It Had To Happen!

Last evening I found myself "Home Alone."

Don't get me wrong - I cherish those moments by myself when I can dig into something uninterrupted -a break in the routine that is my day to day life.

I had finished a bite of dinner - a simple reheat of some leftovers, and padded down the stairs to sew up some blocks I had recently cut into kits.

Did sewing happen?  NO!

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What's One More Machine?

Good morning everyone!

I'm up extra early this morning - because not only do I have to leave for a doctor appointment (I try to get afternoon - but they said the latest they had was 9:30??) and wanted to get this posted before I go, but also because I couldn't wait to come downstairs and pet this and see that it really was for real!

It all started when my neighbor friend Carolyn dropped by after my trip to New Zealand and asked if I wanted a vintage Singer sewing machine in a cabinet.

Interest piqued!

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Out & About in Wellington, NZ!

Did you know that Wellington, New Zealand is rated the windiest city in the world?

It is also the southernmost capitol in the world.

Wellington is packed with over 400 cafes and restaurants which on a per person basis rivals that of New York.

And just take a look at that harbor!

Yes, I've got a couple of days in between retreat groups so I'm turning back to editing photos and deleting those ones that I don't want to keep - and telling the story of my recent visit.

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Quiltin' With The Lincolnton Gals!

If there ever was a crazy weather weekend - this past weekend was IT.  With a capitol I.

It started out lovely - we even had a road hike on Thursday - but temps took a downturn and by Friday afternoon we were gathering all of the quilts and tops for a quickie Over the Porch Rail moment - 

Saturday brought snow - luckily things stayed just above freezing so nothing stuck - but what a crazy weird freezing weekend.

Yesterday morning as folks were packing up - I awoke to 19 degrees! Brrrr!  It got cold enough that the water pipes for the garage washer froze and I had to wait a few hours for things to thaw and allow me to start laundry out there.

But we did it!  The quilters made lovely things, and that's what counts.

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Quilting Up The Pineapples!

It was a fairly quiet day yesterday all the way around - only interrupted by a trip to the Chiropractor - 

Of course, any run to town for any reason at all means "DO ALL THE THINGS" so yes, groceries were involved, but also - since The Hubster was in tow, we went back to the antique mall to see if that deer mount was still there.  It was.  Happy Birthday to him!

Hanging it still remains to be seen - but the dogs sure had a heyday barking up a storm at it!

But I digress -

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Lincolnton Guild Girls - In The House!

Sometimes you just have to say "Hold That Pose!" and grab your own camera to get a shot of what it looks like from your own point of view - when they are all holding up cameras and taking photos of you!

Or me!

The Lincolnton NC gals are in the house and quilting up a storm.

This is from yesterday's little side visit when I brought my finished pineapple quilt top over for a bit of show and share.

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From Picton to Wellington!

When is a ferry more like a cruise ship?

When it is the Interislander!

New Zealand's most famous and beautiful ferry route is between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island.

The journey between the two islands is commonly referred to as 'crossing the Cook Strait'.

The sailing time is around 3.5 hours (weather dependent). 

Yes, the ferry takes cars and trucks too - and look who we saw as we were boarding:

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New Zealand by Kiwi Rail!

My New Zealand adventure in January was so expansive (Over 2 weeks long!) and I've been breaking it up into small parts in-between the other goings on that are happening in real time here at home.

I've been home more than 3 weeks and I'm only half way!

I hope you are enjoying these little glimpses of our Craftours trip to New Zealand in between all of the other quilty content I post.

This trip definitely included planes, boats, trains, buses, ferries and funiculars! I think we covered just about all forms of transportation - Oh, at home point (that I'll get to) it included a trolley being pulled by a tractor.  Yep.  That about covers it!

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All On A Monday!

It was President's Day yesterday.

That explains why the little red flag on my mailbox in front of the inn remained up.

It took me part way through the morning for that realization to kick in.

President's Day. Banks and Post Offices and Schools closed.

But the antique mall?

OPEN!

No, I didn't buy this sign, but I thought about it.  And then I thought better about it! LOL!

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Quilting Through The Weekend!

It was a little blustery, but we got it done -

Bundle up girls, it's cold outside!

We started out retreat with the B.A.D (Bound and Determined!) Quilters in relatively warm weather for February - including a 9 person hike  - record numbers of willing participants, really - With temps in the low 50s.

From there it all went south!

Yesterday morning it was 17 degrees.  It finally reached 40 by mid afternoon, which was better than Saturday which only climbed to 30 at best.

I'm hoping this means we are on an uphill swing and will see warmer temps  - my daffodils are shaking beneath the surface!

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What's Next?

Now that Oopsie Daisie is in the comfy chair being bound - there has to be something else in the piecing stage, doesn't there?

So much of what was in the works was set aside late summer so I could get cranking out our Indigo Way mystery - getting that ready for the intro post on Halloween.

From there on it was mostly the craziness of string blocks in between writing mystery clues - and the pattern for Big String Quartet will be coming out next month.

That was my last finish before we revealed Indigo Way and I headed off to New Zealand where hexies were at hand to keep my hands busy on long journeys by plane, train, boat and bus.

So what's with the photo at the top of this post?

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Bindings & New Quilty Friends!

This happened yesterday!  And I am so excited with how it turned out.

Oh, the random scraps in this quilt - both old and new, and some with some great memories.

I think that is the thing I like most about a scrap quilt.  It's not paint-by-number.  It's a carefully curated creation of bits and pieces from all stages of my quilting life.  Each piece tells a story - even if the story is only "I think that was in a scrap bag given to me by....."

