Tuesday, May 31, 2022

A Dutch Treat May Mini

Welcome to
 another Monthly Mini installment. 

This month I decided to have a bit
of quilting fun with my collection of 
Dutch fabrics.

I can't really enjoy them while
they're in a pile 
on a shelf.
Why do I save them there?
Why do I save so many of my
favorite fabrics?

No more lamenting.
Here's what I did this month.


Dutch Treat
24" x32"

The pattern is from
Petra Prins and An Moonen's
book, Promenade in a Dutch Garden.

It was easy piecing
hst's together from small colorful pieces
from my treasured collection and
then using only one fabric piece for the light.

The center star


acts as a small calm medallion
surrounded by the busy chintz patterns.

I finished the edge with a  traditional Dutch
invisible binding.

In this method you finish the edge
on the top with strips that are 


then folded it to the back of the quilt and
stitched down.  Instead of stitching
I used a narrow stitch witchery on the edge
to hold it in place.

I machine quilted a simple diagonal grid 
over the top.  I didn't want the 
beautiful designs of the fabrics to be 
covered over with threads.

To make it's debut,
I headed out to the barbed wire fence.


The bright green of the spring hay made the colors pop.

"Dutch Treat" was joined by two other Dutch favorites.

It made for a sweet mini May parade


in the open field, early in the morning.

Don't forget to check out what other
May minis were created on
Wendy's blog, The Constant Quilter. 

Until Next Time-
Kyle

Monday, May 23, 2022

Home Again

 Momma Mia!
I'm finally back.

Having the opportunity to travel again
has felt incredible. 
Running Man and I were 
extremely cautious, wearing our masks,



using plenty of hand sanitizer,
and trying to avoid crowds as much as possible. 
Being careful though, didn't interfere
with our ability to have an awesome trip
because we certainly did.

Where in the world have I been?
Can you guess?









Yes!
We were able to travel to
Bella Italia.
Beautiful Italy.



We were with a small group
from Odyssey Tours traveling 
to multiple regions and cities
of northern Italy. 

We flew into Milan and made our way
north to Stresa located on 
beautiful Lake Maggiore
on the south side of the Alps.




nearby Lake Orta


After a couple of days exploring
the area we traveled to Santa Margherita
along the Mediterranean coast. 

The view from our hotel.


The sea was a brilliant blue.




We enjoyed the fresh pasta
and pesto this area is known for.


Next we traveled by train and then by ferry
to explore the
5 Italian villages nestled on the coast
known as the Cinque Terre.

The colors of the villages
along with the blue water was stunning.


Then we moved on to the rolling hills region
known as Tuscany.
First stopping in the charming town
of Lucca and it's medieval walls


We stayed in the small village of
Radda in Chianti
surrounded by vineyards
and forests

It was delightful, just what you 
would imagine. 



One day we explored Florence.

Ponte Vecchio

So many incredible sights.
The Duomo



Another day was spent in Siena 
marveling at their Duomo and

 the spectacular Piazza del Campo

We traveled around in a very comfortable motor coach 
and had an incredible tour director.
Both important factors for a great trip.

From Siena we traveled further north to
an area looking very different from the way we
 usually visualize Italy.
We went to Balzano located in the Italian alps.  


 
The scenery was breathtakingly.

  The peaks of the Dolomites are so powerful.  Very different from the 
Rocky Mountains I see at home.

This area has an Austrian vibe rather than Italian.   
The people speak German first, then Italian.


Strudel not tiramisu 


Beer not wine

Then one last stop along the Adriatic. 
Of course, you know where.
Venice.

The Grand Canal


St Mark's Basilica

There aren't enough adjectives to
describe this special unique place.



We walked and walked for two weeks
in this beautiful northern part of the country.
We ate and ate wonderful food.

But like any fabulous trip, it's always
nice to head back home.
One last water taxi ride on
our way to the airport.

Arrivederci!

Until Next Time-
Kyle