Secret Sewing Gifted

 I've been working on two different lots of secret sewing recently, and I'm pleased to say that one lot has now been gifted.  You may remember that I like to donate to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.  The co-ordinator, Fleur, is bringing up three grandchildren herself, one girl and two boys, and when I asked, she told me that the children didn't have their own quilts.  Oh dear, I thought, so I mentioned to her some months ago that I would like to make them one each.  Finally, I finished the last one, this was delayed with my South Island trip, and then my Bernina needed servicing, so the completion took longer than anticipated.  But last week I met Fleur for morning tea, and handed the quilts over.

All packed up and ready to go

The first one was made from some Rainbow Scrap Challenge butterfly blocks, stitched last year.  In fact, I remember making several different types of blocks featuring butterflies  over the year, and all the fabrics came from the stash of my former neighbour Dorothy.  She had a real love of butterfly fabrics, and I still have plenty left to work with.  I assembled this top back in August 2025, using purple, black, pink and cream blocks and  decided to use it for the girl in this special family.  Having this top already made and pinned up was a real bonus, I was ready to start quilting.  There is enough left of these blocks to make a similar quilt........sometime.

If they dare to flutter, I'll pounce on them!

Plenty of butterflies for a special girl

But what to make for the two boys?  Then I remembered I had purchased some boys fabric about a year ago, I just had to remember where it was.  Spiderman and bike racers - that should do fine.

What to make with these?

The dirt racing bikes should be suitable for the older boy, I thought.  I picked out the colours of the fabric and framed each block with co-ordinating solids.  And I had some leftover striped binding fabric in my basket which finished it off nicely.

Tricks on bikes

And I really hoped that Spiderman was still a favourite of the younger boy.  There was only a smaller piece of this fabric so I had to think how best to use it.  Luckily the red and black came from my stash, and I purchased extra Spiderman fabric for two of the borders.

Here comes Spiderman

I'm really pleased with how these three quilts turned out, and was more than happy to make the children a quilt each.  Fleur does a wonderful job helping these families, passing on the various quilts I had donated, so I wanted her own family to have their own.

I also gave Fleur my recently stitched drawstring bags for the foster kids.  She told me that she takes them along to the families, and the children can pick their own.  These have been another RSC project this year, I've been stitching bags with the colour of the month so far, so having the colour prompt certainly gets me motivated.   I'm trying to empty "another bag of stuff" with these bag bits in - you know what that is like, I'm sure.

Draw string  bags for the kids, for pencils, treasures, toiletries, or whatever

RSC - Just a Touch of Orange

 Orange is the colour of the month for RSC stitching, not my favourite colour by any means.  I'm not too keen on bright red either, wonder what that says about me?  I'm still working on my baby quilt and found a scrap of yellow with orangey coloured flowers - just enough for a corner block.  I was looking for something more apricot, but nothing was to be found.

That will do

I laid the blocks out on my design bed, to see what else I needed.  Yes, there were a couple of spaces that needed filling, so I stitched up some three purple blocks, and a teal for the other corner.  

On the design bed

The blocks were then webbed together and I contemplated what to use as a border.  And finally settled on a pale blue.  There, that's the top done and dusted.  Plus I made the binding, I always like to get this done early.   The next step is to get it layered and pinned.  Perhaps next week.

Finished the top

A local charity had put the call out for warm winter things recently.  I hadn't heard of this charity before, but thought I would like to donate a couple of things for local children. 

Donations needed

 You may remember the crate of knitted items I retrieved from the loft recently, full of things for future great-grandchildren?  I could pass two jumpers on, I decided.  Two boys jumpers, one about age 4-5, and the blue hooded one for a toddler.  Seems like there won't be any family babies for a while, I'm told.

Two jumpers for little boys

And I always seem to have a couple of donation quilts waiting to be passed on, so delivered these as well.   Both of these were RSC quilts finished last year.  And they both have a touch of orange too.

