Busy day

Today was a productive day, some sewing and some unsewing happened, but first I had a walk in the mostly sunshine

when I got home the Supervisor was waiting for me

I made this quilt top earlier in the year from a pattern kindly sent to me by Ondrea who has a passion for small quilts.

this is a challenge from the Guild for the exhibition in November and is supposed to be 50cm square. In trying to use inches and centimeters I have managed to get it too small, so I unpicked the blue border

carefully measured and added a new border...which is still too small!!  So much for my careful measuring.

In between sewing and unsewing I have been watching the Invictus Games, these athletes are amazing, today was volley ball played on the floor and at least one cheek (bum cheek) has to stay in contact with the floor at all times!! I learned something today!!

Is very emotional to hear some of the stories of the competitors, they have been through a lot in their lives and given up a lot to serve their country.

So the third border was sewn on, the backing sewn on and now I need to hand sew the opening closed. It is a fraction under 50 cm, but it is staying the way it is!!  The instructions say no wadding which is a change for me!

Front and back, now to work out how to quilt this little number.

Today I also got the Minions quilt top together

I think I will sandwich it and then the applique can also be part of the quilting. This is another Aussie Hero request.

And finally I found all the pieces of the door class I did with Gloria Loughman earlier in the month and have ironed them all together. 

Next they need to be trimmed and quilted.

I had better go and check on dinner.

Happy sewing.

Link up and catch up

This week is zipping on by!! I am linking up with Anthea at Hibiscus Stitches to celebrate all things EPP - mu contribution this week is a bit poor but EPP none the less

I have done a bit more than this, but I was working on this one on Tuesday, but more talking happened than stitching! Still every little bit helps!

If you go over to Antheas blog you can see what else is happening with EPP.

I have signed up to do another two Aussie hero quilts, one with dinosaurs - how good is that timing!! I must have known something when I bought the panel in NZ!! I have it ready to be sandwiched

It is not a very good photo I am sorry, it will go to the service persons son on his return home, the son is 4 and loves dinosaurs. Hubby returned home this afternoon and asked why I had emu feet all over the top of the quilt.....I suggested he could go away for a few more days!!

The second request is for a Minions quilt, I have a panel with Minions, so I am adding blue to the sides and top and then appliqueing 

these guys around the sides. This quilt will also go to the son of a service person. Minions always make me feel happy!

We had rain this morning but this afternoon is beautiful.

Yesterday the Supervisor and I had a walk along the beach

I should have taken the lead off first, we both ended up with wet feet!!

At St Leonards sewing group this morning Mary showed her progress with her Japanese quilt, this has been sewn and unpicked a few times so it is good to see the progress now.

This afternoon I put the binding on a Quilt for Others from the Seachange group

now it needs the hand sewing and label sewn on and it cango in the ready for distribution bin.

I have also traced off another 6 blocks ready to be painted, might do some more painting in the morning, will see how we go.

Happy sewing.

This afternoon

I have been happily sitting at the dining room table playing with paints. There is a challenge 8 of us at the Bellarine Quilters have taken up, and that is to make 12 Christmas blocks by December. We will put them all on a table together and choose one form each pile...that way we end up with a Christmas quilt. .that is the theory anyway. So I decided to do mine with paint

For some reason the tablet decided this ginge should be sideways, I am sorry for that!!

The patterns are from a book called 12 Days of Christmas by Nancy Halvorsen.

Once the painting is finished I will put stabiliser on the back and do some free range quilting, then maybe do a little more painting. 

It has been relaxing sitting here painting, looking out the window sometimes, watching the changes of weather go by. There have been some lovely rainbows this afternoon today.

I had better go and check dinner.

Happy sewing.

Spring

It is amazing the changes in the garden in just the 10 days I was away.

the wisteria has started to flower and smells wonderful

this tree has beautiful blossom

this tree was bare 10 days ago, now the blossom is finishing and the leaves have grown

the oak tree has new leaves

the fig tree is active

Mmmmmm...not so sure the Chowchow is though!!

the plum tree has blossom and leaves

the bottle brush looks amazing

as does the grevillia

I did venture into one quilt shop in NZ and came out with these

and this

this and

this, how good are the dinosaurs? I am told this is a different kind of printing and the colours will never fade. Love the colours in this piece. 

I have decided to try and sort one box a month, (taking it really slow here!!) of the boxes that have not been unpacked after moving house. As the football is on tonight it is a good opportunity to look at a box!

So off to sort I go.

Happy sewing.

Wonderful

to be back home again..I have a few photos on the camera to update here. I met up with the lovely Julie of Threadbare Cottage for lunch while I was in NZ. We met in Tirau which is famous for the corrugated iron signs in the town. We had a great lunch and then a wander up to the Christmas shop , which was amazing!

Julie gifted me a lovely goodies bag, which I opened this morning

the bag got a bit squashed in the suitcase

but inside was a beautiful candle Julie made and decorated, even  has my name on it, and a lovely handmade soap. I have had one of these before and they are beautiful to use and smell so good!!

Thank you Julie, you made my day.

We took some snaps of the signs and buildings in the town

  the local mechanic shop, and the Info centre

sadly the buzzy bee is a bit hard to see

Mrs Pukeko looks very flash with her pearls and shoes

Mr Pukeko is plainer just sitting here on the roof.

this shepherd was at the local church, you could put money in a box I was told by a man passing by and he would talk to you, I thought that was a little creepy so declined!!

I headed off and drove back over the Kaimais

I stopped at the top to take a photo out over the Waikato and to search for a geocache!

Later that weekend when I went up to Auckland Jenny showed me a book swap fridge at the end of her street

I dropped off two book crossing books and took a thriller. The contents of the fridge were  mostly children's books. Nice to swap books around.

I did manage to get a few more stars sewn

the star family is a wee bit bigger now

I must say that Jenny gave me a beautiful cup (she has the T-shirt to match)

Halloween Chowdy dogs!!How cute are they. I am very blessed to have wonderful friends.

I am off to rediscover my sewing room.

Happy sewing.

Sitting at the airport

I am on my way home!! All is in place for Mum, she has a lovely support/carer in place who is visiting twice a week at the moment. That gets reviewed in 3 months, they will slowly build up to someone calling every day. They are keen to keep Mum in her own home and she is determined to stay there. I am a little happier now I know she is in the system and being checked on.
I drove from Tauranga to Auckland today and thank goodness it is a beautiful sunny day,

I had a stop at Krangahake Gorge and had a look at the river and a breath of fresh air.

Yesterday in between doing last minute messages, those ones you have been waiting 10 days for that suddenly appear as you are packing your bag, I went over to Mount Maunganui and walked around the base of the Mount. It is an extinct volcano, and all my life we have walked up (sometimes) or around (mostly). 

It was a beautiful day, sunny a little breeze from the south

The land off to the left of the Maori warrior statue is where my mother lives

Isn't  this a great way to spend some time !!

This is the entrance between the Mount and Matakana Island where ships and boats come in and out of the harbour.

In this tree is a tui, a native bird in NZ, there were lots of tui flying between the trees and eating the red berries here, I have never seen so many before.

Ship leaving the harbour.

And finally I came around to the ocean beach. The walk is about 4km depending on where you have to park the car.

I have been making more stars but they are in the luggage!! 

I am off to have a wander thru the shops, 2 hours more to fill in before the plane leaves. No delays with Emirates thank goodness, lots of flights have been cancelled due to the fuel problems here.

Happy stitching.