The Last week has been a blur…

....days have just run into each other, but I thought I would post a few photos from my trip.

Warning this is more a family/trip post not much Quilty stuff going on.

If you look at my photos you may think I've been overseas to India & Italy or maybe even China. 

But no I've been to Hamilton, New Zealand. (much cheaper option!)

We had some time to spare so decided to go to the Hamilton Gardens as this may be our last visit to Hamilton for a while (more on that later).

     

 This is a close up of the floral carpet in the Indian garden. 

Indian Char Bagh Garden

The 'Char Bagh' garden was beautiful. The flowers are planted close together so it makes a living 'persian carpet' and the colours were so vibrant, specially when they are contrasted with the pale walls and tiled floors.

Through the Pavilion's archways you look out on to the Waikato river. And when you look up there is this beautiful ceiling (picture below). With these designs I was 'putting my quilters eyes on' and seeing quilt borders in the freeze, interlocking designs and of course colour!

Pavillion's celling & freeze.

Italian Renaissance Garden

We all decided that the Italian garden was our favourite. It was very tranquil with the formal structure and the sound of the water. Everything just looked perfect.

Hubby lying down to photograph trellis roof. Silly I managed to get a good shot standing up! 

My photo of the trellis roof (taken standing up!) 

 There was a Juliet balcony too 

My turn to do something silly.

Path in the Chinese garden.

I really liked this path, but I think it looks too complicated to use as a quilt design!

Youngest Son's turn to do something silly (giant bamboo in China garden)

Mark - Birthday boy

This is the reason we were in Hamilton. We were celebrating our eldest Son's 21st Birthday. The Party went well, and Mark was pleased that several of his High School friends came down from Whangarei too.

This will be our last trip to Hamilton for a while as Mark is moving to Sydney in December to start working as a software engineer for Google.

All Blacks after winning the Rugby World Cup.

Of course there was another major event last weekend, the Rugby World Cup. 

We watched the final with Mark and his flatmates. It wasn't the exciting game I had hoped for, but it was nail biting! 

This was probably my favourite bit of the Rugby World Cup, Sony Bill changing his ripped shirt. 

The shirts are so tight that help is needed to take them off, and put them on! 

I think this 'event' got the largest cheer from all the ladies in the crowd too!

Excited Children!

Back at work (primary school) we had some exciting news. The School has won a competition for 'Backing Black' and will be receiving $5000 of sports equipment! 

The best part is it will be delivered to the school by some of the All Black team. 

All Blacks doing the Haka

So I'm sure there will be a lot of Haka practise at school next week. The kids will want to be ready for the All Blacks.

It’s School Holidays, so take over the Lounge!

Last week I moved my Sewezi Table up to the Lounge. I got heaps of piecing done, just watching TV. I thought my hubby wouldn’t like it, but he thought it was a great idea, I quote “….if it’s going to help get some of that fabric used.”
Anyway yesterday I decided to set up my folding trestle table in the lounge to so I could tack out the latest quilt. It’s a large queen size quilt so it took a while. I started at about 3.30pm and finished just as the All Blacks V Wallabies kicked off at  9.00pm. I did have breaks, and dinner though!

This is tacking out using the method that Lynne and I demo’d at the September meeting. You can see that my quilt was too big for the table but I just got up and pulled the quilt & boards along the table when I needed to tack that edge. This worked out to be a good thing as it made me get up and move every now and then.

About half way done (that’s Wales V France replaying on the News). I think this is a great method as you can do it by yourself and you don’t have to crawl around the floor. I was all finished to give my full attention to the rugby ( I’m not usually a fan, but have been really enjoying the Rugby World Cup). The match was great NZ 20 points to Australia's 6, looking forward to next Sunday now.

Coastal Sew ’n’ Sews –Quilt Show

Coastal Sew 'n' Sews Raffle Quilt

Coastal Sew ‘n’ Sews Quilt Show is coming up on Labour Weekend. It is always a good show so if you can go, do!

Coastal Sew ‘n’ Sews Quilt Show

Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd October

(Labour Weekend)

10am to 4pm

Ngunguru Memorial Hall

Entry $2, Merchants, Raffles and Trading Table

Ngunguru is a short drive (approx 30 minutes) north east of Whangarei, the Memorial Hall is on the left (when coming from the south) just after the bridge when you enter Ngunguru. It's a beautiful coastal village so allow some extra time to have a walk on the beach too.

