I Love a Man in Uniform

“What’s this?”, I wondered, as I parked the car outside Stonestead Tea House.  A bright red fire engine was just along the road.   I hoped that Kevin hadn’t had a fire in the kitchen as he cooked up a batch of scones for his Devonshire Teas.

Fire engine at the ready

It wasn’t the Tea House on fire, but a car which had caught fire.  I don’t know the full story, but when I came along the firemen were busy peering underneath the car.  It looked like the fire had been extinguished by this stage, and the firemen were no doubt checking for any smoulders, or maybe leaking fuel lines.  An ambulance arrived shortly afterwards, so presumably one of the passengers was in need of medical attention.  What a fright it must be to have your car catch fire as you drive merrily along.

Checking under the car

After all this excitement I left the men in uniform behind and joined the other members of the Stonestead Stitchers upstairs in the Tea House.  Everyone was quite busy with their various projects.  Therese had brought along an Advent Calendar quilt which she had just finished.

Therese’s Advent quilt

There was a bit of a production line going on with this pattern, as Amanda had brought her sewing machine along and was busy finishing up  her version.  Amanda is a keen new quilter, with a couple of projects already completed so far.

Amanda working on her Advent Calendar

I had taken a unwanted items along (after yet another tidy up) to see if any of the ladies were interested.  Ruth put her hand up for my little basket, and put it to use straight away, storing her embroidered Christmas decoration project inside. 

Ruth and her Christmas decoration

Carol had just started stitching her cross stitch Poppy, a lovely little design from The Country Diary Cross Stitch book.   This lovely little book has lots of very pretty botanical designs.  And Liz was another who was also working diligently away, on her Indian Garden tapestry.

Just started – Carol’s poppy

I just love Bridget’s pretty little stitcheries from Chickadee Hollow Designs.  These came pre-printed and colour shaded to add depth to the stitcheries.  She is contemplating how best to put them together, or perhaps just make them separate little hangings.

Bridget’s stitcheries

Cheryl is always busy and had two things to show us.  She had completed her lovely Christmas stitchery wall hanging, complete with three different Santas.

Cheryl’s Christmas wall hanging

Her other project took us by surprise – it looked a bit scary, rather like a version of ET.  I had a look at the pattern, and it will be a pretty doll called Amelia Pippin when completed.

Amelia Pippin and her green legs

Yvonne, from the adjacent Sawmillers shop came upstairs to show us a lovely hexagon quilt, You can just see her fingers holding up the quilt top.  This design will be offered as a class in the New Year.  Whirligig blocks made from diamond pieces with a hexagon centre are appliquéd in the centre of each large hexagon.

  

  Yvonne holding a new class sample

And what about me?  I did a little stitching on a cushion cover, and all the ladies were very interested to hear about our impending move to Levin.  It was great to catch up with everyone again, then I had to hurry home as I had a very busy afternoon planned with yet more cleaning.   I’m well pleased with my afternoon’s work – I’ve cleaned out the cupboards under the bathroom vanity unit.  Lots of old medicines and such like got tossed in the bin, the remainder has been sorted and tidied, and the shelves have been washed clean.  That’s another job crossed off the long list.

Stonestead Stitchers meet again

It was a cold, grey old day for our Stonestead Stitchers meeting today, but we soon warmed up once we were seated around the table upstairs in the Tea House.  Kevin kindly gets the heater going before we arrive so that makes a big difference.  We all made short work of  our freshly baked scones and tea or coffee delivered at lunchtime – I think the cold weather must have given us all extra hearty appetites.

This way to Stonestead Tea House

There was quite a bit of catching up to do, as several of the ladies had travelled overseas recently so we had to hear all about their travels.  As well as plenty of chattering, there was quite a bit of work being done too.  Vicki Ann had been making cards, gift boxes and decorated candles and brought some of her lovely creations along to show us.  The green box opens out flat, and is topped with a very intricate flower made with individual petals, it is a real work of art.

Gift box and decorated candle

She also brought along her newly finished cushion.  Made from a pattern in a craft book, the cushion combines piecing and stitcheries.  It may be a little hard to see, but there is a cobweb in silver thread at the top of the watering can block.

Vicki Ann’s cushion

Mary is working well on her Christmas banner and was stitching around the letter M.  She is hoping to get this completed for Christmas, but if not, then it will be early for the following year.

M for Merry Christmas

Three of the ladies were doing hexagons, and Liz had some tips on how best to stitch the papers down.  Dorothy is starting a new hexagon project and was tacking papers over pretty pink, blue and lilac fabrics she had purchased from The Crafty Pear shop in Pahiatua.  I haven’t come across that shop before so must look out for it next time we travel up that way.