Off to keep some local children warm

And speaking of warm, we have been enjoying some lovely, sunny, Autumn days lately, beautiful and calm.  Not today though, it's cloudy,  cool, and getting colder.  The heat pump is on, luckily it doesn't take too long to warm things up.  Guess winter will show it's teeth here soon enough.

A Rainy Day in Summer

 I awoke to rain, rain and more rain today.  It's the middle of summer so why so much rain?  But as everyone says, it's got to be good for the farmers, and the home gardeners too.  It was raining so hard that the rain drops were running down the window, and Gemma was fascinated with the movement.  Perhaps she can catch one of these things, whatever they are.  But try as she might, those little critters, as she thought, just kept rolling down the window, oblivious to her paw batting away, trying to catch them.  

She can't catch the raindrops

I went up town to have morning tea with an old friend, and yes, it was still training hard.  When I had just parked the car, there was a knock on the window.  A lady informed me that my petrol cap was open.  Oops, I had put fuel in the car the other day and obviously had forgotten to close and lock it.  Over the last year, I have been using petrol vouchers for fuel. Robin had been given quite a few in appreciation of a voluntry  job he had done for a number of years, and for this fill I had just used the last of them.  So it will be back to paying with  the credit card from now on.  

Just used the last of the vouchers

I went inside to the cafe and awaited for my old school friend Robyn to arrive.   There was plenty to catch up on since I'd last seen her, and we enjoyed a hot coffee and something nice to eat.  Not that I needed anything to eat, and I keep reminding myself that when I'm out for coffee.  We said our goodbyes and then the next stop was the adjacent library.  What's this - quilts on display.  My club, Town and Country Quilters, had a display of smallish quilts, there wasn't any space for any big bed quilts here.  Hopefully, this display will attract a few new members, our membership had fallen during Covid and lock downs and hadn't recovered.

Members quilts at the library

Time to head home for lunch, and the rain was still falling.  If it's raining, I tell myself, it must be soup time.  I always have some tucked away in the freezer, for a soup emergency, and I had defrosted a container that morning.  Yummy soup for lunch. this one was creamy cauliflower, zucchini and golden kumara.  Just what I needed.

Soup for lunch

It will be a quiet afternoon for me, tucked up snug and cozy as the rain continues to come down.  Maybe I should get on to the job of mending a couple of items needing attention.  Why oh why do I keep putting these small jobs off?  I know it won't take to long once I get started.  Perhaps you are the same?

Some More Finishes for 2025

 Last week I looked back through the blogs to find my Rainbow Scrap Challenge finishes for the year.  But there were other finishes  too, to celebrate.  So let's see what else I got up to in 2025.  I took part in the Chookshed Challenge, and in January completed my Wheels on the Bus quilt.  This boy's quilt was made from a recycled duvet cover, has been donated, and was fun and easy to make.

Wheels on the Bus donation quilt

Two  Chookshed Challenges completed in March.  Some pencil pouches, which should have been finished in February,  and a pink and grey cot quilt, nice and cozy with a flannel backing.

Pink and grey cot quilt

April was a busy month too,  and I finished a memory quilt for my great nephew Adam's 30th birthday, using shirts I had received from his late grandfather.  Just a simple four patch, I decided, framed in red and black.

30th Birthday quilt for Adam

And after 32 years I finally finished my clam shell quilt in shades of purple.  Big stitch hand quilting, I decided, was the way to go, and I used a variegated pastel thread.  I don't do a lot of hand quilting, but really enjoyed working on this quilt, but I think I would like to add more hand quilting to the clam shells sometime.

Purple Haze

And just before the end of April, I completed the Chookshed Challenge for the month, a little cot quilt featuring houses.  I was rather pleased how this one turned out.

Cot quilt, donated to The Nest Collective

And in June I completed that month's Chookshed Challenge to get my Christmas wall hanging completed.  All the little blocks had been embroidered and put aside, now was the time to get it assembled.  I really enjoyed stitching these little beauties.

