Day 14 of Lockdown in NZ

Well here we are day 14 and we are beginning to establish a routine within our new normal. Hubby often worked from home pre lockdown, however working from home for days on end is a different ball game altogether. Previously he would normally have to go to the office at some stage for something, either printing or a meeting and so we have both had to adjust to being constantly around each other.  While having coffee and lunch together is nice I am used to being home on my own with no interruptions and no stupid noises which seems to happen when his train of thought wanders, lol.


Due to lack of availability of flour I made the decision to throw out my sourdough starter. However I have managed to get some bakers flour and have set up a starter again, such fun. Will let you know how that develops as we go forward.


I have to confess that I haven't been very productive in the sewing room since my last post. I made up a little piece so I could practice freemotion quilting, I wanted to start getting back into the groove and this is the result. After a little while I found myself relaxing and then I had more control over what I was doing. I thought I would try out some different patterns and scale. While I like some patterns when they are smaller I don't necessarily like them bigger - not hanging on the wall anyway, it may be different lying on a bed. But that is exactly why I like playing with these practice pieces, I find out what I like, what works for me and what doesn't. I also have the pieces for reference later as my memory isn't what it used to be.

The other thing I have been working on is some older quilts that I had previously only done stitch in the ditch on as I was scared I would stuff them up and I had no idea of what to do or where to start. Here is some of the quilting I have done so far...

We have been working in the gardens trying to get vegetation under control after 7 years of not living here. This is our view looking across the harbour towards Onerahi. Loving the light on the water - this was just before the tide turned.

We were going to be camping this Easter Weekend until this lockdown, so instead of stitching my heart out in the caravan I will be stitching my heart out in the comfort of my lounge room. Pics to follow.

Until I post again, please stay safe, stay home and be kind.
Donna-Maree

It has been a While - Day 5 Lockdown in NZ

It has been a while since I have written a blog post and used the laptop, so here goes. I wrote a blog post this morning, saved it, checked it and yet somehow deleted the whole thing - so this is version number two.

Last week our government decided that we would go from Level 2 on our risk rating levels to Level 3 giving us 48 hours before going into Level 4 - which resulted in lockdown for everyone except essential services. Some of us had been self isolating as much as possible and using the social distancing of 2 metres  between yourself and anyone else. In our bubble is hubby, myself, Milly the dog and Ruby the cat.

Ruby having her afternoon nap in the guest bedroom

So today is day 5 of four weeks of lockdown - that is the time frame we have been given so far. We haven't needed to leave the house by car yet but will probably have to tomorrow to get a few more essential supplies and only one of us is allowed to go to the supermarket. Hubby is working from home throughout all this, so it will probably be me.

Day one was a little sureal and freaky and I sewed most of the day. Day two I found hard mentally about not seeing my family for the next however many days and not having any physical contact with them. We have been video chatting and messaging however it isn't quite the same but is better than no contact at all. Then we had the weekend and did normal weekend things around the property and got quite a few things crossed off the to-do list, which feels really good. Today is day five and hubby is at work upstairs where he has setup his home workspace for now. 

I have been sewing as much as I can as it calms me down, I have alot of projects that need attention plus I want our time in lockdown to be as productive as it can possibly be. The first three days saw me working on quilt as you go blocks, sewing them together and then binding them so the quilt can be gifted once we are out of lockdown. It feels so good to get a project completed and the blocks out of my project cupboard.

Today I am feeling as if I am getting into a good headspace about all of this and are tackling some of the jobs I have been procrastinating over for the last couple of days. It is almost an acceptance that this is our reality until the lockdown is over and we might as well just get on with it. I can't say that it hasn't affected me because it has, I'm having trouble going to sleep at night and if I do then I wake early in the morning and can't get back to sleep. I am hoping that will settle down as we go along.

I have recently become addicted to making QAYG pouches, I really enjoy the process and the result. I have gifted these two...

This one we are using in the kitchen for pens etc

I enjoy using scraps that would normally go in the bin to make useful items and I think they are cute.

The other thing that I am having a go at while in lockdown is sour dough starter. There have been a few people that have been sharing how they go about their starter and products from the starter. I have started mine and was disappointed and thought that I was going to have to throw mine out, however I checked it just before and it is looking promising. So watch this space.

That is it for today, I am off to feed my starter. Please - stay safe and be kind.
Donna-Maree

International Quilt Challenge

Wow, March is here already and while temperatures are still warm there is a hint of Autumn in the air. The mornings are slightly cooler and the day temperatures aren't getting quite as high as they were a week or so ago.

The other weekend I had the opportunity to see a very special exhibition at Cottage Flair in Rotorua, the International Quilt Challenge was on display and it was amazing. 30 quilters from 3 countries, New Zealand, Japan and France participated in creating their interpretation of 30 wonders of the world, 90 quilts on display. It was fascinating to see how each person had interpreted the photo and their result. It was a fantastic opportunity to see differences in construction, colour and techniques between the quilters of different countries.

The photo of the wonder was at the top of the board with New Zealand's artist piece at the top, Japan next with France on the bottom. Standing back and observing across the display, the colours and graphics were amazing. 

This was truly an amazing display of quilts and well worth the trip down to Rotorua to see them. 

I have more pics of these which I might share in the future.

Happy stitching everyone,

Cheers Donna-Maree

January is nearly at a close

January started with rain, however that didn't last long and we have been having high temperatures every day, all day and with little relief at night. This isn't quite what we are used to and I look forward to going out in the car with the air conditioning blowing at full blast. 

