My Personal Cruise Excursion

Our Rhine River cruise began in Amsterdam and ended in Basel, Switzerland.  8 of us spent 3 days in Amsterdam prior to leaving on the cruise and had a fabulous time playing tourist - sightseeing, eating, and just having fun.  Most of our sightseeing was done as a group, but Peter and I made 1 side trip of our own.  We went to Den Haan & Wagenmakers - a quilt store renowned for its Dutch reproduction fabrics, that is owned by Petra Prins and her best friend Nel Kooiman.  Petra also owns Petra Prins Patchwork Quilting in Zutphen, Netherlands, but unfortunately we couldn't visit there (maybe next time!).

Our visit was wonderful.  We were greeted by Elsbeth, who I believe manages the store.  I had such a great time talking with her and just browsing around the shop as I made my selections.  Petra and Nel have been designing 17th and 18th Century reproduction Dutch Chintz fabrics for Dutch Heritage and I just had to bring some home for Paula and I.  Fortunately I had planned ahead and brought a small duffel bag that I could carry on the plane(actually Peter had to carry it on - it was a little heavy), so my purchases were limited by the bag size and what Peter was willing to carry through the airports!  Thank heavens they will be at International Quilt Festival in the Fall with their newest collection.  I see fabric in my future!!

Elsbeth at the counter with the poster for Hampton Ridge

Browsing our new Spring Market catalog (sorry it's blurry)

One of the first quilts I saw as we entered the store was Hampton Ridge.  They participated in our Block of the Month and I shared a sneak peek of the new BOM with Elsbeth.

Here's just a sample of the beautiful quilts and fabrics in the shop.  I can't wait until I can get a chance to sew with this fabric!  The quilts they had featuring this fabric were gorgeous.  And if seeing all of this beautiful fabric isn't enough, you have to remember that it is in a building that is probably a couple hundred years old!!

I did manage to fine tune my selections and I brought home some for both Paula and I. Deciding was really hard.  When we first arrived, Peter looked around a little and then decided he would go browse the area ( I think he wanted to go taste some Dutch beer), so he asked if he should come back in about 15 minutes.  I managed to stop laughing and suggested an hour would be better!

My pile of goodies - Paula has a similar pile waiting for her visit in July!

If you plan to travel to Amsterdam in the near future, be sure to add this to your list of must visits and bring an extra suitcase so you can get your purchases home!!.

Until next time,happy quilting,
Mary Ellen