Rope Bowls, Crafting With Sid & Little One Update

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Yesterday I picked my first vase of Daphne flowers - this brightened my day immensely, it is one of my favorite fragrances.  Then this morning I noticed the first daffodil had burst into bloom in my garden - how wonderful  💛

 

I subscribe to crafthousemagic on YouTube  and  * this video * popped up a couple of months ago.  It sparked my interest as I remembered I had two hanks of 7 mm cotton cording in my craft cupboard, purchased a couple of years ago now.  I decided to have a go right then & there.  My first bowl turned out great ...I made mine deeper than the one in the video & not as wide in the base.  I cut 1 inch strips of Tilda fabrics & used these in my rows. It was a lot of fun seeing it grow & I was delighted with the shape it turned out. 

I decided to fill it with some treaty bits & gift to a dear friend who was due to have a birthday early June.  

Wrapped up in cellophane & ribbon it looked wonderful & my friend is finding it useful to store small fabric blocks in.  

I decided to make another one for another dear friend whose birthday was early July.  As my friend loves blues & taupes I used a combination of these colours for my strips.  This bowl turned out great too & I did the same .. filled it with special bits & posted it off to her.  

My friend has styled hers with a trailing plant in & I think it looks wonderful - I love the raw texture of the bowl paired with the natural houseplant 💚 I am keen to make more of these - they were so enjoyable.  

I have had Sid odd days this week & he has also attended a school holiday sports programme.  We did arts & crafts together.  

Alec is no longer interested in crafting & makes this quite clear  "I think I'm a bit old for that now Granny".  Well, I said ~ I'm 65 & I still enjoy it!

I am saddened to feel that Sid may soon no longer enjoy this either so I make the most of it while he is still keen.

He made a robot called Bob & some other various "weapons".

I've just realised my blue bird has lost its black beak (!!)

Meanwhile Granny had watched yet-another-YouTube-video & seen how to make these sweet little origami style birds.  

* Here * is the video if you are interested ~ it is only 5 minutes long. I am always on the look-out for simple creative projects that might interest my Grandsons but Sid was not keen on making these.  I made mine into a mobile.   

Earlier this week we popped into the Salvation Army Op-shop & Sid got a soft toy for $4, & Granny bought the sweet little rabbit egg cup for $2.50.  I made it in to a pincushion with some delightful Peter Rabbit fabric in my stash.  I am thinking about rubbing some dark wax over him to take the gloss off, not sure as yet 😳

This month marks 2 years since The Mr bought Little One home from the farm.  As much as I would love to say otherwise, they still do not get along.  This photo taken last night is about as close as it gets, & just look at that ginger girls face, she is figuring out if she has the energy to run & hiss at him or not.  

Here is an example of doing as he pleases ... NO CATS ALLOWED ON THE GOOD BED QUILT!!

I love all my cats but Little One is an entirely different nature altogether.  He is now a teenage boy in Cat Years & like all teenage boys, he knows everything, doesn't listen, does as he pleases, & breaks all the rules (!!) 

Believe me, I should know, I have only raised boys.  

I have long ago given up hope that they will all get along - it's lucky we adore them all so much that we bow & scrape to them accommodate their different needs 😬  

Thank you as always dear friends, for your welcome visits here today,

Sending much love & friendship to you all,

A Birthday & A Family Celebration

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Welcome to July - here we are in to the 7th chapter of the year already !!

 It's mid winter here at the bottom of the world & there are no flowers anywhere in my garden so I did a little arrangement with a pretty cyclamen on my table, just for a splash of colour these grey days.

On the very last day of June I celebrated a sort-of-special-birthday.  By that I mean I turned 65 & here in New Zealand you receive the Government Superannuation once you reach 65 years of age.     I am curious if this happens in other countries too, so please leave me a comment & let me know. 

My brother & sister in law travelled up to spend the weekend with us - they've not been for over 8 years now.  I decided to have a family lunch on the Sunday, this way my sons & their families could attend also.  

As I was seating 10 people I decided to turn my dining table sideways instead of longways.   You can see above, that a certain ginger family member was none too happy about this fact & also, by the way Mum (Me) was running around, it was apparent that guests were arriving ... this always displeases Her Royal Highness (!!) 😉😾

We'd decided to have our usual pizza lunch, we all enjoy pizzas & the local shop makes such delicious ones.  I made some dips & nibbles & The Mr ordered me a beautiful Carrot Cake from a new local Bakery Station Grill

Bubbles & Birthday Cake .  .  .  .  what's not to smile about ?? 

From left to right, the birthday girl, sister in law Leonie & daughter in laws, Sarah & Nicole.

We all had the loveliest time - it's very rare that we get together with my brother these days (apart from funerals) & it was so wonderful.  Just all very casual & relaxed with plenty of food & laughter.

I was indeed spoilt & received some wonderful gifts from family & friends.

Then on Monday (my actual birthday) we had a craft get-together at Gails & she made me yet another cake & I was gifted the flowering plants above right.  The stunning table runner (left) was made by my dear friend Leeanne - my photos do not do it justice, it is just the most gorgeous shade of green, heavily quilted & made from vintage dupion silk that she thrifted.  💚

It's now school holidays here in New Zealand & this week has been time spent with Alec.  We went to the Minecraft Movie yesterday & I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would 😉

Today is pouring with rain & we have had 2 days of heavy rain warnings.  Little One is on the good bedspread 😖 & Madam Pip is tucked up in a wee ball in the "hut" her mother made her in a corner of the couch.  

(Blackie is out in the carport asleep on the ride on mower seat)

Two little verses that appealed to me on Instagram & I thought I'd share them.  The first one is funny (& certainly true for this "woman of a certain age) & the second one is VeRy true.

Thank you as always dear friends, for your ever-welcome visits here today,

Sending much love & friendship to you all,

Ruth's Quilt & An "Heirloom Fantasy Tales" Journal ♥️

Greetings lovely friends & readers

It has been a busy time lately but I promised myself I would try & do a blog post today.

 I snapped the sunrise this morning as I went out to my car at 7 am to go pick Sid up, bring him back here for breakfast, then school drop off. 

Last week I received some very Happy Mail in the post which did indeed cause me extreme happiness - just like the label warned!

After Retreat finished I sent my Ruth's quilt flimsy home with "Quiltmekiwi " Leeanne to be quilted on her long-arm machine.  I did not expect it back quite so soon & was delighted.

This is what the quilt top looked like lying on the carpet at Retreat .   .   .   .

And this is what it looked like once Leeanne had worked her magic on it (!!) 💗  Leeanne very kindly sewed the binding strips on, ready for me to hand sew down & this took me about 3 days as it was a long way around all the edges of that quilt (!!) To say I was ecstatic was an understatement.

The quilt was a block of the month that I purchased through Millymac Supplies.  The pattern is Ruth's Quilt by Leannne Beasley of Leeanne's House.  I decided to use two of Mum's vintage supper cloths to replace some of the tags - this saved me hand stitching so many & the colours in the supper cloths were a good match to the fabric range. 

You could stitch the tags that were supplied in the pattern as well as make up your own & this was encouraged.  I "altered" a few to suit my own taste but mainly I stuck to the pattern.

As Mum passed away during the making of this quilt I decided to give Mum her own tag & was conscious to place this in the rows for the month of August, which is when she passed away.  I am so pleased I did this ... it just makes it that bit special to me.  And this was a quilt very much stitched purely for myself. 

I had been keeping an eye on Leeanne's blog for awhile noticing any E2E quilt designs that appealed to me & I chose Wildwood which I am thrilled with ... lots of flowers & swirly feathers which I adore.  The extra wide backing fabric was also supplied by Leeanne & this is called Magnolia.  

I am so grateful to Leeanne for bringing this quilt to life to me - the professional quilting just makes it so much more beautiful.  

I found one of Mum's single doilies that was in a complimentary colour way & used this for my label on the back.  I am SO so happy with my quilt and have yet to find just the right spot for it in my home. 

The second project that I took to Retreat was this Heirloom Journal Cover "Fantasy Tales".  I spent 2 days working on this at Retreat & then finished it the following week at Home.  

If you click on the above pic to enlarge it you will see the price tag of $79 on this Kitset.  I purchased this at my local St Johns op-shop for $12 & the kit contained everything needed to make the cover except the Journal itself.  Lots of details in this project - the tiny flowers above are hand dyed silk ribbon that I frayed & then gathered into flowers with beaded stamens.  

The beaded lace leaves above & the velvet strawberries were all made at Retreat.  I have to be honest here & say I am not a great bead worker so most of the time I was winging it !!!  The instructions were good in some areas & very poor in others ... a lot of it was guesswork.  

The beaded tie closures & the bookmark above right.  

Showing inside the journal & the back cover.

