Cow Bells

I love cow bells.

I didn't really know this before living in Switzerland, but I've embraced this part of my new country. Remko thinks it's so funny that I like them (see his photo of me above) but he lets me take as many photos as I want. :) I love the sound, but also the designs on the bells--mountain flowers and vines. It'd be a pretty cool embroidery project....

This weekend we went to a chestnut festival in a nearby town and it was complete with seven farmers carrying their decorated bells into town.

August 1, which is Switzerland's national day, normally has a huge parade of farmers with their bells, and this year (my first) was no different. I loved it!

I even took a video. Just listen to the sound those beautiful bells make!

Trams and Triangle-Squares

About a year ago, I made a quilt where I had to cut off triangles that were large enough to keep, but not large enough to really know what to do with. I've been looking for a pattern for triangle-squares I could use since then. On a recent tram ride up one of the mountains surrounding the Vierwaldstettersee...


...I came across a couple houses that had triangle-squares painted on their shutters.



I'm not sure this is the exact pattern I'd like to use, but it's funny to find solutions around the world when and where you least expect.

Grandma's Flower Garden

We drove to northern Switzerland near the German border to see Remko's aunt and it was perfect fall weather. A bright, sunny day with a nip in the air. She lives on a vineyard and they had just finished harvesting. One of these days we need to get up there to help. I think that would be so fun. A lot of work Remko says, but still fun. Here are some scenic shots:


But the best part? Our visit on the balcony, sitting in the sun, looking at this amazing church steeple.

If I ever wanted to try a hexagon quilt, I think I'd make it like this. Or at least try.

First Attempts

Here, finally, is a look at my first attempt at redwork. That's the embroidery term for stitching outlines of objects or people with red thread. I wanted to give it a try and couldn't find anything I wanted to make until I found a book with all the U.S. presidents' faces. I didn't know all of them and thought this would be killing two birds with one stone: learn the presidents since it would take me so long to stitch each face AND try the style. It took longer to sew together than my optimistic mind thought, but it's finished and something I can be proud of, especially since it's done before my inauguration deadline in 2009.

Here's a closeup to better see what the faces look like. I'm not the perfect stem stitcher, but I learned a lot as I went along.

Now on to the next one. :)

San Blas Islands

The San Blas Islands of Panama are a collection of hundreds of smaller islands, some are uninhabited and look like this.

Some are inhabited by the Kuna Indians who live a traditional lifestyle of fishing and crafting.


The women dress very colorfully and make wonderful reverse appliqué designs called molas. We had a chance to visit these islands last December. It was my second time in more than four years, but it was still the same. Everyone on this small island turned out for the tourists. Rows and rows of beautiful molas were on display and the women shyly hid behind them. You could take photos, but you had to pay a dollar, plus a dollar for each person in the photo. I wanted to save my money to buy something, so I only took this one to show what it was like.

The links that I've included tell a little more of the story behind this place and the craft that has made it famous. I'm no expert, but I am a buyer. Here are four appliquéd birds with tiny, delicate chain-stitch details. They aren't technically molas because there's no reverse appliqué, but I still thought they were great.

Back to Costa Rica

I have to confess that I have close to 3000 photos in my iPhoto account. I think it's time to start cleaning those up. I also found that I haven't shown too many photos of our four months in Costa Rica last year. Would you like to see some of those?

I didn't find any quilts here--even in the winter months it was hot and sunny, no need to get under a big blanket for warmth. Instead the women (and I suppose some men) made intricate designs with beading, for bracelets,

necklaces,

and belts.

I'm sure some were machine-made for a quick profit on the tourist trade, but it doesn't stop me from finding them beautiful.

The Process

I love the work in process, almost as much as I love a finished quilt.

I decided to try redwork about two years ago. The project couldn't be a dish towel or a small pillowcase, no that would be too easy. I chose to stem stitch all 43 presidents and make a quilt. I busily sewed for years (wow, did I really do that?) and now I'm left with all the pieces ready to be sewn today into the quilt top. But before I finish the work, I need to revel a little in the pieces that make it up.

Okay, I think it's time to get back to the sewing machine. I'll post a photo of the finished top soon.

Gray days

Back at home in Switzerland, it seems our fabulous weather in September has left us for a more dreary fall. Instead of the usual mountain panorama, we've only been able to see fog and gray.

To cheer us up, I thought I'd give us some fun wool flowers I saw in a store window in Antwerp, at least in picture form.

Lots of bright colors and cute ideas.

Wishing you a colorful weekend!

Spakenburg, the Netherlands

We stopped for lunch one day on our Dutch trip at a village famous for these brown, shallow boats....

and the fabric. Spakenburg has a well-known museum dedicated to old Dutch interiors and the clothes made from this homespun cloth. The volunteers at the museum wear traditional clothes each day. We just had time for some shopping.

I got the fabric I bought out of the bag yesterday and went for a walk with my fiancé, taking some photos along the way. Here's some colorful green corduroy fabric in the woods.

I also bought some orange corduroy with a traditional floral design incorporating the Dutch flag, some blue homespun, and a windmill print. I'll have to come up with a table runner or wall hanging with these.

Thanks for helping with the photos, Remko!

Sewing at Kinderdijk

On our way to visit some family in the Netherlands, we stopped at Kinderdijk. Nineteen windmills are preserved there and some are still in use.



One of the windmills was set up as it would have looked in the 1740s when it was first built. Next to the bed in the box, which was done for warmth, was an old sewing machine.

I'm pretty sure it's not from the 1700s, but it was cool to see and imagine the woman who lived there using it to sew for her family. She'd make clothes and maybe quilts to keep them warm, all looking out at this view.

I don't know about sleeping in that little bed, but I wouldn't mind sewing for a couple hours watching these windmills.