Greetje Hein – Book #1
Historic map.
For this year I choose the book “Schokland and surroundings”. This is the most important book about the history of Schokland.
Schokland used to be an island in the Zuiderzee. Since the area in the center part of the Netherlands is reclaimed in 1939 it is officially not an island anymore. Because the level of Schokland is higher as the surroundings are, you can still see how small this island was.
Schokland is the first Dutch UNESCO heritage site of the Netherlands. This is mainly because of the many archeological treasures found after the water was pumped out of this polder. It also symbolizes the battle with and against water.
My first piece shows how the island became smaller and smaller. Almost 50% disappeared in the sea between 1789 and 1874. After that it stayed more or less the same, because a long dike was built at the west coast to protect the island.
The left part of the background is blue: water. The right part is green; it is now surrounded by land.
The outer lines are stitched free motion. The small red spots are the 3 small towns of the island.
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
A really interesting subject choice and I like the way that you have shown how the ‘island’ evolved over a century. Lovely work, well done.
Interesting and informative choice of book. The great work of recovering Dutch lands from the sea is admirable. The choice to represent the evolution of the island over time is beautiful.
Interesting choice! Such an effective way of showing us the development of Schokland over the years. Lovely use of fabrics and colors as well as beautiful lettering. Well done!
It is a very interesting subject to study and you described it very well on your quilt. Well done !
I agree with others that your choice is very interesting. Thankyou for the story that your quilts tells. I was surprised by your choice of stitching. I expected a lot of dense machine quilting but really nothing wrong with the hand stirching that you did. It really goes well with your story.
What an interesting way to show the history of the land, and a great choice of subject (I love history). The colours are very well chosen and perfectly depict the vanishing land. Stitching is beautiful yet again.
A very interesting historical story, and your choice is interestin. the performance of the three situations gives an accurate picture. The colors you chose go great together
This is both beautiful and interesting in its simplicity. The history lesson you have supplied is fascinating.
A great representation of the history of this area. I like how the minimalism in the design and in the stitching give such a clear illustration of your theme.
A great choice of motifs and colour to depict the history of the land. Your choice of a minimalistic style is powerful.
I like how you showed the progression of the island as it’s being reclaimed from the sea and becoming part of the new man made landscape. The composition gives your quilt a vintage map feel. Lovely. Well done!
I love your quilt. The colours are so beautiful and evoke so perfectly the island’s changes over the years. Great attention to detail. Beautiful!
I really like your choice for the history of Schokland. Love your composition and the simplicity of the embroidery in the sea and the land. This contrary to the immaculate and dense stitching surrounding the word Schokland. Very well done.