Finally completed, and now hanging on the wall this Christmas

And I managed to complete the Chookshed Challenge in July with just a day to spare.  This was a zoo panel, donated to me from my elderly neighbour's stash when she went into a rest home.  There was no piecing involved with using this panel, so it was just a matter of smoothing the layers out,  pinning them together, quilting and binding.  This one went to The Nest Collective, an organisation offering help and support to new mothers.

Zoo panel cot quilt

In September I finally finished my daughter's 60th Birthday quilt, I had been working on this off and on for quite some time.  Nicky had requested 9 patch blocks in pink and green, and I added an applique border.  This was beautifully custom quilted by Jacki, who worked so hard to get it completed in time.  I had spare blocks, so added two matching cushions too.

Nicky's 60th birthday quilt

In November I completed three teddy bear cushions from small panels I had been hand quilting.  Very cute I thought, and maybe good for little girls to cuddle.  I donated these to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in time for them to be passed on as Christmas gifts to the children.

Teddy Bear Cushions

And my final finish for the year was my memory tablecloth, stitch to commemorate the coach trip I did in October to the Far North.  It is made with fabric featuring New Zealand flora and fauna, both batiks and prints,  and is a wonderful memory of my trip away.

Memory tablecloth

I've still got plenty of projects to keep me busy in 2026, some need quilting, some are block sets, and some are just a bunch of fabrics gathered together with an idea  of what to make.  Another year of happy stitching time to look forward to.

It's a busy time of the year

 It's only the beginning of December but it is certainly getting busy.  All the various clubs and groups are winding down and having their Christmas celebrations.  And this week was no exception when I had several break ups to attend.  The Probus Club had it's last meeting of the year, followed by a Christmas meal.  Our monthly meetings are held in the local Cossie (Cosmopolitan) Club, and the staff had been busy making things look very festive.

Christmas meeting at the Cossie Club

This year the Probus Club formed a writing group. and I was keen to join.  We have been meeting monthly in the library,  and bring along something we have written to read out.  It is all very informal, no topics are given, we write about whatever we want.  As it turns out, most of us like to write short stories of our lives and family, and the occasional poem.  Our leader decided that it would be nice to promote the writing group at the Christmas meeting, so several of us climbed up on stage to give a reading.  My offering was a poem of about Probus, how I came to join, and the fun things we do.  

And at the end of the meeting our delicious lunch was served.  Hot beef and ham, roast veggies, broccoli  and cauliflower in cheese sauce, peas and carrots, such a tasty meal.  Followed by Christmas Pudding and custard.  It was a nice finale to the Probus year.

Jenny and Dot waiting for Christmas lunch

Next week is just as busy with two lunches to attend, plus the final meeting for my quilt club.  Busy, busy, busy, but then things will quiet down completely as most groups will not start up again till February.

I've put some Christmas quilts out at home, one on the back of one sofa, one hanging above the other sofa, and several folded on my quilt ladder.  I like to keep Robin's quilt on the top of the quilt ladder in his memory.  Other decorations are stored in plastic crates up in the loft, but I can't access them by myself, so the quilts will be it this year.

The quilt ladder

"Jingle" table runner, pattern by Red Brolly

So that's what I've been up to this week.  How is your Christmas decorating coming along?

NIcky's BIrthday Quilt

 My secret sewing is completed, I've finished and gifted the birthday quilt to my daughter Nicky for her 60th birthday.  Nicky had quite specific ideas for her birthday quilt, nothing sharp and spiky such as stars, she wanted 9 patches.  And in pinks and greens.  I could do that for her.  I had started the quilt some time ago, gathering up fabrics in the required colours, cutting and assembling the nine patch blocks.  In between times of course I stitched away at other projects and challenges.

Slowly the blocks were completed.  I stitched pink nine patches with a centre green square, and green nine patches with a pink centre square.  Webbing them together, I assembled the top.  What about the border, I pondered, and decided on a curvy ric rac with appliqued flowers and leaves.  That was a bit of a disaster, I didn't have enough ric rac!  All those curves were using up much more of the trim than I had calculated.  There was nothing for it but to drive down to Pete's Emporium in Porirua and hope they still had it in stock.  Luckily they did, so I purchased some more, and stopped off at a local cafe for a coffee and cheese roll as a reward, and thanking my lucky stars it all worked out.

I'd run out of this

Then I set to work on the borders, cutting out flowers and leaves, and then machine appliqueing them in place.  Gemma checked them out for me, she is such a big help.

Mmm, what's this, flowers and leaves.

The applique took me quite a while, then at last the top was finished and I dropped it around to get it commercially quilted.  But there was a problem, Deborah wasn't happy with the ric rac on the borders and was worried that the foot on her long arm would get tangled up on it.  The weeks were ticking by, and I was getting concerned about the timing.  Luckily Jacqui took the job on for me instead, and sketched out what she planned to do in the blocks, sashings and borders, all free hand guided quilting.

One step closer, quilt top and backing

I got the quilt back in time, and got on with the binding, stitching it on by machine, then turning it to the back and hand stitching it down.  I really enjoy this part, knowing I'm almost at the finish line.

Binding time

I used a pretty doiley for the label

So here it is, all finished.  I'm thrilled with it, and Jacqui did such wonderful quilting, it really makes the quilt come alive.  It's  on my bed while I took some photos before it was packed up and given to my daughter.  There were spare blocks so I made two cushions as well.

Not too bad, she's thinking

Last week the quilt was packed up into a bag, and traveled with me on the bus to Palmerston North.  These twice weekly off peak buses are great, and are free to oldies like me.  I really appreciate them as it saves me driving up there.    Nicky had taken her birthday week off work and met me at the bus terminal.

Birthday gift for Nicky

She had a quick peek in the blue bag, then put the bag in her boot to take back home.  Morning tea was first on the agenda, I was looking forward to a coffee by this stage,  then a little shopping to get some necessary items, and before we knew, it was time for lunch.  This was a "new to me" place that Nicky sometimes goes to.  I enjoyed some yummy prawns, and another cup of coffee.

My lunch

By this stage it was time for her to drop me back to get the bus home.  It was a lovely day out, catching up with my daughter and delivering her gift, spending time together and enjoying a tasty lunch.

A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies, and Elvis

Kaleidoscope, such  a lovely name for a group of butterflies, although I quite like the alternative name Flutter as well.  I've just put a top together featuring butterfly blocks.  This completion ticks two boxes this month, first for the Chookshed Challenge, as butterflies was on my list for number seven.  Plus, I made the blocks as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, way back in 2022.

I know I've mentioned my former neighbour Dorothy many times.  I received a whole lot of her fabrics when she moved away, including a great pile of her beloved butterfly fabrics.  I stitched four blocks sets using her butterflies in 2022, and still have a lot of fabric left, enough for several more butterfly quilts, I imagine. 

All these still waiting for me

I assembled the butterfly blocks together over the last week or so, choosing purples, blacks and pink, using spotty neutral fabric for the sashings and border.  There are still enough of these blocks in blues, yellows and tan for another single bed quilt.

Lots of pretty butterflies

Then today, I laid it down on the carpet and pinned the layers together.  That's always hard on my back, but the weather wasn't nice enough for me to pin it up outside on the patio table.  Gemma gave it the once over and decided she would quite like to catch a fluttering butterfly outside one day.  She has been known to catch a moth occasionally.

Mmm, just look at those butterflies, but they are not all a flutter, are they, she's thinking.

And look what I received in the mail this week, Elvis is saying hello to me.  My daughter's friend Heather is having an extensive USA trip, and went to Gracelands.  She knows I'm a great Elvis fan so sent me this postcard, how kind is that!  "Elvis says Hi", she wrote on the back.  I'm sure if he was still around he would know I was one of his greatest fans, I've been smitten since I heard him singing "Love me Tender", and that's going back a long time now.

Elvis says "Hi"