Seize the Day!

Happy Holidays everyone - and here's my Angel to provide the music.

My apologies for the long break between posts, I got quite a surprise when I was checking on my favourite blogs to see that mine was last added to two whole months ago!

How time flies when you're having fun.........  You don't need all the details, suffice to say that twenty four hours after I last posted I was back in hospital, I've accepted my situation and am just getting on with things.  We have the meds sorted and the side effects have lessened; I have more energy and am learning patience!!

My Angel was started, we think in the early eighties! at a class taken by Trish MacLeod who was President of the Wellington Embroiderers' Guild and later head of the evening embroidery classes at Wellington High School.  This doll has been languishing in a carton in my sewing room until I found her when tidying up.  I still stitch with a friend, Jann, who also went to the same class, so I challenged her to finish her wooden spoon masterpiece.

Here's the rear view showing her beautiful wings, the unfaded hair ! and her two companions!

You see Jann had started not only the blonde one but also the dark haired one - here they are in a row.

So generous Jann gave the dark haired head to our friend Jan who then made the rest, Jann completely re-designed hers and Jan took my pieces away, it was all finished, just needed the wings and mandolin stitched on which she did for me.  It was my choice not to put a face on, a la Amish -btw that's a ping pong ball for a head.

I also wanted to share with you the two quilts I made for my granddaughters when they were quite small,  quickly made using the Mile a Minute technique, or crumb quilt or wonky log cabin as they are often called these days.

Purple and pink of course, with batting and polar fleece as a backing, great for snuggling up under.

Molly wanted something similar, but asked for more blue - which was great because I was running low on pink and purple.

Not great works of art, but great fun to make and they have certainly been used.

A recent donation was made for the Shut-in Stitchers in the prison of off-cuts, and as usual I ask permission in case there is anything we can't use, to pass the fabric onto someone else - I've never yet been refused but think it sensible to ask.  The pieces were sort of wedge shaped - so first I had great fun making a sort of rail fence -

You can see the pieces were perfect for this pattern and I found a good blue from my stash for the border, I then gave the top to the woman in the Wellington Guild who organises the making of quilts for various charities and community needs.

And why didn't I think it appropriate to take it into Arohata - well, look at the detail -

I hope you are all enjoying the break from routine, this year we spent the day with my son and his family instead of all coming to my place - we had a great time together - but hey, for those of you who don't live in Wellington what a surprise it was to have such very hot weather - for us that is.  28C just doesn't happen here, the hottest Christmas Day since 1935 and all thanks to the hurricane I think.  Perfect weather for the ham, salads and BBQ on the menu - that's after all the nibbles my DIL and granddaughters made - and later there was Christmas cake, florentines and mince pies - all home made, my DIL is an amazing cook, what a lovely, lazy day I had.

I have taken this quote from the blog written by Tim Latimer - a prolific buyer of old tops which he then hand quilts.

Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.”
~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927).

There's much more I want to share, I have pieced a couple of tops - a little at a time, and am working on some hand quilting.  

Talk again soon

June