Netherlands Part Two

The next part of our adventure takes us to the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

I took more than 500 photos and was almost speechless at the quality of the articles on display.

It was a stunning exhibit of Dutch Chintz in garments, quilts, hats/bonnets and home goods.

I think the exhibit is now closed.





The exhibit book was not printed in English, but I purchased it anyway.
With Google translate and the photos it was worth the price.

This sign tells how cherished the chintz is.

It is carefully preserved and cared for.  The Frisians were wealthy enough not to wear their clothing out. Their chintz rich traditional costumes and related items were carefully preserved.

The children's garments are in exceptional condition. Larger worn garments could be remade into smaller articles.

Chintz also had a second life wine used for linings in blankets, bed capes and cloaks.

This was my favorite dress.
India, second quarter 18th century. Painted and dyed using the chintz technique.

The cut outs show incredible embroidery.

The skirt was also magnificent, not to mention the neck scarf.

It is in the collection of the Fries Museum.

The dolls and doll clothes were very detailed.
This doll wears a wool under dress with a chintz apron and cap. Dates first half of the 18th century.  It is in the collection of the Fries Museum.

This doll was displayed with a mirror under the feet so you could view the layers of petticoats.

Next to her was an oak chest of doll clothes. Numerous outfits all made in chintz.  Even the straw plaited doll bonnets were trimmed in chintz.

Infants were wrapped in specially shaped 'blankets', secured closed with ribbons. I think these are "wikkelkleed".  Dated second half of the 18th century.

This infant sized doll, wearing a chintz bonnet, is shown wrapped in the (wikkeleeded) somewhat "T" shaped blanket.
One of the prints is French (Jouy-en-Josas, 1788
printed cotton from Oberkampf cotton printers.

Numerous examples were in the exhibit.





There were quilted petticoats, stomachers and quilts. This quilt is still in the makers family. Joes Meester is the owner.
(Blog: Dutch Quilt Cat)

It is a double sided quilt. The other side is quarter square triangle blocks.

A wonderful reproduction fabric line was produced from fabrics in this quilt, titled, "Josephine".

Thank you for joining me for part 2 of the trip.
Did you like the exhibit?

Happy Stitching,
Dawn
Link to Dutch Quilts I have reproduced (HERE)
Link to our Easy Shop (HERE)

Netherlands Part One

We are home from our trip to the Netherlands.

Velma had a nice time with the house sitters, but was very happy to have us home.

She has been my shadow every day!

Only a sunny patch in the window keeps her away.

Please continue - as I take you through Part One of our travels.

Our first couple of days after arrival we take it easy.
Why hurry? We are on vacation!  There is so much to see and do in Amsterdam before we take off to other parts of the country.

Landing at 6:30AM local time, we try to stay awake and moving!  Options include luggage lockers prior to check in at the hotel or concierge services at the hotel desk. After taking the train from the airport to Central Station, we were fortunate to get early check in at our hotel. We were able to shower and freshen up.

We took a morning canal ride and soaked in the sunshine.

We enjoy seeing the construction techniques.

This is stonework on a bridge we cruised under.





This is the famous spot where you can see the arches of seven bridges in a row.

Click to enlarge, maybe you can see them too.


The fresh air and slight rocking of the boat could have very easily lulled us to sleep!

The beautiful sights and sounds kept us energized.

We also had tickets for a wine and cheese pairing. We learned about the aging (ripening) of cheese on wood shelving. The wheels can be aged to about 2 years.

Very large mature wheels of cheese are then sent to market where they are sampled and auctioned.

We had five cheeses with three glasses of wine! Then, a sixth cheese paired with a glass of Port.  It was magnificent.  We were advised to find the true Dutch cheese in the USA - check Whole Foods.

Evidence of an early afternoon well spent.

This was the leftover wine.

The "pours" were generous and we couldn't finish all of it!

