Winter Woodland Walk

We dropped the children of at my husband's parents, and went for a long walk.

In Flanders you find "kapellekes" (shrines or littel chapels) for Mary everywhere.

The interior of a little chapel.

Winter growth on the forest floor.

Brown can be pretty, when you take a closer look.

New life on a dead tree trunk.

Even at noon the sun is low in the sky, but it does create pretty cloudscapes.

Sun setting.

The local wildlife ...

... is curious!

Bright roosters.

Their creative home.

My darling husband looking good.

Afterwards we got Chinese take away and watched Downton Abbey, with the sofa next to the wood burning stove: cosy!

The Splendid Sampler™ - only 19 blocks behind!

I've been doing a little catching up. I don't think I'll cross the finish line in February, and that's okay but I don't want to be too far behind, either.

41 - Sew South

39 - Balls in the air (got sick of the fiddly paper piecing)

43 - Pincushion Love

44 - Stitch in the Garden

49 - Summer's Gift

74 - Button Basket

77 - Prism

79 - Spool of Inspirational Threads

80 - Heartstring Star

55 - Dedication Rose

78 - Jersey

46 - Twirl Time

61 - Traveller

50 - Flights of Fancy

62 - Hen and Chicks

73 Plus Love

Catching up  little...

The Splendid Sampler™ - block 76 Little Things

I really liked the story behind the latest Splendid Sampler block, so I decided to personalize it by adding a little thing of myself. About 10 years ago, I inherited my great grandmother's coffee set, and since then we have been using it for a Sunday breakfast every week.It's a little thing, but it brings great joy to my family and me.

Dainty violets on our porcelain cups.

My green and purple homage to my great grandmother's coffee set.

The inspiration and the product together. I might have to make some place mats, or a table runner to go with my pretty cups...

A close-up of the embroidery: simple but effective, I think.

 

 

Another little thing which brings me joy: my Dahlias.

I've only had Salvia viridis in my garden for 2 years, but it's become a favorite. I provides color from June to November and self-seeds liberally.

I try to pick a fresh bouquet for the home altar every week.

The Splendid Sampler™ - Catching Up (a little bit)

23 - Hand in Hand (I learned new way of getting those pointy triangles in)

24 - Inspector Sidekick (the "oopsie" is there to stay, imperfection can be pretty)

25 - Sunday Best (stylized version, I didn't feel like doing fiddly embroidery on this one)

47 - Circle of Love (my first go at reverse appliqué, by machine)

48 - Whim

52 - Coneflower (machine applique)

63 - Icing on the Cake (needle turn applique)

64 - Rising Star (I made the points bigger, because I think it's prettier that way)

Only 25 blocks behind!

The Splendid Sampler™ - July bonus block, Summer Flip Floppin'

I had fun making this Splendid Sampler™ block. I saw someone else use ric rac for this block (on the Facebook page) and really liked it, so I copied the idea. I made yoyo's as flowers, since I learned how to make them last week, for the "Sewing Nut" block. I hand appliqued the flip flops, using needle turned applique.

Ready for the beach!

The block is perfect for this time, it's really hot in Belgium right now. Even though I haven't owned a single pair of flip flops since I was about nine years old, this block still feels summery to me.

The Splendid Sampler™ - five more blocks!

It was a very hot day today, and I was feeling bored and tired. i tried a nap, but that just gave me a headache! I tried snacking and then felt bad about not eating healthy... what to do? I tried working on my Splendid Sampler™ and guess what: my energy came back! I finished two whole blocks today, and paper pieced no less, not my favorite thing. I also put the final touch to "Sewing Nut". I felt a lot better after doing some sewing, and found the energy to water the plants, take care of the chickens, take the dry washing off the line, take a refreshing shower, and write this post! Sewing, the best therapy ever!

22 - Goose on the Loose (variation). My favorite block so far, I love rainbows!

45 - Sewing Nut. The squirrel is holding a sunflower, because they are in bloom in the vegetable patch right now. I hand appliqued, using a blanket stitch. I honestly don't see how anyone can turn under a seam allowances on the tiny pieces like the branches or the ears.

40 - Flights of Friendship (might be a bit too big, my seam allowance too scant)

42 - Pencils. i really love these as well. It would be lovely to make a quilt full of pencils, but I'm no sure I could take that much paper piecing.

38 - Vintage Flower Basket. I used the blind hem stitch on my machine again.

Five new additions to my Splendid Sampler.

Only six and a half blocks behind.

This is my half block, number 44, Stitch in the Garden.

Just for fun, my sewing cupboard, which contains all my sewing and knitting supplies and equipment (except for my sewing machine). Amazing how much fun I get from just this cupboard!