Looking forward to the big move into our new home in September

Sunday, March 27, 2011

spectacular exhibition in New York

These days the people of New York are able to visit an extraordinary quilt collection of 650 red and white quilts at the Park Avenue Armory March 25–30 !!!

Infinite Variety:
Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts

I'ld love to see them in person - but ....
I can show you some LINKs to pictures
Martha Stewart posted 37 pics on her blog
The American Folk Art Museum presents it here
Here is a Flickr album of the Museum
NY Times posted here

The museum announced a free app for the iPhone - but I couldn't find it - if you get it - please send me the info!

Taryn is running an interesting blog and influenzed by the exhibition she asked her readers to show their red and white quilts - worth a visit!

enjoy

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Bente's Leselotte

ist zu gewinnen - vielleicht hab ich ja Glück


Sunday, March 20, 2011

I have to post several times to tell you EVERYTHiNG
about my adventures with Bonnie Hunter and the Retreat I attended.

The time with Bonnie Hunter (BH) was really special, she is a darling!
Full of energy and creativity, a joy to meet with!
I was in contact with for more than 8 years we tried to remember,
as mostly it started with Dear Jane - smile
I traveled from Thursday until Monday evening.
Stuttgart is just 2 hours from my actual hometown, but I organized the trip like a real vacation, choose just a very simple hotel to keep the cost level low.
No problem I was there just to sleep ;-)

My first stop was at the home of Susanne,
she is running THE big Yahoo group for quilters in Germany and has a webshop.
But the interesting part now is:
she is an expert for Featherweights!
When my husband was in Afghanistan in 2005 I got some extra money from him each month
and I bought a FW from 1936 with an 110 V engine.


It was not really running and made a terrible noise. Of course I bought the right converter, because we do have 220 V.
My friends DH gave my baby a nice cleaning and oiled it but it still did not run nice.
Susanne showed me all the little holes to oil and the parts which needs the lubricant – AND
YEAH it’s buzzing like a bee now!
Another problem was the tension of the belt. Now I know,
I have to move the engine to get the right tension – lession learned.
DANKESCHöN Susanne !!!

Thursday afternoon I visited the quiltshop in Schönaich, who organized the first workshop “Cathedral Stars”.
Tiny, but nice shop – they sent me over to the workshop location to say hello to Bonnie.
Bonnie greeted me like an old friend and I saw the participants busy sewing on their 4 patches and pieces.

Thursday evening 2 friends from a private Yahoogroup arrived.
Since 2oo5, when I was in Shipshea I’m part of
the Caravanquilters (that’s the name of our little group).
Valerie is French, now living near Paris and is running a Longarm business. She moved several times during the last years: Brussels, Belgium and Chicago area
Carolyn is from Maine and was just traveling to Rome, where her daughter is studying. They both came to the Stuttgart region just to see Bonnie and her trunkshow! It was so much fun to meet Valerie again and Carolyn first time!
We had a lovely local meal in a little restaurant near bye and a long chatting later in our room, lots of laughers.
On Friday they made sighseeing at Mercedes and a local chocolate factory
I was lucky to have the Cathedral Star workshop
BH is a real good teacher, such an inspiration!
Everybody was lucky and busy –
a nice meal has been served as well for lunch.

This report will be continued soon
YES - pictures are coming too

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Tilda blog-candy

Denise's blog is worth a visit, not only because of her giveaway
Especially for Tilda-lovers
good luck

H O P E

After nearly 2 weeks on journey I'm back home.
I'll post about my adventures during the next few days, yes pictures will be shown as well.

The horrible news we all see daily from Japan are so overwhelming, I can't find words for. Tanya's blog is one of my favorites for some time now. Actually she is posting about the situation in Japan of course. On friday she posted such a touching video, I have to share with my readers! I believe in future
Go visit her blog and send her some encouraging thoughts

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

back on earth - from scrap HEAVEN

I left on Thusday morning and came back on Monday evening. Mentally I'm still with Bonnie :)
All I can say: it was FANTASTiC to meet with Bonnie Hunter, the Black Forest Quilters and many talented quilters. Especially to spent some time with Valerie from France and Carolyn from Maine was so special to me. They are both members of a little private Yahoogroup of Janiacs I'm part of and drove from Paris to Stuttgart!

Firstable I visited a quilter, which runs a webshop and is an expert for
Singer Featherweights (they are rare in Germany!) I own a FW from 1937, but it didn’t run smoothly. She showed me all that tiny holes needing oil and the part I have to add lubricant. After she moved the engine to get the right tension for the cord. My darling is running and sounds happy now!
Her husband will fix a problem of the electric cord and send it to me
THAN I can use it – YEAH !!! Dankeschön Susanne!!

Drove a little bit around and walked through Herrenberg, a historic village nearbye.
Around 4 PM I peaked into Bonnie’s workshop and said hello.
She is such a darling and we talked a little bit. In the evening Valerie, Carolyn and the 3 french kids arrived at the hotel. We left immediately to a little restaurant and had local food, beer and a lot of chatting.

On Friday morning the Cathedral Stars workshop took place – I missed Caroline from Brussels, who had to cancel the trip because of bronchitis and astma!!!
First time ever I used the Easy Angle and Tri Rec rulers – very clever, will never do
halfsquare triangles the oldfashioned way.
In the evening Bonnie held her trunkshow at an formerly officers club, where the
Black Forest Quilters having their meetings. It is an American/German club, very creative, supportive and active. Would love to be part of this guilt.
The Trunkshow was FANTASTiC !!!!!!

Barb posted a really sweet post about Bonnie's visit to Texas! She enclosed 2 youtube video from the trunkshow - This way you can get an impression about the scrap queen. Thank you Barb!

On Saturday I attended the Virginia Bound workshop at the guilt.
I’m using woven plaids, made in Bangladesh – first time my SewEzi table was built up
PERFECT !!!
In the evening I had dinner with Aby (the organisator) and Bonnie -
We had a lot of fun!

On Sunday the Star Stuck workshop was held at Nadel und Faden, located in an old building from ~ 1700
Just 9 participants, lovely shop – bought the perfect 2 grey fabrics for the sashing.
Needless to say I crashed into my bed every evening!
On Monday I didn’t rushed back home, instead I enjoyed the lovely landscape around Stuttgart and got to a little village with big outlet stores of many famous designers. I was lucky to find a perfect fitting chocolate brown jacket with coordinates trousers.
Had a soup in another old village (Blaubeuren)
Right now I’m prepairing our house for the visit of my daughter Ines and her friend Tom.

Monday I’ll leave to visit my friend Monica in Lueneburg, together we’ll go to a Retreat with 6 women from Hamburg.

Tomorrow I promise pictures!

happy greetings