I am thrilled to be finished it & there will NoT be another one made by me any day soon 😉

I should mention I omitted the beaded spider that was meant to sit on the cover ... I could not understand the instructions, decided I don't particularly LiKe spiders anyway - so it could stay off.  

Since my return from Retreat & unpacking all my sewing supplies, this little furry fairy has taken up residence on my sewing bench - I think she feels if she camps out on here it may prevent me from heading off to any more sewing retreats anytime soon.

Thank you as always dear friends, for your welcome visits here today,

Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week ... remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Attending a Quilting Retreat

Greetings lovely friends & readers

(warning - photo heavy post)

Just over a year ago now my very dear friend Leeanne was telling me about a Quilting Retreat she had just attended & how great it was.   She had put her name down for it again & wondered if I would like to go along too.   As it was so popular it was fully booked but I was able to go on a cancellation list & get in quite quickly.  June of 2025 sounded such a long way away.

 

But finally, last week, it rolled around & I headed off on my journey down the Island - car packed up chocka full of sewing supplies (!!)

I left mid morning so I could allow myself a couple of hours to wander around Lake Taupo township.

Although I visit eldest son & family here, I never get into the township & it was wonderful to have time to browse a few op-shops & sit & have a nice coffee & slice from * this * delicious Cafe

The Retreat is held at MiCamp approx half way between Taupo & Turangi, on the edge of Lake Taupo  -  a very picturesque spot.  It's set on large grounds with good facilities & accommodations.  Where the arrow is, is the Recreation Room which is where we all sewed - this adjoined the dining room & kitchen, & another lounge.  The Retreat was fully catered for & the food was amazing! 

Our table in the room, there were more tables in the middle & the far side.  There were 38 ladies at the Retreat.    

I felt there was good space on the tables to spread out & sew, or for cutting out.

Although I took several projects 😉 my main focus was on completing a quilt top so I could send it home with Leeanne to be professionally quilted.  Here I am working on it & - invariably with me - there were mistakes made (!!) & lots of some unpicking 😖

As well as sewing, Leeanne & I managed some walks & one morning we drove in to Turangi to have a lovely coffee at a sweet little cafe tucked away, visited a gorgeous shop set up in containers, & went into the township for a spot of thrifting together.

Best of all it was great to get to spend some quality time together with my dear friend as it has been many years since we have managed this.  

At the Retreat we were fed breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner AND supper!!!  Everything was freshly made & just delicious.  Here we are sitting out on the deck eating cinnamon scrolls, drinking tea & this was our view.

We all filed out on to the deck on the Saturday night to capture the sunset in all its Glory.

I did manage to complete my quilt top which delighted me.  This was a block of the month run by Millymac Supplies which I started in January 2023.  The pattern is called Ruths Quilt & it is a design by Leanne Beasley.  As I am not a patchworker this was a huge accomplishment for me.  I worked on another project also, but I will share that in my next post.

You could use the designs for the stitchery tags that were included in the pattern or make up your own.  As my Mum passed away during the making of this quilt (Aug 2023) I included a tag for this month with Mum's details on it.  I also cut up one of her vintage linen tablecloths that was ragged on the edges & used this randomly instead of tags.  The colours went so well with the fabrics. 

At Retreat they had a de-stash table where you could purchase sewing bits for next to nothing, sometimes a gold coin.  These were my purchases above & believe me friends - I was very restrained !!

They had "Lucky Draws" throughout the duration & the 2 fabrics top left were what I won.  The wee clip pillow was a mystery challenge - I will share more of this next post.  

On the last day Leeanne pointed out the Free Box to me & the all the bits top right were out of this 😉

All too soon it was time to pack up my room & head off home again.  I felt so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to attend this Retreat,  spend special time with Leeanne & also meet some other really lovely ladies, all sharing a common interest of creativity.

You can read Leeanne's post about the Retreat * Here *

In total for the 4 days I was away I managed to visit 8 Op-shops & this is my "haul" above.  I will share more of these items in future posts but just want to show the wide vase below.

I have Leeanne to thank for pointing this out to me, tucked away down low on a shelf.  This vase was very marked & in a sorry state but at 50 cents it was most definitely coming home with me.  I just loved the style & shape of it & it reminded me of one Mum had once.

Just to show you what a good soak & scrub can do dear friends - this took quite a bit of elbow grease to get the marks off but look how wonderful it turned out. I soaked it for half a day in a light bleach mixture & then gently scrubbed it with a soap pad.   LoVe love my new-to-me old vase.  💖

Thank you all so very much, if you've stayed to the end,

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead,

With much love & friendship to you all,