Place Mats & Table Mats

Yes, I've been working hard on the place mats and table mats this week. Today I decided to complete them all - and I did! When I'm in the sewing mood I tend to forget about other things, and that is what happened today! I was supposed to do the dishes, mopping the floors and porch, but snuggled up in the sewing room. Right now it's pouring down and thunder in the distance so I'd better shut down the computer if it continues.

I think you will remember they are all made from the old pillow cases I got from Johnny. He wanted me to make two place mats - and here is what came out of 5 old pillow cases! :) They look quite retro - don't they - from the 1970's. :)

The first photo shows a small tablecloth. It measures 14" x 22" (36 x 54cm).

Here are two place mats. They measure 16" x 19" (41 x 49cm). The size is a bit odd for a place mat, but it ended up that size due to the pattern I created. :)

Another tablecloth - measuring 15.5" x 21" (39 x 53cm)

A small table mat. It measures 15,5" x 15,5" (40 x 40 cm)

And finally two table mats. The size is 13.5" x 13,5" (35 x 35 cm).

For the backing I used an old bed sheet Johnny sent me too. :) Isn't it wonderful to re-use bed linen, clothes etc? I'm collecting old flannel shirts, which I hope to make a lap quilt when I have enough...

Coffee trees in bloom

Look at these flowers! Ain't they beautiful? Our coffee trees are in bloom! If I'm not mistaken, we have 10 coffee trees (I'm too lazy going outside to count them!), and when they all are in bloom it is to be admired. The trees were in bloom last year too, but far from the intensity as this year. I didn't know the flowers have such a sweet scent - it reminds me of oleanders. The flowers - the way they are placed on the branches, reminds me of snow! :)

Don't believe I'm the new Karen Blixen - a Danish woman who settled in Kenya to grow coffee... I guess you all know the film "Out of Africa" (Meryl Streep / Robert Redford). My forever favorite film - don't know how many times I've seen it! :) We have the trees in our garden, because as coming from Norway - I find coffee trees very exotic! :)

Coffee is grown in small scale in the Chamarel area, because the trees flowers during the risky cyclone season. The trees are grown in sheltered places by the ridges of the hillsides. There are three types of coffee growing here; Arabica, Liberica (smaller version of Arabica) and Robusta. Coffee is not endemic to the island, it was imported from Brazil, via Madagascar and Thailand. The coffee beans are roasted, ground and packed by hand in a small factory at the tiny village Case Noyale.

A few green coffee beans.

Ziromon (Pumpkin) leaves

We didn't intend to grow ziromon (Creole for pumpkin). These pumpkins are dark green (skin) with orange flesh. It must have been one of the seeds we have thrown that decided to grow in our "backyard" garden. Every day we've looked for small ziromons, but in vain. The beautiful orange flowers are there, but no vegetables yet. The plant is quite young, and it is said it gives vegetables after it is getting old... I have no idea what "old" means for a ziromon plant! :)

The days are getting longer, hotter and more humid, so that plant decided it is time for growing! And when I say time for growing, my it grows fast - the leaves! Just in one week or so it covered most of the area around it and threatened to climbed into the coffee trees and even one branch decided how great it was to grow around a water pipe on the wall! I didn't agree to that! This morning I had enough of it and cut off most of the branches! Had to throw most of it, because the bigger leaves and branches are not eaten. Ziromon leaves are eaten here, but only the young shoots - see photo above). One of the fun thing with these kind of creepers is that you cut one branch and there will be hundreds of new branches! That is to exaggerate, but you know what I mean...

Cleaning the leaves and branches are another "fun part"! The plant has tiny "thorns" on the branches, which has be be removed before cooking. It's a h... (sorry) of a job, but it has too be done! Above: DH shows the "skin" (I don't know the English word) that has to be removed.

Voila! Cleaned - and ready to be washed and boiled. The cleaning takes time, and I have the impression not many people eat ziromon leaves anymore, just because of the time consuming cleaning. We never buy these leaves at the local vegetable market, because there are a lot of waist. We prefer growing it in our garden, where there is no pesticide and herbicide added!

