Slow Stitching Teddy Panel, and Lunch with Friends

 I've been sitting doing some slow stitching this afternoon, on a rather dreary day.  It's grey outside, and showery.  Not that it matters, I'm nice and cozy inside, happily big quilt stitching one of my two teddy bear cushion panels.  And I've finished.  Gemma gave Teddy the once over.  I wonder if she noticed the little brown bird in the tree?  These will be made into cushions for foster kids when they are completed.

Is that a birdie?

First panel done

I enjoyed a lunch with three old friends during the week.  Robyn and I drove down from Levin, and Trish and Shirley drove up from Waikanae, we met at a cafe in Otaki.  I met these friends at a social group way back in the 70s.    We used to meet up as couples, but sadly,  one by one, the husbands passed away - in later years it was a standing joke that my Robin was "the last man standing".  So we go back a long way, and try to get together every three months or so.  

Shirley, Robyn, Jenny and Trish

Our lunches were very nice, I enjoyed some delicious chicken liver pate.  I used to make pate years ago, I told them all, cooking up the chicken livers, putting them through the blender, and smoothing the mixture out into a small ramekin with a topping.  I thought I was so clever, and keeping up with the trends back then, but I don't think I could deal with chicken livers these days.

Lunch at Reds Cafe

What's in this Bag?

It's time to move on with whatever is in this bag.  You may remember that when my great wardrobe malfunction happened some time ago, I discovered all sorts of long forgotten projects, including this bag.  And I promised myself that once my serious secret sewing was completed (5 quilts in total) I would work on this bag.  It contains two projects, string pieced blocks, and some chickens.  I'll tackle those string blocks first, I decided.

Two projects tucked away.

I wonder when I stitched these string blocks, can't remember so it was quite some time ago I guess.  I used up some tracing vilene for the base, I don't like to use paper.  Some of the blocks already had dark red and blue sashing strips attached, these strips were left over pieces from a long ago finished quilt.   Use what you have, we are told.

Blocks already made, time to add the rest of the sashings

So that's what I've been working on this week.  Sewing the strips into rows, then pressing.  Up and down, but that's good for my back between stitching sessions, so I'm not complaining.

Stitching rows together

Still stitching

Almost done, the top just needs a border - will I get it finished today?  Yes I can, in between some household chores.  There, a finished top, hanging sideways because the ground is wet.

All sorts of memories in here

It's Winter here, so time to take down my seasonal Autumn wall-hanging.  And replace it with Welcome to Winter.  I think this design, featuring a church in the snow, is for a Northern Hemisphere snowy Christmas, but I use it as my mid year Winter wall-hanging.

Welcome to Winter

Although we don't have snow on the ground in my part of the country, we have experienced quite bad weather over the last few days.  Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall over parts of the South Island.  Winds fierce enough to cancel flights, and more winds and heavy swells causing the Inter Island Ferry to be cancelled.  There's been flooding in my old home town in the Hutt Valley, and more flooding in the Wairarapa with a bridge washed away. Winter has arrived with a vengeance.  

Wet and miserable day

But tucked up at home nice and warm, knowing I don't have to go anywhere the next couple of days, and with sewing and knitting to do, I'm quite comfy, thanks.

Teddies, and a Giant Moa

 At our last Sew Wot get-together, Heather had a table of free stuff she wanted gone.  I swooped on two teddy bear cushion panels that took my fancy.  Just the thing for a couple of cushions for kids in care, I thought. These are now layered with batting, and pinned up, ready for me to do big stitch quilting around the motifs.  

Two cushion panels from Heather, ready for quilting

I've made a start of Father Teddy sitting on the window seat, reading his book.

Father Ted

I've also hand stitched a label on two secret quilts I've recently finished.  These are secret because the recipients don't know I've been making them, and they are due to be passing by, and meeting up with me shortly.  I'll be pleased to gift them at last, then all will be revealed.

Stitching on simple labels 

I met my daughter for lunch the other day at Sanson, a distance of 50km from home.  We were trying The Wool Shed Cafe, neither of had been there for quite some time.

