Out of my comfort zone

I'm going to do a Mystery Quilt in March (a one nighter) and I have to have 3 rectangles from 38 different fabrics. I thought maybe I'd start using some of my batik stash .. (this is about 2/3 of my batiks) but I never find colour's easy to choose. I think I'll have to play with these for a few days rather than start cutting straight away. At least the rectangles are only 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" so if I have to buy some it won't cost a lot.

A great weekend

Just a pic to show how much rain we had during the floods last week. This was just down the road from me outside one of the high schools. I think there were a few kids who thoroughly enjoyed having water this deep to walk home in. It's been lovely here since we had a cooler snap. so much more pleasant at night. Had my gorgeous grandson Cam for the weekend (9 next weekend). He was such great company, lots of laughs, watched videos, I sewed, he sewed and whileI sewed he even decided to do the dishes himself and I hadn't even mentioned it. He ate all his meals and his wicked sense of humour..I think he has a lot of my dad in him.

I told my daughter when she picked him up and she asked what I'd done with the real Cam! He even told me when he goes to Massey University he'll stay with me at weekends... of course he will if his girlfriend lives here haha.

I made Cam a placemat using a paper serviette and Modge Podge to put it onto canvas. It was really easy and 24 hours later it was fabric and I quilted it. I didn't have time to take a photo today but will next weekend. The serviette had a big pizza on it and I made cutlery from tomato, potato and strawberry (for desert) fabrics. Cam made a butterfly string from scraps of fabric for his new kitten.. hang it from above the door. And I had some cute Simpsons fabric called Where is Bart? so we put this onto a canvas and also put a small photo of Cam's head on top of the guy with the business suit. (Cam said he was a President!). It was a great weekend but I think I'll have a quiet night tonight and get cracking tomorrow after work on finishing things.

Rain Rain Go to Victoria

It has rained here for 3 days. We've had flooding for the first time in years. Kids walking in water up to their knees in busy main streets. My back lawn is under water and yet in Victoria there is so much need for rain to put out the fires. It is devastating, the number of people who lost their homes, their livelihood and their family. And to think someone lit some of the fires on purpose. They could never suffer enough.

All but finished

Only to be quilted now but the floral scrappy table cover top is

finished. It's supposed to have a wide border on it but it's plenty big enough for my table now and so I'll just put a cream and white scrappy binding on it. I'm going to call it Fudge! because there is an awful lot of fudging in this top. I made it before I bought my new machine with 1/4 inch foot and still learning... a lot of quilting and you won't notice it! It'll be a playground for me to practice freemotion quilting... there's no way it's going to a quilter haha.

Why do I keep making quilts Chris.. Quilting makes me feel great. It's therapeutic when I need a buzz, it's inspiring, it's motivational, it's the reason why people say 'you're clever, that's beautiful' and it makes me feel like a million dollars when I give it away! And I'm an addict and I can't stay away from Arthur Toye's $4 a metre sales!! I haven't made enough for the wardrobe yet haha... but I do want to make enough for my kids and grandkids to have something from Nan eventually. So I better carry on... haha. Time you made another one Chris!

Sewing Day

A wonderful day today with two friendly quilt buddies. Couple of glasses of wine, breadrolls and smoked chicken in the sunshine and Andre Rieus on the dvd! And no interruptions!

My floral scrappy quilt is three borders away from finished so hopefully by tomorrow night I will post a photo of it completed. Once this is finished I can start on my garden quilt. I've finally figured out a plan after finding photos of my late Dad's garden years ago. And now I can't wait.. but I had to get this one off the design wall first. PROGRESS...It's taken me nearly two years to finish this one and it will go on my table when I've quilted it.. Yes this will be my debut at freemotion quilting.. well the quilt cost me nothing. It's all charm squares from a swap so if I make a mistake or two who cares!

Another long weekend

I do love these long weekends. 3 days is so good.. a day to do housework and two days to do what I like... I bought some hollyhocks, coneflowers and a bunch of different flowers for my hanging basket. The painters have finished at last and I need to tidy up after them now. They are definitely boys grrr. They stood on my gardens and wiped out one block of succulents, one of my big ones has been broken so I need to replant that.

But priorities tomorrow is a sewing day. My friends husband is walking the Tongariro Crossing so we're going to sew. I have to be there at 8.30am.. .I am so easily pleased. Sewing is so creative and colourful and it keeps me enthusiastic. And it must be good for improving the mind... have so many ideas and there are so many mathematical sums to work out... yeah well, how many excuses do you need to sew quilts huh.

I'm going to put a bit more of my floral UFO together (you've seen before) and also some of my english allotment garden. Our garden at home was like an allotment. We didn't have a lot of lawn in our back yard, it was flowers and vegetables everywhere you looked. The front lawn was where we played cricket or skipping but a few years ago when my Dad retired he dug that up too and put a huge circular rose garden in the middle. In fact I found a very old photo of my Dad planting the flower garden and I'm going to put this into my quilt somewhere?.

My big girl was diagnosed with Tietze Syndrome and sadly it's another thing she'll have to live with for the rest of her life. Painkillers every day at the moment but at least it wasn't a heart attack. Thank God. She's such a beautiful soul. Cam is coming over to stay next weekend again and this will be fun. He is happy to do anything. He'll help me in the garden, he'll sew, he loves to cook and I'll take him to the pool etc again so we compromise. I love having quality time with them and hopefully my grandchildren will visit Nanny for many years to come.

The Book has arrived

Wow, it's arrived. My new book called "Quilts from the Selvege Edge" has arrived. I found out about it through the Selvege Blog .. have a look in my favourite blogs!

I've been cutting the selvedges off all my fabrics and now have a large plastic container full . I have to choose a pattern. I'm thinking log cabin with little squares of green in the middle. I'm making this for our club challenge in May.. the theme is GO GREEN! they are all so different, some quite arty and colourful. It's going to be fun, different but fun! Have to get my a into g.. it won't take long especially since Symposium is at Easter!! I have procrastinated tonight and went to visit a friend instead.

As for the scales. I thought they'd got stuck and hadn't moved for 3 weeks... but they have.. I gained .2 haha. Watch this space!

More photos from the Esplanade

Today the boys and I went to Bedtime Stories at the movies. A good story but I think a little babyish for George 13. They've been having to compromise this weekend.. but next time he comes on his own I'll do a few teenage things with him.

While they were at the park AGAIN this afternoon (cheap entertainment) I took a few more photos around the esplanade.