Teddy Bear Cushions

 I've been slowly hand quilting these three panels of teddy bears sitting around enjoying watermelon in the sunshine.  This fabric panel was looking for a good home at one of our Sew Wot meetings so I took it home.  The quilting had already been started so I worked on it off and on, a little time here and there when the mood struck me.  The idea was to finish the quilting then make three cushions for donation.

Three teddy bear panels quilted

Planning ahead, I had three cushion inners ready and waiting for this project.  A quick look through my stash to see what to use for the cushion fabric - plan A was discarded as there wasn't enough fabric in the piece I was considering.  Plan B was some left over backing fabric from an earlier project.  So I measured, cut and stitched till the cushions were done.

Three teddy cushions

I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, and should make some little girls happy, I hope.  I met up with Fleur for coffee last week, she is the co-ordinator of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in this area.  Together with the cushions I handed over some pencil pouches with coloured pencils, a couple of bags of marbles, and some toiletries for her to pass on to the children.  With Christmas fast approaching, she was very grateful for these small gifts to pass on to the children.  

Finishing up the pencil pouches

And talking about Christmas, I think it's time to get a few Christmas quilts out for display.  One day this week, hopefully.  

Chookshed Challenge for July

 It's been a bit of a rush, but I'm pleased to say that I've finished my Chookshed Challenge this month.  Number 10 was chosen for July, which was my jungle panel quilt.  This panel was donated to me from my elderly neighbour's stash when she went into a rest home.  I received a lot of children's fabrics, and I'm slowly working my way through them, although there are plenty more tucked away.  There was no piecing involved with using this panel, so it was just a matter of smoothing the layers out and pinning them together.  I took advantage of a glorious sunny but cool winter's day and pinned it up on the patio table outside.  It's hard to believe that the weather would be nice enough for me to enjoy sitting outside at this time of the year.

Pinning the layers together

How to machine quilt this panel I wondered?  I had though of outlining all the animals, trees and flowers but......  In the end I stitched gentle curves across the quilt, then straight lines around the borders.

Easy quilting lines

A scrappy green binding was next, using some left over strips from my secret sewing project, stitching the binding on the front by machine, and hand stitching it down on the back.  I do so enjoy this final part.  I spent another sunny afternoon stitching away on this outside on the patio.

Binding time

This little baby quilt didn't take me too long at all to complete.  And it was practically free.  The panel was donated, and I got a part roll of the apricot backing fabric at no cost when a local company was closing down.  This is the last piece, I had used some previously, and given most of it to my daughter.  There was "frankenbatting" in the middle, when I had several strips that I stitched together.  Quite a  bargain really.

Baby animals jungle quilt

The weather has reverted back to winter, and it's cold, wet and miserable today.  The heat pump is keeping us warm, and Gemma is relaxing on top of the donation quilts, folded on the coffee table.

These look soft and cuddly, Gemma is thinking

The donation quilts were ready and waiting to be shown to the Sew Wot ladies yesterday, but unfortunately I got sick and couldn't host the get together.  Many thanks to Mary for taking over at short notice.  Goodness knows what laid me low, but I feel much better today, thank goodness.

A Knitting Finish

 Just to show that I do knit other things than socks, I have finally finished the little cream toddler toddler jumper.   This was started many years ago  by my friend Eileen for her grand daughter.  The girl is growing up fast so I suggested to Eileen that she pass the knitting over to me - I can finish it and donate it to somewhere worthwhile.  There was only about six inches done on the back, and because our tensions could well be different, I unraveled it to start over again.

This is what I received from Eileen

I've been working slowly away on this project over the last 6 months or so, knitting a little here and a little there, in between other things.  The design has a pattern on the front and back shoulders and I wasn't too sure how complicated that would be.  It wasn't too bad at all, I just needed to concentrate and read the pattern carefully.  The sleeves were easy to knit, then the neckband and the button facings and I was all done.  This is a nice design, and I would like to knit it again, sometime in the future.

