Hexies under the weather...

And the heat continues... And I am still under the weather.
But, I have heard rumours that our coming winter will be a cold one, which has me giddy with expectation! I have visions of long dark nights of uninterrupted idyllic quilting...
 :)

In the midst of it all, I am pleasantly surprised I managed a few Charm hexi-flowers for this week. These will be the supporting cast to my Charm diamonds.

...am I the only one feeling that September is just rushing past?

I hope you have a lovely day, and that it includes some sewing!

Thinking of you, missing you, looking for a few stolen moments so I can sneak in a visit to your blogs...
Valentina
:)

Hexies on the go!

View from the bridge of Fontvieille.
Can you spot the hexies?

Nadine and I had some stitching fun while in Provence. Mostly in the late afternoons and evenings or while our husbands took their naps. 

"Shall we have a snack while we stitch?"
Never in my life did I know there was such a thing as a Raspberry Grape,
or a Pineapple heirloom tomato!
and the taste? HEAVENLY!

But Oh-- how I loved the melons!

Delicious, fragrant, sweet Melon de Cavaillon

So...

It might not be surprising that these fresh slices inspired a Charm Hexi-diamond.

 Nadine had found this lady who was willing to sell us her provence fabric scraps, 

and I was so happy to be able to include some here:

Can you spot the olives on the far left and the little crickets
 "Les Cigales de Provence" third down from the Right?

By the way, I will be sharing these scraps with you in our little souvenir giveaway! I thought you might enjoy that... :)

And, in case you are wondering what inspired this diamond...

I don't think you'd be surprised it was these: agh, I am so predictable!

don't they make a lovely pair?

I have to admit that I am counting the days for the boys to be back in school. I can tell that the level of crankiness is reaching critical levels. But we had a wonderful summer. And at the end of it all,  as I look back and see that despite of it all, it was indeed pretty Fantastic!

a moment of bliss over the eastern Mediterranean
July 2010

and  somehow, I did manage to squeeze in a hexi-flower this afternoon...

so please excuse me as I go and collapse for a bit...
:)

Looking forward to replying to your lovely comments and catching up with you and your blogs!

Thinking of you, as always,
Valentina

Wednesday's Hexi-report

Three more Hexi-flowers for the sea-side garden.

I really love how they are turning out...

and looking forward to seeing visiting more garden-parties later today!

Can't wait to see what my Fellow Gardeners have been up to!

:)

It seems that these Rainbows of Charm Hexies are the only project truly thriving and slowly multiplying in the Summer Heat...

I love how these Yummy Candy Colours...

... are becoming deliciously cool Charm Diamonds!

I still have not stopped long enough to count how many 1" hexies I have prepped so far. But when I ran out of papers a few days ago, I decided it was time to take plunge. And guess what... Fresh never looked so Cool!

I am so happy with this project, and so far no repeats!

Ahhhh, life is Good!

:)

Thanks for helping me get through the heat. Your perspective, lovely wishes and wise advice is really making a difference and helping me cope. Thank you, guys...

xox

Valentina

ps my boys thank you, too!

Klosjes and a hexi-crush...

Five new Klosjes

I have very few Klosjes to report, but they are very special ones. I made them on the ship. We had a great time as a family, and no one jumped overboard. Oh--- and I had nightmares about that! But it was fantastic. It was no luxury cruise by any means... These 'local' cruises never are. But the smaller boats have their own charm in that you get to know more people and they are affordable. Ok, we had odd leaks in the cabin, but it added to the ADVENTURE!!!

(ok. honestly. I love my boys. and THEY had fun. I was secretly longing for my bed, my home, my food, my stitching!!!)

Please let me know if you are interested in some more 'touristy' pictures, ok? I can prepare a nice post for you, if you like.

Now I want to share some very special fabric with you:

These are amazing gifts I have gotten from some of you for my Klosjes quilt. I don't know what gave you the idea that I am in need of more fabric... I have a quite voluptuous stash. But I love the fact that this Klosjes quilt keeps asserting itself as a Friendship quilt: Sweet Tineke gave me some amazing Delft blue fabric. It is washed and ready to prep (the ones in the background). Bedankt, lieve meid!

