Amish Delight

I know. Another post. Today.

There is likely to be yet another.

But I absolutely had to share!

The postman came yesterday bearing gifts.

Yes, you read that right.

Not one, but two.

Actually, even more than that.

But two packages.

One from Lisa and another from Cathy.

Here's a little background.

To be 100% honest, I can't remember when I actually "met" Lisa. I know we crossed paths a few times, exchanged greetings here and there. But when did we become "friends" ... I don't know. We see each other very little, write even less. But I know she's a friend. I think about her often and feel her thinking about me. It's hard to describe. She's there. She's been there. For a long time.

The story of this little quilt started many many years ago. I whipped the top together during an Amish workshop I was giving in Germany. Then it sat in a pile of tops was hung occasionally. Often forgotten. At a quilt show in March 2008, Lisa saw the top pinned up in my booth and asked if she could quilt it for me. Um ... sure ... wow! No hurry, whenever. On and off I had forgotten it over the years. Until it arrived yesterday.

Not just quilted, but embroidered as well.

Tears, goosebumps, gratitude, love.

oh my

Can you SEE how fine that quilting is? 

Did I mention that the entire quilt measures 11-1/2" squares. 

Those tiny green squares you see above are 1/2"!

Her note said I could remove the embroidery if I didn't like it. 

Are you kidding? 

I LOVE IT. 

I saw it first. The initials. A J A S. Axel looked at it and was a bit puzzled. You see, my middle name is Adria so it all made since until he got to the S ... Goldschmidt? And then it hit and he cried too. The poor man. Sometimes I just want to scoop him up into my heart and hold him there. 

The second package was from Cathy.

A new friend.

I think I met her through my friend Maria first.

Get this.

I live in Belgium, Maria was living in Colombia, Cathy lives in Maryland.

What's the connection?

Yep, you guessed.

Facebook

and Pinterest.

Honestly.

Sometimes I hate social media.

But how can you hate it when it brings people like Cathy into your life?

The second package contained not one

but two of these wonderful little heart blocks!

Honestly Cathy!

They're so sweet.

How did you know?

That I love most things Amish?

That they belong here?

I haven't decided what to make.

But it will be special.

Because you cared.

Because you're my friend.

Cathy also sent this book. 

We're looking forward to spending some quiet times together. 

Reading it together.

Thank you!

The gifts are beautiful. They are wonderful.

But nothing compares to the gifts of your friendship.

Thank you to both of you for your love and kindness.

xox

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What's that you say?

Did you know that European frogs don't say "rib-bit"??

I thought I'd pop back and show a quilt ... to appease all my quilting followers.

But even if you're not a quilter ...  there's more to the frog story below ...

I made this many moons ago. The backing is all set to go, just need to baste it and hope my quilting will require no frogging ... but check out those little cuties that will be hopping all over. I always choose a fun busy back for my Amish quilts a) so I'm not stressing about my hand quilting and b) cuz I'm not Amish so intentionally want my quilts to reflect "me!" I probably won't be quilting it soon but it was fun to see it again. Too many other things on the list ahead of this I'm afraid ...

I promise more is coming but in the meantime I pulled out it out just to show you. 

So frogs in Europe ...

they say "kwaark"

... honest they do. 

(Unless you live in Schellebelle .. there we had a neighbour frog that sounded like it was being strangled. Weird, creepy and fascinating all at the same time.)

For many many years Axel would not believe me when I told him frogs said ribbit.

Nope, he was just not going there. 

Until we lived in Everett. 

In the house I grew up in. 

We lay in bed one night and lo and behold ... 

there was the frog chorus 

from my childhood 

playing in the background.

Music to my ears! 

Don't ask him what a rooster says ...

Yesterday we headed out for dentist appointments ... again ... thankfully there were no glitches. We left extra early so I could go comfortable walking but suitable for visiting Prague and wearing with skirts shoe shopping (and to avoid the traffic).

Looking for cute, practical summer shoes to wear with skirts and on our upcoming trip was quite an adventure. I had a certain style and a bit of fun in mind. My husband is very very practical. We kind of met in the middle ... three pairs of shoes later ;)  I'll let you guess if I came home with any of these.


Speaking of skirts I made one on Thursday! Surprisingly rather quickly and it included a zip ... an invisible zip I managed to install without a glitch while talking on the phone. Turned out pretty darn good. Pics soon.

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Yesterday was my Wedding Anniversary ... 13 years!

I thought I might show you a pic or two but my scanner isn't set up yet in the new studio and the only one I can find on the computer is this one of my dad and I.

It's hard to imagine that so much time has passed but then we have to admit that we have packed a ton into those 13 years. We've moved "across the pond" three times, into homes in England, the States, Germany and now Belgium for a total of five household moves. For the sake of sanity we won't count any moves involving storage units, the shop or classroom.

