Friday Night was Remnants Night

The monthly Remnants Night came around again, and I had a couple of choices to make.  What to work on?  I had a bit of unpicking to do, and then decided to start on a new stitchery project.  So all the bits and pieces required for the night were packed away in a big bag, including the unpicker.  And what to take for our shared meal?  Mmmm, I’d been wanting to try a new (to me) recipe I’d got from my daughter – bread cases filled with creamed corn and bacon. The savouries smelt wonderful when they were cooking, and after Robin and I had sampled one each at home to give them the taste test, I packed up the remainder to take with me, together with a container of home made chocolate slice biscuits.  Then I was ready for a night of companionship and sewing with the other Remnant ladies.  The evening was spent machining, hand sewing, slicing and dicing, unpicking, and advice offered here and there.  Just the usual type of thing, wouldn’t you say?

Debi spent the evening working on her hexagon quilt – it is not quite big enough yet, she told us.  The colours are so “her”, you can see how the colours tone in so nicely with her woollen cardigan. 

Debi stitching her hexagon quilt

Janneke does a lot of sewing for the Ronald McDonald House and her task for the evening was slicing her four patch blocks and stitching them into split four patches.   Just a few simple slices and what a difference it makes to the blocks.

From 4 patch to split four patches

New member Ute brought her daughter Katarina along who spent the night sewing herself a trendy pencil case for school.  Ute showed us her pretty cream and terracotta quilt.  The top is now finished and she spent the evening cutting up pieces for the wonderful pieced border she is stitching.  There will be a lot of sewing to get the border done, and we look forward to seeing the completed quilt in the future.

Ute and her quilt top

And Wendy was finishing up a pretty little baby cardigan for a workmate.  The lucky prospective Mum will be getting a gift basket, and this will be one of many delights inside.  So sweet, and soft and cuddly, just right for a little one.

Wendy’s baby knitting

This black, grey and yellow star quilt of Kathy's was rather striking, I thought.  Kathy started machine quilting this beauty, but it didn’t all go to plan.  Why, she wanted to know, were all those tangles on the back?  There was nothing for it but to start unpicking the problem area and start again. 

Kathy’s star quilt

I was unpicking too, but I’d planned it as I wasn’t happy with the machining I had done at home.  With that task out of the way, I started on my new long term stitchery project, Christmas ABC.  My first block is “A is for Angel.”

My new stitchery, A is for Angel

The evening passed pleasantly, and we were fortified with various cups of coffee and chocolate marshmallows to nibble on, thanks, Kathy. Although the numbers were down a little this month, it was still nice to meet up with those who came.  Thanks ladies, for your company.

Something I Prepared Earlier

As the TV Chefs say – this is something I prepared earlier – all ready for when the birthday quilt comes back from Paula, the commercial quilter.  The long length of green binding had been prepared a few days ago – just hope I made it long enough.  Then I utilised a spare leaf block and turned it into a label for the back of the quilt.  With some green leafy veins stitched on, and a binding around the edge, now I just need to write the details onto the label.  Or perhaps I’ll embroider them, I’m not quite sure yet.

Quilt label and binding ready for action

We have had some rather chilly days here lately, clear and cold.  To help the birds out I’ve been offering them an assortment of fruit lately.  The pretty little native wax-eyes have made short work of several feijoas and even enjoyed a squashy mandarin or two.  Today I put an apple out for them on the feeder – after peeling it first before skewering it through the core onto the spike.  According to the birds, that was just as acceptable as the previous offerings.  I must make up some Bird Pudding too, a mixture of fat and seeds, they really enjoy that too.  I love to watch the birds feeding, and I’m sure I get just as much pleasure feeding them as they get eating whatever is on the daily menue.

Two wax-eyes either side of the apple

Next stage for the Birthday Quilt

My daughter’s birthday quilt is on the next stage of it’s journey – it has been sent away to get commercially quilted.  Being a queen sized quilt, it is much too big for me to contemplate doing at home.  Paula from Rabbits Patch Quilting will be doing the honours, and we have spoken about what quilting designs I would like.  Can’t wait to see it returned in a few weeks time – quilts really come alive when they are quilted, I feel.  Meanwhile, I have prepared yards of green binding so I will be ready to stitch that on, once the birthday quilt is back in my hot little hands again.