Of course I had to visit Den Haan Wagenmakers.
I was fortunate to meet Petra and Elsbeth. They even wanted to see a couple of my little quilts.  What an honor.

I was fun to see the hexagons Elsbeth was working on in Dutch Heritage fabrics.

Petra shared her new Dutch Heritage fabric lines.
Of course, I placed and order.  They are all so beautiful.

Web Image

Barnsley - strike off

This is the new panel.

10" x 11.5" - of course wonderful quilt shop quality fabrics.

As if it couldn't get better - -





Check out the project and matching border prints.

You can order yours Click HERE.
I was told it is only available in the Netherlands.
A few tips:
   * The postage will not calculate correctly!  The shop will adjust the postage to reflect the actual amount when they ship it. The postage will look very high as you checkout. While it isn't as low as ordering from within the US, it is a web shop issue.
   *  The pattern or kit is designed to also use your stash. The center panel, second border print and final floral border are all you need - along with your stash!
It is beautiful!

After my first quilt shop visit, (more quilt shop info in part 2) we went antique shopping.
On my last visit here I only had an hour.

So, this trip I made sure I had more time.
It was wonderful!

I did make some purchases this time.
Those I will show you in a future post, dedicated just to Dutch antique needlework tools.

It was early to bed and up the next day for some touristy things!

We went to Zaanse Schans to see the windmills.

The sky teased us with potential rain, but stayed dry.

It was refreshing to be out on the water.

One of the most interesting windmills to me was the color mill.

Beside the mill was a storage shed with 17 shutter units that were opened and closed to facilitate drying.

At capacity it contains about 11,000 pounds of pigment that can be dried in about 2 months,

Pigment is used for coloring many things, textile pigments interest me most.

The operation and staffing of the windmills is done as part of a heritage/history program that keeps the mills functioning as they did centuries ago.

We were allowed to enter the windmills, and even climb up to the balconies.

I couldn't help but think in the US, they probably wouldn't be operating and any are potentially dangerous would be roped off and off limits.

We loved exploring the old timbers and stone.

We were lucky to leave before bus loads of people descended on the little village.

Back to Amsterdam we went - ready for some sleep.

Dreaming of our next adventure to Leeuwarden!
Stay tuned for Parts Two, Three and Four.

Thanks for coming along for Part One.

Happy Stitching,

Dawn

Treasure Hunting In A Barn

We had a fun weekend.  So many things on our "to do" list we ignored. Sometimes you just need to have fun.

Heading to rural areas west of us, we went to a flea market. In the early morning sunrise we walked heavy dew in the grass down row after row of vendors.The smell of hot coffee and fresh picked produce lingered in the air. I found a few smalls and was so "in the moment" I didn't take any photos.

After breakfast in a small cafe we decided to visit a few antique shops - one in a large barn.  I love barns! The old timber and construction techniques are fascinating.

This quilt was interesting to examine. Hand quilted, narrow back to front binding.
The red was unstable and had faded to a peachy-brown shade.
Note that orange block in the lower left corner.

Hand Quilted, Double lines in the alternate blocks

Rework Top 

Several personal blocks, beautiful embroidery
at the seams

This 1916 block must have had personal
significance

1905 block with the month of Feb. next to a block of hands

The blue ink is from the brand label of the original flour bag

Skirt bottom of a christening gown

Two color quilt - hand quilted

Detail of hand quilting - Lovely stitches

Wonderful scrappy look to this one!

It wasn't just a textile day - this sweet

doll dresser has great details

I think this may end up in a quilt or two

Sometimes, it's just fun to remember

Wooden Spool Foot Stool

Barn Floor and Stairs from the Loft

Have a great week!

Happy Hunting and Stitching,

Dawn

Link to Our Easy Shop HERE

Link to Flea Markets HERE

Meet You In Illinois

Just a sampling of what you will see

I will be at the Village Quilters August Meeting
Tuesday, August 15 - 2017
With my Hexagon Trunk Show and Lecture

Place: Grace United Methodist Church (244 East Center Avenue) in Lake Bluff, Illinois
Time: 6:30pm social time, 7:00pm meeting followed by the
program
Programs are open to the public for $10

A short drive within the Chicago metro area.

