Off the UFO List

I sewed the bindings on four quilts last week so they are offically off the UFO list. It's a good feeling isn't it. Then I updated my UFO list and discovered that it has magically got longer. Yesterday and today I have been feeling better so I am hoping that it will last then I can get some projects underway! I have lots of plans for things to make for Christmas. I just can't help myself, I love to make people things!!

My parcel went last week...

i think its safe as to post these pictures as my angel has NO IDEA who I am!! So much fun. I enjoyed putting it together.
I actually didn't make these two items, but I was too sick to do that at the time and a I wanted to get it away, so hopefully my angel will forgive me for cheating. Aren't they beautiful, I hope she likes them. Actually I hope she can read English because I can't read her language!!

It's arrived....

From my lovely lovely stitchers angel in ITALY (how exciting is that?) It is the lovely and talented Ale at Cakes and Cross stitch!
Beautifully wrapped gifts!
A lovely letter, thanks Ale!

A teddy for the baby - not this one the baby that is coming in April. Sooooo soft and fluffy.
Handmade cross stitched bibs for Baby - will be best dressed baby thank you.
A cross stitched apron and some kitchen gifts. Very thoughtful.
Beautiful, beautiful handmade gifts for me. Too nice to use. I love them.

Thank you so so so so much. You put so much thought into this. I love it all. Thank you thank you thank you.

Finally a project finished!

This is the rest of the jelly roll that I used for David's quilt (Mystery Quilt at Kaikoura). It's amazing how far a jelly roll will go. It's the first time I've used one, but I would buy one again as it is lovely to use the whole range of fabrics which we NEVER get in New Zealand. This quilt is the third one quilted by Shenleigh on her machine and it looks great. Christina, my neighbour who turned 40 on Saturday loved it! The only reason that I managed to do it was because it was straight sewing, my brain has gone on holiday and have not been able to do any hand work for a few weeks. Hopefully will feel better soon.

This is how our baby would look now...

13 Weeks - looks quite human!

I'm in love...

with this beautiful fabric I brought off Trademe. It is a heavy cotton and the colours are so rich and lovely. What am I going to do with it? It's way to nice to just cut up willy nilly!

Side tracked

Yesterday I went to price the exterior of a weatherboard house and some remedial work inside. Often these days my camera is full of pictures like this...
Hmm nasty paint peeling of the ceiling, and who's smart idea was it to paint it pink?? but the house was set it a garden that the owner had been very busy working in and I could not resist to take a couple of photos of the spring flowers....
Spring means you can take bigger breaths and lift your face to the sunshine. Spring means you can leave your thermals behind (mostly) and enjoy the breeze on your skin.

A good night...

Last night we went down to the opening of the exhibition for David (and the Art Class) paintings. There were so many beautiful paintings. I wanted loads of them!!

But David... he did so well. He sold his Tamarillos, he won People's choice award (first and second) for his Peninsular Sunrise, and a lady from a neighbouring gallery at the Art Centre wants to talk to David about hanging his paintings in her gallery!

He was so happy and we were so proud! Well done honey. If you are in the Christchurch area, do go down the the Art Centre and look at the Art and Friends exhibition.

Sewing Progress

Just in case you thought that NO quilting is being done, well you are almost right!! I have been feeling so poxy that all my energy goes into working and at the end of the day I blob! But I did manage to sew the rest of my jelly roll strips plus a few extra 2 1/2 inch strips into a quilt for my neighbour who is going to be forty soon. Shenleigh has a brand new long arm quilting machine, so what a shame, she needs things to practice on!! Hurray it's all beautifully quilted, which is great. I'll post some picture soon.

Hurray for Cultural Diversity!

On Saturday we spent the afternoon at the town hall watching the Junior Kapa Haka competition. We watched three schools including our own Hillview Christian School. Our James has been doing Kapa Haka for seven years and has really enjoyed it. Because it is primariliy a Maori Culture event, of course the other groups were all maori and they did amazingly well. However in our group, the girl leader was Nigerian (Bearnice) and one of the boy leaders was from Ghana. The girl doing the poi was Asian, I also spotted amongst all the collection of blonde, white skinned children, children from the Cook Islands, England, Australia and of course Maori children. It was a real melting pot of cultures, but they were united in their passion to do well. It was fantastic!