It is just as well that we had planned for a weekend at home and not to go away camping.  The weather is atrocious and the incessant rain had led to  flooding,  slips, road closures, with people evacuated from their homes.  At the moment we cannot drive south as SH1 is closed between Otaki and Levin and the heavy rain warnings for the northern Tararuas and Horowhenua will only add to the flooding.  It is a good weekend to stay home, safe, warm and dry, and to count our blessings.

On such a miserable day as this, there was nothing for it but to do a little comfort cooking.  Cold weather always means “soup” to me, and I had a new recipe tucked away which I wanted to try – cauliflower and blue cheese soup, flavoured with a touch of thyme.   Mmm, it did smell nice while it was simmering away.  Robin got the job of using the hand held stick wand to make it all nice and smooth before I added the crumbled blue cheese to the pot.  I can’t be trusted with the wand as I have been known to lift it out of the pot without turning it off – you can imagine the mess that makes!

Robin using the wand in my soup

Served with a swirl of cream and a little chopped parsley, it was a delicious and warming lunch.  At least I thought so, it wasn’t Robin’s favourite soup, he told me.  But he is very easy going, and ate his up, and will probably get some more tomorrow.  His favourite home made soup is pumpkin, he told me, but I like to ring the changes now and again.

.Cauliflower, potatoe, and blue cheese soup

The cooking urge hadn’t dissipated so after lunch I decided to prepare a golden syrup steamed pudding, just because it was still raining hard.  It slowly bubbled away, and I have to admit it certainly was delicious.  What could be better comfort food on a cold, wet, miserable day than a big pot of home made soup, and a lovely stodgy steamed pudding.  No wonder I didn’t get any stitching done today – perhaps tomorrow?

  And for dessert tonight – golden syrup steamed pudding

Quilt Borders

My goodness, putting borders on quilts is a slow job!  First I had to decide exactly what I wanted, so I took the quilt top down to my local quilt shop, Krazy Cow, located in the old Levin Railway Station building.  I had an idea I wanted a dark green narrow border to frame the design, and soon found a fabric which looked good.  But what next?  I looked around the shelves, pulling out batiks and smudgy fabrics but nothing seemed right.  Shop owner Trish was very helpful, bringing all sorts of fabrics over, and then she decided to go in another direction and brought over a floral on a cream background.  Not what I was thinking of at all, but I must admit, it certainly tied all the pinks and greens in.  Sometimes it helps to have another pair of eyes! 

Taking my border fabrics home they were washed and ironed that day.  The next day I was kept busy measuring, cutting, pinning (I’m a great pinner, not taking any chances of the fabric slipping), stitching and pressing. 

 

I like to use plenty of pins

Both borders finally on

I had a few spare blocks over so incorporated them into the extra wide backing fabric I had purchased, making sure that the backing was a little bigger all around than the quilt top.  There was one last job to do, and that was to look over the quilt top and snip off any stray threads – there were plenty of those.  There, all done – now I can send the top and backing away to get commercially quilted. 

Stitching away on the Birthday Quilt

I’ve been busy finding time to stitch away on my daughter’s birthday quilt, sitting at the machine for long hours.  The extra leaf appliqué blocks have been cut out, fused, and machine appliquéd.  You may remember that  I miscalculated previously so had to get cracking and make some more.  Luckily there was enough remaining green fabrics to trace a few more leaf shapes from, but I’m running low now.   

Last few appliqué blocks

With the remaining leaf blocks stitched, I then laid everything on our bed and you know how it goes, changed this block with that one until I was happy with the arrangement.  The next step was to sew the blocks together in rows.

