Three weeks

I know friends think I'm daft putting my Weightwatchers progress on my blog, but I live alone so why not!!  It's also like I need to have good results because I've made it public!! 

I was really wrapped tonight as I thought I wouldn't have had a good loss.  I've been lying around for 3 days with this horrid flu so no exercise.  But I lost 1.7kgs.

I've had to change my reward a little.  I was going to have $10 for every kg lost to put on fabric for quilting.  However it's happening a bit fast and in just three weeks I'd have $54 to spend!!  Eek, I can't afford that so I've changed it to $5.00. 

I'm really wrapped though.. I've also changed my diet because my body doesn't cope with Fod Maps!  Since seeing a Dietician I lost 3.5 before I started WW so altogether now I've lost 8.9kgs.. Incredible!!

Can't wait till it shows but that will be a long time yet.  My first goal is 99kg and hopefully by Christmas.

Pockets Full

I forgot to post pictures of this fun denim quilt that I saw at the Rangitikei Quilt Show at the weekend.  So here it is...I luv it.

Everyone needs pockets!

I had a giggle when I saw this one.  Very clever.

I loved this quilt. It was called GeeJays but had not quilters details.  I think it's a very clever way of using old jeans and old shirts.  Never thought of using the pockets.  this could be a useful thing to put on the wall in your kids room too - pockets upright of course.

Im home with the flu again today.  Such a waste of time being home and not having the energy to do things.  I need to pin out my grandsons quilt.  Maybe I'll try some embroidery that has to be finished soon.

After our cold wintry snap on Sunday and Monday we had a gorgeous day yesterday.  Beautiful blue sky and I thought we'd get the same today however not so sure now.

FART - Fabric Acquistion Road Trip

Yesterday a couple of friends and I went to the Rangitikei Club Show in Marton.  We left at 7.30 am and the weather was amazing.. a little windy but lovely once we got to the other side of the hills of course.  (By the time we got back to Wellington it was still raining!! 

Here's some pics of quilts I thought were amzing and clever. 

this is all cotton on cream fabric.  Amazing technigues

Close up.  Amazing.  Was my viewers choice.



Another one with amazing quilting effects



there were so many quilts and such little room you couldn't get a good photo of them, but I love the use of doillies on quilts.  I've been collecting some and this is very inspirational.

Close up

These are Jinny Beyers fabrics from 2005.  I was given a 5" charm pack of the same fabrics. (which I haven't used yet)!

Beautiful, such a lot of work

I love this.  The colours, the techniques .. just gorgeous

A great design using NZ fabrics. 

this one is amazing.  All the flowers and leaves are 3 D.  I hope you can blow the photo up so you can see the detail

I love this tree.. wool used for the truck.. wonderful use of textiles

To everyone who took part in organising this show Congratulations.  And the vendors.. yummy.  Batiks $10, $12 and $16.  I can't help myself.  Thanks to the travelling batik guy.. Milton Wright.. hehe I am an addict.

The tops finished. More Celebrations

I've just finished putting together the top of Alex's quilt so I can show him on Sunday.  I wish I could pin it out and start quilting but I don't have anywhere to do it here haha.  The paint may take awhile to dry.. very cold and damp here but hopefully tomorrow night I might be able to move everything back into my bedroom and find my cutting/pinning table.

So here it is Alex quilt No 1.  Alex chose the black with white square fabric which I used for the inside border but it looked very busy and I didn't work out the measurements correctly..  That's what happens when you start a quilt from the outside in ah? 

So I undid the middle and here is Alex's quilt No 2 and final.  He loves his rugby.  I think he'll like this one.

Red and black jersey for Canterbury, on the right is Waikato jersey.  Top row black and white is Hawkes Bay (Magpies) where Alex lives and green and white is Manawatu where I used to live.

I don't know who plays in red and white but I needed another jersey haha.

I've still used Alex's fabric but fussy cut it.

These rugby jerseys are Alex's ripper rugby team, his great-Grandad's Excelsior rugby team and of course The All Blacks

It's still rather busy but I think the rugby Kiwi's make the other colours jump out. 

And more celebrations today.  My daughter Annette was offered a job as General Manager of a Rest Home and Retirement Village.  It's been 3 months since the first interview, a lot of tests and proposals and finally today she heard the news. 

Annette, 37 years young.

She was already on a Girls Day Out with her current colleagues who were rewarded for going the 'extra mile' by their CEO.  A '1980's theme mystery trip to a spa and lunch as well as lots of bubbles.  Very appropriate she was rung as they sat down for lunch and opened champagne.  I am so proud of her.   You wouldn't think she's had a liver transplant 18 years ago, she has certainly paid back all the money raised for the operation. 