To boil the leaves: fry onion and garlic in a pan - fry it very good. We use a pressure cooker. Add the leaves and boil for a short time. Don't add water if you use a pressure cooker!!! The water from the cleaned leaves are enough! Green leaves don't need long cooking time, as they "melt" fast in a pressure cooker. Add salt after cooking. A little bit olive oil can be added too - if desired.

I forgot to take a photo after it was done (boiled), but I bet you all can imagine how it looks like! :))

Busy weekend / Wedding Anniversary

October 25th was our wedding anniversary. :) 7 years since we got married. It was done in a jiffy - it took 20 minutes - at the Civil Status Office in Port Louis. None of us wanted a "3-days Indian wedding", which is very common here. Ever since that day I've been pestering DH to buy me/us flowers on our wedding day, but in vain. It took him 7 years to buy a bouquet of beautiful red roses! Aren't they lovely?! I love roses! He even bought me a pair of beautiful, silver earrings - and cakes! :) Could it be better?! :) It looks like Birre-Liten likes the roses too - or is he tired of the celebration?

In my previous post I mentioned "Nina's Mystery". (Sorry I did a typing mistake in that post - her blog is 9na's Smutthull). I got so addicted to those blocks/potholders that I made even more during the weekend. I intended to make a pair of potholders for my friend Johnny's mom in Norway, but again I thought the blocks became too beautiful for potholders, so I made four and turned them into a tablecloth! :) It was a bit difficult to find coordinating fabric to the scarlet red cardinals, but fortunate after diving into my Christmas stash, I did find something suitable. I didn't have enough of the dotted fabric, that's why I had to use something else for the binding. After all - it didn't turn out that bad - did it? :) It measures 28,5 inch square - 72,5 cm. Sorry about the color difference on these two photos... The original colors are nearer to the photo above than to the one below.

Birre-Liten tired of hunting cardinals? :))

Not only did I make the tablecloth during the weekend... I was in the right sewing mood! After having a look what was stored on the old ironing board - under tons of fabrics, I discovered the place mats and table mats I'm making for Johnny, as well as the zigzag quilt I started some months ago... I decided to quilt the mats, and thereafter trim them. I've left to do the binding now, but have to find some suitable fabric for that. Yesterday evening I added a border to the zigzag quilt and today I've added the three layers together and basted it. It's ready to be quilted. I'm really happy about all the sewing I did during the weekend! I love getting rid of UFO's!!! :))

Christmas blocks -what to do?

A week ago or so Nina had a "Jule-Sy-Mysterium" (Christmas-Sew-Mystery) on her blog. I was a bit too late to sign up for the "mystery" - one day before the "mystery" was shown. Actually I did sign up, but changed my mind..... The next day I had a look at her blog again; the "mystery" turned out to be a pair of potholders! :) Excited by the way the potholders were made - quite easy - I decided to make a pair. I made one pair, two pairs and even three pairs when I finally realised I'd made a mistake on all of them! BLUNDER!!! :((( Sometimes I'm amazed by how silly it is possible to be!!! Brain dead - reset! We used to say that at my previous workplace, but do you believe it worked?! NO! :)) Well, the "blunder-potholders" didn't turn out that bad after all; I've completed them all. (Forgot to take a photo - will do that later).

After I finally realized the blunder I made, I decided to make a pair the right way - without any mistakes! I also decided to use some other fabrics and ended up with Debbie Mumm's "Arctic Holiday". After making two blocks I was over-thrilled by the prettiness of the blocks and made more and more.... altogether 11 blocks - done in a jiffy! I just can't make potholders out of the blocks - they are too pretty for that - aren't they? :) Just too cute! :)) 11 blocks are not enough for a bigger project, so guess what I did? You are right; I've purchased more fabrics from the US! :))

I had another "Santa Blocks" from "Arctic Holiday" too. I wanted to make something a bit different. I wanted to try "Churn Dash" blocks, which I'd never done before. Oh what fun!!! And so easy to make! I made them all during the weekend. I was breathless by excitement! LOL! I made 6 red and 6 green blocks. Eeerrrmmmm...... Purchased even more fabrics from the US!!! I have yet to decide what to make out of all the blocks; tablecloths, place mats, quilts - who knows....... I'll keep you posted! :)

Sunset on Divali night - October 17th 2009.