Axel is working very hard right now - they are right in the middle of "the season."  So we decided to wait until the weekend to go out for an Indian in Gent - I can hardly wait - my mouth is already watering.

Since we stayed in last night,  I made his new favorite dinner ... it's a variation on a recipe I found here. Only I make it with chicken using a combination of this recipe and a family favorite that my mom just called "soy sauce chicken wings." I'll post my adaptation soon.  For dessert we had his favorite cake - the same one we had for our wedding day and later for our reception - with thick Cream Cheese Frosting.

Then I got to thinking ... it's been !13! years ... and we *still* don't have a quilt on our bed. Not that he's that bothered being a European duvet kind of guy.

But still ... I've started two ... isn't it time to get one finished ... but which one first?


I think I need to make quite a few more of the Monkey Wrench blocks for it to be big enough but will be easier to quilt (maybe?).

The Amish 9-patch, on the other hand, just needs two borders ... but how will I quilt it?  (you can read more about this quilt here).

And then there's the whole question of size ... did I mention he wants to get a King Size "Long" now?  We have had a custom bed for some time now - Queen Long, the mattress is 60" x 90" / 152.5cm x 229cm (Queen is usually 80" / 203cm long).  A California King is only 84" / 214cm long.

Then again, my first quilt does fit ... so maybe I should just leave it there for a while ...

But first I need to get more put away in my office, the sewing machine(s) set up, pressing and cutting space organized ... and then, ~then~ ... I CAN SEW!  In the meantime, here's a peak of the shelves that are starting to look more like this :) Pin It Now!

Where have I been?

So, once again, it’s been ages since I was able to update the blog.  I did keep something of a journal though - but was on the road constantly for about six weeks.  Property hunting, moving, packing, opening and trying to stay sane - you can read all about it in the following journal entries.

4th February

2008 - Monday

Arrived in Seattle last night, met with Patti today.  She’s taking the month off to prepare for her daughter’s wedding so today we concentrated on the hand-over.  Questions, answers and to-dos.  Began the hunt for the new office space.  Need to get over this jet-lag.

11th February

2008 - Monday

Spent the rest of last week down with the flu.  Not what I needed.  Am somewhat reconciled this morning as I’ve found the location of the showroom!  I’m very excited and feel like it ticks every box on the list.  Enough space for a small showroom and office space for Patti to work.  Great light!

15th February

2008 - Friday

Axel arrived today, flying directly into Portland for the wedding.  I know it’s only been a couple of weeks but it sure is nice to be on the same side of the world.  Sometimes I wonder how we ever managed all this to’ing and fro’ing.

17th February

2008 - Sunday

Jessica’s wedding today.  It was truly beautiful.  The ceremony was lovely and the reception happy.  Axel and I kept the kitchen going, taking care of the buffet and trying to keep hungry guests happy - they were truly a hungry crowd.  Must be those starving medical students.  We’re both exhausted and I can hardly feel my feet, but we drove back to Bellevue tonight.  Trade the rental car tomorrow for a van and start moving into the showroom.

18th February

2008 - Monday

Emptied the “shop” storage unit.  The first of four storage units that we need to sort, organize, throw out and pack in order to ship all of our personal belongings to Belgium. Began moving everything into the new office today.  And the sign went up!  Yippee, an official “P&P lives here” sign!  It feels real.

22nd February

2008 - Friday

Amazing!  The first day of the Open House for our new show

room is behind us.  Everyone’s reaction was wonderful and their comments made it all worthwhile - "wow - it's really bright in here", "i love the lighting", "it has the same great feel that peacock and periwinkle always had in that little house", "it feels so homey", "there are some great fabrics in the clearance corner", "hey - did you see that??", "it’s nice to have you back" 

 

23rd February

2008 - Saturday

It’s official - PEACOCK & periwinkle has re-launched!  It’s been a bumpy few years but it’s clear that opening a showroom was the right idea.  Even if it’s only open one Saturday a month.  

Am absolutely exhausted but it feels good.  Finished off the evening by having a wonderful meal with Dave and Sharon McCallum.  Their new DVD “Fantastic Featherweights” are nearly ready and they gave me an advance copy to preview.

24th February

2008 - Sunday

Staying in bed ALL day seemed like the thing to do today but a slow start was nearly as good.  Met up with John for “breakfast.”  It turned into a four-hour brunch full of every topic imaginable.  And a nice walk in the crisp sunshine.  I wish somehow that we lived nearer, but it seems that will likely never happen.  We took a picture - surely the first of the two of us together after 20 long, wonderful years of friendship.

25th February

2008 - Monday

Enough rest for the weary, began what feels like the insurmountable task of sorting, packing, organizing and making decisions on what will go in the container of our personal belongings being shipped to Belgium.

