Hasenbach Challenge

Here are my very small blocks for this month's challenge. It's actually more a BOM than a challenge but we we got all the patterns at the beginning, so that each participant can sew at their own pace and pleasure. And not everybody is sewing the same quilt either, but they are all paper pieced. 

 

  4 by 2 inches

3 by 2 inches

Take a look here for more April blocks. 

Cheers

Vreni x

                              

It's been quiet around here!

Indeed it has! As always, I had trouble getting back into my stride after being away for a while. This time it seemed worst than ever! But at long last I finally turned a corner and I'm sewing again. I've had an order for another Dr. Seuss quilt since before Christmas. As I had mostly only scraps left I had to be a bit inventive. I hope it will meet with approval.

While I was  making it, my machine gave up its ghost and is now being repaired as well as getting serviced at the same time. The Bernina agent came and picked it up and promised to deliver it back again next week. Great service, isn't it?  Luckily I still have my trusted Bernina Aurora 440 and it was nice to get reacquainted again, although it felt a bit like sewing on a doll's machine.

This is how I match stripes when joining binding strips with mitered seams:

1. make a 45 degree crease and iron well

2. find a match on the next strip of the binding

3. flip the binding open, then pin in place

4. sew along the creased line

and voilà , perfectly matched. 

Happy Sunday!

Vreni xx

I'm back!

After almost a whole month in Switzerland we are now back home again. It's been a busy time looking after mum, sorting her house, meeting up with friends and family and doing all the things one does on home leave, like doctors appointment, shopping and too much eating!!! Mum is hanging on although we've noticed a definite decline since we last saw her. She has no concept of time anymore, asking every morning what day it is, then asks again and again. We were finally able to perused her to use a "rollator", as she didn't think she was old enough for one of those. Here she is at her first "driving lesson". 

When we first arrived the weather was pleasant and it felt like spring, but that changed pretty fast. Here we are having a cup of tea in the garden

and here the same scene a couple of days later. It snowed three times while we were there. I wasn't complaining as I've been hankering after snow for so long. But I think I might have been the only one as everybody else was sick of winter and was longing for Spring to arrive. 

Nothing is better than a cheese fondue on a cold evening.

But Spring was apparent nevertheless; I loved these flowers around this door, incidentally the entrance to a private bank!

The flower stalls at the main market were bursting with colour.

The Townhouse dating back to the 14th century.

When my Dutch friend came for a visit, we headed to the Picasso exhibition at the Kunstmuseum. Basel (my hometown) has  always had a special relationship with Picasso, you can read about it here. Unfortunately it wasn't allowed to take pictures at the exhibition, so I show you "The Burghers of Calais" by August Rodin instead. It adorns the entrance court of the museum. 

Then I came across some art of a different kind. These lovely hens were knitted by the ladies at the old people's home where my friend's father is living, as part of the Easter decorations. Aren't they cute?

 

When I got back home I found a parcel from Lynda waiting for me. It contained the bag I won at the recent give away on her blog along with lots of other lovely goodies. It was a bit like Christmas!  Thanks again Lynda!

As you might have seen in my last post, I've installed "Bloglovin". If you would like to keep following my blog, you can do so by clicking this button: 

                                                       

I didn't sew much and I didn't blog either while I was away but now it's time to get back to both again, once I'm over this wretched jet lag, that is! 

Until next time, stay happy.

Cheers

Vreni xx