Onwards from Tilburg to the beautiful town of Deventer. I have been to Deventer once before and I am pleased to report that it is just as pretty as I remember :)
I love the roof lines on the old Dutch buildings, and also their use of stripes in the brickwork! I saw some wonderful examples of this in Amsterdam, but that post will have to wait until I get home - I forgot my camera cord and had to borrow one to do this post :)
The shop 100 Rozen is in the old town of Deventer, where the town first began. The streets are paved with cobblestones and the little alleyways are filled with bookshops and antique stores.
It really is just so charming and quaint, like stepping back in time. Once a year they have a Charles Dickens Festival in Deventer, where all the towns people dress in period costume for a week and the whole town looks as though the clock really has wound back. I would LOVE to see it! Maybe next time. It's scenes like this that have my imagination racing for people wearing cloaks and horse drawn carriges.
SO beautiful.
Here is 100 Rozen, which means as it sounds, 100 Roses! When the owner, Jeltje, opened her shop 3 years ago, she decided she would try to have 100 fabrics with her favourite flower on them, and that's how she named the shop! She has recently moved into a new and larger shop next door, and here it is.
The space is lovely and bright and white, and a friendly place to have a class.
Jeltje had seen a quilt I made for the Dollies Online program last year called Star, Flower, Heart (which has started for 2011 - quick, go and sign up!) and so she made her own version for 100 Rozen - complete with a rose in the centre! She asked for me to teach her 100 Rozen version for the class. Here is my original (you can still buy this pattern here):
and here is Jeltje's quilt.
We had options of green or blue kits, and after everyone had picked they got to work very quickly!
Thank you to all the ladies who came to class, I had such a nice time meeting and chatting with you all. Here is our class picture, although a few had left already so we are short some :)
That is Jeltje in the front holding the sign!
After the class was done and we had some show and tell, I went for a small walk back through the town to my hotel. There was the weekly market being held in the centre of town, with stalls full of tulips, fruit and vegetables, meats, clothes, toys...
And of course, cheese!
For dinner that night, Jeltje and her family put on a little party for me at her house above the shop. Her husband Henk and her son Roel were the Masterchefs, and they did an amazing job! The food was wonderful and the company was too. Thank you so very much to Jeltje and all her family and volunteers for making me feel so much at home in Deventer. I wont forget my stay!
PS. Because I don't have my camera cord I will have to wait to blog about the rest of my journey until I get home on Friday - but if you want to read about my trip to Birdblocks in Amsterdam you can look here where I have guest blogged!
PPS. Thank you SO incredibly to everyone who has bought raffle tickets for Queensland Flood Relief - the raffle is still open, please scroll down for the post.
Aieeeeeeeee! Sorry, I'll calm down. What a beautiful city! Very, very excited to see your photos. What beautiful shops you've visited with all those clever stitchers. Off to read your guest blog and live vicariously.
Posted by: amy | Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 10:56 PM
That is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing all those photos with us. I'd love to visit there someday. Enjoy!
Posted by: Sandi | Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 12:15 AM
I would absolutely LOVE to go to the Dickens festival there. I just love old places... *sigh*
Posted by: Erica K | Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 05:48 AM
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Posted by: Mens Nike Shox Sale | Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Hey wat leuk dat je in Nederland bent!! Je hebt het goed naar je zin volgens mij. Geniet er met volle teugen van.
Groetjes van Els
Posted by: Els | Friday, January 28, 2011 at 02:17 AM
LOVING reading your travel entires, sistahfriend. The photos make me almost weep I went to be there so badly.
Posted by: happy zombie | Monday, January 31, 2011 at 06:56 AM
Impressive blog! -Arron
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Posted by: beijing opera night show | Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 01:44 AM
We have the same architectural taste, Sarah. I also like the roof lines on top of old Dutch buildings, as well as their unique architectural structure. Well this is a reflection of the artistic culture of Dutch people. They are highly creative people. Visiting their country is a good artistic journey.
Posted by: Eugene Caul | Saturday, September 08, 2012 at 07:05 AM