Little Crumbs at De Laatste Kruimel

One of my favorite pastry shops in Amsterdam is tucked into a narrow street, unassuming and a bit hidden. But the window displays are so beautiful that you’re immediately lured in to taste the goodness that awaits! It’s called De Laatste Kruimel, which means “The Last Crumb.” Which is what you’ll be searching for on your plate when you go.

Those crumbs come from quiche, bread pudding, cakes, scones, and tarts, all made right there in the little shop. All seriously good.

The shop is tiny, and there are only a few tables, made from wooden crates with lacy vintage tablecloths thrown on. The best location to munch on your treats is on the back patio, overlooking the canal. While the tour boats go by, you can wave sweetly and take another bite of your cake.

As the wonderful hand-drawn sign says, they also serve lunch sandwiches and soups. And everything is delicious, right down to the de laatste kruimel!

De Laatste Kruimel, Langebrugsteeg 4, Amsterdam

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A Stitchy Trip to Pirmasens, Germany

Tags

embroidery, etsy, finished project

I’ve really enjoyed stitching maps for the shop as a way to combine travel and handmade. I usually concentrate on places I’ve been but a few weeks ago I was contacted for a custom order of somewhere I’d never even heard of: Pirmasens, Germany. The customer wanted a map of the little German town for her mother-in-law, who grew up there. What a sweet gift!

I did some research to familiarize myself with the town before stitching, and ended up falling for it. The next time I’m in southern Germany with time to kill, I’m heading to Pirmasens! Near the border of France in Rhineland, Germany, it’s a small city with a population of 40,000. Their claim to fame is the manufacturing of shoes: they even have a shoe museum!Besides that, it looks like a thoroughly liveable city, with cute old buildings, street markets, lots of events, plenty of parks. That dotted yellow line on the map is a pedestrian-only zone passing shops, cafes, squares, and historic buildings. What a nice place to stroll on a sunny day! (All images below are from Pirmasens city website.)

The map ended up being 8×10″ in nice dusky colors: maroon, mustard, and forest green. I love how it turned out–what a great virtual trip to Germany!

Have you ever been to Pirmasens?

Etsy Shop Opening!

Tags

embroidery, etsy

Friends and readers, I have such an exciting announcement to make. I’ve just opened my very own Etsy store, Needle and Compass!

Last year I thought embroidered city maps would be perfect for remembering past travels or favorite places, and I searched high and low for something like what I was envisioning… finding nothing. So I’ve spent the last few months tinkering with some designs and ideas, and now I’m offering them up to the world, just in case anyone else thinks they’re nifty.

Santa Fe Embroidered Map

It’s a little eerie how well this combines my two big loves, needlecraft and travel. Now when I’m visiting a new city it’s “research.” Perfect!

Prague Old Town Embroidered Map

I currently have about eight maps available, and I’ll be adding more as I go, including a few of Amsterdam, of course. Though these canals are proving difficult.

London Tube Map

I’m happy to offer custom-made maps, as well. You can find the details in the shop!

Become a fan of the store on Facebook for updates and special discounts! And if you like the look of them, I’d so appreciate if you shared it on any social media you deem worthy. It’s so tricky to start out sometimes.

Watch for a discount code on the Facebook page in the coming days, and thanks for putting up with this shameless self-promotion. Regularly scheduled programming to follow!

Finished Dresden Plate Quilt

Tags

finished project, quilts, sewing

I did it! I stitched the last stitch on my massive by-hand quilt yesterday. What a job.

I think I should call it my “Holland Plate Quilt.” Dresden Plates are the name of the circular-star pattern, but since I finished this in Holland… it makes sense.

This is so not perfect. I know it looks pretty good from these pictures over the interwebs, but this thing is just riddled with mismatching seams, things that don’t line up, places I didn’t measure well enough. And my poor hand-quilting skills make me sure this is just going to fall apart. But hey, whatever. It’s done.

This is a queen size quilt, with 30 blocks. I mostly followed the Dotty for Dresden pattern found in Material Obsession II, with some of my own tweaks (probably would have been better just to stick to the pattern…).

I checked back on my own blog and found out that I ordered the fabric last February–this took me almost an entire year to make! With breaks. I cut out all the fabric and sewed the blocks and plates together in Portland (with a machine, not by hand) then I shipped everything out to Amsterdam, which took a few months to receive. Once I got it, I started appliqueing the dresden plates to the quilt. Then I made the “quilt sandwich” and started the actual quilting. Finally, yesterday, I finished!

I put a few fun secrets in, like the tiny Christmas tree I stitched on Christmas Day. And when I ran out of fabric for the border, I threw in a swatch of Liberty of London I bought in London. My favorite part was an afterthought, actually. I stitched a row of Amsterdam-inspired canal houses on one edge, and I’m pretty much in love with how that turned out. I also added a “signature” to the back.

