Back...for now

Back in Blogland, but only just to say that I'll probably be gone again for a while.
I had a troublesome time lately and more is on the way. So I'm posting to let you now what's been going on and what will be happening in the next 2 to 3 weeks.
If you're interested in a quilting post only, you can stop reading now: I don't even now what a needle looks like anymore.

First there was youngest DD, telling us that she's going to stop with her study at Leiden University. She found that she hasn't the same passion for Archeology as her sister has. The small prints in the parental contract said that we must support, encourage, advise (what is she planning to do now?) and..move her back home again.

Just as we were planning the moving back part, friday a week ago,we got an urgent call that we were expected immediately at my inlaws. My mother-in-law had been ill for quite a while and now things got alarmingly bad.
She passed away that same day at the age of 85. We weren't very close but I married her only child and lots and lots of things had to be arranged. And ofcourse there was my father-in-law who needed us, DH who lost his mother and kids that felt very sad.
We buried her last thursday and it was a beautifull ceremony.

In a week or two, my new kitchen will arrive and we knocked the old one out today. Our neighbour will help DH tomorrow with the electricity and things that need to be done before the new cupboards can be placed. No time to catch a breath! We'll take care of my father-in-law inbetween things and DD just has to wait.
And..quilting? sewing? In due time I guess!

Weekend..

This is a picture from saturdays newspaper: what people do when there's ice! Look at the beautifull antique sleigh! Can you see the carved lady up front?






Youngest DD Maren had her very first driving lesson early saturdaymorning....

..and I sewed some more propellers!

On Sunday Lotte came by with her BF. She tried to iceskate with her BF's skates which were totally different than the ones she used to have and 2 sizes too small. I just emailed her the pics I took so she'll probably put some on her own blog this week. I won't show any: don't want to spoil her upcoming post!

My red/white is layered, pinned and ready to be quilted. Maren was kind enough to give me a hand. Only problem is that I have no idea how (what design) I'm going to quilt. It'll come to me and while thinking about that I'll sew some more propellers!

I had a lousy start this morning: NO hot water, so today is a bad hair day and the car wouldn't start (DS could fix that within minutes, thank god!). At work, 2 electricians had to do "something" in my (small) kitchen and I had to move around them all morning. Hope things will be better tomorrow!

Winter...

It's winter in my country with temperatures waaaaaay below zero (-15C at night). Last time we had this weather was more than 10 years ago. The pond in front of my house is frozen and the last time that happend was over 15 years ago!

With weather like this, the whole nation wants only one thing: go iceskating!!

Luckily I got some fun mail to keep me warm! First I got Bonnie's book, autographed. She was in Haarlem before Christmas, signing her book and teaching at the quiltshop her friend Lucy's working. I couldn't go there then and Lucy was kind enough to send me one last autographed copy of Scraps and Shirttails. When I buy a new book, I read it like a novel. I start at page one and read everything, all the pattern directions etc. That way I learn how other quilters "attack" their patterns, how they use colours and when I need certain info later on, I usually find it within minutes in my extending quiltlibrary..

Before I could start reading Bonnie's book, first I had to do something about this...

I made a serious mess in my little sewingroom,playing with dot fabrics!

Much better, don't you think!?

More mail to show! The backing fabric for my red/white came, along with yet more polkadots I just couldn't resist. I guess I got to make more than one dotted quilt this year..! Speaking of 2009: Happy Newyear! May your lives be healthy and your quilts bright!!