And, amazingly they got Third! how cool is that? This is what it really means to be a New Zealander. It means all of us getting along and celebrating together.

Thank you to the Hillview Kapa Haka kids who demonstrated this so well.

Weekend in Auckland

My dear in-laws gave me a ticket to Auckland for my birthday so off I went on Friday. It was so nice to see the cousins again and just hang out with them. It was also nice to not to be cold and enjoy some sunshine! This is the Sky Tower which is a real landmark - I didn't take this photo!

Catch up!

The weekend before last I tidied my sewing room with a little help from my friends! You literally could not walk in the door...

but after a few hours work... it is a place to sew and create again. I got rid of LOADS of stuff. I gave away all my stamping and card making equipment. It actually felt good to release it to someone who will really love it. I haven't really used it since I had Reuben and it actually made me feel guilty, 100s of $$$ worth just sitting there.

I have not done any sewing for the last two weeks, oh apart from a wee bit on my day off on my birthday. Usually I potter away in the evenings, but I have NO energy at all and so nothing is happening. I was getting worried about my Stitching angel, but then I remembered I have a beautiful project bag that I made a while back so I think my Stitching Angel will be getting that!!

I'm not really complaining as its just part of being pregnant, but oh my goodness, I can't wait to feel better again rather than like this.....

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts

I don't usually do this, but Jane at "Jane's Fabrics and Quilts" is having an amazing give away for her birthday! click over and see. She has an interesting site and worth a visit!

Surprise Project....

Did I mention that I'm going to be 40 in a week? also I have grey hair, bifocals and had a hip replacement? Yes well, guess what?

I'm going to have a baby! Yes it's true, it's not a joke (although it may feel like one!!) I really am going to have a baby. Our big kids (15, 12) are surprised out that we are still 'doing it'!!! but they agree that a girl would be ok! Our little guy (6) doesn't know yet, he doesn't understand about time etc and it would be too far away for him to be a reality.

I can't believe how tired I feel (like an old lady) so my usual productive self is finding it hard to get anything done. Anyway it will be fun to have a baby in the house again. Lets just not think of those sleepless nights, pooey nappies and extra washing and think instead of the amazing miracle of another wee person in our family adding more colour and joy to us.

Finished projects...

This week we've sewed the bindings on three quilts and hand sewed them down. My older son James (12) is really really good at this now. He enjoys it too. So that's a bunch of UFO's finished. There are two more quilts at the quilters (thanks Verina xxx) but currently I'm just ticking away at some hand projects. Oh yes and I need to make something for my Quilters Angel. Here's a hint, I don't think my quilter speaks English as a first language!!

It's funny but I'm a bit worried about these projects. What if they are not good enough and my angel is disappointed? I'll just have to make them with lots of love and hope she likes them. My angel likes Reds and Pinks so I think my projects will be mostly pinks as I have some lovely ones in my stash i could use.

I'm also working on a big surprise project, come back monday and I'll tell you what it is!!

Wee wall hanging

I spent a few hours last night and put this together for my niece. We started it together, but I used the wrong visofix and it was too hard to do blanket stitch around. so I just sewed and quilted it and then used gold glitter fabric paint on the edges. It looks great and i think she will like it.

Cold weather...

it is freezing here - rain and snow down to ground level.... roll on spring!!

Help!

My Atom feeds have stopped working. Can anybody help??? I don't know why and don't know how to fix them!

A sewing weekend....

My friends Shenleigh, Shona, Barbara-Anne and I went to Coalgate and sewed manically all weekend! I started cutting four (yes four) of the Christmas Story quilt one for each of us. I've done blocks A (pictured) B and most of C. It's going to be lovely. We are going to try and get them done by Christmas.

Shona made us Rice Pudding - yum our favourite!
Man, can we make a mess!!

Shona's bright quilt (they were using the quilt as you go pattern from kaikoura)
Barbara-Anne's more muted but still lovely quilt.

New glasses...

Ok, yes i did take a photo of myself! but these are my new glasses! I now have the modern version of bi-focals, which means I can type or sew and look up and still see - bonus! The novelty has not worn off yet, plus they are a bit stronger than the last ones so I can see the leaves on the trees again, and notice the hair on my children's head! Clarity is a wonderful thing.