On the right, you can see the lovely Dutch lapjes that Ria gave me ( and the ones we acquired during our escapade!) Oh Ria, I will never forget that perfect day! And on the left Michele's lovely charm squares, her contribution to Klosjes and my Hexi Charm Quilt. She had sent me the loveliest of care packages to Holland. Thank you so much, my friend! I will make you proud one day, Master Teacher!

It has taken me over a week to feel that I am finally home. ( and mourn the loss of my thimble... yup, I rather lose my thimble onboard or OVERboard than one of my kids! ...keeping things in perspective... :)

So, I have been crushing on hexies! As I told some of you: I had horrible hexi-withdrawal symptoms in Holland! Oh, I missed these babies...

a sea of nautical hexies... swoon...

these are slowly becoming lovely blooms every wednesday afternoon...

This week was a HOT one... Oh, I know many of us are having hot summers but... I am a wimp. I need AC!!! So imagine our delight this week to discover this lovely indoor kids-park. I was sooooo happy as I was able to make these hexi-flowers, while the boys just got out all that pinned up energy! Happy mama! ( but when it came time to report we had no connection to the internet... so sorry girls, I am late reporting!...did I tell you it is stifling hot?! ...the wires probably melted... :)

I still have so much more I wish I share with you, but it is getting harder and harder to ignore the chaos around me: These little acrobats need to be taken out!

But I will be back soon... ok?

Sending you my Love,

Valentina

:)

June's Strawberry Field, Hexi-flower, Charms and Mundial!

I am still home, but not for long as I am leaving for Holland tomorrow morning.

Baby girl still has not made her grand entrance, and even though my sister is anxious for her arrival she had to deal with other challenges. On friday she got a call that her 2 year old broke her leg at school. My stomach was turning all weekend thinking about it, and trying to come up with new adventures to share with her. To top it all off, Baby girl decided to flip and is now breech.

so what do I do? I pray, I keep busy, play with my boys( hugging them every chance I get), and stitch up rainbows of colour as we all enjoy the Mundial..

I know I don't need to ask you for your prayers, or that you keep us all in your heart.

I am sad to leave the boys behind as I will miss them, and that includes Mr Beloved. But I am also so grateful to be in a position to go and help.

I will attempt to keep you all 'in the know' as far as it is possible, and promise to take LOADS of pictures.

Thanks for caring,

Valentina

Update: I spoke to my sis this afternoon and the doctor managed to manually flip Baby Girl! Glory be to God!

And they are hoping to induce her on Friday morning, if Baby doesn't decide to beat them to it. In any case, this gives me time to arrive.

Thank you all so very very much!

V.

This is my Strawberry Fields quilt which I started hand-quilting. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be finish it before leaving, but I am so very pleased with how it turned out. Thank you Lori, I really enjoyed the whole process of quilting along with you!

If you want to see some beauties go here...

...and in case you are wondering, I am determined to stitch through this!!!

I have my Klosjes prepared, packed and ready... Can't wait to have a 'Klosjes Zaterdag' in The Netherlands!!!

:)

...and this is just one more hexi-flower I had to sneak in for One Flower Wednesday while doing last minute packing...

'Hexies al Fresco' one year on...

I am having a chuckle and I really want to confess something...

Please, indulge me as I take this off my chest.

:)

Never say Never. I have said this a million times, and yet, I have said "Never" way more times that I care to admit!

"Oh, no... Blogging is not for me... I would never blog... I have no time, besides I would have nothing to say!"

LOL...

"and who would want to hear me babble..."

:)

pss... I do the 'Happy Dance' every time you leave me a comment!!!

Last year I posted for the first time: I called it 'Hexies al Fresco' and I was surprised how wonderful it felt- after having watched and swooned from the side-lines, to actually contribute my 2 cents worth. Robyn made me feel that I could do anything, and that I had something worth contributing to her Groups "Great Hexagon Quilt Along" 1 & "too".

One of the comments received that very first day, changed everything: as Nadine came bursting into my life.