Finished at last

Gemma likes it too

There was a small amount of wool left so I cast on a hat and started knitting away.  No, that's not going to work, there's not enough left to knit a hat.  So I cast on a pair of booties instead, believe it or not, I can't remember ever knitting booties before, so this must be my first pair.  This is a nice pattern, knitted flat with a seam up the back, and a little folded over cuff.  So cute.

My first booties

These items will be donated.  I plan to knit a couple more pair of booties and pass them on to The Nest Collective, a charity which supports new mothers and their babies.  And the jumper will find a good home too.

AGM, Chocolate Cafe and Donations

 On Thursday we had the AGM for the caravan club at Paraparaumu.  Although I am no longer an active member, as a Life Member I am welcome at any functions and get togethers.  The meeting was at Club Vista and the restaurant has views over the sea.  Not much to see as the weather was very wet indeed on the drive down.  Kapiti Island was under the clouds.

View from the restaurant

We all stayed on for lunch and took over two tables in the restaurant.  The meals were very tasty, and rather large helpings indeed.  I enjoyed my Pork Belly, but struggled towards the end, there was just too much on the plate.

Enjoying our lunch

After lunch we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.  Dot and I stopped off at the local shopping mall and indulged in a cup of hot chocolate, from Butlers Chocolate Cafe, a very pleasant finish to the day.

A glass of hot chocolate each

Then today, Friday, I dropped off a couple of donation quilts to Nest Collective, a charity which looks after new babies and their families.  

Pink/grey quilt went today, plus a blue boys one I forgot to photograph

These two quilts were donated earlier but I don't think I blogged about them at the time.

Blankets for Kittens

 I've been busy knitting some blankets for kittens.  Every year the Knit World shops throughout New Zealand choose a charity for their customers to support, and provide patterns.  This year, they are supporting the SPCA, (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).  After checking it out I decided that I would like to help with this good cause.  I got the free pattern, purchased three balls of the discounted 12 ply yarn, and started knitting.

All ready to start

"At SPCA, we always need heaps of knitted blankets for our cats and kittens.  Each cat and kitten receives their very own little blanket and will take it home once they are adopted to help with the transition.  If you love knitting, this is a super fun and helpful way to help the animals in need".  

And yes, I did have fun knitting these little blankets.  They made nice easy knitting while watching TV in the evenings, no thinking required.  I'll be dropping them off at the local Knit World shop, where they will be distributed.

Three kitten blankets done

Chookshed Challenge, Wheels on the Bus

The Wheels on the Bus, my Chookshed Challenge for January, is done.  Number 6 was chosen for January, and it was tucked away in this plastic crate, numbered and ready to go.  My number 6 was a rescued duvet cover featuring transportation and I thought it would make a great donation quilt for a boy.

Challenges for the year, all numbered and waiting their turn

The cover needed a red border, I decided.  Once that was done it was all ready for pinning the layers together.  This was achieved one sunny afternoon sitting at the patio table outside in the fresh air.

Time for pinning

I decided to quilt this in a grid, using my favourite Serpentine stitch, using a variegated red, blue and white thread.  Gemma decided this was a great place to curl up and have a snooze when I had finished for the afternoon.

"I'm so comfy".

Our weather has been wonderful, just a little too hot some days, so I decided to sit outside and stitch  down the quilt binding.  It was much too hot on the patio so I took a chair to the back of the house and sat in the shade to do my stitching.  Gemma came too, and her way of beating the heat was to hunker down in the rhubarb patch.  

Binding time

Gemma in the rhubarb patch

I'm happy with how this quilt turned out.  I know I've mentioned before that I like to make sure I stitch boys donation quilts too, as I feel they sometimes miss out with all the pretty floral fabrics around.  The duvet was quite an inexpensive buy from a local Op Shop and I've already used the duvet back for the backing on an earlier donation quilt.  The last of the duvet back produced enough striped fabric to bind this quilt.