Divali - Festival of Lights / Gateau Batate

(photo from Wikipedia)

Divali - or Deepavali - as it is also called - was celebrated in Mauritius and several other countries October 17th this year. The Festival of Lights is symbolically celebrated by several rituals, such as cleaning the entire house, even painting if needed, making sweets, sharing the sweets among relatives, neighbor's and friends. Another importance is wearing new clothes, and the most important is lighting up the house with traditional earthen oil lamps, but nowadays electric lamps are more used, firecrackers. Divali is celebrated on the darkest night of the month of Kartik (eight lunar month) of the Hindu calendar, which generally corresponds to the October/November period of our calendar. Divali commemorates the victory of Light over Darkness, that is, the victory of Good over Evil. In India Deepavali is a 4 days festival, while one day only here in Mauritius.

There are all sorts of sweets to be made for Divali. Since we are not that much into celebrations, we made "gateau batate" only, which is deep fried cakes made of sweet potatoes. The ingredients are quite a few - and simple to make, even if it takes some time.

Recipe:

1 kg sweet potatoes

250 grams plain flour (approx)

1 coconut

sugar

Boil the potatoes. Be careful not to boil them for too long; they should not be too watery. Peel and mash the potatoes and mix in the flour to a dough. Roll the dough and stick out circles - approx 12cm (4-5 inch) diameter - see photo.

Break the coconut and grate the "flesh". Of course dry coconut powder can be used, but no doubt the fresh one tastes much, much better! Mix with sugar. I have not put any amount of sugar - your choice how sweet you want it.

Add the coconut/sugar mix to the dough/circle and close it carefully. Be careful not to spill the filling on the sides, or else it won't close properly when frying. (The filling will seep out). Here they are ready to be deep fried.

Deep frying in oil until they become "brown", but not burnt. :)

VOILA! BON APPETITE!

We made the cakes the day before Divali, didn't want too much work on the day itself. In the morning of Divali I mopped the floors, swept and mopped the porch too. My MIL "approved" the "gateau batates"! Yes, these sweets are not always easy to make; it all depends on the sweet potatoes - which quality. DH bought the sweet potatoes from the vegetable market. He asked if the potatoes were fresh or old ones, where the woman said "of course they are fresh!" Well, most of them turned out black inside after boiling, so we believe the woman made a story just to sell the potatoes! More than half of it had to be thrown! :(( Out of what was usable we made 18 cakes, which was enough to share among the family. We got a lot of sweets from DH's youngest sister & family, as well as from MIL and DH's youngest niece next door. She is 12 years old and it was the first time she dared knock our door and wishing us "HAPPY DIVALI"! She's always been very shy, but seems to have improved now. She was wearing a beautiful, brand new "churidar" (short blouse & long skirt and a shawl) - cherry color - and even new shoes! Needless to say how proud she was! :) Later in the night DH's eldest sister & her son popped in - bringing even more sweets! I thought that was all, but the next day MIL gave us more sweets, because she was unable to eat it all! LOL! We lighted the earthen oil lamps on the porch - magic! It looked so beautiful! I prefer these oil lamps to modern electric lamps. Late in the evening we took the dogs for a walk and had a look at the beautifully decorated houses in the area. Lots of firecrackers too. There were still a lot of traffic, people going home or visiting relatives and friends - and some in our area were partying. Lots of fun! :)

Small Token

This is my first cross stitch project after about 20 years! I used to do a lot of counted cross stitching in earlier years, but through the years I went into other interests etc. After I joined NNC - where there are so many talented cross-stitchers - I felt tempted to start over again. Thanks to (especially) MW @ NNC, who encouraged me the most! :) I was introduced to so many cute designs; "Blackbird Designs" as well as "Little House Needleworks" etc. I enjoyed so much doing the pincushion from Blackbird Designs. It was a bit hard for my eyes, but I managed - some mistakes and unpicking included! :)

It is stitched on 32ct Lakeside Linens (vintage sand dune) over 2 threads. I have used 2 strands DMC floss. It measures 4" x 5 1/4" - approx 10 x 13 cm.

