Oops, things have slowed down some

Okay, things were going at great speed on my current top five project until I couldn't find my specialty rulers - particularly the companion ruler. 

When my mum came down to convalesce following her surgery I had a tidy up in the front room where I sew and people stay and now I can not remember for the life of me where I have put the rulers.

 In the spare time that I should be spending sewing I have been looking and reorganising with some sorting as I go. After spending nearly the whole day today in the front room, I still have not found the rulers but I have reorganised all of the fat quarters into containers by colour groups. I have moved things around and put like things together, labelled containers and just had a really good sort out. 

I have found even more four patches - I am really going to have to sort a project to use some of them up or might indeed be drowned in them.

While I am looking for the misplaced rulers I have decided to continue with another project that I uncovered and here is a sneak look but there will be more about it very soon. I am pushing this one to a completion before I return to Orange Crush.

Watch this space to keep up with the progress.

Keep stitching everyone

Donna-Maree

First up on my Top Five is.........

My Orange Crush mystery quilt. Just a quick post this morning to give you all a bit of an update. 

Here are the completed components so far... 

All that needs to be completed for this quilt to become a flimsy are the set square units and the border units. I worked on this quilt yesterday afternoon and again this morning and more components are now completed.

These are the borders all sewn together just waiting to be pressed and sewn to the quilt. It feels good to be making some progress. Still to go are the set square units - watch this space!

I have club this morning so I need to get a move on.

See you soon, happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Getting organised - yet again

Yes I find myself doing this again and again - getting organised, re-prioritising my projects and along the way I often find things, projects or components that I had forgotten about.

Here are two bags of the same thing! The bag on the left are 4-patches that were sewn as leader and Enders at retreat a year or two ago. The bag on the right is the one that I keep in my strip drawer and there are already 300 4-patches in there!

I found these when I was sorting another project, my Bonnie Hunter Orange Crush Mystery quilt. The interesting thing is all of the blocks are made - I completed these on the retreat I talked about earlier and just have the setting triangles and pieced border to sort. 

I am further along on this project than I remembered and seriously it isn't going to take too much to get this one to the completion line, music to my ears.

Completed components - looking good.

This week I have compiled an honest list of my projects and yes I knew I had a few but seriously I have been blown away by just how many I do have. However, taking stock of the issue is the first step. From this list I am going to choose five projects that have the highest priority and I am going to work on these projects until they are done! 

Yes, you have read it here and now I have put it out there in print, I am accountable.

As I complete these projects and they get crossed off the 'Top Five' list, other projects will be promoted to the top five list and they will have their turn to shine. My objective with this system is to overcome the pressure that is stalling me from working on anything because I can't decide what to work on first as there are so many. Check back and see if I am on task and which project I am going to tackle first.

Until then, happy stitching everyone

Donna-Maree

Wow Workshop time

This weekend saw a group of ladies gather together for a bag making workshop and boy, did they work hard!

First they covered their cotton clothesline with strips of fabric....

They coiled like snakes on the floor...

Then they started sewing it together to create the base...

Then they started building the sides...

And then some completed or nearly completed bags...

Aren't they awesome! Which is your favourite?

The hexie bug has hit!

More and more people are sewing hexies at club - I have heard the phrase 'insanity quilt' mentioned a few times too. Not sure if I will go that far, but I do have several hexie projects on the go at the moment.

This one is supposed to be just a quick little project to fit in amongst everything else. I thought it would be a good little project to have for when I need hand work, like at club meetings. This project has somehow become the main project at the moment and has superseded everything else!

3/4 inch hexies - the beginning

Ready for the next step

These beauties are going to be appliquéd onto a square which will be part of a pillow.

This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern 'A little bit hexie' which is a kit that Bonnie has put together for her Peru cruise participants, but she has made the pattern available free through her website. You can check it out here.

I really like the pattern and I don't need a wallhanging but could do with some new cushion covers. Nearly there, just have to sort the background fabric and the hourglass fabrics and then just put it all together and it will be nearly done.

Please do check back to see my progress.

Happy stitching

Donna-Maree

Tauranga waterfront delights

While Mum, Kelsey and Scarlett were here we took the opportunity and had lunch in town and checked out the new sculptures down at the waterfront of Tauranga by the childrens playground. 

Our children grew up with the tales of Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy although we aren't that familiar with some of the most recent additions.

Even though the day was overcast with clear spells it was very hard to get pictures as there were so many people looking at them and walking through them.

Here are some close ups:

We had so much fun working out who they all were, as it has been a while since we have traveled along with Hairy Maclary and his friends. The diversity of the people that we talked with was interesting as it wasn't just children but a lot of adults were checking them out too.

I thought that these sculptures were a very good example of linking relevant literature to art and very appropriate with Lynley Dodd being a Tauranga resident.

If you get the opportunity to visit Tauranga and have the time they are definitely worth a visit.

Have you checked them out yet?

Family interlude

Recently I made the trip to Whangarei to be with my mum when she had some day surgery. I stayed a couple of days up there and then we returned home where mum has spent some time with us before returning to Whangarei with my daughters and grand daughter. While they were all here we were very busy trying to fit everything in, as you do. 

We did manage to spend most of a day in Hamilton where we had a picnic at the Hamilton gardens overlooking the awesome lake and then power visited as many gardens as we could in the time we had - not easy to do with your mum and a toddler in tow, their paces being very different to the more energetic members of the group. I didn't think to get pics of the lake, but I can tell you that the gardens were very busy and there were quite a few families enjoying the sunshine and enjoying picnics too.

Some pics of my favourite gardens. 

Wouldn't this design look amazing on a quilt?

We have all lived in Hamilton previously, me with my parents and family as a child and teenager and as an adult with our own family - so the trip was significant for everyone as we all have memories and were keen to see some of the many changes that have happened since we were there last. 

My dad was in the Air Force and not only did he work at Te Rapa but we also lived there for a time. I remember the first time that I shopped at The Base at Te Rapa and the emotions that I had, sitting there where my family had years ago lived and worked with no visual evidence of what had been there previously. I really wanted mum and my girls to see and experience it too. It totally blew my mum away and I think she experienced emotions similar to the ones that I experienced the first time I went there since The Base was developed. 

With the Air Force bases being converted for other uses, the places that we have lived as a family through my lifetime have slowly all been changed with very little of the history being visible. I have found this very hard and I can't exactly explain why, other than that you question whether your experiences ever really did happen as there is no physical evidence that anything ever existed there. All you have are your memories and some photos from that time, which aren't plentiful compared to now with digital cameras.

All in all though it was a very enjoyable day and a fantastic opportunity for four generations to spend quality time together and to make some new memories.

Until next time, happy stitching everyone
Donna-Maree

TPQG Exhibition Part 3

We were very lucky to have some gorgeous novelty entries at our exhibition.

 Rex the rhinoceros was really cool and very colourful.

Here are some very cool boxes made by club members.

There was definitely a good display and variety at our exhibition. I can't decide which novelty is my favourite, I like them all. Which is your favourite?