A few weeks before my departure my son Pieter asked me if I could leave earlier as he had to be for business in London and could stay longer. A few days together with my child? Of course I took that opportunity and together Pieter and I walked 2 days of 25.000 steps all over the city. We saw the musical Les Miserables on West End and that was fantastic! Since we both have been to London often before (I studied law during the Summer of 1981 in London and witnessed the royal wedding of Charles and Diana), we decided to spend one day outside London and took the train to Salisbury and Stonehenge. Super impressive! We enjoyed the cathedral very much and Stonehenge is the oldest place I have ever seen: 3000 years BC! Unfortunately, I couldn't find any Northcott fabric in the gift shop.  It is in my studio :). After 3 wonderful days, Pieter flew back to Denver and I took the train to Brussels. It is amazing that you can go within exactly 2 hours from the center of London to the center of  Brussels in a comfortable chair and internet connection. I picked up a rental and drove to Hasselt, a city on the east side of Flanders, the Flemish/Dutch speaking part of Belgium,  where  my mother and I have had many shopping trips. The shoes and clothing are so gorgeous here! I know every lunch place, but they were closed on Sundays as the shops are closed on that day.  I found a place for dinner. and realized Mom was not with me.

The next day I drove (20 minutes) to Genk where my parents have lived  the last 30 years of their lives. After my mother passed away in 2024, the children gave a big plant box to her residence as a thank you for her care during the Alzheimer's years. It was a planter suitable for people in a wheelchair and it allows them to touch the soil with their hands. Regular planters are too low for people in a wheelchair to reach. One of the last few things my mother wanted was to play with plants. I wanted to see this planter in person and was really touched how it was getting used. It was placed right in front of the hallway my mother liked to sit in and it carried her name.   Next I went to the cemetery where her ashes have been dispersed. I had never seen such a dedicated place before and oh it was beautiful!  It is a special section of the cemetery of about 50 ft square grassland with old trees in it. I could see fresh piles of ash with flower wreaths, but also ashes that have been wet from rain and in different stages of slowly disappearing. What touched me most was the sign: it said that the ashes represent the bodies people once had and that the wind can take them to all the people and places the bodies once loved. It felt open, not boxed in like the traditional gravesites.  I now believe even more that some of her (and my father's) ashes crossed the ocean! A beautiful, beautiful spot.

Next on my trip  (all 30 minutes drives) were visits with dear friends in The Netherlands. I spent a day with René and together we went to his wife Ellen's gravesite in Maastricht, one of the most beautiful cities in The Netherlands. The city is the most Northern place of the old Roman Empire and is these days famous for its  musician André Rieu. Actually the  cemetery was across from his studio with beautiful views on the Maas river. René and Ellen are the godparents of our daughter Eline and the last time  I was in The Netherlands was for Ellen's funeral (2023). Then I saw Naud and Jolanda, our son Pieter's godparents. All these friendships are 50+ years old. We met in elementary school or a little later, had engagements around the same time, followed by weddings  and births of children. We all became grandparents  together and I know for sure we will bury each other together in an order unknown. These visits are emotional as I am so happy to be with them again, but so sad when I have to say goodbye again after just a few hours. Rollercoasters of deep friendships. It was with René that I spoke when my husband Jan had his surgery last year in the middle of the American night and the early European morning. I could let my emotions go with him as he could let his feelings go with us when his wife was terminal sick. He then became the inspiration for the quilt Lifelong Friendships.

I joined Naud and Jolanda for a practice with the choir Les Amis du bon Coeur and saw many old friends from my own days in this choir. I have been a member since I was 8 and left after I graduated college. They sang at our wedding!  These people are still singing together, now as seniors, every Tuesday night. So special! I had lunch with another friend (actually he was my first "boy-friend")  and made a stop at Albert Heyn, the Dutch grocery store. My suitcase back to the US  was just as heavy as when I arrived. The fabrics my students used have been replaced by Dutch treats for the family that are not available in the US. They all  gave me a list of favorites and we will enjoy it during family gatherings.