Ready for a young boy

Mid Month Chookshed Challenge

Here we are half way through the month - let's see how I'm doing on my Chookshed Challenge for January.  The number chosen was 6, Wheels on the Bus whole cloth quilt, a boy's donation quilt .  I'm making this from a rescued duvet cover I found in an Op Shop (thrift store).

Duvet Cover

The first thing I did was to stitch a red border around the edges, that was easily done.  Then find some backing and batting.  The backing I had planned to use was much too small, so I decided to use a single sized sheet I had tucked away in the linen cupboard.  It was a nice colourful yellow, so toned in with the front of the quilt.

Then it was pinned up.  I usually start this inside on the floor, then carefully carry the quilt outside to the patio table and finish up the job there.

Pinning up the quilt

I've made a start on the machine quilting, and of course Gemma likes helping too.  Her idea of helping is cuddling up  on top of the quilt when I'm finished for the day.  That's fine by me, it's always a nice soft spot for her to rest and relax.

 

Of course she is helping

The quilting is coming along quite well, so hopefully I will have it all finished and bound by the end of the month.

 

Beanies and Donations

 I've been (slowly) knitting beanies using some donated wool from a group which does knitting and sewing for those in need.  Beanies for men were needed so from the big box of wool I chose some brown and a smaller ball of cream.  This group does good work for the community but the day of the week they meet doesn't suit me so I've decided not to join them after all.  But of course I needed to pop in and return the beanies to them.  I managed to get three large and one child's beanies out of the wool I had, with just a tiny bit left over.  So I'm really pleased with that.  

Beanies for donation

I've also donated the remaining two unicorn cushions I made earlier, these are going to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, and I'm sure a couple of young girls will enjoy them.  The drop off point is a wool shop in Paraparaumu Beach, which worked out well, as we were traveling down to the area to meet friends for lunch.

These two will be finding new homes

We met our friends at Club Vista, a place we hadn't visited before.  The lovely big windows in the restaurant have a great view over the Returned Services Memorial and Kapiti Island in the background.

Club Vista and the views from the 1st floor restaurant windows

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with our friends, a great lunch, and it's always so nice to have a good catch up with old friends.

Donations, and Lunch with SLG Friends

It was time for our monthly lunch with our Super Leisure Group (SLG) friends, and Calvin had arranged for us to meet down at Porirua.  That suited us fine, as on the way I could do a donation drop off at Paraparaumu Beach, on the way to Porirua.  So I packed up some goodies for Foster Hope, and we set off bright and early.  These had been finished some time ago, and were waiting patiently to be delivered.

Three draw string bags for toiletries or pencils

Three toddlers aprons, a woolly beanie and two pencil cases with pencils

Two quilts, one for a boy with Happy blocks, and one for a girl with floral nine patches

These were handed over to the local Lotto and book shop which accepts donations for Foster Hope.

We had plenty of time to spare before our lunch date so parked up on Paraparaumu Beach for a while.  The tide was out, and empty several boat trailers attested that a  few fishermen were out to sea.  Sea gulls were busy calling and it's always nice to see Kapiti Island offshore.  Robin remarked that when he was truck driving for Toops he often used to park up on this beach during his lunch break.

Kapiti Island off shore

Then it was time to continue with our journey down to Porirua to meet our friends.  This was at a "new to us" cafe in Mitre 10 hardware store, and it certainly was busy.  Just as well that Calvin had booked a table for us.  There was a further donation at the cafe.  You may remember that I had gifted Trish's GGD Charlotte a quilt featuring pretty unicorns a while ago.  With some of the unicorn panels left over, I stitched up three unicorn cushions recently, and gave this one to Trish to pass on to Charlotte as a little extra.  

