Meeting Deadlines

I had a great day sewing with friends at the Womens Expo held in Palmy yesterday. Got heaps done on the book for my sister and heres the last page finished. The hanky is one of my late Aunty's. The colours on the flower fitted in well and the organza ribbon behind the crocheted flowers was on a bunch sent to Mum after Dad died. See I don't let anyone throw stuff away haha. I'm busy putting it all together today and adding the finishing touches.

I had dinner at Carol's and then we sewed till midnight. I started Raelene's bag.. look at this cool selvedge I've added .. so apt for her 50th birthday. "Vintage Chic" .. what a hoot finding that amongst my collection.I finally got my photos printed, thanks to The Cloth Shop and I've decided to make her a little bag inside the big one, for needles, cottons etc with Dad's roses and his garden on top. They printed the rose ones twice by mistakes but I'm going to make something for myself with the other four. Or maybe put them into Dad's garden quilt one day.

My daughter is on her way to take me on the surprise tonight!! I think it might be tickets to Kelvin Cruickshank .. psychic! It's the only thing I've seen advertised in town tonight. I would be thrilled to go to his show. But I'm not getting too excited. Knowing my daughter Haylee she could have me going to the night maze!! God help her haha. I am just wrapped she's going to so much effort for me.

And still no decision! I will apply for the job of course but it's heart wrenching thinking of leaving my friends and the life I've built up. But I LOVE working in the team I work with now... and helping by giving advice to others, having a laugh and feeling appreciated. If I stay in Palmy and go back to my old job on 1 September I will have to start all over again. It has changed so much...

I thought I'd had enough challenges for a lifetime. What would you do.. if you were single, 50's, renting, and in my position????

Who'd be a single girl?

The worst thing about being a single girl is having to make all the decisions by yourself for yourself!! I wish I had a crystal ball right now.

Heres' the short end of the story: For 15 months I've been secconded into another job in the same company and I LOVE the job, LOVE the people I work with. In fact I dont want to go back to my old job in September!

However our company has restructured and the new job is available in Wellington. Not where I live!! Boohooooo I love living in Palmerston North.

Questions, questions, questions

Do I have stressful job - pressure to sell products, make revenue, daily meetings to push sales, constant reviews, more training, stressed out colleagues, everythings changed since I left and I have so much training to catch up on ........................BUT then I spend the nights sewing, being with friends, driving 5 minutes to anywhere in town, 45 minutes to 2 hours to family, my clubs, sewing days, rent at $200 for 2 bedrooms, nice quiet neighbourhood etc etc....

Do I have less stressful job - fun helpful colleagues, working in a team, no pressure, lots of compliments, great environment and I feel confident! I guess there will be quilting clubs down there,............. BUT the traffic is incredible, long drives to whereever I may live - will I feel as safe down there, no friends, no clubs, more expense travelling and rent no doubt, and 2 hours to 4 hours from family....

What to do, What to do? I guess I have to apply first and see if I get a job down there?? Can always find out what the wages will be. That may be a help. I don't have to make this decision overnight but soon

but BUT BUT??????????????

Where is Mr Wonderful who'd give me a hug and tell me what to do and come with me and make it so much easier????? He's not in my cupboard where he should be!

Single girls birthdays

I saved another steel box from the dump today. This is a rectangle one, a mate for the square one they were going to throw out last week at work. What will I do with them?

I'll probably clean them up and keep treasures in them. Not sure if I can paint over them? Hate to ruin the old 'used' look! I ordered a book from Quilt Books New Zealand in Hamilton and received it today. It's an early birthday present for me... well, I have to buy what a husband would buy for me if I had one ah? Us single girls look after ourselves! Over and over again haha.

Look at this. This is such a gorgeous quilt made from just one fabric. You just layer your fabrics at exactly the same pattern and cut 60 degree triangles. Put 6 together and that's what it makes. This is the fabric used in the book. (I must learn how to use my new camera properly).