I finished this just in time, as we are currently experiencing a cold snap all across Europe–a frozen wind from Siberia has been sweeping down and turning everything to ice. Seriously, it is. That’s not even a metaphor. This quilt was perfect to cuddle under last night, making everything warm and toasty.

I’m so in love. And do dang proud of myself for finishing!

Lovely Object #5

Tags

quilts, sewing

What: Vintage Singer Sewing Machine

Where: On our side table, looking all vintage-y

How: Flea market find, at the Amsterdam Waterlooplein market

A few months ago Jesse came home and surprised me with a flea market treasure: a vintage Singer sewing machine that he scored for only €15. Neither of us had any idea if it worked or not, but it looked pretty cool, and that’s less than we’d spend on dinner! As far as my non-professional internet research could tell, the model is from somewhere around 1914-1920. I dusted it off and spun the wheel a few times, but was too intimidated to dig much deeper into fixing it. It’s sat on our side table looking pretty since then.

Now the new year has rolled around and I am this close to finishing my quilt. I thought if I could get the Singer working, it’d be cool to sew on the quilt binding with it (and save me some extra handwork). So the other afternoon we sat down and re-dusted the machine off. Between my general sewing knowledge, Jesse’s problem-solving, and a few Youtube videos we were able to wind the bobbin and get it sewing! That needle trundled along like nothing could stop it.

Such pretty filigree plates

Jesse figuring it out

The feeling of using a 100 year old machine… it’s a little crazy. How many hundreds of pieces of fabrics has it sewn through? This is a serious workhorse.

It’s hand-cranked, which is weird to grapple with. I can manage on smaller scraps, but when I did the binding for the quilt I had to rope Jesse into helping. He cranked and I steered: such teamwork!

Now if I could only stop my reflexes from reaching for the foot pedal and trying to turn the machine on and off every time I sit down… old habits die hard.

With a machine to help, even a hand-cranked one, the quilt will go much faster. Which means: I’m almost done…

A Few Things Homemade

Tags

clothes, finished project, sewing

January is the best time to be crafty. It’s cold outside, so I bundle up with a blanket and a mug of tea, put on a random movie or documentary, and sew to my heart’s content. I mentioned awhile ago that Jesse is now a knitter, and since he doesn’t have his own blog to brag on, I’m doing it for him. (Especially because I get good results out of his knitting.)

When we were in London I bought a length of Liberty of London fabric, and soon after managed to craft it into a lovely scarf. It was nothing fancy, I just hand-rolled and sewed the edges. I love it, and I love that I have leftover fabric! Here I am trying to model the many ways I can wear it, without laughing. I like it best as a long scarf/cowl, or as a fun turban for those bad hair days.

And below, a few of Jesse’s recent accomplishments.

Handwarmers for himself:

A hat for me (which I love so much! The soft color! The cabling! The lacy holes!):

And an orange cowl, expertly modeled by the man himself:

And, because I am so very lucky, he’s starting on a new hat for me tonight. I am repaying him by (still) working on our quilt. One day it will keep us warm…

Goodbye and Hello, Years

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, bikes, embroidery, finished project, London, Prague

It’s New Year’s Eve, and I can already hear the pops of fireworks going off this morning. Rumor is that Amsterdam is a pretty crazy place on this night every year, and we’ll be off to enjoy the spectacle later, though I doubt we’ll make it to 5am.

I’m not going to do any full Year in Review or New Year’s Resolution posts, so instead here’s a quick snapshot of things.

Something I’m better at now than when we arrived in Amsterdam:

Biking. I feel so Dutch. My beat-up bike is pure workhouse to me now, and I can carry heavy bags in one hand while steering with the other. I can bike in heels, boots, and flip-flops. I can even ride on the back of Jesse’s bike, which is extremely popular here.

Something I accomplished this year:

Crewel Embroidery, Woodland in Wool from Embroidery Companion

I made this forest scene for my dear friend, and since Christmas is done I can post it now! I really loved working on this with thick crewel wool, and following the colorful designs. The animals even turned out better than expected. I think I need to find more patterns like this.

Something I hope to accomplish next year:

My big goal is to finish my quilt. I’m hand-quilting it right now, stitch by stitch, every night before bed, and it’s actually moving along. I have hope!

Something I hope for next year:

Traveling. This first semester a lot of our money went to getting here, getting settled, getting residence permits, and all that. It got quite expensive. Next semester we’re hoping to budget a lot more of our money towards travel of the international variety. Plans are in the works to places like Edinburgh, Morocco, and Scandinavia! I’m practically gurgling with excitement.

While we wait for the big trips, I’d like to try to see more of the Netherlands. We can reach exciting new cities within 2 hours, so why not head out to see more? Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Dordrecht are all a quick trip away and make perfect day trips.

And, lest I get too much wanderlust, Things I feel blessed for:

Traveling to Paris, Prague, London, and calling Amsterdam our new home. Supportive family and friends back home. Friends in the city. Getting better at embroidering. Learning words in Dutch. Trying new food and exploring our city. Jesse getting his master’s in one year. Life.

