Slowly getting back to normal

After eight weeks of lockdown we're starting a new phase today as shops, restaurants, gyms, primary and middle schools are reopening here in Switzerland. High schools and universities will stay closed for another month and of course social distancing will still be in place for the unforeseeable future. To be honest, these past weeks have been quite nice as we had both kids home for some time. My daughter, who works as a teacher abroad was able to come back here as her school switched to online learning and my son managed to break his shoulder just before the shutdown while snowboarding so he came home for a while too. I spoiled them with their favourite meals and we really enjoyed our time together, everybody safe and sound at home. We really stuck to the rules and we never went anywhere except for grocery shopping once a week and walks in the surrounding woods and field.  It definitely wasn't hardship, quite the opposite in fact and I'm even a little hesitant to leave this cosy cocoon we've created for ourselves. I've been cooking and baking and -  like everybody else it seems - made my own bread. But I've also spent a lot of time in my sewing room.  For a while I couldn't stop making little bags and pouches. Here's a selection:

I found an already pieced and quilted square in my scrap bin and made this little bag with it.

My daughter wanted a little bag to use as a wallet to go into her small evening bag

and this one is made with hand pieced hexagons. The pattern is called "Dear little Dillies" and can be found here. 

I finally "tamed" my huge scrap basket and cut all the scraps up into usable strips and squares as well as other shapes. After seeing Sameliasmum's "Twirling at the Disco" quilt I decided to use my 2 1/2 inch squares for that. The finished top measures 64 inches square. Now it "only" needs to be quilted!!

I also made all the blocks for another Swiss quilt for a friend who has recently become a Swiss citizen

now this too has to be quilted, once the blocks have been sewn together!

My Scandinavian Christmas quilt is finally together too. I quilted it by machine just around the blocks and I'm in the process of adding a bit of hand quilting too. 

I haven't joined any BOM programs for a while and since I'm a big fan of Irene Black (Focus on Quilts) I'v decided to take part in her newest BOM. It only started this month, so it's not too late if you want to join in the fun too. 

Like everybody else, I too was in the face making business and
I tried a few different patterns. DD needed some to take back as wearing them is compulsory where she lives when entering a shop or using public transport

Sometimes it's not a bad thing to be a hoarder as I still had a whole box of N95 masks from the SARS outbreak in Singapore.  They are probably expired by now as we had them since 2003 but I guess they are better than nothing. They are not very comfortable to wear though and I pity all those healthcare worker who have to wear them day in day out for weeks and months on end. 

My cartonnage classes are on hold of course but I finished a couple of boxes before the shut down.

I hope that you are keeping happy and more importantly healthy and that you are able to keep busy.  My mantra at the moment is; this too shall pass!

Vreni x

The "Aunt" is back and other stories

When I say "Aunt" of course I really mean "The Aunt's Quilt". I've finished the top a while ago and I had it hand quilted in the Philippines through a quilt shop in Singapore. As always the quilting is exquisite, something I would never have the patience nor the inclination for. 

Another quilt top which has been laying around has finally been quilted as well. I've free motion quilted it and my new machine has delivered on its promises. I have not one broken thread nor any skipped stitches to report.  In short, it sews like a dream. Hurrah! 

Then there's this little baby quilt I made for a new baby girl. I forgot to take pictures before sending it off to Australia and only have this wonky phone photo.  Once again I found the idea on Pinterest.

I also managed to finish block 3 and 4 for my Scandinavian Christmas quilt. I'm now in the process of making the small blocks to go around although I'm not sure yet how I'm going to put the quilt together.

Recently my husband's cousin celebrated a big birthday and her wish is to go whale watching, so I made her this card

and I also tried my hand on making a small fabric landscape for another birthday card. It needs a bit more work, some more embroidery I think. 

Then there's a tiny bit more progress on the "Ballet avec Kaffe" project. Still not sure if I want to preserver, although I've started a new way of sewing the pieces together and I think I like it much better. The stitches are less visible and it feels more comfortable doing it too. You can find a short demonstration about the process here.

I made a tote bag for a friend

and another friend gave me this little beauty. Thanks Kerry, it's been very useful on our many road trips this summer. 

So that's about what has happened in my sewing room over the last few month. As we helped our daughter move from Milan to Frankfurt over the summer and we've been going back and forth a few times, I didn't touch a needle and thread for weeks on end. But now normal life has once again resumed and hopefully I'll pop in here a bit more often (one can hope)!

Vreni x

Second half of 2017

It seems the second half of 2017 has just whizzed by and I've been very remiss in posting. I don't really know why and I have no excuses either. 

Well, let's see what I've been up to in the last few month. I went on my very first quilt retreat with a few friends from my former quilt group in Singapore. We went to Cullen, Scotland, you can read all about the location and venue here. We had a wonderful time and got spoiled with home cooked meals, had the use of a well appointed sewing room and the bed rooms were charming and very comfortable. I would go again at the drop of a hat, the problem is that they are usually booked out a year or more in advance. 

While I was there I worked on a quilt I started  almost 4 years ago in Singapore when I took a class with Kaffe Fassett (you can read about it here).  The original has a border made of  big half square triangles, but unfortunately I've run out of fabric - I had to recut a lot of the pieces. I don't think that introducing new fabrics at this stage would work. I do have enough scraps to make a border using the small half square triangles, but I'm not sure how that would look. Of course it doesn't have to be a pieced border or has to have a border at all. Must think about it a bit more.

