Wednesday, 28 May 2008

Boy's Sewing Day

Class was convened again in my sewing room today. We only had today as they leave early tomorrow morning so it was a full on day but we got them finished. Aren't they lovely? The boys did almost all the work themselves, tracing the pictures, tracing the separate parts onto Appli-kay Wonder, ironing the Appli-kay onto the fabric, cutting around the edge and placing the pieces on the background. They chose their fabrics, designed their borders and pressed everything down when it was all in place. We then layered the tops to batting and backing and the boys did all the quilting, wavy lines across and up and down the whole piece. I made and machine sewed on the binding and Hamish asked for help to sew the binding down on the back after hand sewing just a few inches but Nuwan persevered and hand sewed the entire binding down.


Mr Potato Head was made by Nadeeka for little Andrew who had to stay in Sydney with his father. (He is badly allergic to dogs so couldn't come to stay at our place where we have a dog in the house.) It was her first piece of appliqué too and she asked for help to sew around the edges of the pieces as she thought sewing lines across the whole top as the boys did wouldn't provide a secure enough finish for a 2 yr old. She did make the finished appliqué motif into a pillow case for Andrew as apparently his favourite thing to sleep with is the patchwork cushion I made the boys about 6 years ago. I think Nadeeka is hoping that Mr Potato Head will provide an alternative so the cushion can be washed!

Monday, 26 May 2008

Its all Over - and it was Wonderful!

We started with dinner at our local pub on Friday night - people started arriving at 5.00 pm and throughout the evening family and friends arrived in relays, ate dinner and left at various times. Saturday morning continued the pattern with more arrivals and people leaving to attend to various party related tasks. We had three sittings for breakfast (homemade waffles, hard boiled eggs and muffins), three sittings for lunch (soup, cheese, bread) and then it was time to get the shed decorated, make the punch and get changed for the party.
The party started at 3.00 in daylight and finished at 10.00 in the dark. It only finished then because we were all soooo cold! We had set the tables up in the first part of the growing house, thinking the plastic walls and a heater would be enough but it wasn't! As you can see from the photos, everyone collected their warm coats from the cars and huddled around the heater. But even so, I think most people enjoyed the evening. The food, provided by the lovely ladies from the local school was plentiful and good. The entertainment, masterminded by Sarah was, well, entertaining! And everyone joined in the 60s theme and wore minis or flower child outfits. Lots of wigs and long hair! Terry looked great in his beatles wig. And he was duly sworn in as a New Zealand citizen at a ceremony after dinner, surrounded by his friends and family, just as he had hoped. His granddaughters presented him with those two essential symbols of kiwi manhood - a black singlet and gumboots.
Then he cut the cake which Sarah and I had iced.
The next morning was another family breakfast held in relays - to eat up the leftovers. And they all departed as many had 6 hrs to drive home. Only Nadeeka and the two boys are still here with us and they will stay until Thursday.

Wednesday, 14 May 2008

I still love it!

We've been so busy all day, cleaning up the office and its still only half done. But every time I had a reason, well alright, an excuse to go downstairs, I saw Maria's lovely quilt on the coffee table and every time I had to stop and stroke it and marvel! I can't believe she was able to give it away. And not only the quilt, she also sent some fabric, thread, applique circles all ready to iron on and a lovely scissors fob made by her daughter. I'm so lucky!

Now you know its Terry's 60th birthday soon and we are having a big family reunion and a big party next weekend. All four of our children are coming, most of their children and some partners too. My sister and brother-in-law, Terry's mother and brother - all coming to stay! Of course we haven't got room for them all to stay with us, various friends have offered to billet some of them but the young children and their parents are staying here. Nadeeka and her boys are allergic to dust which is the reason for spring cleaning the office as Nadeeka has volunteered to sleep on an air mattress in there. And it needed it anyway! So the whole place is being damp dusted and all the piles of papers are being sorted and most, apart from financial stuff, thrown out - we don't need it all now, everything can be found on the internet! I don't know what will happen if it ever falls over though...

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

its come! its come!


Terry and I are spring cleaning the office - to get rid of the dust of years and we stopped for morning tea and to get the mail from the gate. Look what has arrived, all the way from Brazil!! Isn't it fabulous! Oh, I'm so excited - its just wonderful - and something I would never in a million years attempt! Thank You, Maria, thank you!! All those tiny pieces, all those sharp points! I can't get over it! And such pretty colours. Its just mind boggling! Doesn't it look gorgeous on my coffee table?

Friday, 9 May 2008

A Birthday Party

My darling is turning 60 in a couple of weeks and we are having a family reunion weekend and a party for friends and family. 60 people are coming and the theme is the 60s. Our daughter Sarah and I have been planning and plotting and preparing for weeks. There will be games and quizzes and food and cocktails - all within the 60s theme. There will also be a photo show of Terry's life to date. I had to beg his mother for photos of his youth and then I spent a day going through the photo albums and boxes of loose photos that have gathered in the 38 years we have been together. This is the result:

Thursday, 1 May 2008

Anne's Garden Three

I made this just for fun. To give myself the day off. I hoped to get it finished to decorate the NANZQ stall at Tote and Gloat tomorrow but I have a sore throat after 7 hours in the sewing room. Do you believe its taken 7 hours and still not finished! I've only just started the stitching. And its quite small, about 13"x16". I should have taken the air filter out to the sewing room with me but I have washed nearly all the fabric that is in the sewing room (and which I assume is causing me allergy trouble) and I've been using the filter in the office while I package seed and its a pain to carry down the stairs. I hoped I wouldn't need it but I should have taken it.

Terry took the photo in Anne's Garden and this is my interpretation. I found the analogous colour schemes and small sizes of the previous two Anne's Garden quiltlets very limiting so I gave myself an easier challenge (well, it was a day off) - complementary colour scheme and A3 size (twice the original A4 size). I made three backgrounds before settling on this one. Its still not quite right but I was getting tired and still hoping to get it finished today. I gave up about 3.00 after starting at 8.00 am. Retired injured...