Give-aways from Karen

Karen has several great give-aways - take a look at her blog:

http://karensquilting.com/blog/category/give-aways/

With Christmas approaching.....

...I'm in Christmas mood! :) Yes, I know, I know.... There are still +2 months until Christmas, but I don't want rushing the last days to get things done. That is why I have made a few things for myself.

I love the Australian crafts magazines! They always have so many budget projects made from scraps and here is one I just "had to" make! :) Cute little daisies, a combination of applique and embroidery. It measures 12" x 14" (30 x 36cm).

Another budget buster is this cute little basket, made from leftover pieces. Last year - long before I started this blog - I made "Snow Wonderland" by Whimsicals - and was left with quite some leftovers. I have used those leftovers for the basket - I think the snowman and crow are just so darling! :)) I have decorated the basket with buttons. I think the basket will be nice for nuts.... or even sweets... It measures 3,5" x 4,5" (9 x 11,5cm) diameter.

The crow...
...and the snowman. :)

The Christmas bag; made of the same collection + a few other matching fabrics. I've used black linen for the lining. It has a magnetic bag closure too. I had to go to Port Louis to get it - one dozen - doesn't sell less....

T'was the night before Christmas

and all through the house

not a creature was stirring

not even a mouse..!

(I'm sorry the photos are a bit blurred - didn't get them better...)

Some people's mentality.....

What makes one of our neighbors to throw his garbage next to our gate? The owner of the house doesn't live there; the house is rented out to two middle aged men. For the last 2-3 Saturdays a worker does the lawn and other jobs there. Approx 3 weeks ago we noticed some garbage were thrown next to our gate; some pieces of wood, broken tiles etc. We knew it was the neighbor, because the wood pieces were in his entrance 1-2 days earlier. I removed the garbage and threw it outside his gate! After approx one week DH discovered a satellite antenna - the disk - was hidden under some palm leaves we had thrown next to our gate - for the municipality truck to pick up. There were some old water pipes too, and again I threw it on the other side of the road. Today I saw it with my own eyes; the worker came out from the neighbor's gate with the dustbin in his hands - and guess what??? He emptied the garbage at the same place - next to our gate! I was too slow to react, or else I had told him my opinion! Again I picked up the neighbor's garbage; 3 plastic bags with kitchen refuse and some leaves - threw it back! I know for sure it is not the tenants who are so shameless - it's that worker!!! :( What the heck goes on in that guys brain, when he empties the dustbin over on the neighbor's side??? Lack of common sense? Lack of intelligence? Mentality? What was he thought by his parents? How had he reacted if we had thrown our garbage on his plot??? I agree it doesn't look very nice outside our gate nowadays; we have thrown branches and such from our garden for the truck to pick up later on, but - we never throw other things there! Is it that this guy believe it is a dumping place? Even if we have thrown garden refuse there, it doesn't mean it is a dumping area for all the neighbors - does it?! Well, what has to be done now is to get in touch with the owner of the house... He uses to come once a week or so... There are limits for shameless behavior - isn't it?!

Pink basket & matching shoes

Isn't it amazing what us crafters "must have"? For some time now I have had in mind a basket for scraps when I cut fabrics, but haven't got around buying any - until a couple of days ago. A basket was not in my mind when we entered the supermarket. Actually it was DH who asked me; "don't you need a basket for threads, ribbons, fabrics etc?" I agreed to that; "yes, I need a basket"... ...And here it is; a pink basket - for scraps!

