Welcome to tales of my stitching life, home, family and friends.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Now I’m back home……..

It’s only been a few days, but it’s certainly great to be back home again.  To sleep in our own bed, have more room to move around instead of just a caravan sized dwelling, and to be able to have my own washing machine again without sharing!  And as I said in the comment section of my last blog post – thanks for all for the comments and good wishes, and I’m pleased that so many of you came along for the ride with us on our trip.  The South Island of New Zealand has stunning scenery, and of course, we who reside here are well aware of what a beautiful country we live in.  And it’s always good to catch a glimpse of Kapiti Island on the drive up the coast on the way back home.

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Kapiti Island in the distance

After all that hot summer weather we have been enjoying, the clock has now ticked around to Autumn.  So down came my Christmas quilt which has been hanging up in the lounge since December – to be  replaced with my Autumn toned Baskets of Blessings wall-hanging.  To be honest though, we don’t see a whole autumn colour here in New Zealand.  Our native trees are evergreens, and it is the “exotics” (from the Northern Hemisphere) planted in home gardens and parks  which change colour and drop their leaves.

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Baskets of Blessings

So what else have I been doing this week?  Some secret sewing, that’s what.  Although, as a secret, I can’t really show much until it is gifted in a couple of weeks.  We arrived home to find an unexpected Big Birthday  invitation so my mind went into overdrive thinking about a gift.  Here is a tiny sneak peek.

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Secret sewing has been happening

I’ve been playing around with my New Zealand themed fabric holiday memory patches and have them all laid out on the floor in my sewing room.  As “something I prepared earlier”, I took a whole lot of these away, and each evening I would mark where we were staying, and places we had visited.  Not sure if it will become a wall-hanging or maybe a table cloth yet, but it’s always fun to look back and reminisce.

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Holiday blocks

And lastly, I’ve done a tiny bit more hand quilting on my “Winter Quilt Festival” panel, stitching around the snow people. 

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And a little hand quilting

So that's been my week so far.  Dare I say that we are off on another caravan trip on Friday – just a short weekend away with our caravan club buddies.  And….. we have to sneak away from the rally weekend for several hours to attend a Family Reunion!  So it’s all go, again.

6 comments:

Janice said...

It’s nice to have a shift in the seasons. We are noticing a change in the weather and some leaves are starting to change. I love how you have seasonal wall hangings. Will you have your latest one finished before winter arrives? There’s never a dull moment in your life, being off again when you have no sooner got home. Lots of fun. Good luck with your secret stitching.

Tired Teacher said...

Oooh, your secret project looks interesting. Stitching on net must be difficult - a labor of love for sure. Love the holiday patches with the added notes - a wonderful way to keep a travel diary.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I always find that I get used to home so quickly when we have been gone a couple months. I love the travel but I always love to be home too.

Nancy J said...

Secret sewing looks delicate and intricate. We are off northwards today, as far as Oamaru. Then probably cross over at Arthur's Pass and travel up to Westport, Nelson, Renwick, and Picton, over several days. Crossing booked for Wednesday 14th!!!Calm seas are also ordered. Kapiti looks wonderful, enjoy your weekend away.

Raewyn said...

Home Sweet Home! It's definiteley feeling more autumnal up here as well...and comfortable temperatures now too! I love the idea of your travel quilt...having it prepped before you went was a great idea. I look forward to seeing how it all made up. Your secret sewing project looks intriguing!

Karen S said...

As much as i love travelling, I do enjoy my own bed.
Lovely idea with your NZ themed fabrics. great to work on.
I think your secret sewing looks lovely. very fine work.