Welcome to my rollercoaster entering the wonder city

This will be my first blog from my new apple computer. A gift from BroertjeB who is in charge of all things with a plug in our house. After he worked on my laptop (his old one) for some reason he felt the need to get me a new one, mainly because he almost fell asleep waiting for it to boot. And as a surprise it was all installed on my desk one day! I am a lucky girl.

An adventure in working on myself I took, taking up jogging pretty seriously at the start of this year, ended up in the orthopedic surgeon's office, listening to him telling me my knee is much too worn for my age and I will need a new one eventually. My challenge is to keep living with this one as long as possible. So, my life has to be adapted to what my knee can do. No jogging for instance, or skiing for that matter... This was a blow in the face for me. So after letting my head hang for a few days I decided to lift my chin and start exercising again, but to do something my knee could take. I'm taking my second spinning class tonight. The first one left me sweating and without breath so much I went straight to the shower and my bed, but it was truly sattisfying.

All this left me little time to sew. But I did finish the second part of the My small world quilt. I started working on the third part two. I love the proces if making a small part from scraps and seeing how a city is evolving onder my hands. The wonder city I call it.

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Storm Signal

The last part of every school year always seems to be a very hectic time for us. Lot's of special programs like museum visits, after school parties, gifts to arrange etc. But also at work you need to finish things before the start of the vacation period. Everything just seems to come to a boil all at once.

So while sewing together some Farmers Wife blocks I realized we are in it again. So for those of you who haven't noticed. This is the Storm Signal. After the storm of course lies a lovely leisurely period to enjoy, so let's keep our chin up and face the storm. And don't forget to enjoy it....

Back to my poor neglected Farmers Wife Blocks. I've made another few. Since I am so close to the finish after literally years of sewing them together I lost my mojo a bit, but it is back!

# 86 Squash blossom

#87 Star Gardener

# 88 Star of Hope

#89 Steps to the Altar

#90 Storm Signal

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Feeding the fabric hunger

I received my mothers day gift! I am so spoiled by my boys. I got to pick out fabrics!

Lots of texty ones of course, but also on the top right an aqua solid for putting my Farmers wife quilt together (hopefully in this decennium). I love picking fabric, so that was part of my gift, spending evenings on my iPad filling my basket and throwing things out again!

Now it's time to sew something with it!

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When I get older, loosing my hair, many years from now

I had a good time with my high school girlfriends. We laughed and had to much wine and laughed some more. We always feel so much younger when we are together. Like we don't have jobs, or kids, or husbands, or families to take care of. The weight of those just fall of my shoulders and I can feel like I am 23 for a night! And we look 23 too, right?

 

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Just Jamming

Not so much sewing here to show you! And not so much blogging either. I lost my discipline on both. But I blame the weather and a busy streak on every front. I will get it together soon (I hope). This Saturday afternoon I desperately longed to be alone with my fabrics and just sew something together. But I gave myself permission to let you all know I didn't fall of the planet first.

I did make something though: Jam. My kids and I joined hands to make two batches. One of sweet strawberry jam (their favorite of course) and some semi sweet strawberry/blueberry jam. See how cute my cooling pots are!

 

For everyone who's thinking this is difficult, it really isn't! It starts with saving jars, but you could buy those too. Just buy (or harvest) 2,5 kg of soft fruit and get some special sugar (in Holland it is called Geleisuiker). Clean and blitz the fruit and add the juice of a lemon and follow the directions on the package of sugar. It takes just a few minutes to cook. Fill the jars with cooking water or put them in the dishwasher and fill them when they are still hot. Put on the lid and let them cool upside down. Nothing to it! You can save the jam for a year in the pantry. After opening you have to keep it in the fridge. That is why I use small jars. 

Broertje B is making labels for them as we speak (which is definitely his department). I want to use them as teachers gifts at the end of the year. Put on a nice bit of strawberry fabric and some Bakers twine and write a nice card to go with it. Maybe something like: It was a sweet year, or: I am actually a sweet boy (sometimes). I'll show you the finished results later on. Now I really need to go sew, I think you will understand....

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It's a small world after all!

I have been sewing. But the pieces of this quilt-along are so tiny! I have just finished the first of 6 parts! I do love the patterns and just figuring out along the way how to make things, what scraps to use, etc. My boys really love I am making a city and they are fighting over who can have the quilt. They have helped me pick fabric and "helped" me sew it together....

The top part was finished earlier and I showed it on instagram. (#mysmallworldqal or #mysmallqal). And to my surprise quiltdad showed it (among many other beauties) on his blog. You can find it here,

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