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

Happy Easter everyone

We have had some very crazy weather and the beginning of Easter saw Cyclone Cook in our region making an impact, thankfully not as much as it could have. I think the storm was further out to sea, I know White Island had wind speeds of approximately 210kph and while we had wind it wasn't of that magnitude. We did go through the process of putting away all outdoor furniture etc just in case, better to be safe than sorry. The weather for the rest of the weekend has been a mixed bag with sun and rain which also included thunder this morning. 

The Easter weekend also saw the start of the school holidays so traffic in the mornings and after school time should be better for the next couple of weeks. This is the first year for us that school holidays aren't an issue, although our youngest does have a break from her studies and yes she has become a couch potato. 

I was lucky enough to be the winner of these beautiful fabrics from RJR Fabrics and Mandy Andy Designs in a competition that was on Instagram. Normally the only prizes I win are the booby prizes and so I was very excited when this parcel arrived at our house. I have so many ideas as to how I could use the fabrics so it will be interesting to see what they become. In the meantime I am chipping away at some projects although there isn't much to see at this stage. Sorting and tidying is another activity that is an ongoing thing in my sewing room at the moment. It is nice having a sewing room again although it is a change for us all and I think hubby misses me sewing in the living room where I was more accessible. 

Last week I made some quince chutney, I just love quinces and couldn't resist them a week or so ago at the local fruit shop. We had some last night with cheese and crackers and it is seriously yum. The several jars it made won't last long for sure. 

The day is calling and there are things to be done, but call back soon and happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

The days are slipping by

I can't believe we are in April and that Easter is just about upon us. We spent a leisurely weekend at home catching up on chores and starting to get things organised for winter. There is still more to do but we have made an honest start. 

Hubby planted these Cherry Pie Heliotropes last weekend in pots by the front door under my sewing room window and boy do they smell good. I adore scented plants and we try and fill the gardens with them as much as possible.

Some produce picked from the garden today, yummy sweet capsicums. I have quinces waiting to be made into chutney, a job for tomorrow as I ran out of time today.

I have been making slow progress on my hexie project, I have been enjoying working on this in the evenings after dinner.

I have been making good progress on another project but there isn't much to see at this stage as it has all been prep work, however a project that is wanting to come out to play is Milliefiori and I shall start working on that one this week. Nothing like putting it out there for accountability. 

Alas this is the second time I have written this post, unfortunately for some reason it didn't publish and I have had to recreate it, funny how the words don't work quite the same second time round. Well it is time to move on, so until next time, happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Update for April 2016

Wow, April is done and dusted and May is under way. I thought I would just have a recap on what I achieved in April as my focus this year is on being productive and moving some projects along.

The final block for Home Coming Lane was completed which felt absolutely amazing. These blocks are a combination of piecing and Applique and even though there are only four blocks, there is a lot of work in each of them. Having these finally completed is definitely an achievement in my book. They are half quilted but have been put aside for some other things to be worked on.

The Home Coming Lane blocks being quilted

The hexies are coming along and my little side projects are nearly complete. Two little hexie bags, one for me and one for a friend although there just might be a few more of these in my future as they are so easy and fun to do.

These just need the tops sorted and linings fixed in. The one of the left is having a hexie lining and the one on the right is having a round one piece fabric lining. Will post photo when completed.

At club we had a UFO weekend and that was incredibly productive for me with quite a few 'quilt as you go' 'string' blocks made. Once home I continued with making these blocks and before I knew it a quilt was completed. All that is left to do now is a label and to gift it to the recipient.

I quite like the blue grey traming on this and I think it has come out well.

Overall I am very pleased with what I achieved in April and am looking forward to achieving more in May. There is going to be no let up this year, 2016 is a very busy year indeed.

Just before I sign off, this weekend is the Great New Zealand Quilt Show in Rotorua by Aotearoa Quilters which is the main guild here in New Zealand. Rotorua is about an hours drive from Tauranga and there are a few car loads going from Tauranga this morning and I can't wait to see all of the quilts hanging in this exhibition. One of the displays is the Sewezi Flight Challenge quilts and it will be awesome seeing these quilts hanging together. Two quilts were chosen in the selection process from five for our region to get through for this exhibition. I will have more on all of that later in the next post as I have to get moving to be ready on time.

Until next time, happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Some strings are happening

I have been working on some of these to bust some scraps, however it appears the more I use, the more I end up with!

I have been working on the quilting for Home Coming Lane lately but decided to work on something else over the weekend at our UFO weekend at club as I need to concentrate too much for machine quilting, especially as this quilt is going on the wall. Some easy stitching while chatting with friends was what I was after, and QAYG strings are just the ticket.

Since the weekend I have decided I need just a few more to get enough squares for a decent size throw or lap quilt. 

So I have been sewing away and the end is in sight and I am looking forward to joining these squares together.

Oops, nearly forgot these blocks weren't the only thing that I did over the weekend. I found this UFO from a class at my first ever Symposium, Auckland 2005. These were from a log cabin with attitude class with Janice Gunner from the UK where we were encouraged to cut fabric without a ruler. One square was complete while the other two just had the centres completed. I decided to get these squares completed before making a final decision as to what to do with them.

However more on that soon, but in the meantime some stitching is calling my name. 

Happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Progress on Home Coming Lane

Yes, there has definitely been some movement with this project. 

I don't like quilting big quilts any more, well to be honest I have never liked quilting larger quilts on the machine, my shoulders and patience really just don't cope with it at all. Quilting is supposed to be fun and if it isn't fun, then I just don't do it. 

This probably explains my reluctance to quilt anything and complete things and why I have so many UFO's lurking in my sewing room and any other place that I have been able to stash them around the house. This is exactly why the Top 5 group at club has been established, it was an idea sparked by a conversation about these UFO's and the need to tackle them. My stack of UFO's was made very public last year when I presented my quilting journey at club and showed many flimsies amongst my presentation.

