Patchwork Shop and a Penny Farthing at Oamaru

The stylish creamy white stone buildings of Oamaru are a beautiful sight.  Built with local stone back in the days of prosperity, these classical buildings with beautiful carvings would be at home in many overseas cities.  This beautiful Opera House was built in 1907 and has hosted theatre, ballet, concerts, cinema and even boxing.

Oamaru Opera House

As we walked down the main street admiring one lovely stone building after another, I spotted the sign for Oamaru Silk Centre.  Mmm, wonder if they stock patchwork fabric?  Of course they do, there was a nice arrangement in the shop window.  And plenty more inside for me to drool over, it’s been a while since I’ve looked and touched any patchwork fabric.  The owner Graeme was very friendly and quite happy for me to take a few photos.  There was a wonderful selection of New Zealand fabrics, and quite a few newer designs which I hadn’t seen before.  They are very popular with tourists, Graeme told me. 

Lots of New Zealand designs

Fabrics of every hue

There was a good range of haberdashery lines, I noticed, together with a lovely bridal section.  Patchwork is very strong down here and the local club is North Otago Patchworkers and Quilters.  Staff member Ainslie was very helpful too, and as well as being a fellow P&Qer, she goes caravanning too!  This is a lovely shop, and you can check them out on www.oamarusilkcentre.com

Ainslie in the shop enjoys caravanning too

Now, about that Penny Farthing.  Oamaru likes to remind visitors of its history and Penny Farthings abound.  We saw several around town and those brave enough can pay a little money, take their life in their hands and climb aboard.

Penny Farthing outside a shop

Up on a Penny Farthing

I took the easy way out and climbed aboard this Penny Farthing in the Information Centre.  Luckily it was bolted in place so I didn’t fall off.  Mind you, I wasn’t going anywhere either.

Follow our South Island Odyssey adventures on our Travel Blog at www.romanyrambler.blogspot.com

It’s cold in them thar hills

I thought summer must have surely come to an end.  We’ve spent several days in the high country checking out Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook and Twizel and my summer garb of three quarter length trousers, sandals and tee shirts just don’t work at these higher altitudes.  So it was fleecy trousers, warm jumpers, socks and shoes to keep warm.  We even needed our woollen jacket, hats and gloves while out and about in the cool mountain air.  Now we are back to sea level once more in the sunny climes of Waimate, I can dress “summery” again.

The bucket brigade

And what can be more summery than doing a spot of laundry in a camp without much in the way of facilities.  There is no washing machine here, no hot showers, just plenty of cold water.  Here’s Dot and me hard at work doing a spot of laundry.  You can rest assured that next time we go to a camp with a washing machine, I’ll be first in line to use it.  Muffy’s not bothered much by all our activity, she just likes to sit around in the sunshine.

Now, what can I see from here?

You can keep up with our South Island travel adventures on our Travel Blog

www.romanyrambler.blogspot.com

The Giant Jersey of Geraldine

It all started with a trip around Aussie, as the attractions such as “The Big Pineapple” struck a cord.  “Why”, reasoned Michael and Gillian Linton, “couldn’t Geraldine have their own “big” something or other to put it on the map?”  Running a knitwear business, it was a simple matter to think about making a giant jersey.  The pattern was designed using punch cards, with the criteria being that no two patterns or colours could touch each over.  New Zealand icons such as sheep, tikis, kowhai blossoms, deer, skiers, cyclists and kayakers appearing in the designs.  And what about those Koalas?, I asked.  They are there because the idea germinated during the Australian holiday.  Other designs such as tartans, chevrons, checkerboards and stripes are alternated between the pictorial designs.

World famous in Geraldine

So just how big is the Giant Jersey of Geraldine?  It measures 16ft from wrist to wrist and is 7ft tall.  It would fit a giant with a chest measurement of 120 inches, and weighs 5.5kg. 

World Record

This monster was officially recognised by Guinness Book of World Records in 1999, and even has it’s own web site on www.giantjersey.co.nz
Michael Linton is also known as the creator of “1066 – A Medieval Mosaic”.  This amazing creation is featured on our Travel Blog at www.romanyrambler.blogspot.com

Lillia’s Lace Museum

There was no question about it, we just had to go and stay in Geraldine on our South Island trip.  All because my handy book “Museums to visit in New Zealand” listed Lillia’s Lace Museum as an attraction in this town.  Dot and I called around to the museum while Robin and Derek checked out the Vintage Car and Machinery Museum.  Jean Hall welcomed us to her small museum and gave us a potted history of lace making through the ages.  She explained the different types of lace and showed us  many beautiful examples of lace, bobbins and clothing.

An overview of the lace museum

The museum is named after Jean’s grandmother, lace-maker Lillia Landridge.  Lillia was only 18 years old when she made the piece of Torchon bobbin lace on display with her photo.

Lillia Landridge, lace maker

Jean is a lace-maker herself and collects pieces from all over the world.  Most of the lace displayed is hand made but there are also examples of machine made lace.  Jean discovered that the patterns for these pieces are often destroyed after a run of items have been made, and felt that the commercial pieces also need to be preserved.  The New Zealand Centennial lace piece is such an example, featuring a kiwi, ferns and New Zealand flag.  I can remember my mother telling me that she went to the exhibition in Wellington. 

Lace piece from the NZ Centennial

Cabinet of French lace

There are many beautiful lace collars on display, and Jean explained how they can be dated by the fineness of the work.  The amount of hours needed to make these beautiful decorative collars ensured that only the wealthy ladies could afford to buy them, I expect.

Lace collar from Brussels

As well as more examples of beautiful lace, this cabinet also contained several other associated items.  Such as a collection of old vellum parchment patterns used for bobbin lace.  The candle on the right of the display is known as a “lace makers lamp”.  The glass ball was filled with water, and the light of the candle is magnified as it shines through the glass ball.

An interesting collection

Made in NZ – blouse featuring different bands of lace

Jean is an expert lace maker herself, but also works in wool.  She spun the wool from her own flock, drew up the pattern, then worked the design in bobbin lace to make her fan.

Jean’s fine wool lace fan

Her beautiful long evening gown was an entry in the first “Wearable Art Show” held in 1987.  Jean spun kid mohair wool, then hand dyed it in several shades of navy.  Using her own design, the beautiful dress was hand knitted and is so fine that the wool used weighed only 5 1/2 ounces. The strapless grey wool dress is also an original and was knitted in 2 ply wool.

Beautiful fine wool dresses

It was a delight to visit the museum, there was so much to see, and I can really recommend a visit to any who love textiles and are passing through Geraldine. 

In days gone by

The pretty little colonial cottage at the Plains Historical Museum showed the lives of women  in days gone by.  Believed to have been built prior to 1900, and featuring hand made bricks in the chimney, the cottage was moved to the museum in 1978.

1900s cottage

The kitchen would have been the heart of the house with the big black coal range providing heat, cooking the meals, and boiling the water for the household.  Hand made rag rugs provided floor coverings and would have been made from rags and scraps of clothing. 

Colonial kitchen

A hand made quilt graced the double bed and a hooked rug kept the toes warm when getting out of bed on cold winter mornings.

The bedroom

The baby’s cot has a hand made quilt too, and the single bed had beautiful white cotton petticoats, nightgowns and babies dresses, pin tucked and trimmed with pretty lace. 

  The nursery

Wives and mothers always have to contend with the family’s laundry and this cottage came complete with a copper to boil up the clothes, a glass wash board for scrubbing, concrete tubs foe rinsing, and a huge wooden mangle.

The wash house

House work has changed dramatically over the years and these days I imagine that modern woman would not be able to run a house hold without her bevy of labour saving devices.  We do not own a dish-washer, and I’m fine with that, but I could not cope without my washing machine,  or sewing machine either, for that matter!

Kiwi Quilters get-together in Ashburton

We spent a very pleasant evening last night with Marie and her husband Murray here in Ashburton.  Marie is a fellow member of the Kiwi Quilters internet group and made contact prior to us leaving on our South Island Odyssey trip, and invited us around for an evening meal.  We arrived and could smell delicious aromas wafting out from the kitchen, sat down and got to know each other.  We had plenty to chat about, and enjoyed a delicious meal.  Murray kept us entertained with tales of his motorbike adventures, and the four of us shared stories of our travels  throughout New Zealand and overseas.

Marie with her Bargello quilt

Marie and Murray have made a couple of trips to far off Paraguay and she showed me some of the beautiful Nanduti lace hand made by the Guarani Indians.  It is constructed in circles and made from very fine thread.  These examples are in beautiful glowing colours.

Nanduti lace from Paraguay

Like any quilter’s home, there were quilts on the wall, just waiting to be admired.  New Zealand has a reputation for making award winning wines, and Marie made her “grape” quilt in a class with Ruth Blanchard.

Marie’s grape quilt

Disappearing Nine Patch quilts are all the rage lately.  Marie’s quilt in shades of green and a touch of orange will be hung in her workplace, the local hospital.

Disappearing Nine Patch to be donated to the hospital

We had a great evening, and a lovely meal.  (All this after Marie had a full day at work too).  Thanks so much, Marie and Murray, for inviting a couple of travellers into your home, it was so nice to meet you both..

Our well travelled cat

Our cat Muffy is doing very well coping with all the travelling so far on our South Island Odyssey  trip.  We were rather worried about the Inter Island ferry crossing as she was left in the caravan by herself for three hours.  The vet assured us that she would be fine and much better off without any pills to calm her down.  If she had a bad reaction we wouldn’t be there to help her, he reminded us.

So far we have travelled over 1000 miles with the caravan.  Muffy has a little pink harness and we clip a light retractable lead onto it.  The shortened lead then gets attached to one of the seat belts in the back seat, which gives her room to move around.  Careful measurement ensures that if we have to stop suddenly, there is no way Muffy can go hurtling into the front window.  If we are lucky she spends her travel time nice and quiet on the back seat, otherwise she quietly meows her displeasure from time to time.  The car is not her favourite place to be, but she is quite happy blobbing out in the caravan once we arrive at our campsite.  Then we never hear a peep out of her until mealtime.

Muffy likes to have a sniff around at all these different places we take her to, and is not adverse to popping into the other caravans or motor home if her lead is long enough to allow such a visit.  Pauline and Geoff had their screen door shut and Muffy really wanted to call in to say hello.

Please let me in

She is doing really well on this trip.  As Muffy is an old girl of nearly 16 years old we did not want to leave her in a cattery for the three months we will be away.  She is quite content to lie on the couch or our bed (on top of the quilt of course) for most of the day.