 

28th February

2008 - Thursday

Lectured for Quilters by the Bay in University Place.  Shared some old and new samples of working with silk and went through the entire pre-washing process.

29th February

2008 - Friday

Picked up my nieces and nephews and headed to the Nicholson’s. 

Oi vey, it was a full house!  11-year old wisdom, followed by FOUR 8-year olds (triplets plus my niece) and a 5-year old “I can do that too.”  

I know I’m a glutton but I love ‘em all!  Group overnight, bike-riding, lunch, skateboarding, 4-square (Jacob taught me how to play again) and dinner!  

3rd March

2008 - Monday

The packing continues as we get ready for the movers to come on Wednesday.  We’re looking at a 1/2-container.  20’ x 8’ x 8.5’.  Yikes, that’s 1360 square feet, amazing to think we have so many belongings.  I’m most excited about having my entire stash and sewing supplies in one place.  Watch out world - I plan on quilting!  Too bad, we didn’t take pics of the container packing - maybe we’ll remember when it reaches the house in Schellebelle.

 

6th March

2008 - Thursday

Axel flew back to Belgium this morning, it was hard to let him go and I longed to be stepping onto that plane with him.  I’ve been here 4-1/2 weeks and it’s been packed full of moving, shifting and organizing.  I’m ready to wake up in my own bed in my lovely house in Belgium, listen to the birds singing, pad downstairs for a cup of coffee and walk through the garden.  

Instead I got up and headed to the showroom to pack the van for the Evergreen Piecemakers Retreat in Renton.  Ok - so I got over it and had a great weekend!  Number one goal, design a great kids quilt using the Toybox Collection.  I think I did ok . . . need to add a border top and bottom and we’re there! 

 

14th March

2008 - Friday

First day of the Quilter’s Anonymous Show in Monroe.  Another 10x20 booth, it’s exhausting to set-up and this year I did it alone except for a couple hours of generous help from  Jennifer who it turns out is married to the brother of my best high-school friends, Kristin and she’s a quilter!  The biggest question / announcement this weekend was our new showroom!  Everyone was excited to hear all about it.  Well, we finally came up with the best description - 

“We are an on-line shop with a local showroom!”

The booth was bright and eye catching - helped by the Block Party Quilter’s Raffle Quilt designed by Lisa Jenni - we sold pins, patterns and tickets to benefit their guild.  The Amish-inspired 9-patch top intended for our bed hung next to it  Lisa and I are talking about future collaborations . . .

This show is always a blast as so many of our local customers attend.  It’s a weekend full of hugs, laughter and yes, sometimes even tears.  

This year I’m staying in Monroe with “I’ve always wanted to get to know you better” friend, Jodi.  What a blast!  I’ve been very blessed in my lifetime to find a few kindred spirits that you knew you needed to spend more time with and that you know it doesn’t matter how often you get together.  We laughed and cried until the wee morning - primarily because her first husband’s last name was “Horrible.” 

 

17th March

2008 - Monday

Eeeks, there’s so much to do.  My flight is at 6pm tomorrow night.  Unpack the van and put away as much as possible in the showroom.  Last minute good-byes.    Piles of little jobs - and, oh yeh, pack my suitcases.  

 

20th March

2008 - Thursday

Arrived back in Belgium today.  It’s so nice to be “home.”  Too tired after the past six weeks to even think about unpacking.  Usually I have it done and nearly everything put away before bed-time.  My hand project is coming along nicely.  Needing a small project to unwind with in the evenings I started just after the Evergreen Piecemakers Spring break.  Our silk dupioni and hand-dyed cottons from Judy Robertson.  It’s destined to hang above the sofa . . .

So that covers 6 weeks and I hope you’ll agree this helps close the gap a little.  I’m looking forward to a few weeks of settling in and piece and quiet before the container arrives in Belgium.  Plus developing our showroom and website.  Am sure it won’t be as much relaxing as I’d like but there are always the garden and handwork to distract me when my brain starts to get muddled.

In the meantime, it feels good to be a little more caught up . . . next . . .      Jovita

And please do leave a comment - it’s nice to know you stopped by.  I heard from so many of you during my visit that you were reading my blog, but I had no idea . . .

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1 Comment 

ANONYMOUS

Yes, we are reading your blog, Jovita.  Hey I recognize that picture of your and Axel!  What a wonderful evening we had with the two of you.  Our paths have crossed many times over the last 3 years and a wonderful friendship has been formed.  Looking forward to seeing you again in the fall and in the meantime, we will read about your European adventures.
Many blessings to you and Axel,
Dave and Sharon McCallum
Featherweight RX www.FeatherweightRX.com
Burlington, WA

Monday, April 28, 2008 - 04:02 AM

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