Dorothy stitching her hexagons

While Carol was stitching away on her Christmas wall hanging, I noticed her cute little felt needle holder.  She told me she had made it many years ago as a youngster of 9 or 10, from a pattern out of one of her Mum’s magazines.  It has certainly stood the test of time, and I wonder if it would be classed as vintage by now?

Carol’s felt needle holder

As for me, my friend Kathryn had given me back her memory quilt “Remembering Graeme” that I had made for her with the request to add a hanging sleeve.  I sewed the sleeve yesterday, and had it all pinned in place so that I could stitch it down at our meeting.  Robin will get a timber batten to fit and will hang the quilt on the wall for her.  I always enjoy the fortnightly get-together with this group of ladies, and to see what everyone is working on.

Two Weeks on

Two weeks on and it was time for another meeting of the Stonestead Stitchers.  Although I was running a little late, I still managed to be the first to arrive, so took the end seat by the heater.  These mornings have been very chilly lately.

Two quilts hanging at Stonestead Tea House

One by one the ladies arrived, walked up the stairs, and sat down to enjoy the day.  Ruth was working on her Mountmellick embroidery piece and hadn’t got very far, she told us, as she had unpicked some of her earlier stitches.  This is a large piece of embroidery, so there will be a huge amount of time put into it.  Bridget was also having trouble stitching around her tiny Christmas stars, they were so small I’m not surprised it was difficult to stitch.  Liz was going great on her Klimt tapestry since we last saw her, it is full of interesting designs and in such lovely rich colours.

Liz was working on her tapestry

It’s not that long till Christmas, Mary had decided, so she had started work on a new Christmas project.  This is a “Welcome” Christmas banner in lovely seasonal fabrics and we look forward to seeing it’s  progress.

Mary with the blocks for her Christmas banner

The wool owl that Joyce was working on had been finished and suitably embellished.  The next step will be to make it into a cushion cover and it will then be a gift for her grand-daughter.

Woollen owl

And we should have given Joyce an award for the oldest UFO!  She brought along some serviettes which she embroidered way back when she was only eighteen and hadn’t quite got around to finishing them.  (We weren’t allowed to guess how long ago that was).  They just needed a little extra embroidery to finish them off, so that was her task today.  Joyce’s mother had done the beautiful crotchet edge all those years ago.  These serviettes certainly are family heirlooms and very precious, aren’t they?

Lovely family linen

We wondered what was in the great big bag that Cheryl brought in.  It was full of fabric for her next quilt, called Chestnut and Vine.  Cheryl’s husband loved the colours and design and chose this quilt while they were doing a bit of browsing on the internet.

The start of a new quilt

And to show us that she hasn’t been sitting idle at home, Cheryl brought along the centre block which is is coming along nicely.

The centre block of Cheryl’s new quilt

And what was I doing?  A bit of “secret squirrel” work which can’t be shown just yet.  And I just had to show off the tidy collection of threads in my little bag which were now all nicely plaited, (with a bit of help from Robin, I  might add).  So that is our get-together for this time.  I won’t be able to make the next fortnightly meeting, so it will be four weeks till I get back there with the ladies again. 

Warm Welcome at Stonestead

It was a cold grey day when I set off to the fortnightly meeting of the Stonestead Stitchers.  Yvonne from the adjacent Sawmillers Quiltery stopped to talk as she was taking the two little dogs, Bailey and Poppy, outside for a bit of fresh air.  These two cuties spend their time at the quilt shop, greeting visitors, and snoozing the day away. 

This way to the Stonestead Tea House

You can always be assured of a warm friendly greeting from Kevin when you walk into the Tea House.  “I’ve put the heater on upstairs”, he told me, after I had ordered my lunch and started walking up the stairs.  Mmm, think I’ll sit right here by the heater, I thought to myself, while I wait for the others to arrive.  Quilts  were hung on the walls, and draped over the rail, giving the Tea House a nice homely feel.

Looking down from the balcony

Before too long other eager stitchers arrived and we all got busy working on our own projects.  Mary was doing a bit more stitching on her plaid Christmas block, and Ruth showed us how she was progressing on her long term Mountmellick embroidery piece.  Carol had brought along her felt wall-hanging kit, purchased from Sawmillers and started some time ago then put away.  The flowers and leaves around the border still need to be stitched down, so there is still quite a bit more stitching to do.  The felt shapes combined with plaids give this piece a nice country feel.

