Special memories

I picked up my new old chair that I bought off Trade Me.  I thought I'd sand and polish it and recover it with fabric made of selveges but I think that would spoil it so one day I'll get some old style fabric and make a selvege cushion!! It reminds me of the chairs my grandmother had and it'll fit in the corner of my sewing room.  (I'm sure you won't see much of it when it's covered in fat quarters haha).

Yesterday marked the 2nd anniversary of my Dad's passing and it was no different to any other day because I miss him everyday but I think he was around looking after me.  The weather was gorgeous for once and despite my car being in the garage everything was well.  And today, wonderful news that the repairs to my car only cost 1/4 of what I'd expected.  

Guess Who.. I haven't changed much haha



My favourite photo - many years ago though!  hehe



Raising money for his granddaughter



Dame Edna.. he grew Gladioli's for a hobby!



Back to sewing.  I love my Sew Ezi table.  It's just perfect.  I'll take photos soon.  I've just about sold enough 'stuff' on Trade Me to pay for half of the table.  Way to go ah!

Sew Ezi

I have put my big sewing desk on Trade Me and will soon have a Sew Ezi table .. have a look at this
http://www.sewezi.com/nz
When I went to Retreat last weekend several of the ladies had one and they love them.  They all said no back pain or shoulder pain when using them.  And a Sew Ezi table is portable so you can take it to class or to the lounge if it's where you want to be, take it on holiday whereever. 

Sew Ezi tables are made for your machine and in September there's a special - the accessory tray is free.

You'd still need to put it near a table if you're quilting a large quilt but we've all got one of those and it doesn't take up a huge space and store 'stuff'.  If you have any queries ring 0800 739 394.

15 Minutes a day

I found this great blog at http://www.15minutesplay.com/2010/07/got-15-minutes.html where everyone gives themselves at least 15 minutes a day to use up scraps and play.  I've signed up because 15 minutes ain't long but you can get a lot done and I reckon it'll be fun and an incentive if I HAVE to do it.. so to speak!!

I bought this bag of scraps a few months ago.  Would love to play with them.

Have always kept the scraps of my batik fabrics so watch this space.

Good neighbours are worth a million dollars and I have the best I'm sure.  I came home from work this week and found a little garden gnome finishing off my new garden patch in front of my house.  His name is Kevin and he is newly retired and bored!!!  Kevin loves gardening and his own are immaculate so he came over (discussed it awhile ago with me) and did this for me.  Most of the plants are out of my pots and the Yukka I was given.  But some are from my neighbours garden too. 

I have the carpet!! Friends and I went and picked up this old but good carpet today from my boss's home.  Hopefully my brother will come down one day soon and lay it in my bedroom and my sewing room. 

It has been a gorgeous blue sky day, warm and sunny.  This photo is taken at 5pm. Yay, I hope summer is coming at last.  I am so over wind, rain and gloomy weather.   I hate camelias with a passion because the flowers drop so soon and make such a mess but the tui's come and visit every morning and afternoon so they get to stay...

What to do with a wooden towel rail?  Well, I'm using mine to show off my finished but unfinished quilt tops.  There's three on here now waiting for backings and to be quilted.  The one at the top is a quilt as you go which I made for our exhibition.  Just needs sides and then put together.  I can do that one myself!! I'm in the process of making a quilt to go on the back of the hydrangea one (or not) and the other is my batik that I finished last weekend. 

 All in all a good day, housework is done, washing is dry and now I'm going to cook dinner and spend my 15 minutes or more sewing!!! 

Remember Kiwi's put your clocks back tonight!!  Daylight saving is here.. Already!!

WOW

Last night I went to

WOW..

the World of Wearable Art Awards. 

It was the dress rehearsal and my wonderful friend Carol emailed me yesterday morning to see if I wanted to go.  She bought the ticket for my birthday.. and it was fabulous.  The choreography of this show is excellent, the entertainment was awesome absolutely awesome.  It is an event not to be missed but you do need binoculars as it's hard to see with eyes like mine what the detail is in the costumes.


The bestest part of the evening though.. close best.. was seeing my friends from Palmerston North again.. Carol and Emma.. such faithful friends and Robin and Mary and oh a whole bus full.  But I didn't want to go back to Palmerston North this time.  I'd have loved to spend a longer time with them all but I think I've got over the homesickness.  I still miss everyone heaps but I am at home in Welly now.  Wind and all!!! 


And now I"m off to watch Project Runway.. my favourite programme of the week. 


Oh and I have bought an old old chair off Trade Me.. eeek.. similar to one my grandmother had.  It looks in pretty good condition.  I will take a photo when I get it but I'm thinking of recovering it with selveges and putting it in my sewing room.

Spring cleaning

I haven't been blogging for awhile. I've been springcleaning!!!!..
After taking steroids for a week I had the energy of an ox for a few days and started sorting and moving things.. even tidied cupboards and now I have quite a pile of things to donate to the Sallies and try and sell on Trade Me.  

to make up for what I've bought off Trade Me in the last three weeks like this hutch I bought for $22 (more storage!!!).  Just needs two drawer handles...

I made the blind too for my wee dining nook!!

Don't you love my little sewing machine clock.. Like I needed it????..

but it was only $10 off Trade Me..

I got carried away sorting dumb things like my buttons..

Well, I bought these glasses for Christmas and haven't used them since!!

Last weekend I went to a retreat (my brother calls it Rehab) for quilting ladies and I finally finished the batik quilt top called Maths Lesson that I started hmmmm well over a year ago hehe.  The pattern was in a Downunder magazine.  I loved the scrap of butterfly batik so I had to include it in a block.  Can't wait to get it quilted now.

I started making another quilt to go on the back of my hydrangea quilt which has been finished for about two years.  I'm using the rest of the hydrangea fabrics .. I doubt I'll want another one haha.

Last night I was invited to another house group.  Mondays are good nights to go out.. I'm fresh and still have energy though after Retreat we were all a tad tired.  We had a lot of laughs.  I took another old UFO and cut up a lot of squares so I can finish that one too. It feels really good to complete some of these things.

Still have to do my curtains but this weekend I get the carpet.. YAYAYAYYAY.  It will make a heap of difference even if summer will be here soon haha.

There you go.  Just saying hi to my blogging friends.  Hope you are all well.. 

A funny story

I have been growing succulents for years.. well 6 years is a long time.  At one stage when I lived in Hamilton I had 99 varieties!  Since I've moved to Wellington and don't have much of a section I only bought a few in pots and gave the rest to my cousin.

My youngest sister and her partner live in Wellington and are not green fingered at all.  They had yukka's in tubs on their deck which died so I took in some of my Schwarzkoph" succulents and poked them in the pots.. No fresh soil..just poked them in and left them.  I love succulents because they thrive on neglect. 

To cut the story down as my Uncle would say... Debbie's have flowered!!  In windy, wet Wellington they have flowered!!   I have never had one flower, nor my sister in sunny Nelson nor my neighbour who's had them for years!  It's a giggle really ...