Town and Country Quilters October Club Night

Our inspirational speaker for the evening was well known former broadcaster Sharon Crosbie who told us about the trials and tribulations on embarking on a City and Guilds Textile course through distance learning.  She has attained her Certificate and is now working towards her Diploma.  The course is made up of various modules and we were shown multiple samples of the sorts of examples she had to create for the tutors.  This course is not for the faint-hearted and we heard all sorts of tales of things going wrong, light bulb moments of inspiration, and hard dogged work needed to work towards her goal.  (Sadly, I’m sure I would have fallen at the first hurdle).  Sharon shared her recipe for making clay beads with us, and related that this was just one of the new techniques she had to master as she progressed into her course.  Her talk was delivered in her trade-mark beautifully  modulated voice, which we had listened to on TV and Radio over the years, and she had us in stitches as she related one comical story after another of her efforts.

Sharon Crosbie

Sharon Crosbie had an outstanding career in broadcasting and she has been awarded an OBE and voted television personality of the year for three successive years in the 1970s. Then in 2004 she was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to broadcasting and the community.  But as well as these awards and many others, Sharon said that she can relate to our group of quilters, as we are all helping to keep the hand crafts alive for future generations.  She truly believes that doing something you love with your hands is better than therapy.  And she said, when she finally achieves her goal of her City and Guilds Diploma, that is the one she will be the most proud of and wants it engraved on her head stone!   And so speaks a true lover of hand crafts.

Sew Wots get-together

Yesterday was Tuesday, which meant that it was the Sew Wot fortnightly get-together again.  I’d missed the previous meeting – I was away on a tour around Government House in the big city instead.  We gathered at Carol’s this time, and before we knew it, lots of exciting Show and Tell was pulled out of bags, laid on the carpet, or held up, for us to admire.  We all loved Mary’s latest creation, a bed runner.  This was started at a class way back at the 2009 Symposium and features cats.  Mary has personalised and named each cat in memory of those which have shared her home over the years.  So cute!

Hello, Possum

Mary’s feline bed runner

“Hostess with the Mostest” Carol had another kiddies quilt ready to go to a child in need.  Not sure what the pattern is called but it a very effective way of using up strips.  Carol is part of a group of ladies who get a great deal of satisfaction out of making quilts for donation.

Carol’s charity quilt

Helen then showed us her special buy when she visited an out of town Op Shop recently.  This elegant partly worked cross stitch lady came complete with all the threads, all for the bargain price of $4.  It was smelling a bit musty but after a wash or two it came out as good as new.  Helen has already started work stitching away on this pretty project.

Partially completed cross stitch found in the Op Shop

Helen had another treasure to show us – this pretty quilt made with lots of lovely stitchery blocks, framed in florals.  The fabrics were all scraps, we were told.  It’s almost done, just part of the binding to be stitched down.  A real girls quilt, isn’t it.

Helen’s stitchery quilt

And last but certainly not least was Heather B’s doily quilt.  I can remember when she first started this beauty, and here it is almost done with just the lace sewn on around the edge.

Heather’s doily quilt

The back is pretty too

The rest of us were stitching away on our projects, craft magazines were passed around the room to check out and as usual there was plenty of chatter going on as we discussed this and that. Most importantly, we decided on the date, time and place of our Christmas Outing in December, so we can make the cafe booking for our last get together of the year.  Mention was also made of a Mystery Quilt, to gauge our interest for such a project.  Everyone seemed interested, so Mary and Helen will organise that for the upcoming year.   Carol produced a wonderful Morning Tea, so all in all, we had a great Sew Wot morning together, as we always do.

Sashiko Place Mats

Finished at last – my “ever so simple stitching” pair of Sashiko placemats.  Just right for the two of us while we eat our breakfast.  I started this project with fourteen keen ladies on a recent Sunday morning,  at a class with tutor Claire Smith, organised by my quilt club, Town and Country Quilters.  Claire told us some interesting facts about the history of this type of stitching, and then we got to practice drawing lines and curves onto sheets of paper.  I quite liked the curvy design marked with a coin over 1 inch squares, and we were shown how to mark up other designs too, some curved, and some made with straight lines.  Once we were sure of the process, the next step was to mark the chosen design on our fabric.  This was surprisingly time consuming, as the grid lines had to be drawn in first.

My sashiko was done by hand, using green thread on cream fabric.  The stitches should be the size if short grain rice, the tutor informed us – my stitches were more like jumbo sized grains, I have to say.  Others used the traditional dark blue fabric with white thread, and I noticed some black stitching on cream fabric which looked stunning.  At the end of the day I had almost finished stitching my simple design, so I was well pleased with my day’s work.  The design on the other placemat was worked on during a recent club stitching day. 

The place mats were completed with a little wavy machine quilting around the batik borders and then the binding was stitched on.  And the last job of hand stitching the bindings to the back of the place mats was completed yesterday when I was sitting at the dining table enjoying the sun shine streaming in.  There – all done, another job off my list.  I’m quite pleased with them, if I do say so myself.

  Two shasiko place mats

Tamarillos for Breakfast and other matters

When I was young we knew this fruit as Tree Tomatoes.  Not nice enough to eat raw, I always found, but delicious when peeled, cut in half and stewed up with just a tiny bit of sugar.  Years later they became known as Tamarillos, goodness knows how that happened.  Perhaps just a bit of creative marketing, I imagine.  Robin doesn’t care for them at all, but I just love them, so buy some over the winter months and cook them up for myself.  So while he had cereal this morning today, I enjoyed this lovely healthy breakfast.  They cook up to such a lovely rich colour, don’t you think?

Tamarillos – formerly known as Tree Tomatoes

It’s been a busy kind of week.  After being away in the caravan for the weekend, this week I’ve attended two meetings, done several loads of laundry, and the resulting ironing that follows, and the usual cleaning and cooking duties.  Earlier in the week we drove down to the Kapiti Coast to visit my last remaining Aunt, so that was lovely.  Dawn is always so pleased to see us, and it makes me feel a little guilty for not popping in more often. 

Another job was to complete the monthly quilt club newsletter (I’m the current editor) and send it off to the printer.  I’m always pleased when that job is done each month.  Our cat Muffy usually insists on sitting on my lap when I’m tapping away at the keyboard, so it gets a bit crowded.  She slips and slides around as she tries to get comfortable, and I have to keep re-arranging her legs to stop her sliding off my lap!  Just as well she is a petite little cat and now she is getting on in years she really wants nothing more than stay as close as she can to us. 

  Muffy likes to keep as close as she can

So there hasn’t been a great deal of creativity happening this week.  A little stitching, a new (small) project cut out, and I’ve been diligently knitting in the evenings while we watch TV.  Must get on with it, don’t know about you, but I’ve got a gazillion UFOs calling my name.  But I think I have an idea for a new plan to cope with them……more on that later.

Visiting Nancy J

It is so nice to meet fellow bloggers who become friends.  So it was in the weekend when I called in to catch up “Nancy J”, Jean in real life, who writes her blog All Points of the Compass.  Robin and I had towed our caravan up to Jean’s home town to stay in the NZCA camp for the weekend, so that I could attend the local quilt show.  What a great show it was.  Then in the afternoon while Robin was avidly watching the All Blacks on TV with a fellow camper or two, I arrange to visit Jean for afternoon tea.

Jean is a very keen photographer, a cat lover with three pussies at home, and a quilter too, so we always have plenty to talk about.  She showed me her lasted creation her “Wiggle Me quilt”  a batik sew along quilt,  joining in with other stitches on the internet.  It just needs one more border, Jean said.  There are lots of wonderful batiks in this quilt.

Jean and her Wiggle Me quilt

Like most of us, Jean has several projects on the go.  This is her cutting area, and she is trying hard to use up her batik off cuts in another sew-along project.  And just look at those luscious Kaffe Fasset fabrics in the four patch blocks – Jean won an overseas  voucher and chose these lovely fabrics from Sew Sisters quilt shop in Canada.

  Two more quilts in progress

It was great to see Hugh up and mobile again, and to meet the newest cat in the household, young ginger Boris, who was relaxing in a nice sunny spot when I called around.  Thanks for your hospitality Jean, it was great to catch up with you again.

Rangitikei Quilt Show

We planned a caravan weekend away in Marton just so I could attend the Rangitikei Quilt Show.  I know – we could have driven there from home and back on the same day, but having a leisurely weekend away in the caravan is so much more relaxed, wouldn’t you say?  The ladies on duty welcomed me to the show, I paid my $5 entry fee, purchased some raffle tickets, and walked inside the hall.

Welcoming committee

Overview of the show

As always, there were lots of lovely quilts on display.  Several challenges too, and I loved the Teapot Cosy Challenge, seen on the tables in  the front of the photo above.  My Viewers Choice was this cute little thatched cottage.

My choice in the Teapot Cosy Challenge

I hadn’t made my way very far into the hall when I bumped into blog reader Felicity from Norsewood.  Great to catch up again with you Felicity.  And hello to the Wanganui ladies, (sorry I didn’t catch your names), blog readers too. Thanks so much for stopping to re-introduce yourselves to me, and stopping for a chat.  I also met up with several ladies from my former quilt club, Pinestream Quilters, so it was a busy morning catching up with all these ladies.

On to the quilts - “Koru Beach”, by Isla Crawford had a real Kiwi beach theme, such a happy sunny days sort of quilt.  A row-by-row quilt, featuring related icons from beach huts, surf boards, beach umbrellas, even ice cream cones, all decorated with the distinctive koru shape.

Koru  Beach

Another with a New Zealand theme was “Anzac Poppies”, by Margaret Arama.  Made from poppy blocks won at Feilding Kowhai Quilters, the blocks were set into a banner using a border print found in her stash.

Anzac Poppies

Julie Clarke made “Alister’s American Experience” to commemorate her nephew's adventures hunting in American wild parks.  She sent away to USA for the pattern and fabrics to make this stunning masculine quilt.

Alister’s American Adventure

I couldn’t go past this lovely little Challenge Quilt, made from a song title.  “Ten Guitars” was stitched by Sally Stevens.  I have to admit that this Kiwi classic is one of my all time favourite songs, and not only have I danced to the tune many times, I’ve also very bravely got up on stage with three others and sang along to it. How about that – not like me at all!

Ten Guitars

And my Viewers Choice vote went to “In My Garden”, by Maureen Marshall.  Just beautiful – and a little different.  This quilt attracted a lot of interest.

In My Garden

Just look at these cheeky faces – my Sew Wot buddies Mary and Helen were enjoying the show too.

Mary and Helen at the show

Of course I visited the merchants area too down the rear of the hall, finding a few pieces of fabric which insisted on coming home with me.  Although I was quite restrained, just buying for a new project which I’ll be starting soon.   It was a great show, in a nice roomy building, congratulations to Rangitikei Quilters.  Just a reminder – I’m still waiting for a phone call to say I won a fabulous raffle prize!

Textile Treasures at Government House

Government House in Wellington is the official residence of the Governor General and his family.  Twelve members of our caravan club did a tour through this wonderful old building, which was recently refurbished and earthquake strengthened at a cost of 40 million dollars.  The House is full of all sorts of treasures, lovely old furniture, paintings, silver, ceramics, and although I didn’t spot and quilts, there were many beautiful textiles on display.  Such as this beautiful silk screen in the State Dining Room which dates from the 1860s.

Silk Screen

The Norrie State Dining Room in Government House features a long, extending table from about 1880 and can seat up to 26 guests, and is where State Dinners for visiting Heads of State are often held.  I was particularly interested in the 38 tapestry chairs which were created by branches of the Country Women’s Institute in the 1950s, for the cancelled visit of King George VI.   The design on the back of each chair is the coat of arms of a New Zealand city or borough.  The carver chairs (with arms) are from  the four major cities: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.  Our guide kindly found me the chair stitched in Levin, our new home town, so I could get a photo taken.

Chair with  the coat of arms from Levin

The Blundell Room is characterised by New Zealand’s native Tui, known for its social, chatty nature. The dark oily blue of the Tui’s plumage and the bright yellow Kowhai flower whose nectar the Tui feasts upon, have guided the selection of drapery and upholstery fabrics.  Plump embroidered cushions are arranged on the settees in this room.

Embroidered cushions

The woven kowhai screen had quite a story.  It was being made at the Arts Centre in Christchurch when the massive earthquake struck, and laid buried in the rubble for some time.  It was finally dug out, and was finished in time for when the refurbishments were complete and Government House finally reopened

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Woven screen featuring kowhai blossoms

Government House has an unique tapa cloth dress in the foyer.  The World of Wearable Art collection loans a rotating range of items with a Pacifica theme, we were told.

Tapa cloth dress on loan

Owen took us through the house starting at the Ballroom,  which is used for receptions, concerts, balls, investitures and other award ceremonies.  Most significantly, it is the room where the Prime Minister and his or her Ministers as sworn in as members of the Executive Council by the Governor-General after a General Election.  At one end is the dais on which stand the two thrones. Above these hangs a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, painted by Denis Fildes in 1960.   The two beautiful  Czech crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were completely disassembled and rewired with energy-efficient bulbs as part of the Conservation Project during the refurbishment.

The Ball Room

Government House and the Reflecting Pool

We had a great tour, and as we walked through this room and that, our guide Owen told us the function of each room.  He pointed out various interesting objects and was a font of knowledge.   Such as the fact that Government House was built on the site of the Mt View Lunatic Asylum, which was dismantled and the patients moved to Porirua Hospital – we didn’t know that before!