We had a quick chat with MIL before we went to the supermarket. Some weeks ago she bought a pair of black shoes for DH, which is made of soft rubber and they are very comfortable - even space enough inside! :) MIL always buys "Deepavali" gifts for us. Instead of letting her buy something I wouldn't like, I told her my wish is a pair of such shoes - but in pink. Little did I know she bought the shoes the same day as I asked her - and they are pink too - matching the basket! LOL! :))

Creative weekend

I've been creative this weekend! After some weeks without doing much, I got around to do this mini-quilt from Art to Heart. I love Nancy Halvorsen's works! It says "the only thing better than a friend - is a friend with chocolate"! It's so true - so true - isn't it?! After I completed it I noticed the "l" in chocolate came a bit too close to the "o", so it looks like the word is "chocdate" - LOL! I started working on the mini-quilt Saturday morning, but couldn't find the fabric for the head, hands and legs, so I gave up and went out sanding the railing on the porch.
We got it made approx one year ago. After it was done I put two layers of oil based varnish on it to protect it from the rain and scorching sun. I don't know if it is the combination of the weather as well as not so good quality on the varnish, but now it is time for maintenance. This time I'm going to paint it - brown - so it resembles wood. I sanded down almost half of the railing, and yesterday I spent approx 5 hours doing the undercoat. That is why this part - as you can see - is white now. My MIL - who lives next door - gave me a bowl with freshly, roasted peanuts, and said; "you're working too much!" :) The peanuts were still warm - delicious! It was so sweet of her! Yes, I confess I was tired after spending that many hours doing the undercoat, but I'm also glad I managed to do that much. It has to be done before the rainy season sets in - in a couple of months. Fortunate hubby made dinner and did the dishes so I didn't have to think about that too! :))

This is how part of our garden looked like this morning. Wild iris in bloom. 4-5 years ago we brought a couple of small plants from the forest, and now it covers almost the entire flower bed. They are so beautiful, and the greatest is that they keep the weed away! :) The flowers last for approx 10 hours only. This is the 5th time they are blooming in only a few weeks.

Visitor from Germany continues...

We started off very early in the morning, and our first stop today was "L'Aventure du Sucre"; Beau Plan sugar factory. Sadly the sugar mill had to shut down in 1999 - after 202 years running. But the history doesn't stop there; the mill is turned into an amazing museum. It not only tells the history of sugar, but also covers the history of the island; slavery, the rum trade and so much more. Most of the machinery is still in place and former workers are on hand to answer questions. There are different varieties of sugar to taste and to buy. I bought a little box molasses (very dark sugar), I love that kind of raw, burnt taste. :)

We visited the St Francois church in Pamplemousses, which was built in 1756 and is the oldest church on the island. The cemetery contains the tomb of Abbe Buonavita, who was Napoleon's almoner on St Helena. He settled in Mauritius after Napoleon's death in 1821.

Bernardin de Saint-Pierre wrote the famous novel "Paul et Virginie" in 1788. The novel was inspired by a tragedy that took place some years earlier, when the ship "St Geran" was wrecked during a bad storm near the

tiny island of Ambre, at the east coast. There's a monument of Paul and Virginie next to the church.

After visiting the sugarcane museum and the church, we needed something to eat and ended up at Wiener Waltz Cafe for some treats. I couldn't resist a slice of homemade Sachertorte (rich chocolate cake) and coffee. What a slice; it was HUGE - and DELICIOUS! :) Grit had a huge bowl with ice cream and hubby had a huge slice of cheese cake - and we had coffees too.

Maheswarnath Temple in Triolet. It is the largest Hindu temple on the island, built in 1857. Personally I think this is the most beautiful temple here as well...

"Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden" in Pamplemousses. After an eventful day we're going funny and giggling; trying to figure out how big the baobab tree is.... :)

This was the last sightseeing we did before Grit had to return to Germany. We enjoyed your stay so very, very much Grit - even if we needed a couple of days to "recover" after all the sightseeing we did! LOL! :)) Hope to see you again soon!

To my readers; do you find it strange I haven't had time at all for crafting these two weeks?! :)) Now it is time for some Christmas gifts etc. :)

Visitor from Germany continues...