And I've already bought the fabric to make one.

But I am still finishing my sister's book and need to start her bag and finish them both by 3 June. I have a full day sewing at Womens Expo in town on Saturday so heaps of time.

And guess what? My daughter Haylee is coming down on Sunday to take me out for an early birthday present. It's a surprise but after 6 weeks I think.. I think I may have worked it out. And I am so excited!!! Fingers crossed I'm right but otherwise I am sure it'll be something good.

I'll let you know if I'm right.

Frustration

I've wasted the morning trying to print photos onto fabric. First I succeeded in getting two of my sister's wedding photos onto the shop bought fabric paper. However, the second page got stuck in the printer and jammed it. Waste of $7.50.
So then I tried fabric soaked in bubblejet which someone in my house group swears by, but oh no it got stuck too! Now my printer is just about out of coloured ink. So choices, pay $20.00 a page to get it printed at the shop or buy $80 worth of ink. Hmmmm I'm thinking I'll just do without.
this is the Family Tree page and I thought I'd put their 3 children under it. Cute photos when they will little!

So the book is nearly finished but there will be no more photos! The bag for my sister won't have photos of Dad's roses on it so I'll have to find some fabric that will work in with my idea to make a quick sewing bag for her bits and pieces.

And now shopping is great therapy so I'm off to find some little pearl beads at Spotlight to finish one page of the book and maybe buy a big fat sausage roll from New World!! It's pouring down and blowing a gale but I can warm up afterwards by the heater.

Wombling

A neat old suitcase that I can decoupage one day and a tin box with handles that will look gorgeous when it's polished up. I'm sure I'll find something to store in it.

Old stamps - I will take the rubber print off, make my own stamps and use these to stamp hand dyed fabric in the future. I won't get my fingers dirty now. The other contraption on the left is a One hole -Hole punch. It's really sharp and I managed to put a hole in 8 pieces of card so I'm hoping it will work with lutrador or fabric with bonding!!

I have been wombling this week! Our youngest staff did a spring clean in the strong room. I was too busy to take any notice until she had filled a huge box, big enough for a fridge. Then I noticed all the neat stuff she was throwing out. Some not very old i.e pencils... I asked why she was throwing out good HB pencils... "cause noone uses them here"??? What about the journals - they're expensive "T prefers an exercise book"..????? I think she must be on a good wage bracket because I think thats a waste.

I found heaps of 'treasures' - oval boards that I can seal and cover with fabric and artificial flowers and cones for decoration (maybe a christmas present). wooden trays, a long needle for threading through card, masking tape????? By the time I finished, another staff member had cottoned on to it and took card and paper for the school, and another took stationery and stamps for the grandchildren. Document trays (about 20)... - nothing wrong with them and I bet staff will be looking for them in the future! OH dear I might be a womble but another persons junk is someone else's treasure.

Have a look at our Club blog too on

http://rosecityquilters.blogspot.com/

for the other winning entries in our Go Green Challenge. There were 32 entries all up. It was amazing!

Mothers Day

Today I went to a new monthly Sunday School, not the drinking kind, sewing and it was great fun and productive. I took along a fabric book I started making last year for my sister's 30th wedding anniversary.

As per usual in our family I lost interest and so now they've been married 31 years.

30 years is Pearl so I've made the book in pearl, cream and white. One page will have! 30 + 1 pearls on it... the page with the grid. This is two pages which will be sewn back to back when finished. YOu cant see it but I have appliqued THIRTY in squares which I need to satin stitch yet.

The front cover is this one with a bocquet of pearl coloured buttons, and Raelene's hand (I've had everyone' s hand prints since I made a family tree of our hands for my parents 50th wedding anniversary). Underneath her hand you can read the dates etc of their wedding.

This is some old fashioned lace that I cut up and sewed onto a page with a few pearls.