Another row under construction

What to use as leaders and enders while I stitch all the blocks together?  Then I had a brain wave – I know, I’ll stitch together some sashing for yet another UFO.  That worked well, and now the lengths of sashing are all done for when I finally get around to piecing this particular quilt together.  It’s a bit like two for the price of one.  I’m quite pleased with the progress I’m making on my daughter’s quilt.  Next step will be to add the borders.

Sashing strips used as leaders and enders

As well as all this stitching, I recently made another batch of soup.  Roasted pumpkin,  kumara and onion, with added chunky bacon pieces and a touch of curry.  So delicious, thick and wholesome, and served with a swirl of cream and chopped parsley. Roasting the vegetables certainly adds to the flavour - I do love home made soup for lunch!

Roasted pumpkin and kumara soup

Town and Country Quilters June Club Night

It was a dark and dismal night for our meeting, but then, it is winter after all.  Once the heaters were turned on, the hall soon warmed up.  Club announcements were made, the raffles were drawn (no, not me yet again), and then the ever popular Show and Tell took place.  Lois told us the story of her soft and pretty embroidered baby quilt.  She took the blocks along to embroider during a trip with her family to Europe several years ago.  With a new grand-child on the way, these blocks are now assembled into a baby quilt, and the new parents will no doubt remember seeing them being stitched while everyone enjoyed their overseas holiday.

Embroidered baby quilt

Dianne had brought along a baby quilt too, this one in shades of autumn tones with a blue border.

Dianne’s baby quilt

We were all most impressed with Avon’s lovely tote bag.  It was made from a pair of “sewing room” panels and very heavily embellished with beads, buttons and threads.  It was well worth a closer look and we all admired all the detail.  I know I had a couple of these panels tucked away somewhere – wonder where I put them?  

Avon’s tote bag

Our speaker for the evening was Jo Kirk, who opened up the local quilt shop Krazy Cow some years ago.  Jo was a very entertaining speaker, and told us about her quilting journey. She loves her weekly get-togethers with her quilting group, and by the sound of it, they get up to all sorts of adventures together.   Like most of us, her taste and style has changed over the years – she enjoyed using her own hand dyed fabric and had several colourful versions of her work to show us.  Panels featuring wild animals were also a favourite for a while, and she has also designed and made some lovely quilts with a New Zealand flavour.  Knitting is also an enjoyable past-time, and I loved the cute little kiddies ponchos she brought along to show us.

Jo’s knitted ponchos and one of her New Zealand quilts

Neutrals seem to be a favourite colour way these days, and Jo had several quilts to show using these colours.

Cats and flowers

Scarecrow quilt

Supper followed, time for a chat and catch up, and another very interesting club night came to an end. 

Birthdays Galore today at the Sew Wots Get-together

June was a bumper birthday month for the Sew Wot ladies, and three were celebrated in style today.   Birthdays in the group are generally marked with a card and a small gift, and once the ladies were settled down, there were little wrapped gifts going in all directions.  Pam not only received gifts aplenty, but also a lovely chrysanthemum plant.

Happy Birthday to Pam

Mary and Helen were the other birthday girls, and amongst the three of them they received lovely cards, fabric, coffee mugs packed full of chocolate, some pretty bathroom smellies, and even more fabric.  They were excited opening the gifts up, and we were excited to see what was inside!

Carol admiring Helen’s pretty hand towel

Of course, there was some lovely Show and Tell as well.  Mary had recently been to a class by Camilla Watson and showed us  her embroidery based on a family photo of her grand-mother.  What a lovely idea, and so special to stitch something like this about a family member.

Mary’s embroidery of her grand-mother

Another from Mary was this wonderful quilt with a masculine flavour.  This is a birthday gift for Mary’s brother to use in his bach, she said.  It is cosy and warm and made from flannel shirts.

Made for Mary’s brother

Heather B had a finished quilt as well to show us.  This was made for her nephew Jamie’s 21st birthday, and had lots of interesting fabrics in the mix, including some African animal prints.

21st birthday quilt

In between the friendly chatter, both Helen and Rae were busy knitting, and Carol was working on her embroidery.  Moira was busy with another of her beautiful William Morris blocks, her fourth one so far.  This is going to be great when it is finished.