There are not many left of the beautiful colonial houses, but "La Villebague" (left) and "Eureka House" are among the best kept and restored houses. "La Villebague" - built in 1759 - is the oldest house on the island. The side turrets were added in 1934, completely changing the aspect of what was previously a manor house typical of 18th century France. It is usually only houses with one storey that feature turrets, but this house is an exception to the rule. The plantation started producing sugar in 1743, one of the first one to do so.
"Eureka House" was built in 1830. It has 14 rooms and 109 doors and windows! (I'm glad I don't have to clean windows there!) It is one of the largest house of the island and is the only one complete with period furniture. From 1856 to 1896 it belonged to the Le Clezio family. It became museum in 1986.

The day we went to Pamplemousses, we got a lift with hubby's sister who works in the area. We reached her work place a bit early, and while waiting she kindly showed us "Moulin a Poudre", which was an iron factory in the 18th century. A powder mill was in operation until 1810 when the British turned it into a prison. It is said over 800 slaves worked in the manufacturing of gunpowder. It is also said the tower (right) was used for hanging prisoners. The place looks a bit creepy, doesn't it?

Grit wanted a stop in Grand Baie, which is the only area blatantly devoted to mass tourism. Once it was a tiny fishing village on an idyllic horseshoe bay, but now it is said to resemble a mini St-Tropez, with expensive boutiques, restaurants etc. We strolled around for some minutes, Grit bought a few souvenirs etc. The photo to the left shows a local woman and her husband making dhal puri - for us. Delicious fast food! :)

Traveling along the west coast to the northern tip of the island, we are not far from Cap Malheureux. The island is Coin de Mire (Gunner's Coin) - one of the islands closest to the northern tip (right). It was named so because it resembles the quoin or wedge used to steady the aim of a cannon. The island is a nature reserve and home to a number of rare species, such as the red-tailed tropic bird and Bojer's skink.

Ever since before I settled here I have wanted to see the lighthouse at Pointe aux Caves - near Albion. I love the rugged coastline, mostly because of the wilderness and because I'm not a person who like roasting myself at beaches. :)) The height of the tower is 97 meters. It was built in 1910 and is still operational.

A few more photos to be continued...

Visitor from Germany

There's not only patchwork/quilting, cross-stitching etc that are my passions... For those of you who don't know, I've been into pen palling since 1976. Through the years it has become a lifestyle rather than passion. Some penfriends have "climbed the ladder" from penfriends to dear friends. Grit is one of them... We started corresponding in 2005 and this year she finally decided to visit me/us. I'm always a bit excited before meeting a penfriend in person. I have heard "horror stories" where penfriends don't turn out to be the same nice person as through the letters. "Touch wood" - through the years I have met some of my penfriends, and never had any bad experiences! I felt Grit & I "hit it off" already that early Sunday morning at the airport. It was no time for crafting these two weeks - let's see what we did instead.

"Ganesh Charturthi" is celebrated the fourth day of the lunar month of August/September by Hindus of Marathi faith as the birthday of Ganesh, the God of wisdom and remover of all obstacles. The first celebration in Mauritius took place in the 7 Cascade Valley, next to Henrietta village, in 1896. The festival has turned out to be a huge National festival, with hundreds of people attending. We had never seen it "live", so it was an opportunity for us to go to Flic en Flac that day. There weren't many people at the beach when we reached there, but it slowly filled up. In the early afternoon hordes of people - some carrying a "statue" of Ganesh - filled the road and ended up at the beach. The road from Quatre Bornes to Flic en Flac was blocked by processions; complete chaos! It took us 3 hours to reach home - usually not more than 15 minutes! :)

The photos above are from the capital Port Louis. It shows the modern "sky scrapers" as well as an old building in "China Town". It was officially named Port Louis in 1722 by M. Denyon, the commander of the first party of French settlers, but it was first in 1935 Francois Mahe de La Bourdonnais decided build the capital. It was named after King Louis XV.

I love the vibrant market in Port Louis! It is a "must" to visit! The stalls sell everything from fruit & vegetables, fish, meat to clothes and all kinds of souvenirs. Usually I don't go into the souvenir stalls; too many "leeches" there, I hate to be pushed shopping! I love to have a glass of "alouda", which is a mix of milk, sugar, water, tookmaria (seeds), agar-agar, vanilla ice cream and ice cubes. Very refreshing on a hot day. I also love to eat "dhal puri", which is lentil flour pancake with beans and curry sauce. Local, delicious junk food! :)

Mahebourg is another "must" to visit. It is the main town in the south, a laid back community with its approx 20 000 inhabitants. To the left is the Mouchoir Rouge island, which has a small, private bungalow on it - with a red roof. It's just so lovely! But I wonder how it is to live out there during a severe cyclone?!

I've always wanted to go to Le Souffleur, which is a blow hole formed in the rocks of the southern coast, through which the sea used to spout spectacularly at high tide. Erosion has deprived it of the power it had 150 years ago when a writer said; "it roared furiously to a height of fully sixty feet"! It still roars a little when the tide is high. I love the wilderness here; furious waves smashing into the lava rocks, filao trees, old stone fences - built by whom?, grassy fields - hardly no tourists here - just so pristine!
To be continued...

Christmas runners completed & cross stitch patterns

As I've already mentioned in my previous post I haven't done much quilting for the last weeks, but I did complete the two Christmas table runners. All the seams are pressed open - I like to do that on tablecloths/runners so that it doesn't become too bulky when quilting. I've stitched in the ditch on both. I think they turned out very nice - I like the pattern. :)

SSD (strict stash diet) doesn't count on cross stitching patterns, fabrics and floss - does it?! At least not for me! I'm in love with LHN! They have the cutest designs one can dream of! How on earth could I resist "Through the Woods" and "Winter Wonderland"?! Aren't they cute?! OOOPS!!! The pattern to the left is from Kit & Bixby; "Merry Wool". It's supposed to be a Christmas gift to a friend who collects everything sheep. "Fortunate" she doesn't have a computer at home and I know she doesn't follow or read my blog, so I don't think I've done a mistake by showing the pattern! :) As you can see I bought some linen and floss too. The flosses are hand dyed from Crescent Colors and Gentle Art. I love these flosses - just sooo yummy!

Wonderful gifts from wonderful friends

As you dear followers and readers might have noticed, I have been quiet for a very long time. Due to some health issues (nothing serious) and other issues I have had a terrible "dry spell" with my crafting, especially quilting. It's not that I have done nothing - actually I have cross-stitched two pincushions - but have yet to complete them. I need lace, which I haven't bought yet. I will post a photo of the pincushion when it is done. I have quite some problems with blogger today; it doesn't do spell checking, preview nor auto save. I hope it behaves properly so I'm able to publish this post!

In this post I want to share with you some gifts I have received recently.

Here is a gift from Margaret (NNC). We were talking about needles for cross-stitching and she offered to send me a few John James needles to try out. That Margaret!!! :)) She didn't only send me the needles! Have a look what she sent me; a piece of 28ct natural raw linen, a piece of 16ct mottled linen, a piece of beautiful fabric and 3 skeins of variegated red DMC floss! I didn't believe my eyes when I opened the parcel! Dear Margaret - once again - thank you so very much! I do appreciate your kindness!

At the same day I received another surprise gift from my Australian penfriend Tracy. It's a belated birthday gift; two pieces of Australian fabric and a wonderful card. (I guess you all have noticed I love cats!) Once again - thank you so very, very much Tracy!

These days my dear German penfriend for the last 4 years - Grit - is visiting. She is not into any crafting at all, but look what she gifted me! The crocheted doily is made by her 89-years old grandmother - isn't it lovely?!

Then there's a book; "Creative Quilts" by Sandra Meech. She is an award winning quilt artist, originally from Canada, who works with quilting, embroidery and textile groups in the UK and around the world. I do wonder when I will be that creative?! :)

The other book she gifted me is "Cross stitch Antique Style Samplers" by Jane Greenoff. The book has over 30 cross stitch designs inspired by traditional samplers. Wonderful!