In the grounds was a statue of a large moa.  These huge flightless birds  used to roam New Zealand and there were other smaller varieties as well.  The moas became extinct between the 14th and 15th centuries, after the Maori people arrived and settled in New Zealand.  Evolving in isolation without predators, the birds were ill adapted to human hunting, habitat burning, and introduced predators like the Polynesian dog.

Giant Moa

Our lunches were nice, the coffee was great, and as usual there was plenty of news to catch up on.  Nicky had brought me down a bag of the last of her feijoas, and a pumpkin/sweet potato pie from GD Emma, and I had some things to pass on to SIL Robert and granddaughter Megan from Robin's shed.  The day was beautiful indeed, sunny with a clear blue sky and reasonably warm for the time of year.  

Today is the shortest day of the year here in New Zealand, which of course means we have the longest night.  On the other hand, from tomorrow it will slowly but surely be counting down till Summer, so that's got to be good!

Funky Dinosaurs

 Those funky dinosaurs are having such fun, sun glasses on, headphones clamped on their ears, listening and no doubt dancing to the music.  I wonder what sort of music dinosaurs like to listen to?  Gemma decided they weren't as scary as she had thought, and cuddled up to them on the sewing machine cabinet for a while.

I had better keep an eye on these dinosaurs, just in case, she's thinking

So that is another RSC finish, I'm pleased to say.  This one is destined for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, a very worthy cause.  I like to make sure there are boys quilts included too.  Just a simple block, and I like the way the colourful zig zags march down the quilt.  I got this idea from Lou Heron's blog, thanks  for the inspiration, Lou.

Dinosaurs rule!

And just one more

You may remember that I had got some kids fabrics given to me this week.  Another friend knew I make draw string donation bags, so gave me a bag of fabric too.  I'm always so pleased to get some for boys, there are two small pieces of motorbike fabric I can use for bags, together with some rather strange animals.  Cats and horses too, these pieces  are bigger so I may be able to get blocks for a small quilt, and lastly several mid sized pieces of red.  Didn't I do well!  But I do wonder if I will ever get to the end of my draw string bag making.

Thanks Monica

Today is a cold still day, I'm tucked up nice and cozy at home doing a bit of this and that  Some stitching, a little knitting, and I had some delicious home made chicken and veggie soup for lunch.  I love winter cooking - do you as well?

Sew Wot Tuesday

Sew  Wot Tuesday had rolled around again, and we met at Heather's home this time.   Everyone could make it, so we had a full crew.  It was another chilly morning but the gas fire was going to keep us all warm and cozy.  

Heather had been having a clean out and there were goodies looking for a new home on her dining table.  I took home a couple of teddy bear cushion panels, I'll make some cushions for the foster kids with these.  Plus a length of very bright fabric which would do nicely for a small quilt backing.  The others all had a poke through to see what took their fancy, with anything remaining destined for the Op Shop.  Thanks, Heather.

How about show and tell?  Heather had a very special quilt to show us, it is the 19th anniversary of this beautiful quilt, made by two of our Sew Wot ladies, Helen and Mary,  to wish Heather well when she was undergoing her triple bypass.    A beautiful soft palette , festooned with glorious roses, and made with much love.

Hearts and Roses for Heather

Carol had been knitting away and brought in two tiny little sets to go to the Neo Natal ward.  Aren't they just so sweet.  

Carol's baby knitting

There was another treat in store from Carol - we hadn't seen any of her lovely embroidery for a while.  Just look at these beautifully embroidered Holly Hobby blocks in this special quilt.  

Of course Carol is keeping this one after all those hours of embroidery

I had brought along my latest batch of drawstring bags for foster kids, all with a touch of orange.

My latest draw string bags

Our hostess Heather excelled herself.  She had made a bag and knitted three baby beanies.  And then showed us a big pile of fleecy backed lap quilts, which will be donated to cancer patients undergoing treatment.  Heather told us she is is a mission to deal with all those scraps, we can all relate to that.

 

All made by Heather

After all that excitement, it was time for morning tea.  Yummy, the Eat-a-Lots never go hungry, do we!

Morning Tea time

I left with an extra bag of goodies to take home.  Sandra had a bag of fabric from a friend who was downsizing for me, to add to my donation stitching.  Included are several pieces of boys fabric which is great, soccer balls, All Blacks and Batman and Robin.  Plus some rather pretty Highland Cows.

Passed on from Sandra's friend

It was a wonderful morning, thanks so much Heather.  And we get to do it all again in two weeks time.

More Binding

I've been on a bit of a binding roll lately.  On Saturday I went to the monthly Stitch In day organised by my quilt club.  I always like to have some hand work ready to take along, as it is difficult these days for me to take my sewing machine along.  Binding fits the bill quite nicely.    So my dinosaur quilt came for a ride, the binding all clipped up, ready to hand stitch down.  I haven't quite finished all the machine quilting yet, but that doesn't matter, I can catch up with that at home, during the week.

Stitching black binding

It was quite a chilly day, so the heat pumps were going, we certainly needed them to warm the small hall up.  Our stitch in days are nice and friendly, although there was only a small group of us there.  One of our ladies always brings a batch of freshly baked muffins to share for morning tea.  Tea and coffee is available and we  all bring a packed lunch along.  Someone else had brought along some mandarins from their tree to share at lunch time, so that was nice.

There was plenty going on, sewing machines were whizzing along, and several quilts were pinned up.  Other  binding was being stitched as well as mine, and some pretty cream on cream embroidery happening.  It is always a nice, friendly day, with plenty of chatter going on.

Today, Sunday, is still cold, one of those cloudy still days where the sun doesn't come out and the temperature stays quite low.  Thank goodness for the heat pump to warm up my small home.  It is also the birthday of  my late friend Merilyn, who passed away last year.  We had been best friends forever, from school days.  I can remember us as two young girls, sitting on the garden swing at her house.  Growing and climbing up on the trellis behind the swing was a huge passionfruit vine, and we enjoyed eating passionfruit in season.  We chopped off the top of those wrinkly fruit eating the delicious flesh with a tea spoon each, while sitting side by side on the swing.  So delicious, like nothing I'd ever tasted before.

We always had plenty to talk about, but being young, we never ever contemplated the future, it was just the here and now for us.  We didn't know that our friendship would last forever,  that our final telephone conversation would be about our upcoming 80th birthdays, or that Merilyn would pass away suddenly just a few days later.  She died five weeks before her 80th birthday.  

Happy Birthday to Merilyn, in Heaven

RSC Finish - Baby Quilt

 It's always exciting to have a finish.  Even a small one.  I've been making easy small blocks this year in RSC colours each month, for a small baby quilt.  It all started when I decided to use up some donated strips of white fabric  printed with tiny blue flowers.  There was just enough to cut 25 five inch squares from the strips, so that was what I worked with.   Each month I added two strips of the nominated colour, starting with blue.

I stitched a few easy blocks each month

Last month I got the top completed, pinned out and started on the machine quilting.  I had a piece of white cozy fleece so used that on the back.

Pinning, then quilting

And here we are, all done.  A baby quilt, to be donated.

Nice cozy backing, using what I have

I met a friend for morning tea during the week, and we went to the Courthouse Cafe, in the old court house from years ago.  This is a very popular cafe, with plenty of customers passing through.  I had noticed an ambulance outside the building while I was finding a car park, and wondered what was wrong, maybe one of the customers had collapsed.

Courthouse Cafe

There was no problem at all, as I found out, chatting to someone I knew while waiting for my friend to arrive.  Seems the local ambos like to pop in for a morning coffee, they have a nice comfy corner where they like to sit.  If they get a call, off they go, quick smart!

I saw this interesting piece of art/craft hanging on the wall of the cafe and thought it was so unique that I would like to share it with you.  A picture frame, filled with colourful pom poms!

That's different