Today was a banner day for siggies. Not only did I get two beautiful siggies from the Netherlands, I also got two siggy centers from a dear family friend. I couldn't believe it! The two Dutch siggies are both remarkable, each in their own way. I think Cuny's siggy may be the most striking siggy that I have gotten so far. I love the pink and purple batik. She writes the clock motif is "...the picture of time. Something we all need very much to do all things we like, but also need for each other." Cuny, I could not agree with you more!
Hanny's siggy is a hand-drawn picture of a "real Dutch windmill" near her home. She sent me a picture of the actual windmill. It's really lovely; it looks like it could have posed for a Dresden plate hundreds of years ago. I should send her a picture of the Sweetwater wind farms in west Texas; they're so hi-tech and abstract that it's hard to believe the underlying technology is fundamentally the same. 
Today's mail also brought a special treat from my dear family friend, Kathi, a non-quilter in Chicago. I had sent Kathi and my family muslin squares and instructions on how to complete siggies. I offered them several levels of effort, from just signing the muslin square to making a full-blown siggy (since the latter is a lot to ask of non-quilters). Kathi told me in her note that I should be getting more siggy centers from my family since they made them as a group over the 4th of July weekend up at my family's cottage on Big Island on Chute Pond in northeastern Wisconsin.
I can see that these centers were made with found objects which just adds to their charm. (The cottage was built in the 1930's and things tend to go there and stay, if you know what I mean; still, I'm surprised there were any buttons and lace to be had on the entire island.) I'm very much afraid there were no permanent pens on the island either. Unfortunately, when I sprinkled them to get the wrinkles out, the patterns immediately started to smear. Perhaps I'll trace over the markings with Pigma pens, then dip the whole thing in white vinegar and iron it dry... maybe I better test this plan first!
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