  Carol’s felt wall-hanging

Liz was doing tapestry and was pleased to finish the last little bit of stitching.  Called “Albion”, this very patriotic UK piece has been claimed by her son, and will be made into a cushion.  An awful lot of stitching went into this flag.

Flag tapestry all finished

Bridget was busy with appliquéing tiny pieces onto her Christmas Tree block.  All the blocks on her Christmas Tree quilt feature different appliqué designs.

Christmas Tree block

Cheryl was “doing Christmas” as well.  Her quilt was a Block of the Month from Thimbles and Threads with both pieced and appliquéd blocks.  Cheryl explained how to use marked “Glad Press and Seal” as a quilt motif to hand quilt through.  The plastic just rips away and this idea can be used for either hand or machine quilting.  I had heard of using this product for quilting but had never seen it demonstrated before.  Thanks Cheryl, that was something new we all learned today.

You can just see the quilt motif marked on the plastic

Cheryl’s Christmas quilt

We were all ready for our lunch when Kevin delivered our trays up the stairs to our table.  Hot scones straight out of the oven, with tea or coffee, what could be nicer on a cold day!

Cheese scone and coffee for me today

Back with the Stonestead Stitchers

After missing two consecutive fortnightly get-togethers with the Stonestead Stitchers because we were travelling around in the caravan, it was nice to finally get back with the ladies again.  There was lots of “Show and Tell”, obviously some of the ladies had been busy finishing off their projects.  Kevin had put the heating on for us upstairs in the Tea House, so what started out as a chilly morning soon warmed up.  Dorothy is getting excited about her upcoming trip to California in two weeks time to deliver the Wedding Quilt to her son and daughter-in-law.  This is in different shades of blues and is sashed in New Zealand Paua fabric.

Wedding Quilt

Two Christmas Runners are also going over with Dorothy.  Not quite finished yet, they will be taken over as gifts for the people they will staying with.  Dorothy has used the same pattern for each of the runners but with different fabrics to give them a different look.

One of Dorothy’s Christmas Table Runners

Mary brought along her lovely Christmas Tree quilt to show us.  This was a kit set and used New Zealand fabrics.  The appliqué is done using  hand-buttonholed stitch, and we all thought it was such a lovely pattern with the pretty curved branches of the tree.  Colourful wrapped gifts under the tree finish it off very nicely. 

Mary’s New Zealand Christmas Tree

Ruth has started a long term project with her large white Mountmellick embroidery piece.  This type of embroidery started in Ireland in the late 1700s and the designs are based on nature.  We will certainly watch the progress of this piece of work with interest.

Mountmellick Embroidery

Joyce was doing hand stitching too.  Her grand-daughter loves owls so this felt appliqué owl cushion will be for her.  The owl will be getting some embellishment Joyce said, once it is appliquéd in place, to add some more interest.

Owl cushion for Joyce’s grand-daughter

I noticed a lovely little tapestry pin cushion and tassel attached to the pair of scissors which Joyce was using.  She brought this as a kit during a visit to England, she told me.  It is certainly a lovely little keepsake of a trip.  I rather like those embroidery scissors too.

Joyce’s scissors with tassel

I”m rather partial to Shaggy Quilts, they are so quick to make and look so nice and cosy.  Liz brought along one she had just made for her daughter.  This is made up using Aboriginal fabrics her daughter had purchased when she was working in Australia.  It utilises colourful fabrics with the golds, browns  and ochres of the Australian outback on one side and black and white prints on the other.

Aboriginal prints in this Shaggy quilt

And now for something completely different which I haven’t seen before…..Vicki-Ann was making a necklace.  She is obviously an expert on this and brought along her equipment which she set up on the table.

Vicki-Ann with her beads, wire and pliers

And what was I doing?  A little knitting, then I moved on to my latest “Under the Sea” block.  Didn’t get it finished though, so there is no photo of my work this time.  I’ll just have to work harder, I think.  It was another lovely day, spent with like minded ladies. 

Outdoor Quilt Show – part 2

It was a lovely day on Sunday.  The sun was shining, the bees were buzzing around the garden, the doves were cooing softly, and the quilts were fluttering in the breeze.  It was a lovely setting for a quilt show.  After checking out the challenge quilts, we walked slowly along the clothes lines, admiring one lovely quilt after another.  There were some names of quilters I knew, and a whole lot that I didn’t.  The styles, colours, and techniques were all very different, and that’s what makes a show so exciting.

A row of quilts to enjoy

Each row had something special which caught our eye.  The backs of the quilts were quite interesting too.  We noticed one that was double sided, some had pieced backings, and some were backed with plain fabric which showed up the intricate quilting designs.  Here are some which we especially enjoyed.  This is “Safari”, made by Jenny Hall for her son, who loved giraffes as a youngster.  The sunset fabrics are a wonderful choice and makes the African silhouettes really stand out.

“Safari” by Jenny Hall

A lovely kiddies alphabet quilt full of all sorts of interesting appliquéd items.  Look at that crazy monkey dancing a jig!  Made by Francis Holder who stated that the quilt developed from a bee spotted in a honey advertisement, hence the name of the quilt.  Any little one would love this quilt.

“It started with a Bee”, by Francis Holder

This floral quilt with the big bold blooms was a kit purchased in Sydney.  It was designed by Material Obsessions.  Those happy flowers are really making a statement, and the quilt is nicely finished with the colourful pieced border. 

“Big Blooms”, by Debra Fink

The next quilt , so soft and pretty, was made for a special gift.  Called “Hazel’s 90th Birthday”, it features a photo transfer of Hazel, appliqué, and cross hatch quilting.  Beverly Featherstone was inspired by a design found in A P&Q magazine, and adapted it to make a special quilt for a special lady.

“Hazel’s 90th Birthday, by Beverley Featherstone

I loved the colours in this quilt, and how the colours change from the light middle to the dark, rich borders.  “Kaleidoscope” by Leslie Dalley-Williams uses the traditional Winding Ways block.

“Kaleidoscope” by Leslie Dalley-Williams

This must be every young girl’s dream, shoes, handbags and flowers, set off well against the black panels.  “Hannah’s Quilt” was made by Adrienne Nelson, using appliqué patterns from a BOM, and set off with pieced panels in bright funky colours.

“Hannah’s Quilt”, by Adrienne Nelson

Jenni F and I loved this fun quilt, which was full of quilters and quilt sayings, and we were not the only ones clustered around.  (I had to wait awhile to get a clear shot).  We could all relate to the quilty sayings and philosophies!  “Old Friends” is an original design by Camilla Watson, inspired by the funky fabric, and includes all her special quilting friends.  The quilt is set off so nicely with that pieced, scalloped inner border.

“Old Friends” by Camilla Watson

That is just a taste of the quilts we saw at the show.  With 75 quilts hanging  it was hard to decide which to photograph, so I have tried to give a good overview of what took my fancy.  The show was great and we were so pleased that after previously being postponed, Yvonne and her team had a lovely day for the show.  The gold coin entry was all donated to Te Omanga Hospice.

Have you ever seen a Patchwork Car?

The day dawned warm and sunny so it was all systems go for the Stonestead 3rd Annual Outdoor Quilt Festival.  A whole lots of quilts strung along the edge of the property beckoned to us as we parked the car. These particular quilts were not part of the exhibition, but were waving in the breeze as a kind of “welcoming committee”. 

This way to the quilt show

This spectacular patchwork car cover certainly piqued everyone’s interest as they walked onto the property.  It is made up of a variety of different quilt blocks, and was loaned by Toni Waygood.  Unfortunately, I don’t have any more info on the story behind this project, so far.

Pretty in pink on this side

What a lot of work to make a cover like this.  Sadly, Robin said “no way” when I told him all about it.  With all my current UFOs I don’t think I could tackle such a big job like this.

Perhaps you prefer these blocks?

I spotted someone with a very impressive camera taking photos.  Could that be the blogger Julz from Julz Design whom I had been waiting to meet?  Yes it was, and she graciously posed for a photo with me on the veranda of Sawmillers Quiltery, sparing a minute from her volunteer duties at the quilt show.  Julz is a quilter, a blogger, a very keen photographer and likes to take part in cycling events in her spare time.  So nice to meet you at last, Julz.

Jenny and Julz,  fellow quilters and bloggers

After all that excitement my quilting buddy Jenni F and I handed over our entry of a  gold coin donation (with all proceeds going to Te Omanga Hospice) and walked into the garden with lots of glorious quilts hung on wooden clotheslines.

 Some of the quilts on show

We checked out the small Stonestead Challenge quilts.  These had to depict the property and the tea rooms, and use some of the challenge fabric.  Tea cup, trees, outdoor scenes featured on many of the challenges, and several incorporated cross stitch as well.  The winners were to be chosen from viewer’s choice.   We finally made our decision each.

The challenge quilts

Do check back tomorrow to see the quilts which caught my eye at the outdoor show.