All Tied Up – Minerva Exhibition

Cuba Street was full of people out enjoying the sun, eating lunch and sipping lattes while they sat at tables outside the many cafes which lined the street.  It was the last day of the school holidays and the children shrieked as they watched the famous Bucket Fountain splash water all over the footpath.

Bucket Fountain on Cuba Street

I was off to Minerva Gallery to check out the exhibition “All Tied Up”.  Two exhibitors were showing their creations made from recycled ties.  Margherita Allan had a series of wall quilts  on show, and Jan Huthwaite  was exhibiting some wonderful handbags.  As luck would have it, Margherita was in the gallery and she was quite happy for me to photograph her amazing work.  It was wonderful to meet her and talk about her passion of working with ties. 

Stained Glass

Purple Reign – woven together

Half Way Round, and Kimono

Red Variation 

All these pieces were very beautiful and some featured yarn couching. 

All the bags made by Jan Huthwaite were well worth a close look and there was a lovely dark blue one that I could have happily taken home.  I loved the way Jan had colour co-ordinated the ties for each bag, and it was interesting to see the subtle differences between them.  The creative talent of these two women is amazing and the two exhibits together certainly compliment each other.  Ladies, this shows what can be done with all those  ties lurking in your husband’s wardrobe.  

A selection of handbags made from ties

I was lucky to make it in to the gallery just before the end of the exhibition – I am so pleased I didn’t miss it.

Martha’s Pantry

While in Minerva looking at the quilt exhibition, I asked if anyone knew where Martha’s Pantry was. It was up in Cuba Street somewhere, but I couldn’t find it. After detailed instructions (I really need them, seem to be lacking in navigation skills) I went on my way to find this delightful little shop which I had heard so much about. No wonder I never spotted it last time I was in the area, it was around a corner and behind a closed door!

Through the door to Martha’s Pantry

What a delight when I opened the door. Wonderful smells, beautiful tables, and lovely displays, just the place to stop for a snack. The shop was light and airy and the staff were very welcoming. It is a family business, I was told, with two daughters and their Mum helping out.

What to chose? Perhaps one of those lovely lemon cupcakes and a nice latte, that will do me. There were newspaper and magazines available if patrons wanted something to flick through while waiting for their order to be delivered. The tables were laid with embroidered linen clothes, protected with a glass top, and the goodies were served on fine china. A vase of spring flowers graced each table.

My table

Martha’s Pantry specialise in serving High Teas and the staff told me that the weekends are particularly busy with bookings for this service. How nice that would be, to enjoy High Tea in these lovely surroundings. This seems my kind of place! I’ll know where I’ll be lunching on my next trip to the big city. You can find them at 276 Cuba Street, Wellington.

Display of gift ware

Hoffman Exhibition

With no work for the last few days, I took the opportunity to travel into Wellington to Minerva, the home of the New Zealand Quilter magazine. The shop was hosting the annual Hoffman Challenge, organised by Needles and Threads of Geraldine. The rules state that the quilts must be no larger than one square metre, not to be square or rectangular, and must use a recognisable amount of the challenge fabric.

Minerva, Cuba Street, Wellington

Close up photography of the challenge pieces were not permitted, but I was allowed to take an overall photo of several of the quilts. Fifty-five entries were received, and twenty-two were chosen to travel around the country. My choice was “Tree Top Snack”, by Debbie Benton (not related) of Turakina. This showed the head of giraffe snacking on leaves set against a bright blue background depicting the African sky. My second choice was “Forest Floor Daisy Chain”, by Lois Templeton of Waiukau, consisting of three large interlocking circles, strung with daisy chains. This is on the right of the photo.

A view of some of the entries

The postcard shows the winning entry “Gossip”, by Margaret O’Çain of Dunedin, and shows two native ladies gossiping before heading home with their supply of water. The challenge fabric obviously suggested “Africa” to the maker.

Postcard of the winning entry

I didn’t leave the shop empty handed and came away with two books. The first was “Glimpses of New Zealand”, by Gail Lawther. Gail and her husband have enjoyed a couple of trips to New Zealand and the book is full of her wonderful photos, facts and figures, and thirty long narrow quilts inspired by her experiences. I’m sure I will get lots of ideas from this book.

My second purchase was “More Retro Aprons”, by Cindy Taylor Oates. Have to admit that I am a bit of a messy cook so I always wear an apron, and these looked so much prettier than those I already have. The patterns are multi-sized (so much more sensible than one size fits all) so I should be able to get the right sizing.

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Minerva – home of New Zealand Quilter

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!

Minerva bookshop

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.

The Bucket Fountain in Cuba Street