Bus Drama and Embroidery Exhibition

 It was another  big day out yesterday, when I boarded the "free for seniors bus" and traveled to Palmerston North. The weather was a nice sunny winter's day, and I hopped aboard with about a dozen others.  I noticed that most of the other passengers were all wearing winter jackets, I had decided not to as I would be spending most of my time indoors.  But I did wonder if I had made the right decision - Palmerston North is well known for it's wind, but I didn't really want to be lugging a coat about with me all day, if the weather stayed as mild as I hoped it would be.  

On our way

The bus ride took us through plenty of farmland, and after a while we could hear an alarm buzzing intermittently, mmm, I wondered what that's all about?  Then the alarm was going non stop, and the bus driver started looking for somewhere safe to pull over.  He really didn't want to drive the bus anymore, so put a call through to the supervisor.  A replacement bus for the passengers another driver and a mechanic were on their way, and we all sat tight for half an hour while we waited.  Then at last a new bus and a car pulled up behind us, we could finally get on our way again.

On our way -  again

The remainder of the trip was drama free and we all went our separate ways at the bus depot.  My first port of call was to a nearby cafe, to have a coffee and relax.  I don't remember being on a bus breakdown before.  Robin certainly had, he spent several years as a bus driver after being made redundant from his corporate job, driving in Wellington, Wairarapa and the Hutt Valley, and often came home with interesting tales to tell.  Like the time he ran over a metal tool left behind by the roading crew which pierced the fuel tank, and the diesel flowed all over the road!

I was making this trip to Palmy especially to see an embroidery exhibition I had read about.  "Threads of Connection", a national exhibition by the Association of NZ Embroiderers Guilds was showing at Square Edge Arts Centre during the month of July.

This is the place

It certainly was very interesting, comprising of three sections.  Stitched Art, both modern and traditional, created by members, Challenge entries, and works by young embroiders 18 years and younger.  I certainly don't consider myself a "proper embroider" as I only do very simple stitcheries, so it was nice to see these beautiful works of art up close.  Let me show you what took my fancy.

First glimpse of the entries

I enjoyed looking at the entries in Te Wero Tuia - The Stitch Challenge.  Embroiders had the choice of depicting the given rose design exactly, in whatever technique or colours they chose.  Or - be creative, using the design as a starting point, and creating their own work.

This rose in red

And this one in gold

I liked this creative one, with stitched borders

There was such a variety in the Stitched Art section.  This one was lovely, showing the flora and fauna in the life of an "English Kiwi", with the beauty of butterflies, birds,  plants, and flags  from both countries.  

Two halves of a whole

And what is more Kiwi than a Kowhai tree in bloom

"I stitch, therefore I am",  we can all relate to that

How about a pair of embroidered boots?

There was a local club member, Robyn,  on duty so I stopped and chatted for a wee while.  I told her I do quilting, and  that the only embroidery I do is with the thicker number 5 Perle thread.  Look at this, she said, showing me what she was working on.  Robyn had found a length of damask type fabric in the  Op Shop, and she was embroidering over the design.  How clever, I would never have thought of that.

Robyn and her embroidery project

I really enjoyed the exhibition, admiring all that gorgeous tiny stitching.  And entry was free, so that was certainly a bonus.  From there I went and had some lunch, then pottered around the shops till it was time to board the bus.  And you wouldn't believe it, there was drama on  the homeward journey too.  A very large young man got the bus, and part way through the journey, the driver braked heavily, and the young man fell on the floor!  Not only that, but his seat was  twisted from the fittings and completely broken! He wasn't hurt, but I wondered if he had not been sitting straight, grabbed the seat, and wrenched it off when he started slipping off?