Pages 5 & 6 still need a bit of work done to them and page 7 I've decided to redo completely. A photo of them taken last year which will have colour so it's the only page that will have a bit of turquoise blue on it.

The last page is Phillip's hand and a few charms sewn on it. The fingers hang over the edge too. I've sewn shower curtain rings on the side of the front page and will plait a variety of wools, cords and threads together to tie it all up.

I'd like to finish it before I go to her 50th birthday next month so have started finishing it.

It was a fun way to spend Mothers Day. My son was at work and my daughters both busy being Mum's themselves.

I saw my own Mum yesterday and caught up with Nette. She is one of 3 to win a business scholarship award in New Zealand. The scholarship means a 6 day trip to Sydney to attend a business management convention, a day with a world renowned motivational speaker (on her own) and visits to Kiwi business owners in Sydney that have made it big.

She is thrilled. Considering she has achieved this without any degree or diplomas I am so very, very proud of her. The panel were in awe of what she has done and told her she deserved to receive it. There were 84 applicants.

I am so glad the seige in Napier is over and the gunman is deceased. A close friend works in the prison service and said the prisoners were saying he's a hero! I am lost for words.

I hope you all you mothers out there had a great time today as I did. Winter is here and I'm off to bed with a good book.

What a sad day

What devastating news yesterday in Napier. My heart goes out to everyone up there who is desperately waiting for the armed gunman's seige to be over. It is absolutely gutwrenching to think that a person could be so crazy that he could not give a damn about anyone else or himself. He knows what the end result will be. How can someone be so evil. And in our country!!

I hope it is over tonight. My daughter in Taradale can hear the gunshots. They are all anxious and unsettled. I can't imagine how the families of the Snee family and the families of those men who have been shot, feel. My heart goes out to you all and to all the police and armed defenders who are putting their own lifes at risk to stop this guy shooting.


My son was beaten up on Wednesday night while walking home from work. Somebody saw him getting money out of the hole in the wall, followed him and pushed him to the ground. He tried to fight them off but a second person came. Ken thought they might have been trying to help him but instead they kicked him in the head and knocked him out. They had a knife but obviously just wanted to frighten him but from struggling with him Ken has knife wounds on both arms and his head. Luckily they took $140 he had for his rent and took off. He has a headache but he's alive.

What's happening in the World... Drugs, Alcohol, Unemployment... should we all be afraid now, feel unsafe????? I'm not even going to think about it or I would never leave my house. But it's so very, very sad.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My big girl is 35 today! All grown up. A wife, A mum to Cameron, a Practice Manager for a huge accountants firm and just the best! Congratulations Nette. I love you so much and I never stop being so proud of you. See you next week. (she's been sucked in to having a tupperware party!!! Haha thats so unlike Nette.)

Surprised ... hell yes!!

The show is over again for another year and I WON! I got a huge shock.. I thought I'd stuffed the whole thing with my attempt at 'quilting' but I WON! First Prize in Intermediate and I WON AGAIN!! Best Traditional Quilt and here it is hanging on my wall in the lounge. I want to find a rail or something to hang my quilts on... I got vouchers from NZ Quilter (bought a neat book called Material Obsessions - sounds like me ah), Susan Clare at Toad Hall, Cherry Pie Quilt Patch and The Cloth Shop plus cash so it's going to be fun spending them. I've already bought more fabric from Arthur Toye to try a stack n Whack quilt! I've got the book called ONe Block Wonder Encore and it's full of neat hexagon shapes made by cutting 6 triangles all the same out of a busy fabric. Watch this space ah!So what have I learn't from it ... to persevere and STOP putting myself down!!! Oh and this is the quilt my friend Carol made. She used scraps including some of the selvedges that I was throwing out.. the ones that had no writing or spots on..

Pay it forward... I had two posts so Chris and Edwina I'll be sending something off to you in the next 6 weeks. It's on my diary. Edwina could you please email me with your address as I can't link into your blog.