Mormeltje, Baltimore and Something New

Thank you all for your comments this past year. The oliebollen were very nice, and if I don't forget, I shall give you the recipe, as several of you asked.
Else said "Zie ik daar een leuk poppetje?" Yes, that is Mormeltje. Here she is again, with a more close-up picture of the eyes-fabrics.

Mormeltje is guarding them for me now, and I have to ask her permission to use them..!!
I knitted her when I was 13, from a pattern in one of my mother's magazines, the "Princess" I think.
I also knitted a change of clothes for her.

She has stayed with me all that time. That's probably why she can be trusted with the precious eyes-fabrics. She also loves lounging around on the Dear Jane quilt.

I put together the nine blocks for my first Baltimore quilt, and put the inner border around it.

And now I have started something totally different, for 'in between'. Several years ago Hetty, my Dutch cousin, said that she had bought the book "Home Sweet Home", by Barb Adams and Alma Allen. I resisted for quite a while, but gave in at last. After looking at the book for months, I finally felt that I wanted to make the houses quilt.
So I started pinning my first block,  14 Sunflower Lane, together, to see what fabrics I could use.

I have now stitched the windows, and oh, what fun! Around New Year I often feel a little bit homesick for Holland, but doing this made me feel really happy! After the Dear Jane, the blocks seem enormous!! And, the Clover bias tape maker came in the post yesterday morning. I am not really a gadget person ("I can do it myself....") but this little thing is just amazing. I should have fallen for that a long time ago!!

And here, finally is a very simple but effective recipe for Oliebollen. There are some very nice recipes, involving yeast, but these are very nice, and great for beginners. They are deep-fried, and halfway the cooking process turn themselves over, much to the amusement of children like me!
OLIEBOLLEN
500 g self-raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
4.5 dl milk
2 eggs
225 g raisins and currants
optional: 2 apples peeled and cut in small pieces.
Just mix everything, use two large dessertspoons, and drop them in the hot oil. Once they turn themselves over, you know what colour the other side should be. Perfection comes with experience and practice.
They are yummy when they are still warm, with icing sugar shaken over them.
I wish you all a very wonderful New Year!
Jane