Yes some of these flimsies are due to just needing some mindless sewing during semester breaks while I was studying a few years ago and others were waiting for me to up skill myself so I had the techniques and confidence to do the next step without wasting all the work that had been put into it already, nor waste the fabric. There are many reasons why our projects end up in the UFO bin.

However, I digress - last week we had our first show and tell for the first quarter of the Top 5 group and I was incredibly disappointed with myself that although I have been chipping away at this project, it wasn't completed in time for this reveal. It was very exciting seeing everyone else's completions and hearing how long they had indeed been UFO's before graduating to a completion and while I was excited for them all I couldn't go past the fact that I didn't have anything completed.

I tend to over think things and I haven't been able to decide which batting to use for this quilt, which is silly really thinking about it now. The purpose for this quilt is to hang on the wall and once I realised that either of the two choices were going to work there was no stopping me. So Tuesday saw me grab some batting and some backing and I put my sandwiches together. 

I had decided a while ago that I would 'quilt as you go' this quilt in four sections. Each block is 25" square and so I decided to just go with that. 

Yesterday I cleaned my machine - it sure doesn't take long for the lint to build up - and I couldn't put it off any more. Without thinking too much I just started, I worked out where I was going first and just did it. I decided to stitch in the ditch around the house blocks, the appliqué flower, vine and bird blocks and the pinwheels. The stitch in the ditch will give the wall hanging a good base and some definition as the quilting in the scrappy squares will be different to these areas. 

Funny isn't it how you don't notice things when you are putting the quilt top together but notice things as you are quilting them. On the second block I noticed that two leaves somehow avoided the blanket stitch brigade, yet I was so sure that I had checked and double checked everything. 

The 25" squares are working very well, they are a very good size to get through the machine while quilting and are easy to turn and roll without too much bulk, they were also a really good size to batt up on the end of the kitchen bench.

Today I will carry on, at this stage I have no idea what I am going to do next but I am sure it will come to me. Until next time, happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Hexie progress

There are more hexies in this little project than what I had expected however it is very addictive!

This is the lining for my little bag although I have to say looking at it like this, it is looking bigger than I thought it would. I have checked with a completed bag and it is the right size. I am on the last row of hexies and the tips that I learnt at club last week are definitely helping. 

I have the hexies for the outside base done and just need to start sewing the rounds of hexies together for the outside and then the bag will be ready for putting together and finishing off. 

As much as I love summer, now that daylight saving has finished it is quite nice sharing the evenings with family and doing stitching by the light of the lamp and seeing some progress being made on some projects.

Until next time, happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Some hexies are going on...

I am taking a break from my regular hexie project for the moment and are making these hexies.

I made these hexies at club yesterday and continued last night for a little project, I have more to make today until I have what I need. These little cuties are 1 inch while the hexies I am creating for my insanity quilt are 3/4 inch. 

This is how you measure hexies, across one edge

Paper piecing has become very popular at the moment amongst my quilting circles. Like a lot of things it started off with one or two people doing it and now we have a very big following in our local club.  After the official part of our meeting everyone sits around chatting while stitching which makes for a very pleasant day. It is very interesting seeing the variations that everyone is doing, the different sizes, different shapes and while some fussy cut their fabrics others are happy to just cut and sew to get the best economy out of their fabrics. 

I will try and remember to gets some photos at the next meeting to show you the variations.  We had two ladies sit with us yesterday learning the ropes and while a more experienced quilter talked them through the process, the rest of us at the table picked up a tip or two and I love how quilting gives you the opportunity to share and grow while spending quality time with our friends.

I have some more hexies to create if I am going to get this little project completed, so until next time happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

A little cultural break

Hubby and I are having a bit of a cultural break this weekend, soaking up some big city experiences. We normally just drive straight through Auckland and curse it for the traffic jams and time wasting sitting in queues so it isn't often that we come and stay in Auckland.

Some pics of where we are staying.

It is nice spending some time with hubby showing him some of the jewels of Auckland that I get to discover when I visit the big smoke with my quilty buddies. 

Need to go and get ready to head out to a concert. See you all back here soon.

Happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Yay, block four is done!

Wow, yesterday I kept chipping away joining segments together and last night at last block four was completed.

Warm off the ironing board I placed it on the floor to get a photo and true to form Frosty the cat ran to it and sat down. What is it about fresh new blocks that makes our fur babies want to sit or lie on them?

Block four with Frosty

This quilt is one of my Top 5 and I am excited seeing the progress on this one. I have had to push myself to keep the momentum going, but I am so glad that I did. There have been times when I thought that I would never get there and these are the times that I would normally put a project aside and work on something else. I am so glad that I have persevered and I think it will be easier to push through like this on the next project too as a result of this one.

Block Four

Although life things have been going on that I have had to work around, I have tried to do some sewing every day. Having the finishing line in sight definitely helped with the last of the hand stitching and not all of the stitches are created equal but they are done. I am indeed one happy lady.

I decided a while ago that I would quilt each of these blocks individually and then join them together. Today I will endeavour to get them batted up, I can't decide which batting to use as this will be a wall hanging, so will think on that while at stitching with friends this morning.

At this stage I have no idea about the quilting for these but are working on the theory that it will come to me as I go - at least I hope so.

All four blocks arranged together

Anyway I want to get this posted and get moving as I have another busy day ahead. I have recently been taking photos on my iPad but have had some feedback as to the poor quality of them, so last night I took photos on the camera which always produces better results however I need to download them on the laptop and add them to this. Let me know if the quality is better or not.

Have an awesome day and happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree