Tucked away in Cuba Street, Wellington, is Minerva, textile bookshop and gallery, and the home of the New Zealand Quilter magazine. Minerva was a virgin Roman Goddess of, amongst other things, weaving and crafts – the decorative arts. I am proud to be one of the foundation subscribers to our very own New Zealand Quilter magazine, and have kept every single copy. (Not so some of the other mags I buy, but this one is very special to me). Over the years I have watched it grow and go from strength to strength.
New Zealand Quilter magazine is produced quarterly. Editor Anne Scott produced the first issue in October 1992 and it had 21 pages. These days the magazine runs to 70 pages. It is chock full of articles, reviews and patterns by New Zealand designers. I even like to take a copy when we go on our caravan trips, the advertisements for out of town quilt shops are invaluable. Who knows when I might need to do a bit of fabric shopping!
Inside Minerva there are books galore for quilters, embroiders, crafters and knitters. Plus a small selection of cards, threads and giftware. The small gallery showcases exhibitions of different crafts. The quilters of New Zealand are so lucky that Anne decided to take that gamble way back in 1992 to produce our own magazine. Check it out on www.nzquilter.com
Cuba Street in Wellington is one of the quirkier parts of the city with many interesting shops and ethnic restaurants. In the middle of Cuba Mall is the colourful Bucket Fountain, made by Burren and Keen in 1969. It was designed so that water entering the top buckets suspended in a frame is tipped into those below which, in turn, would tip. Much of the water splashes over the sides of the lower buckets and thus their tipping is unpredictable as it takes time for them to fill up. Visiting children laugh when the water splashes over unwary passers-by. The Bucket Fountain is a much loved Cuba Street icon.
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