wimschouten23dingen

Several years ago when I was doing a lot of quilting I participated in a modified Dear Jane block swap.  Wow!  I just looked at the copyright on the DJ book and I guess I should change that to Many years ago as the book was published in 1996 and this swap was about 2 years after the book hit the market. As a result of the swap I received 200+ blocks.  Each block was to be 4-1/2" square using civil war reproduction fabrics with natural muslin as the background fabric.  Here you can see some of my blocks sorted in baggies by color.  I decided I didn't want to make a large quilt with these.  I have made several pincushions using a few of the blocks and given them as gifts.  I have struggled with what to do with these little blocks and since I needed to do some mindless sewing I added some sashing and borders and came up with these little quilts. These measure around 14"x20" and are the perfect size for table toppers, doll quilts, a cupboard t...

Hello!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  The weather in NC was beautiful.  We went from 70 degrees and sunny yesterday to freezing today with sleet and snow.  Go figure. I met Chris for an early breakfast yesterday. It was so good to see her again and catch up.  She gave me a wonderful kit along with a lovely card.  (I am soooo spoiled)  I also received some happy mail from my friend Norma last week.  Just look at this lovely Valentine she sent me.  I totally missed Valentine's Day this year.  With Lola's illness and subsequent passing my mind just wasn't there. Now I would like to invite you all to enjoy a cup of tea.  :o) Or perhaps coffee is more your thing. Just another one of those bees I get in my bonnet.  :o)  I had an idea to make a cup pincushion and look what happened!  I just had to make some themed pins to go along with my cuppa.  The "creamer" for the coffee houses a ...

My little garden has been growing for 2 weeks now and I can really tell a difference.  The Master Gardener and I headed out to take a picture.  :o) As you can see, Betty is there to supervise my every move.  Radishes will be the first item to harvest and they are coming along quite nicely.  They only take a month to mature.  You can grow 16 in a square foot using this method. Since I know some of you might have stopped by to see some stitching, I pulled out a few of my WIP's hoping to "shame" myself into putting in a few stitches.  "Liberty" - Little House Needleworks Prairie Schooler - One of the Santas "Neighborhood Friends" - Little House Needleworks There are a few more tucked away...I need to take pictures of those as well.  Somewhere along the way I went from stitching and finishing a single project before starting another to starting new projects with wild abandon, paying no attention to how many I might have ...

I participated in the Winter Wonderland Exchange at Stitched With Love Exchanges .  I had Coleen as my partner and this is what I stitched for her: "Hiver" Freebie from Gazette 94  And these are all the extra goodies I put into her package.  :o)  She said she was very happy with everything I sent and I am so happy to have met another blogging friend.  I had never visited Colleen's blog before and am so glad to have found her through this exchange. Catherine  had my name.  :o)  It was a secret exchange and we weren't supposed to reveal who we were to our partner until after everyone had received their packages.  When I saw the return address, I knew it looked familiar.  A quick look inside my address book and I figured out which little elf was mine.  LOL  Here is the before opening:  Isn't it all so pretty? This is the piece she stitched for me.  I love it!  It is fro...

Today Chris and I met for lunch and our Christmas gift exchange.  We had lots of catching up to do and enjoyed a wonderful lunch while doing so.  I am so fortunate to have "found" Chris and quite honestly feel as if she is a part of my family.  She also spoils me rotten!  Let me show you... First is this beautifully stitched and finished ornament.  I admired this one when Chris was stitching it and now it is mine, all mine!  I love bargello and the gold trim gives it the perfect amount of bling.  Then there was the most adorable little cardinal I think I have ever seen.  Both of these are already on my tree and I have had to stop and re-admire them several times today. As if those two weren't enough, she also gifted me with this wonderful mug made by a local pottery, the cute mesh stitching bag, Christmas tissues, and the 100th Anniversary Whitman's Sampler Tin.  I sure don't feel deserving of all these gifts but I really apprec...

Hello friends and folk!  I am entering the last hours of my week long "staycation".  DH and I had plans to go to the beach earlier in the week, however, he tore a muscle in his calf.  He has been hobbling around for the past two weeks and decided that walking in the sand on the beach would not be conducive to the healing process.  So.....I have been stitching and sewing and pretty much doing a whole lot of nothing.  :o)  I have loved every minute of it. After stitching along on some larger patriotic pieces, I needed a change of pace.  So I decided to do a little more of Christmas in July.  :o) I first saw this piece on Carol's blog and just love how it looked with a black background.  I finished it as a little pillow ornament with a unique shape to suit the design.  This is a freebie by Madame La Fee and you can still find it on her site. As the title of my post says, I then decided to switch seasons.  ...

Hello friends and folk!  I certainly didn't intend for it to be 15 days before I announced a winner but we all know how that goes sometimes.  I just haven't had any time for blogging but I have been doing some "drive by" visits to see what you are all doing.  You are all so inspiring with your creations. Sooooo, I was looking for "brooch" or "pin" in order to determine a winner and there were 4 of you who guessed correctly.  I wrote those 4 names on a slip of paper, placed them in a bowl and chose Catherine!  Congratulations!  Your queen bee brooch will be on it's way to you soon. Here is the larger one I finished as a hanging ornament.  I have it hanging on the door to our DVD cabinet.  :o) I came home from work one day last week to all sorts of moss and twigs on my front porch.  It seems a little wren was trying to build a nest but the wind kept blowing her new home away.  I thought I would be smart and place a...