Sunday, October 30, 2005


It is spring in New Zealand and I have been busy in the garden after work this past week. Living on the central plataeu we do tend to get a lot of rain so it was important to get somethings done while I had the chance. Found a great place on the net to buy annual seedling in bulk.The only thing with buying in bulk is the actual planting of them. It is all done now, at least for the time being, so I have been able to get some stitching done. This is what I haqve done so far on the cafe au lace block.
Great to recieve some comments too, thanks you.
Victorian Tea Party

This is an RR I have just worked on. Kathleen the block owner has used hankies of white with mainly blue and yellow edgings. It is going to be quite unique. There is a freshness, a crispness with this combination and I am looking forward to seeing the progress on this and what she will do with it once complete.

Monday, October 24, 2005


CAFE AU LACE
For a while I have wanted to make a small quilt/wallhanging in coffees, creams, golds and browns. With lots of lace. Thinking along the lines of arsenic and old lace for a title, obviously the arsenic bit it no good. So I aksed my DH last night for a name and Cafe Au Lace just rolled off his tongue. without much thought either!!!!. I love it. Made the first block yesterday, the brown is very dark and dominates and overpowers this block. Could just be the way I have pieced it which isn't great but I have decided to go with it. Tend to be one of those people that if its not right the first time then i tend to chuck it away and never get it done. BUT, it is time to change. There are supposedly no rules in CQ and I want to learn to go with the flow and not get so hung up on it being right/perfect! What is perfect anyway? I am sure I don't know.
An other thing I have learned recently is that I never allow myself to play. Mistakes reinforce all sorts of negative things in my life. Being 51 it is time for change. I am now allowing myself to play (just a little) and make mistakes. No lets say this properly, just allow myself to play, hang the outcome!! That is why I have decided to leave this block the way it is.
An other thing I discoved last night is that a blank canvas/ block stumps me! Looks to me like I look for any excuse to stop myself from doing anything.
So as I said before, time for change. This is some of my reasoning for starting a blog. Expressing myself with words is something I find difficult. Infact there are a lot of things I find difficult and I want to change.
I am looking to this blog to help/enable me to see where I want to change and to get on with the process. Karen South's blog is encouraging to me. She is using it to help her keep on track. Loved the posts about getting her studio organised and keeping it that way. Anyway she got me to thinking about blogs and here we are. So this is really going to be me rambling, learning and changing. I would love any of you to ramble, change etc with me.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

It is 3 years exactly since my Dh got me started in my first internet group. It was a silk ribbon embroidery group where I met and formed friendships with several women of like minds. It became my lifeline and a necessary daily fix. Infact my 2 fixes, sitting down with a cup of coffee corresponding with my new friends, what more could I want . Joining the group got me back into SRE as I had packed all my supplies away not planning on doing anymore. BUT getting back into it was great.
CQ came next with RR's swaps gift giving etc. Then I discovered internet shopping!! We live in a rural area in New Zealand, with no shops to speak off and certainly no craft or fabric shops. A love affair developed rather rapidly.
Now I belong to several groups and have made many friends and learnt soooooo much.
Blogging seems the next natural step for me