Hugs from Helen

Sunning in Switzerland

Yes I know it is cold and snowing at home but here in Switzerland in Spring it is divine, We are almost to the end of our week here at Cotton & Color in Riehen, Switzerland. We are so close to the border with Germany and France that there are so many different languages being spoken I don’t know how they keep up. For me I cant even keep up with the kisses – two or three?? I’m not sure, bumping lots of noses…

So following on from my last blog post- the LOVELY Florence and her LOVELY husband Phillipe took us on a French journey on Thursday. They first met at the shop for coffee then away we went across the border into the beautiful Alsace Region. We first visited the popular tourist town of Colmar. Home to many churches, classic French homes, cobbled streets, cafes and more. Inspiration surrounded us – as did patisseries, chocolate shops, macaroons and more

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After a typical French lunch of Tarte Flambe and wine we were taken to a small village to where they make French linen – ahhh we were in heaven.. We saw the museum and a small video (in French with German subtitles) of how they used to make it and now a more modern method – I can appreciate why linen is so expensive now.. a small purchase of course was made. Unfortunately photos were not allowed.

Next we travelled to Riquewihr – a vineyard district where we could sample wine or sample French pastries – which did we choose?

 

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It was a wonderful day and I was so thrilled to have stepped foot on French soil also…

Thursday was a much needed down day, time to wash, take a rest and enjoy the sunshine. We did end the day with a walk through the Black Forest to Germany – for a well earned white chocolate which was delish!

For the past two days we have been teaching very enthusiastic and excited French, German and Swiss women. They have been fantastic students and we have many new friends who I hope we will keep in contact with through here and on Facebook. Today was an exercise in Extreme stitching with everyone at least starting two new projects. We think this could be the next Olympic sport!  But all jokes aside, we have had a wonderful two days sharing with you all.

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Tomorrow, our last day we will again walk to Germany with our ‘perfect host’ Astrid and her family for lunch and then bid farewell as we head  North to Norway – will be there soon girls!

hugs for today and good night

Helen

From Germany to Switzerland

Well here we are now in Switzerland with the lovely Astrid at Cotton & Color – we will be teaching here on Friday and Saturday of this week – so its not too late to join in – give Astrid a call and don’t miss the fun = and of course learning new things..

but first I should tell you of our adventures of the past couple of days. Sunday we spent with the lovely Jacqueline, Sandra and Sybil seeing the spectacular countryside of the Netherlands.

We travelled through tiny cobblestoned villages, rolling hills and country roads to reach the highest point where the three countries meet- yes we stepped in 3 countries in 30 seconds..

We saw Castles  - okay, what constitutes a castle? – we decided it have to have a moat – and maybe that royalty must have lived there? We saw beautiful old churches and church ruins, older than we Aussies can imagine, enjoyed great food and great company..

A lovely ending to our journey to the Log Cabin. We hope to return one day!

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Monday we travelled the trains of Germany, from Aachen to Cologne, to Frankfurt and more until we reached Basel on the border of Switzerland, Germany and France… We somehow managed to meet Astrid amongst hundreds of people rushing every which way at the main central train station and travelled to her lovely home and store.

Today we explored the city of Basel – navigated the tram system and on foot followed the many historical trails through the old city. Much inspiration was to be found – an admiration for our past and maybe some designs in the future.

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tomorrow we go to France for the day! Chauffeured by our personal travel guide Florence – a blog friend. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to meet blog and facebook friends across the world to share and stitch with. I wish you could all be here with me..

until the next update, happy travels and happy stitching..

hugs,

Helen

The Log Cabin – Germany or The Netherlands?

in just two short days I have travelled 5 countries…Im not sure exactly where I am at each minute but as I lay in my mooi bed in a little old farmhouse B&B I am in The Netherlands only a couple hundred metres from Germany….

We landed safely in Brussels Thursday morning after a stop in Bankok for a few hours. It was straight into the local transport system and we have now conquered the buses, trams, metro and train systems of Belgium! We visited the Creativa show at Brussels Expo, said hello to Carol of Quiltmania and a few other lovely shopowners and then headed to the city Grand plaza to see the ‘old Belgium’ – wow!

We saw and experienced Belgian Chocolate, Belgian beer, Belgian waffles, Belgian history and architecture, Belgian art and Belgian people..all in a few short hours of oohs and aahs.

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Friday Morning we began our tri country adventure, navigating four trains across the three countries to the border between Germany and The Netherlands,  including a lovely history lesson from a lovely lad on the third train as we balanced in the stairwell outside the rather slumdog looking lavatory piled high with suitcases, prams and people who couldn't actually fit into the train. All part of the adventure…

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We were met by the lovely Jacqueline and whisked first to her lovely little shop under her cabin, then to an amazing farmhouse B&B which was to be our home on the cobbled streets of Munstergeleen.

IT was then back across the border for a lovely Dutch dinner with Jacqueline and Sybil before a trunk show to introduce us to the locals! The Log Cabin is the cutest tiniest little store, with goodies hidden and secreted into every available corner or nook. We were cosy and the atmosphere was warm and friendly despite a lot of language that I didn't understand!