Then the quilt show! It was about an hour away from Ineke's house, and we had decided I would drive us every day to and from the show. Plenty of time for chatting and evenings at home with Co, Ineke's husband. Those of you who saw my post of her work on social media understand how incredible it was. Ineke makes mostly king size quilts and has a big soft spot for black and white. Ten of her black and white quilts were in exposition, but she has even more at home! There were also 6 colored quilts, all very recent ones, which is a little sad as it would have been so interesting to see where she came from.  But it is really hard to choose! When I met Ineke years ago, she was a customer. She ordered fabric often as the price of fabric is so much lower in the US and we started chatting. I liked her. To help her save money on shipping I once dropped a suitcase full of fabric at her home ( I actually did this together with my mother!) and since that day we have been buddies. I have delivered many suitcases over the years. By the way, at the moment shipping to Europe is possible but extremely expensive. I don't think it makes sense for Europeans to order, because what they save on fabric is spent on shipping and import duties. Fabric is and has always been expensive in Europe. It is now about 22 euro per meter and with today's the low Dollar value this equals to about  $27.00 per yard!  A fat quarter special "deal" I saw was 5 for 25 euro, almost $30.00!  Count your blessings!

Back to the show: We were welcomed inside by little vases of tulips. So cute!

I have seen all of Ineke's  quilts coming together one by one and I know enough of this industry to realize that a public showing of her work would be just amazing. It was! She spent all 3 days chatting with old and new friends/ admirers  about her work and she got the recognition she deserves as a top quilter. Her technique is perfect, a true master in piecing.  One of the most interesting quilters I know, because she has been able to grow and excel in a most diverse way. She started as a traditional quilter, handwork, needle turn, but is becoming more and more contemporary with a great variety. She now works with the machine, quilts her own work on a mid size long arm. Almost all her quilts are original. She is one of a kind! She doesn't do collage and I don't care for black/white only but that has never been a requirement for our discussions, the fabric ones included. She has my book and it is the only book that doesn't mention "hope you enjoy collaging" or so.. I could never do what she does, the quilts are way too big for me. I can't imagine laying on the floor to baste these giants and then lift up all this weight to a machine in a small bedroom. She has to move furniture in the family room to baste a quilt as houses in The Netherlands are pretty small!   I can't imagine making all these black and white quilts over and over again but Ineke told me just before I left that she has a new black/white one in mind!  The colors keep calling her, fascinate her and I love that in her. 

As her friend I got a special treatment and after this show it is even more special. You all can see her quilts, but I slept four nights in her sewing room. Her scraps were at my feet and my bed was comfortable as I slept under two of her quilts!! Who else can say she has slept under Ineke's quilts?  I was laying in that sewing room, she calls it "my" room, feeling so lucky!

The quilt show was fun and well attended. I loved the work of Marjolijn van Wijk, also an old customer and a sample of how modern quilting is present in The Netherlands. There was a SAQA exhibition and I met other well known Dutch quilters like Hilde Hoogwaerts, Marijke van Velzen, Laura Strating and that was a delight. 

 I taught 3 full day classes in Dutch and English and that was not hard to do after all. We looked at my "Neighborhoods" quilt as that quilt was inspired by all the colors of Dutch architecture.  There is no other country in the world that combines these colors in this way with the Canal Green ("grachtengroen") incorporated.  This almost black, super dark green can be seen in The Netherlands everywhere on doors and window frames, poles, entrance gates....and creates a sharp contrast with all the other colors. When people say that The Netherlands looks so clean to them, it could very well be because contrast between the colors is much more present than for instance in Belgium, Germany or France.I felt very much at home with these open Dutch ladies, but I also enjoyed the Israeli, British and German students who took the effort to attend my classes and traveled long distances. Anna from Germany was too late for my class in France, too late in Houston and drove up all the way from Cologne. One of the Israeli students, Judy,  had signed up for my Houston 2024 class but couldn't leave Israel at that time. The Houston class signed a card and I sent her a photo of this card, telling her how sorry we were that she couldn't come.  We expressed our hope for peace. Judy was now in my class in The Netherlands and I could give her the Houston card in person. How small is our world! She, talking on behalf of the Israeli Quilters Guild, invited me to come to teach in Israel and finally see the Agam museum in Tel Aviv. I hope we can make this work!! Heleen came all the way from Bristol in the UK,  to do something completely different. She enjoyed every moment and had a big smile on her face.This is what I mean when I say " I love to work with fabric people": fabric creates immediate friendships and I have met so many wonderful people and experienced so many wonderful adventures, thanks to fabric.

The trip ended with a short visit to one of my law school friends. She lives close to Blaricum, my last place of residence in a beautiful part of the country. I saw my Neighborhoods quilt in front of my eyes as I was driving!  Our college days are 40+ years behind us, but the bond will stay. After seeing her, I drove back to Brussels. The plane back to the US was fully packed and many passengers were people who had been to the Olympics in Italy.

 I finally got a belated Valentine's day kiss from my husband who is happy to have me back! I am home in the US, I am home in The Netherlands!