The Hexagon Workshop is the following day.
Wednesday, August 16 - advance registration is required.
Space is limited.  Please let me know if you are unable to get a spot.
Don't miss the fun! LOTS of antique, vintage and current hexagon quilts to see.
Hope to see you there.

Happy Stitching,
Dawn

New Book BASKETS A Study of Nineteenth- Century Basket Quilts

I have shared information about the American Quilt Study Group program for study quilts before. (HERE to review)

The book for the 2016 Basket study is now available on Amazon, HERE.

It is a fantastic book, and ALL profits go to the American Quilt Study Group.

I was one of the participants and am honored to say I know most of the 50 quilt makers in the book. A wonderful body of work.

The traveling exhibit of 25 quilts will be at the Minnesota Quilt Show June 14-16 in Saint Cloud. More on that in a future post.

"There are thousands of patterns found in quilts. One of the perennial favorites is the basket. Nineteenth century basket quilts show an amazing variety. As with other quilts, the quiltmakers had many reasons to create these basket quilts. Some of these makers and their stories are known but many have been lost to time. Members of the American Quilt Study Group were challenged in the most recent quilt study to study a basket quilt from the nineteenth century and create a new quilt of their own that was inspired by the original. The new quilt could be a reproduction or simply reflect the original in a way that spoke to the maker. This book showcases the nearly fifty study quilts created for the quilt study, along with images of the antique quilts that gave each quilter their inspiration. AQSG invites you to enjoy the quilts, and follow each quilt maker’s journey from inspiration to creation, through the thoughts and reflections they have shared about the history, process, and significance of quilting from the nineteenth century into the twenty first century."

My entry, all white, was from my collection and a bit of a risk - not the kind of colorful quilt that might catch the judges eye. It also is hard to photograph all white textiles. However, it is intended as a study and I wanted to try something new.

I did a tufted technique with white schwalm/dresden embroidery.  The project is 100% hand stitched.

I reduced and reproduced, a design from an antique piece in my collection.

The edge is sewn and finished in knotted fringe.
No binding.

The quilting is simple cross hatching - serves just to keep the layers together. The white work is the "feature" of the quilt.

While my fringe was machine made purchased fringe, the antique is hand tied fringe.

My basket is a simple shape, in the fashion of some found on school girl samplers.

The interior of the basket is filled with rows of embroidery stitches.

My quilt will travel with 24 others - I hope you get a chance to see it!  The variety is exciting, you won't be disappointed.

Basket Exhibit Travel Schedule ***

March 24 - June 30, 2017 

     Ohio County Historical Society: Rising Sun, IN

October 1, 2017 - January 4, 2018
     Iowa Quilt Museum: Winterset, IA

March 9-11, 2018
     Dallas Quilt Show: Dallas, TX

June 14-16, 2018

     Minnesota Quilters, Saint Cloud MN

July 1 - September 3, 2018
    Baldwin Reynalds House: Meadville, PA

September 18 - December 5, 2018
     Virginia Quilt Museum: Harrisonburg, VA

March 1 - May 31, 2019
     Gilbert Historical Museum: Gilbert, AZ 85296

***Subject to change, always check the venue before traveling

AQSG Civil War Book (HERE)

The Civil War Study exhibit is also still traveling
(My flag quilt is in this exhibit)

June 2017 to October 20, 2017
    Rocky Mountain  Quilt Museum: Golden, CO

November 1 to February 28, 2018
    Sheerer Museum of Stillwater: Stillwater, OK

March 2018 to May 31, 2018
     Alabama Dept. of Archives and History, Montgomery, AL

June 1 to August 31, 2018
La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum: LaConner, WA

Happy Stitching,
Dawn