December work and play

These are the 2 quilts I am working on this month. Who needs to get stressed over the holidays?

Photo below is the mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunt from Quiltsville blog. It is called Roll-Roll-Cotton Bowl. From left to right are my samples of steps 1-4. I am making half of the recommended number of pieces because I don't want a bed size quilt. My fabrics are 1930's reproduction given to me by a dear friend.

Roll-Roll- Cotton- Bowl 30's

Stars and Sprigs

The appliqué blocks above are blocks 13-15 of my Starts and Sprigs quilt; and a few stars that will go among the sprigs. This is a design by Kim McLean.
I am not baking cookies and all that this year. Just trying to keep the health and weight in check for the year. Making delicious soups to keep this cold out of the bones:-)
Just focusing on friends and family and moderation on the food intake with  fewer desserts. I hope it will work.

Netherlands2- Amsterdam

The little movie is Harllem, a town just outside Amsterdam. It is beautiful, lots to see and do. This mill is a museum. We were lucky to be there when it was operating on a Sunday morning. The other 2 pictures are of the breathtaking Amsterdam. These are 2 of over 400 photos that DH took. My favorite canal is the Prince Canal. If you are coming from the center (Dam) the 3 canals are Lord, Emperor, and Prince. All way too gorgeous! Their Dutch names are very long, so I just think in English.
Amsterdam is an easy city to walk or take the trams. I am not brave enough to bike there. It is hard enough to walk among cars, bikes, trams and tourists. Plus, 2 wheels and below freezing temperatures together are not my idea of fun anyway.
The last picture is of the famous Dutch pancake (pannenkoeken). One was with bacon (speck) and the other apples. DH and I shared them, that is why I have 2 halves. I also recommend the banana one. Add "stroop" or syrup and have a wonderful meal. If you go there in the winter time, make sure you eat the split green pea soup "Erwtensoep." It is only available in the winter and is delicious. It is not a vegetarian dish.
A few years back when I spent some time in the Netherlands, I became a fan of the "La Place" which is a food court for the V&D department store. I don't usually recommend food courts of any kind; but this one is really good. Give it a try if you are in the area.

O filminho acima é de Harllem uma cidadezinha encostadinha em Amsterdam. Este moinho é um museu. Tivemos muita sorte de estar la no domingo de manhã quando ele estava funcionando.
As fotos seguintes são de Amsterdam. Duas das mais de 400 que o maridão tirou. Meu canal favorito é o do Principe. Se você está vindo do centro (Dam) os canais são Lorde, Emperador, Principe. Todos belissimos!
Amsterdam é uma cidade para andar ou pegar um bondinho. Não tenho coragem de andar de bicicletas la. Já é dificil o suficiente andar no meio de tanta bicicleta, carro, bonde, e turistas. Além do mais, bicicleta e temperaturas abaixo de zero não são minha idéia de diversão.
A última foto é da minha panqueca favorita, uma metade de bacon e a outra de maçã que dividimos. Coloca-se o stroop por cima e fica uma delicia. A de banana também é divina.

Se você for la no inverno não deixe de comer a sopa de ervilhas verdes. Não é prato vegetariano e só tem no inverno.
Alguns anos atrás quando morei por la, eu fiquei fã da area de refeições da loja V&D que se chama "La Place". Nunca recomendo areas de refeições, mas esta vale a pena.

Star and Sprigs 2

Photographer I am not! I see a New Year's resolution coming up. But this is my progress on my blocks for this quilt. The photo on top shows some of the finished appliqué blocks and 3 of the pieced stars. I have more stars cut out just need time to sew. The photo below shows blocks 11 and 12 completed on a trip to Europe and back. They were missing for 24 hours. They were on my carry on bag that was checked in per airline request; but did not come home until 24 hours later. So happy to see them back. The third one on the right is block 14 all cut up and ready to sew. Block 13 is not pictured yet.

Netherlands 1- Rotterdam

Last week I was in Rotterdam and Amsterdam with DH. It was a lot of fun to be back. This is my favorite view of Rotterdam. I love the "Cube Houses". The bridges are also wonderful, of course; but these buildings speak to me. This city is lovely. You just want to walk around a look at all the buildings. Rotterdam was destroyed during WW II and the rebuilding of the city became a major pride and joy today. It was cold; but the coffee is outstanding, so it is worth it. If you go, don't rent a car. Parking in the center is very expensive (30.00 Euros per night). Meters are .75 Euros for 17 minutes. (Why not 15 minutes I ask?) The traffic jams to go anywhere between Rotterdam and Amsterdam (Gouda, Delft, Den Hague) are huge. So take the Train, Tram, or anything that can move instead of a car. So remember to pack lightly. You have to carry your stuff and the places will be small anyways. Yes. I did buy fabric. More later.

Soot and Ashes Quilt

For the last few months I have been making this quilt top. It is called "Soot and Ashes" and the directions came from the blog: quiltsbycheri.blogspot.com. The blocks are 5 inches finished and she gave the directions for one block at a time. So it was my first mystery quilt. The last part is the appliqué for some of the blocks, sashes, and borders. That is the part that is missing here. I have not been able to work on this top for several weeks. The white paper shows some of the appliqué designs that will be incorporated. The extra block next to my left foot (oh well!) will be my label. I made it with some left over strips; it is not on her instructions. I used black/gold fat quarters; and the gold fabric is about 1 yard I had left over from previous quilt.  I will post the finished quilt. It will be probably next year. :-)

Toledo, Spain

Toledo is an incredibly beautiful city just a short train ride from Madrid; but so worth the visit. You can take the Avante (fast) train from Achota Station in Madrid in the morning and return in the afternoon. It has more to do than a day trip; but for some of us it is all the time we had. An important information, if you are planing to return the same day, make sure you by your return ticket before you go. It is a very popular destination and the trips may be sold out. There is a city bus from the station to the center of the city; but if you like to walk and has no problems with stairs and incline, it is a great walk. This is the view from outside the city walls.

New quilt started

These are the first 6 blocks from a pattern that I just got a couple of weeks ago. It is from Kim McLean and it is called "Stars and Sprigs." Pardon my unpolished blocks. They are not trimmed and ready to sew yet. Just finished sewing them and could not resist the temptation to post. The pattern can be purchased from www.gloriouscolor.com. I first saw it several months ago on quiltsalot.blogspot.com.  Like the one in this blog I am using my Kaffe's fabrics. I have been collecting these fabrics for many years. I am ready to use them. The stars will be pieced and I have not started them yet. The quilt is 96 inches square and the borders are also appliqué. I am having too much fun and I am sure I will be doing these for many months to come.  I have to keep the mantra "I think I can, I think I can." If you want to see this quilt and other patterns by Kim go to the site above.