Finally – Roll the Dice Time

How long has it been since I rolled the dice on a Monday morning?  Much too long - what with going away and one thing or another.  What number will my dice bring up, I wonder?  There are some new projects on my list, together with a couple of others I’ve been working on for a while.  Guess I’m having sewing machine withdrawal symptoms as I’m quite keen to get sewing again.  And the number is……number four, my Soul Searching blocks.

I couldn’t quite remember where I was up to on this project and had mistakenly thought that I had completed stitching all the blocks.  Not so – I have done 10 blocks so far. 

Ten Soul Searching blocks completed

I decided to increase the number of blocks from nine to twelve, so have two more to do.  Which leaves dark purple and aqua to be assembled – all the strips had been sewn as leader and ender sewing some time ago.  And here they are, fluttering in the breeze outside on the patio.

Two more blocks to go

All the fabrics used have come from my stash, so it really is a no cost quilt.  Guess I’d better get sewing then and get these last couple of blocks done.

Raspberry Ripple

That's the name of my latest quilt – full of lovingly hand stitched  candlewick blocks. With splashes of bright pink which remind me of a big bowl of summer raspberries and ice-cream, how about “Raspberry Ripple”?  I agree it may sound a bit fanciful, but that’s the name that came to me.  What do you think?

I have to admit that this is a very old UFO indeed.  I traced out the candlewick blocks and packed them, my cotton thread, needles and small scissors away in my suitcase when we travelled around England for three months way back in 1999.  I sat and stitched them in the evenings after a hard day’s sightseeing. 

Twelve blocks surround “Ribbons and Lace” in the middle, a larger pre-marked mini which I stitched some time after we had returned home from our trip.

And the quilting angels were smiling down on me when Sew Wot friend Moira brought along some candlewick blocks she no longer wanted.  She was having a clear out and looking to pass them on, and I was so happy to take them off her hands.  I  used four of Moira’s blocks in the corners of the quilt top.

Gifted blocks from Moira

With the top finished it had to wait for a trip to Linda the Razzle Dazzle Quilter to work her magic, then another wait till we were passing by Taupo again to finally collect it.  We continued on our caravan trip up to Hamilton, and took a slow trip back, moving the wrapped quilt from pillar to post around the caravan.  During the day it was placed on our bed, out of the way, and at night it got moved down to the seating area when we went to bed.  I likened it to a very big swaddled baby – although Robin tells me it’s like moving a dead body around!

I’ve been diligently hand stitching the binding down.  It’s a large quilt at 90 inches square.  And at last I’ve finished so have taken some photos to share.  No, not quite finished, as Robin commented, I still have to add the label.  I’ll attend to that shortly.

After the morning showers, Raspberry Ripple is enjoying an outdoorsy photo shoot

And to say I am thrilled with Linda’s work is an understatement – I just love what she has done to transform my quilt top so beautifully. Linda has stitched feathers, pebbles, matchstick quilting, and her version of McTavishing - her work is superb indeed.

Linda’s superb quilting

Home again

After two weeks away on a caravan trip, we are finally home again.  And after playing “pass the parcel” with my collected quilt (well wrapped in a big towel to keep it clean) from one end of the caravan to the other I was pleased to finally carry it inside to my sewing cabinet.  And at last I’ve found the time to sit at my sewing machine.  My first priority is to stitch the binding on, and luckily I had planned ahead and prepared the binding ages ago.  With the walking foot attached I was all ready to start.

The binding – something I prepared earlier

Here we go, stitching away

With that part of the job done, the next step is to hand stitch it all down on the reverse side.  I’ve started, but it may well take me a while to finish.  Hopefully I’ll get it completed in the next few days, all going well.

Perhaps you would like to see a couple more holiday snaps from our recent caravan trip?  We stayed in Wanganui for four nights at a lovely motor camp with our Caravan Club friends.  While there I climbed not one, but two towers!  So I’m really pleased with myself.  To get to the towers on Durie Hill we had to walk through a very long tunnel (205m) indeed.

Jenny and Dot at the tunnel entrance

The vintage elevator is at the end of the tunnel, and entering was certainly like was stepping back in time.  Zena has been operating it since 1971 and stands in front of a newspaper article when she started her job – although she now only works 3 days a week, she told us.  She must really love her job to have stayed there so long.  We were charged $2 each for the 66m ride up to the top and saved us walking up 191 concrete steps.

Zena at the controls

Several of us climbed the elevator tower first, up the windy spiral staircase.  Not too strenuous and there were great views from the top.  The much taller War Memorial Tower at 33.5m high was certainly a more difficult climb for me and I doggedly climb round and round, stopping to get my breath when I needed a break.   The tower is the official Wanganui Memorial to the 513 people from the district who died in the First World War and was unveiled in 1925, and is is 33.5m high.

Only three of us climbed this tower, two male caravan club members who were much fitter than me and arrived at the top with no trouble at all.  I was much slower, but really pleased that I made it all the way to the top too, huffing and puffing all the way.   There is a heavy safety frame on top of the tower to stop any accidents.

Durie Hill Tower and War Memorial Tower

We saw quite an assortment of padlocks attached to the safety frame.  It seems that these “love locks” as they are known, fastening a lock marked with lovers’ names to a public place and the key thrown away symbolizes everlasting love.  Wonder if they come back and cut them off if the love match turns sour?

Locked in Love padlocks.

The view from the top – Wanganui River and City

Now we are home safe and sound, I hope to resume “rolling the dice” next week, and see what number comes up from my “List of Six”.  But first, I’ll keep working on that binding.

Traveling on

We have been slowly making our way southwards over the last few days.  And before we left New Plymouth  Mt Egmont rewarded us with a glorious cloud free photo – and that doesn’t happen very often.  Isn’t it a beautiful sight?

Mt Egmont

We traveled down to Stratford - named after the birthplace of William Shakespeare and many of the streets bear the name of the characters from his plays.  Stratford's glockenspiel stands in the main street, Broadway, and is unique to New Zealand.   Romeo and Juliet, emerge for the balcony scene, reaffirming their vows of love, four times a day.    Well worth the time to stop and listen, if you are there at the right time.

Glockenspiel at Stratford

I called in to a “new to me” quilt shop, “In Stitches”, Stratford to make a few small purchases, as you do while travelling.  The very friendly owner showed me a commission quilt she was making for a man who told her he wanted to sleep under the mountain.  And what a great job she is doing.  The mountain has been appliqued and is surrounded with an assortment of New Zealand prints.

Commission quilt featuring Mt Egmont

Inside the quilt shop

Our next stop was to “The Cheesebar” at Eltham  to buy some cheese and hopefully pick up a bargain or two.  There was some delicious Kikorangi Blue on special, so I made sure I got some of that, plus a few other cheeses.  I’m a real cheese lover, so always like to stop here when we are passing by.

Lots of yummy cheese

Remember my candlewick quilt which I collected from Linda at Razzle Dazzle Quilter recently?  Well, the quilt has been traveling around with us too, of course.  I have it wrapped up in a big bath towel to keep it clean, and it gets moved around the caravan.  During the day it is placed on our bed, out of the way, and at night it gets moved down to the seating area when we go to bed.  It’s rather like a very big swaddled baby – although Robin tells me it’s like moving a dead body around!

When we return home in a few days time the quilt will be taken into my sewing room to get the binding stitched on.  Then I’ll take some more photos and show it off in all it’s glory.

Still Traveling

We are still on a caravan trip and since collecting my quilt from Linda at Taupo, we moved on to Hamilton.  Want to see another peek of my beautiful quilt?  Linda quilted all around my simple candlewick blocks and really made them look special.

Another peek at Linda’s beautiful quilting

The trip to Hamilton was to visit the “Motorhome, Caravan, and Leisure Show” where all the brand new vans and motorhomes are displayed.  There was free parking for vans at this 3 day event, and we joined about 900 others.  I climbed up the road to the top of the hill to get a photo over the site – and was I puffed when I reached the top!  Certainly worth it though, and walking back down was so much easier.  We went for a walk and saw vans parked all over the place, many at the back of buildings so not easily seen from the road.  And caught up with some old friends from different parts of the country whom we only see at these type of get-togethers.

Looking at all the bright and shiny new vans was great, but I was also quite taken with a display of restored retro vans, all beautifully styled with accessories too.  This little cutie in particular.

Pretty little retro van

Leaving the show, we traveled south at stopped off at the little town of Kihikihi – it was time to do some laundry.  Keeping up with the laundry makes me a very happy camper indeed.

We are staying for the next couple of nights at Bell Block, New Plymouth, under the shadow of Mt Egmont.  What a great view we have from our caravan site.  Hopefully I will get a clearer shot next time.  There is a saying up this way – “If you can’t see the mountain, it’s raining, and if you can see it, it will be raining again soon”.

Mt Egmont

I’ve only managed to do a little hand stitching while we have been away, and need to go and buy some more thread – I’m stitching a NZ native bird and  need blue for tail feathers and a red/yellow for the beak and feet.  We will be having a catch up with friends later for an evening meal, so that will be very nice. 

Meeting the Sweet Peas

On our recent trip to Taupo to collect my quilt from Linda of Razzle Dazzle Quilter, she kindly invited me to meet up with her quilting group, the Sweet Peas.  What a lovely bunch of ladies – they made me feel very welcome indeed, and had brought of lot of Show and Tell to share.

Andreena had brought along a lovely basket quilt made in Japanese fabrics, very nice indeed.  Plus two lovely Christmas items, a table runner and Santa's Sleigh and reindeer.  I love Christmas quilts too.

Made by Andreena

Stitching a Dear Jane quilt is a real labour of love, and Fiona kept on stitching until she had completed this mammoth task.  This was a Block of the Month, and several blocks were sent out each month from Stich’n’Heaven, in Texas.  Fiona told us that she kept up each month, quite an achievement as some of these little blocks have a huge number of tiny pieces.  This is another quilt expertly quilted by Linda.

Fiona’s Dear Jane quilt

Terri had also been very busy and showed a lovely needle turn NZ Native Bird quilt she had made for her son.  And a very pretty little floral quilt she has decided to keep for when her first grand-daughter arrives.

A couple of beauties  from Terri

I love NZ designs and really admired Hazel’s bird quilt.  “Tuis in my Garden” was designed by Diane Fussel.  With lots of thread painting on the tuis and 3D kowhai flowers, it was lovely indeed.

Tuis in my Garden, by Hazel

Like most groups, the Sweet Peas have challenges now and again.  Rochelle brought along her Sweet Peas BOM “Blooming Flowers”.  Such bright and happy colours.

Rochelle’s Sweet Pea Challenge

Linda has pieced “Social Butterfly” using Tula Pink’s fabrics from the USA.  I was told to look carefully at the fabrics to see if I could find the animals on the prints.  Sure enough, I found tigers galore hidden in the butterflies.

Linda’s Social Butterflies

And lastly, I really admired Peggy’s pretty quilt which was hanging on the wall for Spring.  This was made while she lived in Australia, and many of the blocks were made by quilting friends for her.

Peggy’s Spring quilt

Many thanks to Linda and Peggy for inviting me to their home to meet up with their Sweet Pea group.  It was so nice to meet all the ladies and get to see their lovely quilts – I really appreciated the kind invitation.

Collecting my Quilt From Linda

We are “on the road again” in the caravan and stayed for a couple of nights in Taupo.  And while there  had a very important visit to Linda of Razzle Dazzle Quilter who had quilted her magic on my Candlewick quilt.  Linda had been in touch to tell me it looked gorgeous, and although I didn’t doubt her for one minute, I was really looking forward to seeing it myself. 

Hershey loves it too

And what a great job she had done, even the cat thought so.  I’m not showing too much, just yet.  The first job I want to do when we finally get back home from this caravan trip will be to attach the binding.  And then there will be photos galore, I promise.  The quilting is so lovely, and really sets off my simple candlewick blocks.   Thanks so much Linda, I am delighted again, with your beautiful quilting.