Dutch Treat blocks travel to The Netherlands

I still have plenty of details to share soon about my special trip to The Netherlands.
Because I truly believe every quilt tells a story, this post is about my "Dutch Treat" journey and the impact this quilt had on my trip.

More than 4 years ago I started my Dutch Treat quilt journey.
I had Mary Kucera Roberts LeClerc to thank for that. I purchased the book 12 years ago, but after sitting on a shelf for nearly 8 years, it was Mary that convinced me to dust it off and "crack the binding open". A prolific quilter with a generous spirit - she encouraged me to take on this monumental quilt project.

And so my journey began. As I worked on my blocks over the years, I reflected on the "someday" dreams of visiting Holland in the Spring.

Well this dream came true and off I flew to The Netherlands with 8 quilting friends and 7 blocks from my large pile of completed Dutch Treats.
And here is where the journey took us...

To one of the worlds largest Gardens - The Keukenhof

To the Zaanse Schans Windmills where we braved the wind and rain to see such Beauty.

To Marken to visit a Wooden Shoe factory:

The Shoe Maker was such a good sport (notice his tie holder)

Delft Blue Porcelain & my Salt & Pepper block

A trip to the Van Gogh Museum. Drats, no pictures allowed of the paintings so my block is posing just below one of Van Gogh's vase of flowers paintings.

A visit to the home of Dutch Quilter & blogging Friend Yvonne van Rijn.
(read more about our wonderful visit in my next post)

I was excited when my friend Laurie and I came across these large Dutch Rabbits!

Although this isn't a block from the book, I wanted to have a rabbit block in my quilt. As soon as we arrived, I drew up this block an began stitching it. And here is a fun coincidence - One of the quilting friends we met thru Yvonne is Bernadet. Her husband's family last name translates in English to "Hare" or rabbit. I just had to take a picture of Bernadet with my rabbit block, it was meant to be.

We discovered a Chocolate shop in Amersfoort called Sweet Sisters. The perfect place for our final Block picture. We are all members of a very charitable group of quilting friends called the Hearts & Hands Club.

I hope you enjoyed this little Block Show.
This experience has added a special path to my quilt journey and will allow me to enjoy many fond memories of the places and people I fell into step with along the way.

every quilt tells a story...