Serendipity and Barbie

This flower bed was once full of weeds plus an overgrown Pineapple Sage, it gets very little rain and was something of an eyesore.  Then I spotted this handsome lad at the garden centre at Peka Peka and had to have him!  My visitors arrive at the front door with smiles on their faces.

I had a really full, fun day yesterday.  The teaching at the prison went very well, I think I am getting through about pinning and pressing - with help from an unexpected source.  One of the women who had been, shall I say somewhat reluctant to take advice, suddenly started telling the younger ones to listen to June: "Measure, pin and press!!"

Another of the women who is leaving to return home this week wrote a card of thanks to all the volunteers and people who help with the programme.  She said her Saturday mornings of quilting kept her sane.

So a big thank you to all who support us in so many ways.

We finished by 12.30 so I drove back to Petone to buy a coffee and some lunch before attending the meeting of Capital Quilters, I had some quilts from the prison that I wanted to show at the meeting.  Petone was as usual full of people and I had to go into the back streets to get a park - but it was meant to be, because as I walked to the cafe I saw this sign

So I walked a little further to get a proper look -

No mistaking that face!

So I followed the arrows and went into the building.














It is an absolute treasure trove!  I told you I like looking at girly things, well where to start?

Colleen Scrimshaw was sitting at the desk and we chatted about her collection.  The toys on this side are for sale - see the All Black and the Maori warrior?

Round the far side are for display and drooling over only!  If you are interested in fashion and clothes design, wait until you see the doll of Elizabeth Taylor when she played Cleopatra - the detail in amazing.

Colleen is only generally open at weekends but if you ring her on 04 9700 299, she is more than happy to open up for visitors.  I have no affiliations, just found it by accident - I think she has been open only a few weeks and I very seldom walk down that side street - but I think it is well worth a visit for anyone interested in fabric, sewing and fashion.

The club meeting was such fun, good to catch up with many members I hadn't seen in a while; as usual the display of work was fascinating - such talent these ladies have.  And the speaker is an expert in Baltimore style quilts, her work is beautiful - all in all it was a great day.

Serendipity is the name I gave a quilt I made and which is included in my 5" squares class - this is the basic shape.

You start off with two squares, one four inch and one three inch.  Put the smaller square onto the larger, mark the diagonal and sew - before you sew the second seam, measure from the corner two and a quarter inches and that is where you put the second line to sew on.

This is vital, because you need the resulting small half square triangle to be 2.25 inches so that four of them sewn together will result in a four inch square.

I made a whole stack of these blocks light on dark and vise versa and then I started playing with them.

I decided on the design I wanted to use, and then played with the half square triangles for different borders, until I was happy with the result - which is more than I am with the placement of these little photos to show the whole process!!

Never mind, I am sure you get the idea.








So here is the quilt finished, pieced by me and quilted by Bary Scott who used to have a studio at Te Horo.

I wouldn't call myself a rugby fan, but earlier today - hey, did you remember about the clocks going forward? thank goodness my computer and my iPhone don't wait to be told! - anyway, I wanted to watch a favourite TV show, "Location, Location" and then found myself watching the rugby but quite happily, because I knew the final score. Just as well, because at the start it looked as though it could go either way!

I can't help chuckling at the funny thoughts in this old diary, "Let the shipwrecks of others be your sea-marks"

Thanks for stopping by and for your comments
We'll talk again soon
June