What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 I met my daughter Nicky and son-in-law Robert for a birthday lunch.  We were meeting at a favourite cafe, Robert Harris at Foxton, about the halfway point from our homes.  On the way up I called in to Lewis Farms, it is asparagus season again, and the sorting belts were clattering away as the workers did their thing.  Some of this asparagus is exported overseas,  and some of course is for the local market.

 I had a day out in Waikanae yesterday, climbing aboard the bus (free for oldies like me) for the 40km trip down to Waikanae. 

 Today was a lazy Sunday at home, and after I had dealt with a few chores, I settled down with some slow stitching.  It's been a while since I worked on my teddy bear cushion covers.  It was nice to sit down and do some big stitch quilting around the bear, with a cuppa at hand.  Luckily Gemma didn't want to jump up on my lap, there wouldn't have been much room for her as well.  But she was quite happy having a nice comfy snoozy nap on the sofa.  That cat certainly knows how to while ...

I've been on a bit of a binding roll lately.  On Saturday I went to the monthly Stitch In day organised by my quilt club.  I always like to have some hand work ready to take along, as it is difficult these days for me to take my sewing machine along.  Binding fits the bill quite nicely.    So my dinosaur quilt came for a ride, the binding all clipped up, ready to hand stitch down.  I haven't quite finished all the machine quilting yet, but that doesn't matter, I can catch up with that at home, during ...

Let’s talk about his recent 8Oth birthday!

It began with cards.

 Someone did math.  Apparently I've been around for this number of days.

←This is Patience she measures in right now, before borders, at 64" X 78". She has all but emptied out my bin of 3.5" square scraps. Hallelujah! This was a great stash/scrap buster! Fifty 8" squares of every shade and hue. Im glad that I stuck with this one, it makes me happy. Patience has a baby sister, too:This is Prudence↑. She's made with the leftover HSTs from her big sister; she

←This is Patience she measures in right now, before borders, at 64" X 78". She has all but emptied out my bin of 3.5" square scraps. Hallelujah! This was a great stash/scrap buster! Fifty 8" squares of every shade and hue. Im glad that I stuck with this one, it makes me happy. Patience has a baby sister, too:This is Prudence↑. She's made with the leftover HSTs from her big sister; she

 I recently made my daughter a special quilt for her 60th birthday, pink and green nine patches, as requested.  And with extra blocks, added two cushions as well.

Plus two cushions made with spare blocks

Nicky asked if I had any of the green ric rac left as she wanted to embellish the cushions.  Over the last couple of months she has been busy hand stitching all sorts of bits and pieces to her cushions, and sending me photos of her work.  She has recently met up with a group of stitchers and enjoys going ...

Sew Wot Tuesday rolled around again and we gathered at Sandra's home, just five of us this time. Guess who was the lucky birthday girl?  Yes, me, there were lots of lovely gifts waiting to be opened to celebrate my 80th birthday.  How exciting was that!

What's in here?

Such a lot of thoughtful gifts, coffee mugs, packets of coffee and hot chocolate, a pretty plant pot, a covered journal and candle, and a set of suitcase packing cubes "for my next adventure away", I was told.  Yes, there is another adventure coming up, in February.  Thanks so ...

It was a bit of a train wreck day, but I still managed to get three things done! Remember, I mentioned I had the shingles shot the previous day? Well, about dinner time yesterday, it hit me, although my arm had been sore for most of the day. It didn't help that I had done a lot of upper arm work with Brooke, and I could feel that in my arms as well. 

I had a slight fever, accompanied by a chill, and I was exhausted. I went to bed with a hot Magic Bag and fell into a ...

Happy Birthday hand made card from Dot

My birthday week started well.  I'd just returned home on Sunday from my 10 day coach trip up to the Far North, avoiding all those coughs and sneezes  I could hear on the coach most days.  Or so I thought!  By Monday afternoon I was coughing and sneezing too, my throat was burning, I had headaches, and I didn't feel at all well.  So much so that I told my Sew Wot friends that I wouldn't be joining them the next morning.  So I stayed tucked up in bed, sipping ...

Happy 3rd birthday today, Augie!You're one great pup!

Happy 3rd birthday today, Augie!You're one great pup!

 From my daughter ...

If you didn’t know this about me, I am a very deliberate person. When making a quilt for a person, sometimes it takes me years to come up with the design and color options for that specific person. This one … Continue reading →

 I thought it was time for an update on the collapsed wardrobe fittings.  You may remember that I had to get a workman around when the wardrobe rails came away from the wall and had to be replaced.  But first I had to take everything out of the wardrobes.  The back bedroom/sewing room wardrobe was the most difficult, with everything from winter coats, crates full of whatever, and innumerable bags of projects.  So much stuff!  And it all spent quite a bit of time on the floor of my sewing room.  It wasn't easy, but I managed to ...

 My secret sewing is completed, I've finished and gifted the birthday quilt to my daughter Nicky for her 60th birthday.  Nicky had quite specific ideas for her birthday quilt, nothing sharp and spiky such as stars, she wanted 9 patches.  And in pinks and greens.  I could do that for her.  I had started the quilt some time ago, gathering up fabrics in the required colours, cutting and assembling the nine patch blocks.  In between times of course I stitched away at other projects and challenges.

Slowly the blocks were completed.  I stitched pink nine patches with a centre ...

 I have a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) finish, I'm pleased to say.  It all started  when I found I had a piece of black and white fabric which I decided to use as a boys project, adding colours each month.  Nice and simple to stitch, and I stitched up four blocks each month.

This is how it started.

Part way through making these blocks I had run out of the original black and white fabric, so had to go to my LQS and buy some more.  I couldn't get exactly what I was using previously, but thought the ...