Moira’s William Morris block

And Heather B was doing something wonderful with hexagons and doilies.  These pretty blocks will be stitched together to become a quilt for her daughter.  How pretty – I know it will be a long job but I’m really looking forward to seeing this one completed.

Heather’s pretty hexagon blocks

Birthday girl Pam couldn’t possibly do any hand work, she told us, she was looking after Muffy on her lap instead.  And Muffy was certainly happy with the attention, she loves to find a friendly lap to snooze on.  And as I was the hostess I didn’t do any stitching either.  But there was tea and coffee to make, and morning tea to serve, so I was kept on my toes.  It was lovely to have the Sew Wot ladies in my home this morning, and so nice to share in the fun of all those birthday surprises.  We all had a very enjoyable time together, as usual.

Pam and Muffy relaxing together

Yarn Bombed Cherry Tree at Otaki

“Yarn Bombing” is alive and well in Otaki.  This practise is believed to have originated in Texas, when knitters were trying to find a creative way to use their leftover wool and unfinished knitting projects, and has since spread worldwide. 

Local knitter Debbi Carson created the colourful yarn bombing decorating the large cherry tree in front of Riverstone Cafe, in 2014, with the blessing of cafe owner Jeanine Cornelius.  Debbie measured the tree branches, and started knitting, and before too long the branches were covered with bright colours.  The knitting features combinations of different colours and patterns, and one large branch is decked out in bright pink with the name of the cafe knitted in white.  The yarn bombed tree has created a lot of interest, with people often stopping to take photos.

Cherry tree at Riverstone Cafe, Otaki

I had been wanting to go to the cafe for ages to check out the tree, and finally we got there.  Lunch was very tasty, a Big Breakfast for him, and Pea and Ham soup for her - and very nice it was too.  Especially as we received Gold Card discount off of purchases too – we would have gone there anyway, but a discount is always welcome.  I had a good look at the cherry tree with it’s knitted coverings, and noticed a few teapots hanging up too.  I can see I’ll have to return again in the warmer months, to sit outside sipping my latte in the sunshine under the colourful cherry tree.

Otaki is a short 20km drive from home and has turned itself into one of those popular “Outlet Towns”.  People come from far and wide to visit a number of the big name brand stores which line the street.  Bendon was one of the first companies to open an outlet in Otaki, which is now one of their busiest stores in the country.   And yes, I just had to go into this intimate apparel shop and came away with some of their good quality undergarments.  Luckily the particular brand and style I like to wear was quite drastically reduced, so I stocked up at well under half price.  Robin patiently sat in the car reading a newspaper while I checked out a couple of shops.  At one of the shoe shops I found just what I was looking for to replace my winter shoes which had come to the end of their working life.  It was a very successful morning shopping – no wonder we needed a tasty lunch to finish off. 

Mustn’t Grumble

I really mustn’t grumble that I don’t have a lot of time to sit at my sewing machine.  Why?  Because we keep going away for trips in the caravan!  We were away for 5 nights recently and I thought I had packed some “things to do”, my knitting bag, and some hand stitching.  The knitting was a non event, and when I went to do some stitching, soon found that I had left most of it behind at home.  So that didn’t happen either.

As it was Queen’s Birthday Weekend in our part of the world, our caravan club members celebrated with a dress up extravaganza while we partook of High Tea.  And what a lot of very well dressed ladies we were, even if I do say so myself.  Everyone made a special effort of dressing correctly for this auspicious occasion, with many sparkly tiaras and crowns making an appearance.  Not to mention the fox fur, strands of pearls, long white gloves, fluffy feather boas, bow ties, and a top hat or two.

Bevy of beauties in blue

Some set their tables with fancy table clothes, silver tea pot and dainty china cups.  And as for the High Tea offerings, we had everything from cucumber sandwiches, cakes and slices, and lovely squishy chocolate éclairs.  All very yummy indeed.

High Tea is served

Now we are home again and we have unpacked and cleaned the caravan, and caught up with the laundry, hopefully I will get some stitching time in soon.