Thank you so very, very much Grit! I love the gifts you gave me!

Amazing colors!

Aren't colors amazing? If you have a look at my previous post, you'll see the start of making the red table runner. As I mentioned there I struggled a bit, but when I finally understood the cutting direction as well as the making of the Y-blocks - I got hooked! So hooked that I made another runner too, in one day! :) The previous post is a bit misleading; it shows some fabrics and the red runner. I intended using these fabrics - "Peppermint Cottage" by Diane Knott - but changed my mind. I'm using "Cookie Cutter Christmas" by J. Wecker/Frisch, which is gingerbread people fabric too. As you can see, I chose different reds for the first runner, and different greens and blue for the second runner. It never stops amazing me what small fabric pieces of different colors do to a project! These two runners are identical; the same pattern - but don't they look so different? I think... the red one looks very "Christmassy", while the green & blue one looks more.... sophisticated.... if I can say it like that? It is not very visible on the photo, but for the red one I have used beige mottled as the background fabric. For the green runner I have used beige too, with white snow crystals, which "lifts" it up a bit - I think. Also the contrast between the two green fabrics I have used are more visible compared to the two reds, which actually are the same fabrics; only the colors are different. It struck me the green and blue runner blends in with the colors in our kitchen/dining-room... I don't have many tablecloths and runners, so I thought it would have been nice making something new for the coming Christmas?:) Sadly I bought 1/2 yard of the beige snow crystal fabric, and I don't find it at any web shops anymore. I would have loved more of it... Oooops!!!! I had forgotten I'm on SSD!!! (Strict Stash Diet). :))

Christmas in July

I bought these gingerbread people fabrics some weeks ago. Aren't they yummy?! Ever since I started this great hobby I have mainly made bigger quilts and not many smaller projects, so I decided to make a table runner. Some months ago I bought a book about different blocks, and one of the blocks described is Y-blocks. An Y-block uses both half- and quarter-square triangles. The pattern calls for specific placement to achieve the design, which took me a little while to understand - it needs some brain work! :)) What got me a bit confused is the mentioned size of the Y-block. It says "finished block size 3 inch", but I thought "finished block size" was before the Y-blocks were added together.....

Actually these Y-blocks are 3.5" - before added together. When I finally understood that, it went quite fast making the 3 blocks for the center piece of the runner.

Here's the center piece with the inner border. (The Y-blocks are 3"). Now I'm going to make rows of Y-blocks for the outer border. It's fun working with Christmas fabrics! I think I'm suffering Christmas fever!!! LOL

Gifts from friends

Ain't I lucky having such good friends as Kari and Majka?! Both of them sent me surprise gifts; books. From Majka I received Kaffe Fassett's "Glorious Patchwork". I know Fassett from his knitting designs and have read he is into patchwork too, but never had I seen any of his patchwork books. I received this book yesterday - once again a big thank you Majka! First today I had time for a better look. I love the simplicity of his quilts; made by squares, triangles, strips, diamonds etc. They are bright, colorful and vibrant. Stunning quilts - quilts I'd like to decorate the walls and staircase in my house with... The quilt on this photo is made of four sizes of triangles - doesn't it look great?!

Some weeks ago I received this lovely book from Kari; "Tildas Landsted". Once again - a big thank you to you! :) I'd been searching for a quilt pattern by Tone Finnanger (Norwegian author of the Tilda books). Kari did some research for me, but I never expected her to gift me the book! :) The book has some very cute projects from the seaside as well as the countryside. I know there's a "Tilda Craze" out there and if you would like to see more of her works, take a look here.


"Winter" weather in Mauritius; rain. No, it doesn't rain all the time, but the last days have been quite nasty with local showers. We went to Port Louis (the capital) a couple of days ago. While raining & a bit chilly this side it was hotter and nice there. Rain & sun bring beautiful rainbows too; like this one we viewed some days ago.