View from Prague Castle

At the Tower of London

2011 has been pretty good to us, and I have high hopes for 2012. So Happy New Year to you all, and may the next year bring wonderful things!

Merry Christmas to All

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, embroidery, holidays

Merry Christmas! Today is what the Dutch call Tweede Kerstdag, or Second Christmas, which they use to celebrate with the other side of the family. Smart and practical, these Dutch. We are using it to celebrate with our friend Sarah this afternoon.

Our real Christmas yesterday was spent Skyping far away family members, making ourselves delicious food, watching copious amounts of Christmas movies, and taking a walk through the city with a thermos of hot chocolate. It was a little bittersweet to be just the two of us, without any family around. You can try your best to make a day festive and bright, but without the right people it’s just not the same.

Since I was really hoping for a white Christmas to cover the city, I spent the day embroidering my wishes and making my own snowflakes. I used Appleton crewel wool, the kind that really pops out–I love the texture!

Though it was a quiet Christmas celebration, it was still full of happiness and thanks and warm feelings. It’s something special to be able to take a Christmas walk around your neighborhood and see houseboats parked on canals, antique chairs waiting by the water, bridges festooned with lights, and 17th century buildings lining the streets. I consider myself pretty lucky this year.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

-Dr. Seuss

How to Make Tiny Stars

Tags

christmas, holidays

My Christmas decorations are simple this year, since we don’t have much around. Funny how I didn’t want to pack a whole box of ornaments and lights… But I did buy a tiny tree at the market, and I decorated it with a string of paper stars. I love how delicate and simple they look on the tree. Luckily enough, I wrote up my first ever how-to so you can make your own, if you’re so inclined! You can find it here, on my friend Tatiana’s blog.

Tatiana and I survived college together, and now she makes her home and a lot of other awesome stuff in Austin, Texas. Also, she has chickens, which is pretty cool. She was kind enough to ask for a guest post from me, so check out my First Ever How-To on her clever and informative blog, and then stay tuned to it for even more awesome stuff from her.

Tomorrow we’re getting out of the city–and country! We’re taking a train to Cologne, Germany, for a taste of the famous Christmas markets. I’m so excited! Germany does festive Christmas right. So many of our American traditions came from there, like gingerbread, nutcrackers, the song Silent Night, and even the Christmas tree itself (hello, O Tannenbaum). Nothing beats wandering through markets of handmade goods while your chilly fingers wrap around a mug of spiced wine.

Also, pretzels. Enough said.

I’ll be back on Sunday to regale you with all the things I wanted to buy but didn’t, and all the things I wanted to eat, and did. Until then, make some stars!

News From the Crafty Front

Tags

embroidery, finished project, quilts, Scandinavian Love

In my last post I mentioned all the Made by Hand stores in Amsterdam–now it’s time to update a few of my own made by hand crafts!

First off, I finished this embroidered pillowcase I’ve been working on forever:

It shows up in my trusty Embroidery Companion book as the Karin curtain design, but I bought a plain pillowcase from Ikea to use instead. I am in love with the Scandinavian feel of this, and the cheery red with the stoical partridges (I’m guessing they’re partridges. What do you think?). I might fill in the middle with more designs, but I’m going to take a break from this for awhile first.

Next on my list is a Dresden Plate quilt that I promised myself I’d make here. I had all the pieces cut out in Portland, I sewed the front blocks and the entire back together. Now I need to applique the Dresden Plates to the front, and then quilt it. By hand. I’m beginning to think this was way too ambitious, and I was most likely out of my mind when I thought this was a great idea. But I’m determined to do this, so I’m doggedly sewing. Truth is, I love the repetitive, mindless work while we’re watching tv (my friend got me hooked on BBC’s Gavin & Stacey). Here’s the work-in-progress, draped over a chair. I still love the fabrics I chose, and I just keep thinking how cozy this will be when it’s done! Happy thoughts…

The last project isn’t mine at all, but Jesse’s. He’s decided to pick up a new hobby, settled on knitting the past few weeks, and has been knocking it out of the park since then. He’s already finished two things! He’s also spouting knowledge about purling, decreasing, dropped stitches, and what a yarn’s ‘loft’ and ‘wpi’ mean.

The first is this big scarf in a chunky gray wool, and the second is a maroon cowl in soft fluffy wool. I am thrilled by this new hobby, and have already created a small list of items that I would enjoy wearing if he were so kind as to make them. Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s so cute when he does something like this.He gets a really concentrate-y look on his face, and he will rip something out and re-do it three times to make sure it’s to his specifications. It’s worked out well so far.

So, if anyone is in the market for a new scarf or hat, Jesse is working through projects like wildfire and needs some commissions. You can find him on Ravelry here. If you need a new quilt (and would like it in the next 10 years) you’re out of luck. Make it yourself. And not by hand.