I made made a start on another quilt I've been admiring on Pinterest. It's by Bonnie Sullivan which is called "Over and Down Under" and I tried to copy it. I used batiks I bought a few years ago in Bali and I quite like the result. Mine turned out slightly smaller than the original with 53 inches square. Perfect for a lap quilt.

These two tops will now join the big heap of other tops patiently waiting to be quilted. Well, I really have no more excuses not getting them done. I've always wanted one of those sit-down longarm quilting machines and done a lot of research, looked and tried different machines like the HQ Sweet 16, the Juki TL-2200 QVP as well as the Bernina Q20. In the end it was a matter of space.  However I tried it would have been a squeeze to put one of those machines in my sewing room.  In the end I decided to replace my Bernina 820 with a Bernina 750QE. As you might remember, I've been moaning about the 820 for a long time, especially when free motion quilting. I read all I could about the 770 QE online and talked to a couple of different Bernina agents and it seemed that I have the best of both worlds with this machine as it's a great for piecing as well as quilting. I decided to buy a cabinet which gives a flat and flush sewing area which will no doubt help with the FMQ.  I can also lower the machine completely into the table and close it, which is handy as sometimes my sewing room is used as a second guest room. So far I'm really happy with my new baby, although I haven't done a lot of free motion quilting yet. I'm still not sure what to do with my 820 as both Bernina agents weren't interested in a trade in, which goes to show how much they value these machines!!!

The second block for my Scandinavian Christmas is also finished. I'm now working on block three (out of four).  Maybe next Christmas the quilt will be finished or the Christmas after ;)!

I ordered the pattern and papers for a quilt called Ruby May by the talented Kellie Wulfsohn. I decided to have a little trial run and make a pillow first. I used fabrics from my stash and only had to buy the cotton yarn for the crocheted edge. I've not crocheted for years and was amazed how fast it came back - I guess it's like riding a bike, ha. 

We did a bit of travelling during the summer (Lake Como in Italy and a week in London) and I also spent a few days in Trier, Germany, where I met up with two other quilting friends who came from the Netherlands. We rented a house and quilted, crafted and of course laughed a lot together. We hope to do it again next year.

A few weeks ago I took a workshop to learn how to make an Advent wreath as well as a Christmas door decoration. I like the wreath but I'm not so sure about the decoration; a bit too modern for my taste!

Now Christmas is almost here and I've written the cards, made or bought and wrapped the gifts, decorated the house, made the cookies and stocked the fridge. The only thing missing is snow but according to the weather forecast it doesn't look likely.

I wish you all a Wonderful, Cozy and Merry Christmas and for 2018 happiness and hopefully lots of time for stitching.

Vreni x

My first (and possibly also my last) rosette

I've been admiring all the different versions of the La Passacaglia quilts which have been popping up all over the Internet for the last couple of year or so. I have not really been tempted until I saw the quilt which Willyne Hammerstein calls "Ballet with Kaffe" in her second Millefiori book. I started to collect fabrics and ordered the papers and templates. I had the first shock when they arrived, as somehow I wasn't aware how tiny the different pieces are. And then I started to sew and had another shock as it took forever to make just one rosette. I think it took me about 25 hours to prepare and sew all the pieces together. Not really for the fainthearted and definitely not for someone who is impatient like me! I think I'll keep going, at least for a while. Maybe I wont ever make the entire quilt, but I can always use it in some other ways. 

And just when we are enjoying the first real summer days, I'm sewing away on some winter blocks, Scandinavian Christmas by Lynette Andersen to be precise. I've had this pattern for a few years now and every Christmas when I would be in the mood to stitch something Christmassy I usually don't have the time. So I decided to just get it started. I'm enjoying appliquéing  the whimsical characters and stitching the embroidery. 

I also pieced some blocks as I recently read about a lady in Guernsey (UK) who collects blocks which she then puts together into quilts for children's homes in Africa. She wants each block quilted individually as she then sews them together with the quilt as you go method. If you are interested you can read more on her blog here. A brilliant way to use up any fabric scraps or even make a dent into your stash. 

Although I'm a few day late, I'm going to link up with pomegranate and chintz for 17 UFOs in 2017.
Vreni x

Have you decked the halls yet?

I have, everything but the Christmas tree. I'm waiting with that until just before Christmas as with our climate, it won't last very long. And we don't want just the skeleton of a tree at Christmas, do we? But since I like a a few little lights I always decorate my corkscrew hazel branches. 

with the pottery angels underneath

as well as my Scandinavian winter village

but my favorite is this little nativity scene by the same artist who made my angels above

and the back of it.

I decorated this fresh pine wreath and the fragrance is wonderful. 

There was even time for a bit of crafting. I made this little Christmas gnome for the quilt group gift exchange today. 

With all that done, the baking finished, the gifts bought or made and wrapped as well as the cards and packages sent I can sit back and relax. Other than entertaining guests, I'm planning to start this quilt "Scandinavian Christmas by Lynette Anderson".  Bliss!

I hope you are also taking some time out to enjoy this special time.

Vreni x