Scrap quilts take a village!

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From Up Top to the Coast!

Our day trip around Christchurch New Zealand continued - this time by bus to get us a bit out of the main parts of the city and up to higher elevation where we could look at things from above.

I'd live here in a heartbeat!  

There are walking trails, and gorgeous views -

Also - a clarification on yesterday's post. Details were misremembered, if that is a word.

We enjoyed learning some of the history of The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora site, formerly used by Canterbury College (now the University of Canterbury), and Christchurch Boys’ and Christchurch Girls’ High Schools. There are 23 buildings on site, of which 22 are listed by Heritage New Zealand with 21 categorized as Historic Place Category One. It was still marvelous, and I think understandable that I got the name of the place wrong.

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Out & About in Christchurch NZ!

Amongst the modern buildings in Christchurch that sprung up after the devastating earthquakes took down their older counterparts stands the beautiful and imposing structure of the Christchurch Art Centre.

We enjoyed learning some of the history of The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora site, formerly used by Canterbury College (now the University of Canterbury), and Christchurch Boys’ and Christchurch Girls’ High Schools. There are 23 buildings on site, of which 22 are listed by Heritage New Zealand with 21 categorized as Historic Place Category One.

I kid you not, we felt a bit like we were entering Hogwarts. Come check it out!

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And Off They Go!

Yesterday was our first "Over the Porch Rail" photo op of 2024!

And we were met with rain, mist, drizzle - looking for the best of any dry opportunity to get the job done.

We should have done this Sunday - but folks were still working on their projects.

And yet - two of our members had to return home early for various reasons bringing our group number to 10 instead of 12, also leaving us two quilts short of a quilt show over the rail!

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Oopsie Daisie is a Top!

I finally got QPO sewing time!

Once all of the pattern writing was done and released, and the Etsy store closing thing was behind me - I finally had time to do what I'd been wanting to do for what seems like forever.

The plan was to do this BEFORE New Zealand, but we all know where those kind of plans go - back to the land of wishful thinking.

How many block quarters did I end up making?

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*Singing* So Happy Together....

Good Morning and Happy Weekend from the February Quiltvillians retreating in our first retreat of 2024!

Could it be that they are really this happy to be together, or is it the floor fumes? LOL!!

No seriously - there is a houseful of fun happening - and my heart is full up.

That doesn't mean there hasn't been some hiccups - I mean, what do you do when the gas oven won't ignite to make breakfast?

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Winter Cardinal & Star of Hope Gift-Away (And Indigo Way Too!)

Oh boy - here we are! Finally!

It's been quite the run around to get things ready, I tell you.

And through this whole process one word kept floating through my mind *Simplify!*  Whatever happened to simplify???

Well that's where we are headed - but more about that at the bottom of this post.

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Let the Retreat Fun Begin!

4pm rolled around and in they came!  

Wagon loads of quilting supplies - of food for meals and all of the packed clothing and goodies needed for a 6 night stay at Quiltville Inn.

To say it was a madhouse rush to get everything done is at least spot on.

All of the last minute details - wiping down the porch tables after 2 months of winter grit and grime, Susan doing her best work to clean ceiling fans and dust and vacuum, tackle two upstairs bathrooms to sparkling, and putting her finishing touches on the kitchen.

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Desk Days On End!

Some days are full of ordinary chores, the crossing out of things off the to-do list.

Some days the camera doesn't come out of my pocket at all and then I wonder just what I'm supposed to write about when facing a blank post the next morning.

This was kind of my yesterday - but you know what? It was nice even if no photos were taken to inspire or capture anyone's imagination.

Oh - there were photos taken.  But mostly they were supplemental step-out photos of unit options for my Winter Cardinal pattern - still hoping to release on Friday!

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Razzle Dazzle, It's On Zazzle!

I've been a neglectful friend.  And I'm blaming it on the jet lag and bronchitis.

I had said I was going to do this yesterday - and that was after I said that I was going to do it before New Zealand (if possible) but it didn't happen.

The Indigo Way Collection is up in the Quiltville Zazzle Store and if you haven't snatched up your favorite swag items now, there is a sale running!

You'll find pins, bumper stickers, magnets and mugs currently in the collection, but did you know there is a whole feature where you can add the logo to hundreds of items?

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Monday Already -

Let's start the week with something Quilty!

How about a set of half pineapples blocks -

Which means this top is getting much closer to putting together.  Hooray!

The fabric scraps in these blocks are coming from 2 string bins - blacks and neutrals.

Are they going down in volume? Heck no! They are self-replenishing!

But I don't mind because that gives me the endless variety that I love to work with.

My best advise for folks making scrap quilts - stop looking at the print on the fabric, or the genre of the fabric.  Look at the color family.  The more variety the better!

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On the Run Around -

I was going to title this post "Double Whammy Friday" but it occurred to me that I hadn't posted since Thursday morning so as the saying goes "It's been a couple!"

However, this is our Saturday morning sunrise take off of the deck at home - 

Evidently the groundhog is calling for an early spring.

I sure hope so!

At least the ice and snow of Monday has melted away and skies are once again blue instead of moody gray.

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Forecast: Cold With A High Chance Of Sewing!

This photo.  

You know that moment when the shot turns out so perfect that it only takes 3 seconds to stop the car, roll down the window and snap it?

That's what happened here.

What I love most?

The pop of red on the building in the foreground while everything else is shrouded in shades of gray.

It's harder to see unless you look - but those clouds are kissing the top of the mountain - chef's kiss!

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