And my son Ken who is staying with me at the moment signs his contract for a permanent job on Monday.  He's been working through an agency for 3 months driving trucks and now they've given him the job.  And I'll get a lovely discount at Davis Trading.. Yay!!

Reverse Stitching and A good week at WW

I had to do some reverse stitching on Alex's quilt.  It was way too busy and I'd worked out the size of the borders incorrectly so decided to undo the middle and join them up again.  It's looking better and I'm sure he'll love it.  My daughter rang last night to say they're coming to Welly on Saturday...eekk..  at the moment my bedroom is being painted so everything is EVERYWHERE.  I've got a metre square for my sewing table n the lounge/temporary bedroom... hehe.. It's such a mess!!  They came to shift a manhole from the bathroom floor into the hall cupboard.  (so they can put vinyl in the bathroom YAYAY) But then he decided the spare bedroom wardrobe would be better so that had to be cleared.... I could never take a photo of the disarray in my house right now haha...   and so everything out of the cupboard had to come out too. 

I need to find a way to the cutting board and get the top finished now.  So I can start quilting tomorrow after work. 

Oh and I lost another 1.2 at Weightwatchers this week so maybe next week I'll make it to 5kg in 3 weeks.  (PS I'd already lost 3.5 when I joined so I've lost a total of 7.2kg now.  I'm wrapped.  WW Propoints is a really good programme.  You can still have your cake and eat it too!  Now and again that is! 

Alex's quilt

I miscalculated a little on the borders inside.  That's what happens when you make a quilt from outside in.. then you have to work out the gap between the centre and the borders.  Eeek.

/So now I'll have to add a thin strip of black as well.  The centre border fabric is Alex's choice.. He really wanted a black quilt but I'm improvised since it is really keen on rugby.  Most of the jerseys belong to NZ provincial clubs.  The ones in the centre are Alex's ripper rugby colours, All Blacks and his Grandad's jersey (No 4). 

Off to pick up Mum today and bring her back to Wellington to fly to my sisters tomorrow in Nelson for the holidays.  Catch up later

UPDATED: Thank you girls, your support is so welcome

Tomorrow night is my first 'weigh in'!  I guess this week has been getting used to what you can eat and how many points it costs but it is amazing and I do not feel tempted or hungry.  I'm hoping to lose at least 1 kg.  I've started letting my son have the car to go to work at 1.30AM and then I walk to the bus stop.  If it''s fine I walk to the next bus stop and the one after etc etc.  So this week I've been pushing my boundaries to get well! 

/Strawberry Feilds

On Sunday I had the last day of Sheryl Anacich's Strawberry Fields class.  You may have seen my quilt on an earlier post.  It now has a flower on it.. yes just one.  It took me all day but I cut heaps before lunch and then sewed this one on.  I now have quite a few ready to add but I have to finish Alex's rugby quilt first.

My version waiting for quilting and flowers

It has a circle in the middle - I'm thinking of using buttons?

UPDATED So now it is Wednesday night and at 'Wombles of Wimbledon' (a pun because a friend didn't know what WW mean't and thought it might be a tv show??)  I LOST 2.5kg and that was after eating a small piece of carrot cake last Friday and crumbed fish and a few chips at UFO night on Friday.  Weightwatchers Pro Points is very different but easier.  Now for Week 2.   


To all the lovely ladies who made heart blocks for Myra, please keep praying for her now as I will.  I spoke to Myra today and the news isn't good.  When we both expected that she would get a positive post chemo report from the oncologist, the news was not good.   So I'm praying for a miracle... He knows Myra deserves one!!  She needs at least another 40 years to use up all her quilt fabric... and we haven't won lotto yet to build our quilt studio and retirement flats!!!    I wish I lived closer so I could support her more, have more sewing days, keep positive and happy and jump in puddles but I'm watching Grab a seat on the airlines so I can go and visit again.

Weightwatchers AGAIN

Since having the ride in the ambulance and a day in Coronary Care last week I've decided I need to change my lifestyle and start caring about myself and my future.  On MondayI went back to my GP for a check up and my bp is still higher than it's ever been before.  Scary.

So on Wednesday night I went back to Weightwatchers (for about the 6th time) as I know it has worked for me in the past.  I love being with other enthusiastic people and sharing in their success.  And I really really want to feel better and be well!  I've had a real fright with my heart and since it is an ongoing condition I need to feel confident that I'm doing everything I can to stay well. 

