he "Oude Hortus" botanical garden from the Universiteits Museum Utrecht is always such a lovely and quiet place to visit in the middle of the city center.

Another one finished: block 29 is called "Cherry Blossom Petals". A more simple block, but it will bring some rest next to more exuberant blocks. All the blocks for this quilt are sewn by hand by the way. Design by Kumiko Fujita. #quiltsky

What a great and sunny afternoon, filled with love and queer joy 💖🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Today I joined some of my dearest friends as an ally at the Trans Pride Walk in Amsterdam. We started at the Waterlooplein, and after a few speeches we started walking to the Oosterpark, where the Trans Made Market was held.

Finished "Dat beloof ik" by Roxane van Iperen. The story is about 12 year old M. who's constantly on the move with her parents, who have to deal with the outside world, each other and their demons, and M.never really settles. I did finish the book, but the story didn't really do it for me. #booksky

"Three-color dumpling" (hanami dango) is block 28 for my The Shape of Japan quilt. This is a traditional Japanese sweet featuring three colorful rice flour dumplings on a skewer. The original colors are white, green and pink, but I changed it to the colors that match my other blocks 😊 #quiltsky

What a nice and modest commemoration tonight at the Domplein in Utrecht: "Liebe überwindet hass" Organised by Utrecht Queer Culture Festival, we commemorated the victims of the terrorist attack at Berlin Pride last Saturday, but we also reflected at what it does for our queer community.

Yesterday I had the pleasue of meeting my friend @quiltcarl.bsky.social again and give him a tour in my hometown Utrecht. We started the day with some coffee together with my husband, and after that I showed him our city center, and of course I gave him a private tour of my quilt expo.

Went to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam today for the exhibition "Beyond the manosphere - Masculinities today", the "Queer Gaze Tour" and some parts of the permanent collection.

Block 27 for my The Shape of Japan quilt was a relatively easy one to sew: "Bamboo". It's always fun to find a way to use the striped fabric in a block. Design by Kumiko Fujita #quiltsky

Finished reading "Erwin Olaf - Strange Beauty". This beautiful book features a lot of Erwin's photo series, and gives good information about the creation of these series. The book was published alongside his first German solo exhibition at the Kunsthalle München in 2021. #booksky

Block 26 for my The Shape of Japan quilt is "Lucky cat". It's an abstract image of a maneki neko or beckoning cat. This cat figurine is supposed to bring good luck to it's owner. Another fun design by Kumiko Fujita. #quiltsky

Visited the exhibition of my friend @realmenstitch.bsky.social full of the most beautiful quilts 😍 💫

Another milestone: 25 blocks finished, so I can show you a 5 x 5 grid of all the blocks. Latest additions are "Soba", which is a bowl with noodles and chopsticks, and "Abacus", or soroban. Haven't decided how many blocks I want to make, so my next goal is 30. Inspired by Kumiko Fujita. #quiltsky

Beautiful exhibition at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht about the figurative art by the Utrecht born artist Frans Franciscus. I was fortunate enough to see the expo this morning right after the museum opened, so I was alone most of the time. Highly recommend to go and see this one!

Block 23 for my The Shape of Japan quilt is called "Four rice balls" or onigiri, which consists of steamed rice that is pressed into a triangular, square or round shape, sometimes filled with savory filling, and wrapped with a piece of nori (dried seaweed) Thanks again Kumiko Fujita. #quiltsky

Picture this: Utrecht, July 12, 1997. Björn and I had arranged our first blind date, after writing letters to each other for a while (remember: this was last century and all pre-internet and pre-mobile phone) I had to drive for nearly an hour to get to Utrecht, so I decided to leave a bit earlier ->

The colours look a bit like classic Minnie Mouse, but they do of course fit perfectly into The Shape of Japan Quilt. This is block 22: "Throwing Star", or shuriken, which is used in martial arts. Thanks again Kumiko Fujita. #quiltsky

A fun and sunny afternoon at the Queer Market XXL at NDSM island in Amsterdam. First time the marked was outdoors, lucky the weather was cooperating 🌞

Finished 2 Dutch books this week. First one is "Vanilla" by Ype Driessen. A story about the slightly neurotic and inexperienced Jip, who goes on 12 Grindr dates after his boyfriend dumped him. Second one is "Queer Geschiedenis van Nederland", this book constructs our Dutch queer history. #booksky

Block 21 is this "Sumo Wrestler". I'm making all my blocks 20 x 20 centimeters, and this block has some intricate piecing in the head of the wrestler, but it was fun to make. Thanks again Kumiko Fujita for the book and inspiration. #quiltsky

A few weeks ago I visited the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam with a friend, to see a temporary exhibition. And today I revisited the museum with my husband, to see the rest of the museum as well. Nice to see 2 photos by Erwin Olaf plus an installation by @prinsdevos.bsky.social

A nice and interesting performance tonight about neurodiversity, queerness and fantasy and fairytales. F*cking Fairies at Pleintheater in Amsterdam.

The latest additions for my The Shape of Japan quilt are: "Karakami paper for screen doors" and "Three-storied pagoda in Koufukuji Temple", which is in Nara, also well known for it's deer population. Block design by Kumiko Fujita. #quiltsky

"T-Fags" by El Hardwick and Orion Isaacs is a beautiful photobook about trans men who reclaim the term (trans) faggotry for themselves. I backed this project on Kickstarter, and as a thank you, my name is featured in the book, plus it's autographed by both creators ❤️ #booksky

Each year, August 16th, the people in Kyoto celebrate Gozan no Okuribi. It's the culmination of the Obon Festival, and on the surrounding mountains 5 giant bonfires are lit, each representing a kanji character or a familiar shape. 1/2 #quiltsky

I finished another block for my The shape of Japan quilt. This one is called "Middle length long-sleeved kimono" and it's the first block I made without any red. But it does have the accent yellow. I love how the striped fabric creates this shape of a kimono. #quiltsky

Latest read: "The wedding people" by Alison Espach. Phoebe decided to check into a hotel to end her life after her divorce, only to find out she's the only outsider in the hotel, which is filled with wedding guests. I did finish it, but it's not my most favorite read lately. #booksky

The next block for my The Shape of Japan quilt is called "New year's spiced sake". The O-Toso sake is poured in the 3 cups and family members drink if from the top, often starting with the youngest family member. Block design by Kumiko Fujita. #quiltsky

I had a corporate Pride event today from my employer ISS Facility Services, hosted by Accenture at the Amsterdam Zuidas. An interesting panel talk between leaders from ISS, Accenture and ABN Amro about pride and inclusivity on the workfloor. Hosted by the fabulous queen Dina Price 😍💖

Our exhibitions at the Bartholomeus Gasthuis are a success obviously, because my first batch of flyers was completely gone. Time for a refill, and an opportunity to read the lovely messages in the guest book. Thanks to everyone who already attended and the people who are planning to go see it.