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Today we spent with a very special group of ladies sharing ,learning, laughing and teaching – with LOTS of tea and coffee added in! thankyou Jacqueline, Sandra and Sybil and every single lady who came to join us from near and far… actually from three countries.. we hope to see you again one day..

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I leave you with a message from the cutest white sulphur crested cockatoo you’ve ever seen…

arrrkkkk

night chico – yes you are heel mooi

 

hugs from Helen in The Netherlands tonight..

Lets Get Stitched!

Yesterday I was spoilt having a whole day with stitching and blogging friends here in Hobart – they had spent the whole weekend together and had shared many laughs and memories..

Lets Get Stitched bloggers retreat was organised by Fee with help from Jo (see her in the pic above) – walking in the room looked just lovely – pink and blue – my favourites – so of course was lovely to me.. 

I was playing and made these little goodie pouches filled with very low fat sweets for everyone – very easy to make and  they even matched Fee’s colourscheme!

Michelle had travelled the furthest from the West Coast of New Zealand,  Anne was a close second from WA, then others from QLD, SA, NSW and VIC. All friends through blogging – what a small world we now are…. 

There were six designers on the day who gave little patterns or kits in the goody bags and present 30 minute demo tutorials on a different technique – this was a slightly different way of running a retreat and worked really well.

Retreats and gatherings are such feelgood days.. The organisers add those extra touches to make us all feel special. so thanks Fee and Jo – your  touches are always appreciated..

only two sleeps until I leave for the other side of the World to be a part of many more gatherings of women who love stitching. It is going to be lovely to see what they love and the different styles of Europe. Hopefully I will have internet access and will have lots more photos to show you in the coming weeks.

hugs for today as I go to pack my bags!

Helen

special mail delivery

Sometimes little things arrive in my mailbox that just make me happy…and all warm and fuzzy inside…

so thankyou Tomi R -  you are a special stitching friend and make this all worthwhile… keep stitching and keep happy

hugs

Helen

Hide and Seek!

Have you seen this months Easter edition of Homespun? Not sure if its on the stands yet but I am very excited to have a little teeny weeny part of the front cover..

It seems so long since I was playing hide and seek with these little bunnies and my appliqué needle… but all the fun memories are returning now..

I always look forward to how Catherine and her team display and photograph the projects – and I think I'd love to snuggle up under this quilt in this bed!

This quilt uses a fantastic ruler I found at Quilt Market last year – the Scallop ruler! it was so easy to make long long lengths of these scallops to cut and use on all sorts of things.

Remember this?

   it was from the leftovers – and if you watch out for the next edition of Quiltmania you’ll see a few more leftovers along with a matching project for this quilt.

So, if you want to try this groovy new ruler I have them! yes you can find them here or ask at your local store

I have only the 1.5” version used in this quilt at this stage which comes with this great and handy pusher tool to make perfect smooth scallops..

If you’d like kits in a similar fabric contact The Quilted Crow or Sarah at Quilt Fabric Delights and I am sure they will be able to help you out.

Oh, and whilst you are perusing the Homespun Mag check out the most absolutely adorable and gorgeous Hunny Buns by Annie of Country Keepsakes…..

hugs for today

Helen

Frequently Asked Questions to HNK

I recently received a lovely email from a Japanese quilter living in Ireland who had finally managed to find supplies to try out my Colourque technique on the Victorian Virtuoso quilt which was published a few years ago in a Country Bumpkin publication – Stitch it – quilts…

She wrote of her experience and had some questions. I often get emails with questions so thought as I show you Tomomi’s wonderful efforts I would answer some of them for you all.

so today's FAQ’s will be on the Colourque ® Technique.

What type of pencil do you have to use?

You can use any type of coloured pencil – they will all work BUT

the more expensive the pencil is generally means the softer it is and the easier it is to use.

- steer away from Watercolour pencils – as you have to seal with a liquid and they are designed to bleed with liquid – they will work but you have to control that bleed

By the way, I use any type of Derwent pencil made by the Cumberland Pencil Company in the UK – just standard Artist or studio ranges on normal projects, Colorsoft and Inktense on others.

My project feels sticky and plasticky, did I use too much medium?

Probably or possibly. Different brands feel different – some of them stay tacky and thick and plasticky. The brand I use and recommend is Folk art by Plaid as it is a good consistency, doesn't mute the colour nor stay tacky if used correctly. If you used several layers it could still feel plasticky though so just go easy with it – you just need enough to seal the colour into the fabric – it doesn't have to soak through.

My colour bled outside the lines –what did I do wrong?

This is a very wide question – it could be the brand of medium you used, the size of your brush the type of pencil (how much it is prone to bleeding) or how you applied the medium. This last one I can answer -

always load your brush and set it down in the middle of a shape – not on the edge as you don't know how much your brush will hold or how far your medium will spread – then push/paint the medium to the edges of the shape with a light cover. You will soon get to know your brush, how much to load onto it and how far it will spread – always do tests first with the same fabric, pencil and brush you will be using on the final piece.

and yes, if it bleeds – it is permanent – you cannot remove medium in the wrong place and it may take the pencil colour with it..

What is the difference between Colorsoft and Inktense pencils?

Both of these pencils are made by Derwent – Colorsoft are very soft leads but are standard pigment – they are softer than the studio or Artist ranges but are similar colours. They behave a little like a watercolour – when you apply the medium you can brush the colour around to make smooth edges or blend two colours. They are my favourite for general use and colour very easily onto prequilted designs.

Inktense pencils behave very differently. You can read about them here.

I use them in a slightly different way on fabric. I paint the area first with medium then apply the pencil onto the wet fabric. It glides on like a texta and is very vibrant and bright in colour – no  good for pastel likers! you can colour first and then wet and blend after – just take care of that bleeding.

what thread do you use to stitch the outlines?

in my traditional version of Colourque I backstitch all of the outlines by hand using Presencia Finca Perle #16 thread and a stitchery or Crewel #7 needle.

For machine variations I use a matching colour cotton or rayon embroidery thread to outline stitch or quilt pre-coloured designs.

For inktense projects I quilt in black thread

For prequilted panels I usually use a white thread.,

Can I wash my colourqued quilt or article?

My answer to this is – if you have correctly sealed your project then yes you can wash it using your normal laundering methods. I don't recommend weekly washing – it will not wash out but will fade over time just as clothing and fabric will. But yes it is washable once sealed.

I trust this answers some of your questions to better your skills and thankyou Tomomi for sharing your work with us all!

hugs for today

Helen

my word - DREAM

I am a big dreamer…. and I dream big! but I think that is okay isn't it?  My problem is that I can dream big things but then I procrastinate and lose confidence that I would ever be capable of realising those dreams..and so I leave them floating…and find other things to delay their realisation..

Walt Disney said:

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

So its courage and confidence I have searched for to pursue my long time dream of:

yes yes yes…. my very own fabric…It has been a long time in coming, I know, there were so many other dreams, plans and obstacles (the main one being me) that got in the way of this… If I was going to do it I wanted to do it my way… baby steps, learning the process, teaching myself every step of the way – to the final point – my name on a selvedge!

Strike offs have arrived, a few minor colour changes and I will be so excited to show you all at Spring Market in Kansas when it is released…for now I have been given permission to let you in on my little secret…just a small range to start with (believe me once I finally started I could have just kept going)… I do hope you will all love it!

so, there is so much to do…. patterns to design, make and write, a booth to design and prepare, Schoolhouse and Take and Teach kits to prepare, this is all very exciting but scary at the same time…. and I am dreaming about it every night!

I need to keep reminding myself of Joy Page’s words:

‘Dream and give yourself permission to envision a You that you choose to be.’

jumping up and down with excitement hugs today as  I can finally show you..

Helen

Words

If you follow me on Facebook you will know that I am stitching words….

Words are a very powerful thing. More powerful than money, more powerful than men, more powerful than war…

They can be inspiring, educational, hurtful, encouraging, damaging, shortlived or memorable, happy, helpful or life changing.

Words have featured from day one in Hugs ‘n Kisses designs and thoughts. Simple feelgood phrases and sayings, just because, just to make you feel uplifted as you stitch. On reflection any designs with words have been the most popular, so you must like them also..

Society seems to be realising the impact that words can have, look in any catalogue, home dec store, stationary store and you will see designers using words so I am not alone..

so yes, I am stitching words, good words… soon you will see them….

hope they make your day good. Soon I’ll tell you about a BIG word in my life…

hugs

Helen

Stitched Sunday - Raised Stem Stitch Band

As promised ( a long time ago) here is an update to our Stitched Sunday Series showing you the Raised Stem Stitch variation. This is not a commonly used stitch but does have its place. I have recently used it for the border on the ‘Love’ Stitchery.

So to use it you need a shape which has parallel lines sort of so a border works well.

Firstly we need to set up a base for the stem stitch. The actual stem stitch does not pass through the fabric but is woven through a base stitch.

Keep these stitches even along your shape.

Continue along or around the complete shape.Bring up your needle to the left of your first stitch – right at the bottom.

Then take it two stitches to the right, under the base stitch (not through the fabric tho)

and then back under the base stitch before – can you see how this is like stem stitch – you go two steps forward, one step back.

Then you go ahead two stitches

and back one. Turn your needle around so you are sliding the eye under the threads (instead of the point) so that you do not split any threads or catch the fabric with the needle point – this is weaving rather than stitching

Continue around the shape, when you reach the start point, continue with the second row.

As you continue push the stitches to the bottom of the shape and keep weaving until your base stitches are tightly woven and covered.

Some other examples can be found on my pinboard and here

Stem stitch can also be used as filler stitch and is used a lot in Crewel embroidery. I call this stacked stem stitch – but that’s just a name I made for it.. It is basically just normal rows of stem stitch placed close together. If you are going back and forth along a shape, stitch stem stitch in one direction and outline stitch going back the other way so that all rows lay tightly together.

hugs for today, and happy stitching

Helen