathon

2010-07-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last week our sewing group had a two day sewing marathon. The week previously we went to Arab Street (that's where a lot of silk is being sold) to choose the fabrics. It was quite a palaver until we could agree on a colour scheme. We needed to get three fabrics each of three different colours for the blocks as well fabrics for the sashing and borders. As the silks fray badly we had to back them first with interfacing before starting to cut them up into rectangles.

The rectangles had to be stacked, cut and shuffled before they were sewn back together into blocks.

This is how far I got. I have all the blocks made, now I have to sew them into strips and then decide on the sashing. It's looking good so far (I think!).

This is how the quilts should turn out. One of the ladies has already made one previously. Isn't it beautiful?

I won't be doing much sewing over the next week as a friend is arriving later today. Yay.... can't wait to show her around and doing all the touristy things.

Cheers

Vreni

Flying visit

2010-06-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had some breakfast guests. Our friends were on a 24 hour stop over on their way from Australia to Europe. I've decided to make them a "Zopf", a plaited bread, normally eaten on Sunday morning. It tuned out OK, although my "plaiting" skills still need improving. My mother is the real talent in that department. Hers turn out more like this:

I also made some cinnamon rolls, except mine are not made with cinnamon but a filling of apricot jam, ground hazelnut, lemon zest and sugar.

We had a lovely lazy day before they flew off at midnight. It was great to have them here and to catch up even though it was really rather short.

Vreni

World Expo in Shanghai

2010-06-15T02:19:00.000-07:00

Where do you think this picture was taken? You would probably say somewhere in the alps, right?

Well, you would be wrong as it happens! I took it on the roof of the Swiss pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai last weekend. This chair lift took us up to the top. Usually one has to stand in line for hours (up to five, I've been told) but luckily we had a special pass and were able to get on directly.

The Swiss pavilion outside.....

..... and the view from inside overlooking the German building.

This is the Chinese pavilion. Unfortunately we were not able to get in as we didn't have tickets. Apparently one has to stand in line (another one) at 6 am each day when the tickets are dispensed. (Sorry for the quality of the pictures as I forgot to bring my camera and had to use my iPhone)

There were crowds everywhere. The average visitors number is around 500'000 per day. We did manage to see a few more of the pavilions. Generally we visited those with the shortest lines. All in all I must say that we liked the Swiss pavilion best, but then we might be slightly biased ;). Luckily the temperature was quite comfortable at around 25 degree C. I wouldn't want to be there at the height of summer when it often gets close to 40 degree C. Well, I have seen it now but I'm not convinced I would make the effort to go again.

Of course that was not the only reason for our trip. The more important one was to spend time with the kids. I also made a quick trip to the haberdashery street where I just had to get some of these lovely Christmas ribbons.

All in all it has been good to go back and to catch up with friends (and the kids) but the pollution was still as bad as ever and the traffic nightmarish so we were quite glad to return home.

Now it's back to "work" as I have to finish a quilt I've promised my friend in the UK for her "Open Garden" in August in favour of the Christina Noble Children's Foundation. I have been involved with fundraising for this fantastic organisation in one way or other for quite a number of years. I hope to be able to show you the finished quilt very soon.

Take care and have a lovely weekend.

Vreni

Three Little Birds

2010-06-06T02:35:00.000-07:00

Rise up this mornin'; smiled with the risin' sun.
Three little birds pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs of melodies pure and true; saying,
"This is my message to you-ou-ou.”
Lyrics by Bob Marley

My three little birds are not sitting by my doorstep but on a flower pot of sorts. I've made this little wall hanging for "Another Little Quilt Swap 4". The pattern is very much influenced by Kellie of "Don't look know". I've used raw edge applique (I followed Kellie's tuition) and machine quilted it.

On other news: we're off to Shanghai later this week to visit the Expo as well as to see the kiddos (not necessarily in that order). By chance both our kids are in China at the moment; DD and her young man in Beijing where they are both working and DS in Shanghai where he is doing an internstip. He will go back to Boston in Autumn for his last year at Uni. It seems our timing is really off considering we only moved from Shanghai about half a year ago. Oh well, at least we are all on the same continent for once.

Have a great week ahead.

Vreni

Need a bag in a hurry?

2010-05-26T00:44:00.000-07:00

My daughter who has recently moved to Beijing to teach has asked me to make her a bag to take to work. I've found the pattern here and it's called the Lickety Split Bag . Not only was it very easy to make (it only took a couple of hours) it is also reversible.

To make it a bit more special I've put some velvet ribbon around the top of the pockets. DD asked for muted colours but this bag would lend itself for bright and funky fabrics as well.

I've also been practicing my free motion quilting on my new machine. After a few hick ups I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Happy Stiching

Vreni

I'm a winner!

2010-05-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

Would you believe it, I've won this fantastic bundle of Lynette Anderson's fabrics called "Snowmen make me smile". Lynette had a give away on her blog and I was the lucky one.... yay....! Now I have to think of a lovely winter project to do these beautiful fabrics justice. Thank you Lynette!!

Photo by Lynette Anderson

I needed to make a block with a tropical feel so I thought of a coconut tree. I hope it's obvious what it is meant to be! I've hand appliqued the trees using the "invisible applique" technique by Ami Simms. I've been doing it this way for a while now and I love it. No more faffing around with freezer paper.

And I finally got this quilt back. I've started it a long, long time ago but lost interest and gone off it. Last year I decided to dig it out from the bottom of my UFO stash and made new blocks to replace those I didn't like. Once I had it sewn together I sent it to Indonesia where it was hand quilted.

As you can see, the quilting is quite exquisite and it would take me several life times to get it looking like this. I'm not really cut out for hand quilting as, unfortunately, I'm much too impatient.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Vreni