Show n Tell, October 2011

Olive Bryson has been making these bow tie blocks over a few years out of 1930's fabric.
It is machine quilted on a long arm machine by her daughter in law from Tauranga.
Excellent work by both of them.


Dorothy Terpstra made this beautiful baby quilt. This is the third one she has made using this pattern.
She has been enjoying using up her scraps making them and loves how colourful they are.
I love the flowers on the girl bears.


This is a UFO from 2006, and Beryl McDowell is pleased to have finished it. It is a really fun quilt of the animals all tucked up in bed in the barn. Each animal has something special with them.
Close up's below of the Rooster with his alarm clocks, and the Cow with her glass of milk.

 


This lovely quilt is Pat Woodman's first quilt. I'm sure there will be many more.


This quilt has been made by 'The Loose Ends' satellite group, for Project Promise (local Hospital fundraiser).
It was a real team project with Elaine preparing the butterflies, everyone blanket stitching them by hand. Margaret sewed the blocks together, Connie cut the borders/binding & provided the batting. Then Helen hand quilted & finished it. Well done Ladies!


Elaine Healey made these two pink quilts (above & below) for Starship (National Children's Hospital).
Elaine & Yvonne Davis have been making quilts for children at Starship for years.
Yvonne had made another four quilts too, but we didn't have room to hang them at Show n Tell. I didn't manage to get photos of them. SORRY. But they were great.



 
Shelia Udjur & Pam Carr are getting ready for Christmas already!
Shelia made this black and white wallhanging from a pattern she bought at Calico Xmas a couple of years ago.
And Pam has made this neat Christmas Stocking for her Grandson Cooper. Pam made the stocking at a class at 'The Country Yard'. I like how the bear is made from wool fabric, and Coopers name is added using little letter beads. ( click on the photo's to have a closer look)


This piece was inspired by the 'Wearable Art Awards' by Petra Pilkington.

 
These two were made by Petra too. These started as an old evening skirt, were stencilled, and embellished with washers and old used tea bags! (click on them for a closer look)


Dawn Dahlberg made this lovely wall hanging in a recent class taught by Mary Transom.
Dawn also added 3D waterlilly flowers.


And this was made by Margaret O'Leary at the same class with Mary Transom.

 

Top Left: Helen Poot                                              Top Right: Dawn Dahlberg
Bottom Left:   Lynne O'Donnell                              Bottom Right: Patricia Smith

 
Jacqui Karl recently taught her 'Layered Leaves' workshop and these are some of the finished wallhanging. There was another one at Show n Tell made by Shelia Udjur, but sorry Shelia the photo was just too fuzzy to use. Everyone who did this class really enjoyed it, and commented on what a good tutor Jacqui is.

Sonya Prchal

Sonya is a fellow club member & friend, as well as a very accomplished quilt artist.
I have recently been helping her set up a site to promote the classes she teaches.
Sonya has now finished all the hard work of loading photo's etc, so go and check it out.
She has some very interesting classes available.

Click on the picture below to go and have a look.



PS: Looking forward to seeing you all at club tomorrow.

Do you have Favourite Colours?

I have always thought that I didn’t a favourite colour. But recently I discovered this little thing about myself! It all started a few months ago when I bought this scarf.

I really liked the two colours together and thought it would be a ‘useful item’ to add a bit of colour to my mostly boring wardrobe.
Anyway I started enjoying wearing this scarf so I thought I would buy some more, so next time I saw some scarves these come home.

Then I thought it would be fun to knit some of that cool mesh yarn you can get now, so I knitted these.

Then I saw some nice scarves another day and bought them too.


Do you notice a theme? Well I didn’t until one Saturday I decided I would hand wash all my scarves. As they were hanging on the washing line to dry, I realised they were all either teal green or purple!
So now I’m re-thinking that idea that I don’t have favourites, ‘cause obliviously I do!
Anyway last week I decided I wanted to buy another couple of scarves, but was determined not to get the same colours this time. So….

I bought these. The top one is really a  pink / burgundy colour not the pink / purple it looks here in the photo, and the bottom one is olive green. I know, still not to far from the original scarf! Oh well maybe next time I will have to buy a yellow scarf!

So do you have favourite colours that you don’t know about too?

PS: I’m making a quilt, but is a secret because it’s a gift. But as soon as I can I will share. And for WP&Q members remember it’s our AGM this Saturday.

PPS: Oh one important scarf wearing tip I have learnt this year:
 Shake your lunch crumbs out of your scarf!