Trish with a cushion for Charlotte

As usual, we had plenty to chat about as we checked out the menu and the cabinet food.  The cafe was humming with customers.  Then it was time for the draw.  Our group originally started with 12 members, so the draw was done annually.  Sadly, with only five remaining SLG members the drawing of the months comes around much more regularly.  The name of the months we each organise our outing were pulled out of a cup, and notated, always very necessary in case we forget.  Robin's month is September, so he will have to put his thinking cap on and decide where we will meet.  In the group's early years we were all so much more actine, and went for tramps up and down hills, along beaches, and walked through fancy gardens which were open to the public.  These days with our various sore knees, backs, feet etc we just meet somewhere for lunch.

Helen, Calvin, Robin, Jenny and Trish

It's always so nice to get together and Trish had brought along some photos of our escapades from earlier years.  Goodness me, not a grey hair in sight back then!  Many thanks to Calvin for planning our day.

The following day I received an unexpected phone call from a lady thanking me for the donations, and the quilts in particular.  She is the founder of a group "Grandparents raising Grandchildren" and obviously works alongside the Foster Hope charity.  She told me she was very impressed with my thoughtful donations and told me she was going to take the two quilts to use in her own group.  I commented that I had no problem with that, and also that she was the only person ever to acknowledge my donations that I had made over the years.  She was astounded by this, and thanked me profusely, explaining what her group did, and how many grandparents end up taking care of the grandies for various reasons, usually drinking and drugs.  I'm sure like all who donate to good causes, I don't do it for thanks, but as I always leave a note inside the bags with my phone and email details, would just like to be acknowledged.  

   

Donation Drop-off, and Lunch with Friends

 Over the last several months I have been stitching away, and had accumulated a bag of donations for Foster Hope charity.  The nearest drop off point was on the way to where we were heading for lunch, so that worked out well.  I collected the bag, and we were ready to go.

Ready for the donation drop-off

So what did I have ready to donate?  A red and blue boy's strippy quilt, featuring helicopters and planes, and road construction machines.  As well as some draw string bags for the foster kids to put toiletries or pens and pencils in, beanies, and a little baby's striped jumper I had knitted.  All to be given to children in need.

Donations for Foster Hope

We were meeting our friends for lunch at the Paekakariki Hotel.  The meaning of Paekakariki is "pae" for perching and "kakariki" is a small native parrot.  The local cafe just across the road from the pub is called "The Perching Parrot".  

Paekakariki Hotel

We took some time choosing our meals - I was after soup as it was a chilly day, but no soup on the menu just yet, I was told.  Eventually, we placed our orders, and the food arrived.  I tried corn fritters for a change, and Robin enjoyed his sweet and sour pork on rice.  Having a nice meal for lunch means I don't have to cook another meal for our dinner that night.

Corn Fritters for my lunch

There was  plenty to chat about as usual, including mentioning our friend Trish who was about to embark on an overseas adventure, how exciting for her.  We certainly wished her well, and safe travels.   As we sat at the table by the window, we remarked at the railway barrier arms coming down across the road, stopping traffic as a train went by.  This happened time and time again while we were enjoying our meal, passenger trains arriving and departing regularly, and the occasional freight trains too.  This is a very busy rail line indeed.  

Enjoying our lunch

There was an interesting print of an old painting (painted in 1868) on the wall by our table,  showing the local Maori people and their waka (boats) on the beach, with Mana Island in the background.

Paekakariki Beach in the 1860s

We had a lovely time together, and then it was time to say our goodbyes and we headed home.   And no trip along the coast is complete without a stop to admire Kapiti Island, is it.  This really is my favourite island, I have to say.

Kapiti Island

Kapiti Island was the base of the warrior chief Te Rauparaha for 20 years back in the 1820s, using muskets to defeat traditionally armed local tribes.  He and his men also launched devastating attacks on the South Island tribes.  These days Kapiti Island is a bird sanctuary, however access is only available through licenced tour operators, to keep visitor numbers within acceptable limits.  We have done this trip several times in the past, and the bird life is amazingly abundant on this predator free off shore paradise.