It cost $280 (that's a 4 month membership and the Essentials bag plus I get 10% off anything I buy there) ,

I have everything I need to get started.  I'm setting small goals to start and small rewards.  Today I put some fabric on layby at the local shop and they are happy to hold it for 8 weeks, so for every kg I lose I can pay $10 off my layby.  (I could buy it tomorrow if I wanted but this way it'll be more exciting when I get it).  I just need to lose 8 kgs I can bring my fabric home.

Well I'm off to bed to read my WW books and plan my menu for the rest of the week.  I can eat most vegetables and any fruit for no points so that's easy.  From what I learn't tonight I can just about eat anything with the new programme.  So here goes, wish me well!

Handbag Organiser

I don't know how many times I lose something in my handbag and end up tipping everything out to find it.  A couple of years ago I had a lovely handbag with pockets for everything and I knew exactly where to find things but that bag wore out.  How many things do YOU have in your handbag?

I have a comb, a tape measure (just in case), medications, diary, umbrella, mobile phone, nail file, scissors, ladies things,  my shopping cards, sunglasses, inhalers, work keycard, torch, pens, and my wallet. ????? 

I have two handbags at the moment.  A smaller black one and this big red one which I use everyday for work.  It only has pockets on the inside, a zip one for make-up and pills, and a couple of biggish loose ones which are too big for my phone etc.

So after searching through the internet at the weekend to find a pattern for a "purse organiser" I went to The Warehouse and found this neat hold-all in the scrapbooking department.

It was only $7 and fits in both bags so I can just lift it out and swap it over.  I know where everything is now including my black phone!  And although I found a couple of patterns I didn't have to make one.  This is ideal.

PS Handbags should have lots of pockets and bright coloured linings so you can find things easy!!  One day I'll make one.. one day!

Breeze by Wendy Slotboom

I fell in love with "Breeze" by Wendy Slotboom for In the Beginning fabric awhile ago when I found  fat quarters on Trade Me. 

Since then I've found a couple more and after searching all over the internet for the fabrics to get enough for a border I finally found it right under my nose!! Yes I wandered into the local quilt shop today to get some homespun and found about 5 different fabrics all in the same range! 

Isaacs quilt

My niece has sent these photos of the quilt I made Isaac and the bumper pad in his cot.
I'm really pleased how it looks and glad I made it that little bit bigger to tuck in down the sides and bottom.  He's so cute.

The bumper pad is backed with eye spy fabrics so when he's grown out of his cot it can be folded up to make a book or spread out on the floor as a puzzle.  Mum and Dad and Isaac can play Eye Spy or Find the Other ??? or Find the colour, count .. etc etc.

My lovely sister had to sew the binding down and the ties on as I ran out of time while I was there.  So I didn't see it completely finished.  But the photos look good and I am really pleased with my efforts.

Hats

2004

It's really Winter in New Zealand now and time to start putting on the hat and scarf. 
I don't own a hat.. fairy thingies in Australia was probably the last time I wore anything on my head.. (eek.. definitely a few years ago but I'm setting a goal to get back to that size now).

There is a Knitworld shop near my work and sometimes I wander in to look at whats new.  A few weeks ago I found a pattern for a crochet hat which you then felt in the washing machine.  So I dug out my crochet hooks (must be 20 years since I did any) and have finished the first one in pink (yet to be felted).

Watch this space!  but here's some gorgeous hats for you to look at and the most beautiful little model (nearly 4 months old).  My great nephew.


Love this one.  It's so CUTE and he's so handsome of course..

 

Practising his 'moves'

What areee you doing Mum??  hehe

I am so over this modelling lark now.

A blue Beanie



No more Mum.  I'm confused!

I love Isaac's collection of hats.  I know his Grandma and Great Aunty D made some of them.  I hope mine fits as well once I've felted it or Isaac may get a new hat... blue not the pink one!!

Bazaar Style



Saturday mornings is sometimes Library day and today I found this gorgeous book to drool over.  Thought I'd share it with you.



I so love yellow.  And that dress is stunning!

 

I could never have that many shoes and bags..
 not in Size 11 Wide fitting like my big feet. 

 

a Beautiful book of colour and ideas. 

  And my favourite idea..Bright, cheery and inspirational.

When I have a craft studio one day I'll have something like this at one end of it.

(dreams are free)!



Patchwork sofas covered in patchwork in identical fabrics but opposite direction.

A wallpaper patchwork collage around the fireplace

The World is full of amazing people with very clever and colourful ideas!