castle block

I didn't know what I got myself into when I said I would make castle blogs for  a "village blog swap". as it was supposed to measure 12 inch I had to paste paper together to be able to draw the blog. 

 then I picked some fabric

lot's of near scream attacs, some frustrated fabric to the floor throwing and a lot of ironing later this wonky castle saw the light - just the sashing, the door and some windows missing. But first i desperatley need some coffee and time away from frustrating fabric.

Leo

My first quilt

I finally got the binding done, this quilt was a first time everything for me - until now I never had to go through with sandwiching, quilting and binding. I know you are not supposed to work on a present without trying it out first, but I did it anyway.
It's the swap mini I showed a sneak peak earlier this week, as soon as it arrives at its destination I can show a complete picture.

Leo

Swaps and Time change and other trouble

Some might have seen that button on my sidebar ... or not

I have been busy sewing for it - but as stalking is a favourite sport of quilters, so it seems, I'm can't really show any pictures. I did my first quitling ever, scissors to rip the seams close by and totally scared. Now I just need to work on the "how to do a binding" part. Though that won't happen before the weekend.

Besides the lectures and working there doesn't seem to be much time left. And at the moment I'm somewhat troubled by the time change - I manage the one hour more sleep in autumn but I' always miserable for days even weeks when I lose that hour in spring. With my schedule that meant getting up at 5am instead of 6am on Monday.

And then there is an IKEA tour planned for thursday and a first project meeting on Friday, we are supposed to programm a blog, using a SQL database, some php programming and a html/css website - thought we have only rather random clues how to do that, don't I love graded challenges.

Leo

My Place and Yours - outside and a winner

Ok this is a bit cruel, but I will do the My Place and Yours  first. This time it's a very broad topic "something we see everyday outside". So I took my camera with me this morning, and walked into town rather than use the Tram (street train). The first thing I met when stepping out the of the door and turning towards the town center was the newest supplies for the building side next door:

me and some for this town rahter unusual cobble stones on the side walk, but they reminded me a lot of home (left) and the more tradtional health-hazard side walks (right) massive granite slides, very slippery when wet, not really even most of the time, and tiny red cobble stones to fill in the gaps.

Tram cables in the sky, you can see the way all the shadows go, that's the reason why I didn't take pictures in the direction of "out of town" though I might manage to do that later, because it gets really interessting there, the old fair buldings, the National Library, some monuments and very interessting churches (the Russian orthodox one in particular)

The "town castle" as the locals call it. It's the new town hall, there is an old one next to the market place, and there is one of the newer Trams, they are traditionally yellow and blue (together with some gray) (left) and an example of one of the thousands of miles of building side fencing (right) there is a lot of that here, but the reason would need a post on its own.

and now I have to announce the winner of the "St. Patrick's Day Give-away" (I still haven't quite figured out how to spell give away, give-away, giveaway). Mrs. Random decided it was No.19. So count, count, count and I come tot conclusion that No. 19 is Gill who is a new follower. The mail is out and I'm waiting for the snail mail details.

So here I have to thank all of you for taking part in the Blog Hop fun, and for all the great hints and tips and ideas on my birthday present probelm.

Löni

My Place and Yours - kitchen

Now I was absolutely not happy when that particular room was chosen as this weeks topic for My Place and Yours - simply because I still have a lot of cleaning to do and movign furniture and hopefully getting rid of some (which is a really tough procedure in student dormitories).

Welcome to my (imperfect and hopefully soon improving) kitchen (did I mention that there were only boys livin gin there before? - they did nurish my predjudice that they are unable to run a household):

 

I moved that corner seat there - it was more or less in the middle of the room - oh and I removed the H&M bikini beauties poster from the wall, for ever, not just for the picture - the map seemed comparatively harmless and is better than white walls:

I made those pictures during my cleaning madness this morning, I had some nice sewing planned in as I didn't have anything important until 13:45, but after the coffe it just came over me. The beautiful standrd issue mix and match furniture :

Don't look at the mess of spices on the table ... and the chair I used to clean on top of the door frame (oh yes those doors are damn high) - the corner seat was where the spice-mess is (well the spice mess isn't anymore I got that done while burning my cabbage):

What happens if you mix Korean and German cuisine? That happens, it was a sort of "great job at the cleaning" and "I'm sorry you burned your blue cabbage" (I turned down the wrong hotplate) helping of something Korean side dish:

If you wondered where I store all my kitchen supplies - easily answered they are still mostly boxed up waiting in a corner. 

I'm veeery open for any ideas on how to improve that kitchen (I don't think it could get any worse) ..

Leo

swap sent

I managed to squeeze my note pad cover for the Lets eXchange swap in a A4 envelope. And because I either haven't gotten to the box with the sello tape or I don't have any sello tape anymore I had to "gift wrap" it with some isolation tape. (Or whatever you call the tape you use on cables). Yet another green thing. Since the 17th I seem to stuble endlessly over green things I never really knew about.

I promise I will put some pictures up of the "end product" but I didn't want to spoil the surprise so guessing a week should be enough to let the postal service do its magic.

No sewing today ... I doubt there will ever be any sewing on Tuesdays I probably should declare them non-sewign days.

Leo

catching up

For the ones still hopping aorudn the blogs it's that way --->

I didn't realize that I had been so busy .. I wrote a ton of mail ... all paper mail no fabric mail and used some of the not green envelopes and I can report they are standard sized and each of them was painstakingly measured and tested by the dear Lady in the post office.

I played around on the sewing machine

I finsihed a swap project and was just about to post the pictures when I realised that the recipient yould be reading .. so here are soem left overs and scraps from the sewing (sorry it's already dark, no daylight picture). Maybe I should add some of that green fabric to the give away - I didn't remember I had that much left of it.

Even better news I got mail! Batting ... finally some batting again (ok some fabrics too), all my batting had made its way mysteriously into projects of my mum. I will never store anything hand craft related at her place, I will entrust grandma with it. She returend everything the way I left it.

so because there is some fabric in here and one "sewn" word I would say I can link up with Manic Monday

Leo

St. Patrick's Day giveaway

Any excuse for a giveaway is a good excuse. Those that read my blog know that I just moved, so I'm still a bit unorganised and still have unopend boxes. But I wouldn't want to miss a give away. I got rid of some old calendars making envelops, and being a postcrosser I went through my "to send" postcards and found some that might be interessting for crafters. And some more flowers (I didn't know they still existed, moving can have its good sides too). The pink flower would have been perfect for my last pink givaway  (no need to click on the link it's over).

So to the pictures and details:  as the St. Patrick's Day colour is green how about the green(ish) envelopes.

The two hand craft related postcards (or more if I find some more)

and one flower or two if you can give me a reason

The small print:
* You don't need to be a follower to enter just tell me  what you would want for your birthday if you were a 13 year old young Lady?
*To my (few) but dear readers I think I will let you get a second entry - just to reward you, or rather thank you for sticking with me
*Open internationally
*The give away starts when I post the post (so if you can see it it's open) and lasts until March 23rd noon Berlin time (GMT+1)

Visit the other participants in the party 

Löni

My Place and Yours - laundry

I'm linking with Deb's place   for more sneaky views into lifes ...

I will get to the laundry in a minute - but first I have another accomplishment to announce - I hung up the curtains. To give an idea of the height of the room the curtains are 2,5 m (98 inch / 2.7 yard) long (they were ceiling to floor at the old place).

Now the laundry: first of all, I don't have a laundry - not even a washing machine.

I collect my laundry in a grey round fabric basket-thingy in my room. I tucked it in the left corner behind the bed. But I'm planning on fitting it in to the bathroom. But I actually sort of "moved" (wihtout asking) a nice blue laundry basket to my place. (Thanks Mum!)

I keep all my washing powder in the bathroom - I wouldn't want my room to smell like a industrial laundry. Eehhmm and yes that's the newest bathroom lecture collection, not bad if you consider that I have been here for only 7 days, I have to add some Garfield and Calvin&Hobbes.

I use the shared washing machines downstairs in the cellar I had to go on a discovery tour to find them to take a picture (I haven't produced enough laundry for a machine in the 7 days I live here)  - there is a dryer (that tiny little edge you can see on the left) but I never use a dryer. I'm used to hanging up the laundry and letting it dry on its own.

Leo

WIP Wednesday

I'm linking up again with Lee of freshly pieced for a - I have to admit rather unexceptional - WIP report.

Progress:
well sure on my sock after a morning of more presentations

No Progress:
On my SWAP

On my Flower quilt

Finishes:

upcoming things:
9 castle blocks for May
mini/doll quilt for April

Leo

presentations galore - occupational therapy

I will just split this post in two parts as Sam tagged me in a little game, and although I tend not to  forward these kind of chain reactions I will answer her questions.

I have been a bit absent lately - moving and now the lectures have begun again. Well that's not really true the presentations have begun. We have all been away for 6 months doing internships all over tha place and now we all have to do a presentation. There are 2 complete days planned. I survived day one be knitting the "leg" of a sock - I had to stop there as I didn't take my "how to knit the heel"-paper with me, but there were plenty of cross word sheets going around.

no comments on the knitting please - it's my first this year and it will all straighten out if it's washed

Now to Sam's tag she asked (not only me) to answer the following questions:

1. Favourite quilt or crafting project you have ever done?
Is and has been for a long time my red rack

2. Favourite food?
Linsen mit Spätzle - which ehh doesn't exist in any dictionary I know. It's basically lentils in a dark sour sauce, with some cake/rind/slab (sorry those words were all in the dictionary as possible matches) and very important ... and now I can stop trying to explain it as I found it on wikipedia but they are missing the leek, carrot and onion (that you add when you cook the lentils and we eat that too)
3. Favourtie type of music?
classical music and you need to understand that term very broadly, some jazz and blues and if I have enough of that a very selective few rock bands
4. What is your favourite quilting method (i.e. paper piecing, english paper piecing ... etc.)?
I would count  them all as patchwork methods but  here comes the answer, I haven't tried paper piecing, I like english paper piecing but what I have done mostly so far was exact cutting and straight sewing and then praying everythign will turn out well.
5. A quilt you would like to make but are sort of afraid to even contemplate?
Ok I will tell you the truth - name any quilt and I will be scared to even try it. I usually spent hours worrying about the choices of fabric, colours, threads, variations - until I get to the point where I decide to just start and tackle each of the probelms as they come along.
6. Coffe or tea?
Both and en masse
7. Lemon/Lime or Cola?
Apfelschorle - which is apple juice mixed with sparkling water
8. If you could do one thing/modifictaion to your house what would it be?
Ha! I first need that house. But student accomodation has to be enough for the moment - I would love a garden though, some strawberries and raspberries...
9. What kind of car do you drive (if you drive, if not what is your favourite form of transportation)?
I get to drive a Honda Jazz, and a VW Passat depending on which parent I visit. I hate the VW Passat but that's because it's automatic and I tend to do a emergency break when I forget I don't need to manually shift gears. And I don't really like the Honda Jazz as it doesn't do too well uphill and it's very hilly, more mountainy at home.
But mostly I'm cycling - that is my main form of transportation, whether I like it or not.
10. What is your dream automobile?
Ahhh my dream car that's a hard question I would love a tractor, a huge red one with a sunflower painted on the door and "guest seats" in the cabin over the back wheels. Next best thing would be a VW bus or an old Post bus (I thingk you call them "van" and not bus in those cases, but I'm not sure)  So for a simple car a Toyota starlet (with a strong engine mind, I want to be the first when the lights turn green and see that surprised face of the black shiny BMW owner)
11. Dog or cat?
Dog.


Leo

moved .... at last

I think unpacking is even harder than packing. But of course the connection to the world needs to be taken care of first - laptop already running, the computer needs some configuring.

 

 

   a box of various fabrics and the box with the sewing machine - and of course water cooker and coffee maker

Leo

customs officers

I will start with the not nice things: I do NOT like condescending fat old customs officers! Being happy and smiley about having won some of Colby's Fugly Fabric I waited for the postman. No luck though, I jsut got a letter to please pick up my parcel at the next customs office (in a neighbouring town), I wrote them a mail explaining about give aways blablabla. That's interesting but they would need some proof. I offered to forward the e-mails. Ohh what a shock to the customs officer, the e-mail was in English (who would have thought that with the package being sent from the USA). So no good. I offered to translate, but he didn't like that he wanted me to come. Phewww I reall ydon't like them. Have you ever heared of commercially send fabric wrapped in a plastic zip-lock bag accompanied by a personal note? And yes they know all that because they opened the whole thing (that's what the sello tape says : opened by the post to be processed by customs).
Some people just drive me mad. Did I mention I had to take the train to get to the customs office?

The nice things:
I got some flower fabrics that I will be able to put to good use ...

I'm preparing for swaps and you never know who is looking so just a  peak

And I posted my give away which hopefully will not have such a hard time getting through customs. I had no problems sending it after I told the Lady at the post office that she miss-read my handwriting. I was not sending fabric, crocheting and a syringe, but fabric, crocheting and lace. (well the German words for syringe and lace look very smilar)

Seems I have no luck with officials, they always find a way to annoy me.

Leo

linking with Manic Monday and Fabric Tuesday

My place and Yours : bed

First of all I have a little complainign about google/blogger. They promised there was to be no trouble with the google friend connect thingy for blogger users, but of course it is not showing anymore on my site. Thanks oh big giant google company!

Enough of that,I'm joining Deb again for the My Place and Yours fun I'm going to introduce you to my new beedroom and new bed (so far I experienced 2 nights in it - the room and the bed), slightly new blanket and still young oldest pillow. Mind I don't usually do my bed, but I will have a visitor later today so ehemmm yes my good upbrining is coming through.

It's an absolute mismatch, but I just grabbed my blanket the smallest pillow and the first bedsheet I came across, stuffed it all in my backpack - I really didn't want to take the sleeoing back.

The story behind the blanket and the pillow: I got the blanket (newly) when I first moved out over 3 years ago, it is very special becuase it's 2m (~79") which was a major improvement to the 1,8m (~71") I had before (that was a real old blanket and apparently standard size at one point).
The pillow is small and absolutely not standard and all the covers that exist for it are home made. It's been the my cot pillow

And now a last excuse, I know you all work with colours in some way, and I know those colours just don't fit well. Maybe MPAY is giving me another in the future. This topic reallc caught me at a bad time.

I  just find that on my computer, that was my bed at home during the Christmas holidays. It looked like that when I got there, and I guess after I went but not while I was there, I'm really no fan of doing my bed.

Sorry for the huge amount of text and so few eye candy.


Leo

Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet

      

Just some aye candy (just don't look too close or you could find a bitter filling)

 my first give away - passport cover - recieved first swap

 trvelled home from London - tested Flutter from.Kat cushion pattern - removed all paper shapes

 made mum happy - recieved a ton of mail - enjoyed being home again

I haven't figured out how to do mosaics, so you will have to bear with the assorted pictures above. But one day I will learn it - or not.
If you scrolled all the way down here and are even still reading my ramblings, thanks for your visit!

Leo