Binding

Lots of thinking and what came out?

This. There is even a spine. Inside I fixed very narrow strips

which are drawn through a kind of crocheted eyelets and knotted loosely -

I could easily add more pages. There are six at the moment.

Beads at the end of the strips to give some weight

Turning over a page it looks like this - 

Detail of a page - I love the tunnel

.... and the toggles

.... and the bullion knots over a length of gimp.

     It was a wonderful class.

Future fabric book

A class with Karen Ruane - Embroidery School - which started in January 2017

I am preparing to bind the six pages together. with the cover

Above the front cover

and below the backside - all sewn by hand -

embroidered and beaded - lace made by machine

painted paper fixed with French knots

A collage with paper and fabric strips, lace, hand and machine embroidery 

embellished with my favorite stitches, French knots

Machine-sewn grid over a strip of fabric,

buttonhole stitches around cut-out lace flowers

Various embellishments with silk fabric, edge of a hanky, cutwork and

lace flower (clockwise)

Bumpy bits, gimp cord, scattered octagons, buttonholed machine sewn lace,

bullion knots, embellished grid of octagons

Cross stitched letter from an earlier project, padded scrim embellishment, gimp cords

cutwork, toggles - and all this on a piece of the baptism dress of DD (50 years ago)

Top right: little pocket, hexagon cutworks, beading

Now I will invent some binding of all this.

It is starting

This is number one - and many will follow

hopefully.

We love pumpkin soup - this one ist called Hokkaido

it was really a surprise - 

they grew like mad out of a few tiny seedlings -----

when we were absent.

I  cared for more place for my other plants meanwhile.

Familienzusammenkunft - family gathering in the Vosges

We are eating raclette - a Swiss meal with potatoes and excellent cheese

and many other things.

The cooked potatoes are covered with cheese and then put under the grill

to melt the cheese.

We are eating in the very original kitchen in an old farmhouse

in the Vosges

And grand-daughter made a quilt after her own idea with fabric scraps

which she found digging in a  big bag - I don't through away any 

fabric no matter how small.

 

Weather was not just like we want to have it - but this

evening it gifted us with this double rainbow

Blog is not forgotten - little quilts and the castle of Oricourt(France)

I am more often posting on Instagram - it is easy and instant

but I don't forget my blog.

An old square block with the four edges folded in

a little embroidery on it and

another pin cushion emerged

The quilt for the new bathroom in our "house of renovation" 

in blue and green - water themed. - this is the basting

and then some quilting - by machine - not finished yet

family is coming from Switzerland and the States

and my work must stand back

DH did some work - he constructed

new shutters - wooden and painted to fit with the ones

which will stay in place - made of plastic. 

Arent't they just perfect. And it was so hot while he worked

A place-set rather than a little quilt in English paper piecing EPP

I don't think I would ever place my coffee mug on it 

I started to quilt it by hand - circles

It was Sunday - so we decided to visit a castle - which is more or

less a ruin - interesting and of medieval times (12th century)

with an added farmhouse of the 19th century (no photo)

Picturesque sights

But look at this tower and how nature conquers it back

trees are growing on top and ivy is creeping up

The view is fantastic

The castle is surrounded by a ditch which was

never filled with water 

The couple who undertook this enormous work is

living in a small part of the castle - the rest are just walls

And here I am now - in the Vosges and am having this lovely sight.

Ties to bag

Fleamarket in France - they call it vide-grenier (empty attic)

I couldn't go past those ties. -

actually DH discovered them - I go to such events

telling to myself: "I hope I won't buy anything"

(a saying which I adopted  from old patchwork friend Ulla - 

no more among us)

Colours were just asorted wonderfully

light blue and one with black stripes for accent

Now I was trying to bring together those ties - making a bag

but had to ask Deanna of http://eclectic-meanderings.blogspot.fr/  for the pattern

I made a bag of ties before but didn't store the pattern

And dear Deanna sent it to me instantly after asking her

The advantage of internet!

She made bags with three ties. I wanted a bit a bigger one 

and tried it with four ties.

After pinning and tacking and undoing and again pinning 

that is what came out

It is rather solid and sturdy for I used the ties as they were.

-------

We are slowly moving our things from Haute-Saône to the

Vosges into our farmhouse - we want to give up the

"house of renovation" - We feel that it is to far to go to

from Germany.

Table and garden chairs in the trailor - 811m altitude

It is about the fourth loading - we are driving 1 hour 

from house to house.

----

Look at this sight - from the east side of the house.

So beautiful! We will spend soon some time here with our children

Same procedure as every year!

Impressions of my birthday parties

A wonderful day - so we could celebrate it - a bit belated - in the garden

starting from left: Sister - brother - sister in law - me - sister in law

missing is the eldest brother because of very serious illness 

and the husband of sister who sadly passed away last year

The empty chair - you know of course - its the photographer's one

DH is always present

here preparing 80 candles - who would get 80 candles ....

Last year he made it for himself - now for me

He is special!

One week earlier my patchwork friends were with us for my anniversary

We had so much fun and weather was as fine as the Sunday with the family

(see above)

A wonderful stuffed bird - my friend Angelika made it

she is making the most wonderful things and offering 

them to me

And now this rose and cinnia arrangement of friend Edith

with a table rocket in the middle in pink - how lovely

The birthday rocket is burning (Edith and me)

There were also Watraud and Theresia with lovely gifts

so sorry no photos - maybe at a later date

And now in France:

I have again time - this UFO will be finished I swear it

 - English paper piecing

It is nice to do in the garden - in our French garden

The colours are very strange - but they are as they are....finito!

It was probably in a special mood when I chose the fabrics - 

one year ago.

I love everything in this French garden

We will give it up - and sell the house

While stitching in the afternoon I have such lovely sights

The farmhouse in France

Many roofs - barns for elephants (we made our jokes about it)