She has been my friend, my Hexi-big sis and my Fairy Blog mother ever since. And she taught me that blogging could be anything we choose it to be. And meeting her in person last February, was even more wonderful that I dreamt it could be.

Then came Ingrid, and her fabulous confidence, making up her own rules as she dazzles with her down-to-earth charm: "Valentina, we could all gain if you blogged." This statement blew my mind...

And you have all witnessed what has happened thanks to Klosjes!

:)

I still pinch myself, whenever I get a chance to visit my Dutch quilting sisters and feel a reconnection to my Dutch roots. I was after all born on a Dutch island and have such debt and gratefulness to the Dutch school system in shaping me into whom I am today. And to be able now to honour that history, by sharing this beautiful dance of mutual inspiration is a 'coming home' --- full-circle.

Hartstikke Bedankt, Lieve Meiden!

Then all of you, my Aussie and NZ sisters, my Canadian sisters, my American sisters, my fellow European sisters, and all those wonderful new sisters scattered in places like Mauritius, India, Latin America and slowly even my Cypriot sisters. ...am I forgetting anyone?

:)

I feel that we are all connected and I am just waiting for us to meet someday, in person, right?

Like my dad would say: To dream costs us nothing.

I have spent the last few days getting to know Tineke in person, here in my very own home and stomping grounds and it has been wonderful. We have shared about what blogging means to us, what quilting means to us and what dreams we have for the future. She shared her baby with me, her quilting magazine "Quilt & Zo" and I was inspired, dazzled yes, even swept away by her plans. How she has plans for us to grow as quilters: So girls, start designing your very own quilts and pass them on to Tineke... 'To dream costs us nothing' and now we even have a way to make it happen...

All of You have proven to me, over and over, that blogging can be what we chose it to be. That the Quilting Sisterhood is alive and here, closer than we think, to help us grow as women and in our chosen craft.

That we can be supportive, understanding and forgiving of one another.

That we can be connected by virtual threads of friendship.

That we are not alone.

That experience is valued and can be shared, and that we, girls, can have a whole lot of fun with needle, thread, gorgeous fabric, and a computer!

Thank you. I can no longer imagine my life without you. You have enriched me, personally and have infused my work with new creative life. Thank you.

ok.

I said it.

And this is what I have for you, to say thanks.

...leave me a comment or 2 or 10 and I will be so pleased to send one of you a little BIG gift, just because you are YOU!

A Fabulous Sewing Tin, Ribbons, Home-made Rosewater made by me, :)

in a vintage bottle, the cutest plasters you have ever seen in the cutest tin that could later house lots of needles , thimbles and anything else your little heart desires, and a fat quarter of the exact rose from which the rosewater was made from... swoooon!

So one year on, and Hexies are still working their magic in my life:

Countless gardens and new friendship blooming over a cup of tea, all over the world on One Flower Wednesdays,

And Charm Hexies providing magical rainbows of colour and the promise of new friendships...

and for me

because of You-

The best is yet to come!

:)

Catching our Breath

Today 5 Little Klosjes joined the gang, making them 289 in total. I am so happy to at least have stitched these little ones, slowly and carefully, as I hurt my wrist this past week. It makes stitching and being at the keyboard painful, so I will keep this short.

We had a few more ups and downs this week, reminding me how important spending time with family really is, holding my babies extra tight, and telling them how much we love them every chance we get.

One thing that doesn't seem to hurt my wrist is cutting little charm squares for my charm hexies with my handy spring-loaded scissors. I have been enjoying revisiting my fabric stash and seeing the rainbow of colour come together.

Oh, the simple things that make everything else bearable.

I am grateful that I ended another great teaching year, making this the beginning of my summer vacation, Jippie! I am also grateful that my Beloved and MIL are helping me out with the boys so I can go be with my sister in Holland when she has her second baby in the next few weeks.

This means that I am getting loads of Klosjes and Hexies prepared to take along with me. Looking at the "Bright side of Life"!

Appropriately enough I got this poem in my inbox this morning.

My uncle wrote this as part of presentation he was doing at a Senior Centre:

Little bird in the sky

Dropping white stuff in your eye

You don’t worry, you don’t cry

Just thank God that

Cows don’t fly!