My new project....

Last night I went to a class to learn how to make this quilt. It is a Japanese folded quilt. I love the fabrics for this one (all from my stash). so I have to make a whole lot more (400) as many as possible in one month for the next class. Its very cool though, each square is aready bound and quilted ready for sewing together.

Weekends....

Here are our beautiful children taken the other saturday when we went to Lyttelton. I have done no quilting this week, and the only sewing is to make a batman cape for david to wear to a fancy dress party tomorrow! I need to get moving on something. This weekend is full of fun social activities which will be great. Maybe I'll get sewing next week.

Sally Barbara Becker 1969-13/2/07

Tomorrow it is one year since my friend Sally died. Sally was the bossiest, most straight-forward person you could meet. She loved to laugh and have fun. She did everything just so. She lost her hair, her figure, her memory and her control over her body, but she never lost her desire to live. I miss her so much, I feel like I just lost her yesterday. I think we have friends who fill different roles in our lives and the Sally hole is still very much empty in my life. She was the one I could go to and share my struggles and we could pray together. I felt safe sharing with her. Sally bossed us all around, but we all did what she said. Sally was always right.

I have no photos of her, we just did ordinary things together... watch our kids play, go for a walk, sit on the sofa and have a coffee. Sally's legacy to me is that I always carry a camera in my bag, every moment is precious and i want to be able to capture them.

I love you Sal, I miss you so much xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Quilt for Ashleigh...

This is the one for Shenleigh's dad who is 70 in may. I did post it before, but i wanted to remember it all done!! These four are all quilts that I sewed over christmas (my UFOs) and Verina has quilted them, I just had to bind them, which I did yesterday. But now I have no UFOs, just a project I'm working on. I'll have to generate some more, I feel naked without them!!

The triangle quilt...

This one is going to England. It was me trying to do triangles (which I'm a bit scared of actually) but it turned out perfectly fine, so i might have to try again!!

The finished baby quilt....

This is the baby quilt it made and then my friend had a boy so I thought it was too girly!! Anyway the lady who does the quilting has brought it for her grand-daughter, so its actually sold! amazing.

At last some completed projects....

Finally some projects finished. I made this from some Amy Butler fabrics and I'm please how it turned out. I may give it away or sell it, can't decide which!!

Another dress quilt....

Look at this awesome quilt. I'm so stoked to see it. It was made in Thailand after I left by Samphan Crafts. They copied it from a minature one that I was making. Its just such a buzz to see things that people are making that you had a hand in! This will be a large twin size - they make enormous quilts in thailand.

Sarah's quilt... (at last)

At last some quilting success! Finished the quilt for Sarah's baby (its only four weeks old!!) considering how little my heart was in this project, i'm happy with the result. I made a quilt but it turned out quite girly so this is quilt number two. (Quilt number one not bound yet so not shown on here!)

aWW MUM!

Can you see what my daughter is saying "go away mum"! it's just not cool to have your photo taken on the first day of your new school! She looked so grown up in mufti.

Saturday morning...

We saw this truck this morning. Isn't it funny? Great line! We went to the Lyttleton Farmer's market this morning. I can't believe I haven't gone before. I will be a regular now. It was great to buy things and ask the people how to cook them. We brought a courgette that was over 1m long and we used 6 inches of it and made fritters for lunch which we ate with a dip we brought - yum!

Books I've read this summer...

Another one of my goals for the summer was to read at least five good books. Here are the ones I've read so far...

1. When Fish Fly by John Yokoama and Joseph Michelli - this book is fantastic. As a small business owner I am inspired and encouraged by reading this book. We are making it compulsary reading for our staff!
2. An Unbrian Love Story by Marlena de Blasi - quite a slow pace this book, but having read two others of hers, its kinda cool to follow her story.
3. Tell it to the Skies by Erica James - loved this. I think that Erica is getting better and better!
4. How Starbucks Saved my Life - this was great also. Kind of follows on for me by When Fish Fly. It helped me see "being" in action.
5. From the heart - On being the mother of a child with special needs - I was just so keen to read other people's stories. As we have struggled these holidays with Reuben, I wanted to see how other people felt. I think more needs to be written, or maybe I just need to find it out there somewhere! Any suggestions?
6. The Memory Keepers Daughter - a story about secrets, but also I felt about redemption. It was heart warming and sweet.
7. Wisdom of daughters - two decades of the voice of Christian Feminism - This book is so refreshing, it makes me want to cry. I may not agree with all if it, but gosh there is a lot of insights here. What a relief.

Now isn't that an eclectic lot of books? I brought a book last year to record the books I read, and its great, otherwise you forget what you read and what the book was about. I would have said I was a bit of a chicklit girl, but this list shows me that no, I may enjoy a girlie book, I do actually read all sorts!

Dream @14: Plant more flowers

One of my goals for the summer was to plant some more flowers in our garden. So this afternoon Reuben and I have weeded and planted this plot. We planted the rose on the left, it's a lucky dip cause the label has fallen off! and three other plants, I hope eventually to have this plot filled with flowers and foliage so you can't see the ground!

Nothing doing!

I have done no sewing this week. I can't believe it. I have five quilts waiting for bindings, and two quilts waiting for me to cut them out, but no, nothing has happened in my house! Maybe it is just the last week of the school holidaysitis! I am over them now, they can all go back to school.

My first painting...

James and I started art class last night and here is my first painting. I'm quite pleased with it for a first effort!

Cupcakes and picnics....

Chrissy has organised a picnic with her friends at the gardens in down. So plan A was to make cupcakes. Oh no - they did not turn out at all!
Plan B: Buy some cupcakes from the french bakery!
Add some icing and homemade decorations - hey presto - gorgeous cupcakes!
And here are all the lovely girlies having their picnic. Actually this is Chrissy's friends, she took the photo so is not in it. Isn't it amazing when your kids grow up and HAVE FRIENDS! Chrissy has overcome many many challenges in her short life, I am so proud of her. She is a lovely lovely girl. On monday she is started at a new school and leaving all her friends behind, but she still loves them and so she organised this picnic. I love you Chrissy, you are a star!

Holiday Paintings....

I took no stitching away with me at all, but I couldn't help myself. I had to do something creative! We all got stuck in and had some fun with the acrylic paints. These are my offerings. The top picture symbolises David and I growing up from our dark past into the light. The second one is about breaking out of the cage of our past and the third one is our family. In Maori design the girls are supposed to be one one side and the boys on the other, so its not quite right, but I quite like the look of it!! The light blue Koru is Reuben, the orange is James, and the darker blue, Chrissy, then the maroon is me and the dark blue is david. The red represents our love for each other as a family. I love the way Maori art tells stories and I really want to find out more about it. The children learn all about it at school and do amazing stuff.

The Okains Bay Camping ground...

These are for Susan... this is the camping ground we stayed in. There is no power, you just get to camp wherever you like amongst the trees. Its fantastic. There is great toilets and an OK kitchen, and $2 showers (we skipped those and swam every day!!). It is just so peaceful. The weather was fantastic and we all got a wee bit sunburnt.

Uses for a blow-up boat....

Pictures from the beach....