I have been working through January when most people are away having their summer holidays and that's okay with me, we will take a break later in the year when the temperatures aren't so high and it is more comfortable moving around. 

I did however attend a very special class last Friday in Whakatane, about an hours drive south from here in Tauranga. The class was with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably which was organised by Daphne of Pins to Stitches in Whakatane. 

Wow, what a class. A lot of work had been put in to ensure the day was a success. The pace was quick but without stress and everyone worked steadily all day. Daphne had the most amazing range of fabrics available for purchase throughout the day, which was fabulous especially when it came to choosing a border fabric. Isn't it funny how you don't necessarily go with what you think in the beginning.

Kaffe and Brandon doing their critique of our days work. This was Daphne's quilt design working in black and whites, pushing her out of her comfort zone.

Lovely soft colours on this one. Each design was different even if using similar colours and there were a few lighter quilts and two black and white ones.

Kaffe critiquing my quilt. I decided to make the most of the fabric available and get what I needed to get this quilt done. I'm not wanting this to become a UFO. You can see the chosen border fabric hanging on the side.

I wish that I had taken a photo of the room before we started with our design walls up but empty. As the day grew the room was filled with the most glorious colour as the design walls were covered with everyone's designs. The morning was filled with everyone cutting and placing, however in the afternoon there was a lot of standing back and pondering especially when auditioning the border fabrics.

The room was air conditioned and those babies worked hard all day pumping out cool air for us to work in, it was fabulous. Part way through the day one of the ladies recognised my name and showing me her phone asked me if this was me on Instagram? It is fabulous meeting fellow instagrammers face to face like that and I look forward to seeing the progress on her quilt too. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this class and have never felt so relaxed when attending a class. There were four of us from Tauranga that travelled down for the class and I look forward to attending classes again with them in the future.

I have had this weekend off work which has been fabulous and I have the quilt half sewn together. 

I have some setting triangles to cut out and then I can get the last of the top together.

Check back soon to see how I got on with it. Until then, happy stitching everyone

Donna-Maree

New Years Eve 2017

How did we get here so fast? It only seems like yesterday that we saw 2017 in.

Like all years 2017 has had its ups and downs and it kicked off on a low but thankfully has ended on a high. It has been interesting going back through the photos taken this year and reflecting on things. A lot has happened in the past year, to me personally, my family, the extended family and especially my quilting. 

There haven't been a lot of personal completions this year (an increase of days working has impacted there) but through the club more than 48 quilts have gone to two local charities with 18 of those going to Homes of Hope. There were a lot of Tuesday's spent cutting, measuring and stitching and a special thank you to my friends for supporting me through all of this. 

My blogging has become spasmodic while my instagramming has been consistent and while I do enjoy both I will continue to Instagram more than I blog but will work on being more regular with the blog posts. Sometimes it is hard to find the hours in the day to share what's happening in the moments.

Binding going on Harlan's quilt

Visiting Maroochydore and catching up with my sister and her family and meeting the youngest member of the family, Harlan, my great nephew was a highlight for 2017. It has been a while since hubby and I have ventured far from home and it was great to have some time away and relax. I'm one of three girls and we are now all Nana's. Being a nana is my most favourite thing in the world and seeing my sister become one was very special, knowing she is now experiencing similar moments with her grandy that I have with mine. Here is hubby with Harlan...

Something that has had a huge impact on my daily life for the second half of the year at least has been the arrival of our newest family member Milly Molly Mandy or Milly for short. She is the sweetest, most laid back, good natured dog I have ever met. She is an absolute delight to share the house with. Milly also loves walking on the beach as much as I do and we get there as often as we can.

Symposium held in Christchurch at the beginning of October was definitely a highlight for 2017. What an amazing experience, catching up with old friends and making new ones in a week of quilting classes, lectures, exhibitions and entertainment. I can't wait for Symposium Auckland in 2019. 

My painted piece ready for some thread sketching, lots of learning for me and definitely a change in perspective. I take a lot more photos now of a range of subject matter that may make interesting pieces. I love learning new things everyday and also seeing what tomorrow will bring.

Have a Happy New Year and keep yourselves safe.

Happy stitching everyone.

Paint and stitch from original photos

Wow, I don't know where the days are going, they are spinning by so fast.

As mentioned in previous posts my first class at Symposium was Paint and Stitch from Your Original Photos with Susan Brubaker Knapp. I haven't attended a three day class before and I was concerned that I would get very behind and I did. I tried very hard not to let it get to me and to work through it. I focused on why I was there which was to learn more about the painting process. 

Paint going on... Slowly but surely...

Shading and detail happening - finally

End of painting in class.

I have started thread sketching this piece but appreciate the amount of work ahead of me. I will continue to chip away at it until it is done. Check back later to see what else I have been up to as I am behind in my posts.

Happy stitching everyone

Donna-Maree

Christchuch Quilt Symposium 2017

Wow, I am sitting here in the lounge at the hostel waiting for our shuttle to the airport wondering where the last six days have gone. They flew past in a flurry of busyness, including classes, lectures, exhibititions, events and catching up with friends. It was my intention to post daily but there just wasn't time, so I will do a catchup over a series of posts.

Symposium was held at St Andrews College with several exhibitions also around the city. Here are some pics of the school.

Us out to dinner at Tutto Bene. 

Will post more once I get home, until then happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree