Bits and Pieces

Spring is in the air- or at least for the past few days. Lets hope this beautiful weather continues.
On the weekend I went for a very challenging walk around the coast at a place called Bluff-southern most coast of the South Island. This is a rugged coastline with pounding seas but just spectacular scenery. First there was a walk along the coast and then I headed up the hill-it said 45mins uphill and I thought well it is probably a slight uphill that will take about 20mins. Wrong!! Boy it was straight up and up- took about 30 mins to reach the top!

The island you can see in the picture is Stewart Island - our third island. It was a glorious day and the 2 hour walk was certainly a workout-it is still winter officially but you would never have thought so on the day.

The sewing machine has been doing a little work - this is my Barcode quilt from the book City Quilts. I am adding one more row and it will then sit atop a queen sized bed.

Not the best photo but it gives a preview. So easy to put together.

Of course,Bella had to decide whether it should be approved or not. She is not usually the sewing room cat-my sewing companion died just before I left Australia. This is where she usually curls up

I have also been doing a little bit of hand stitching. I am not a very big hand stitcher except when it comes to Christmas projects-for some reason I enjoy doing these and so when I won a giveaway from Sandy ( as I posted about) I was excited to receive a Christmas stitchery and have made a start on the project.

I'm using DMC cotton 115 and am liking the variegated look. Don't look too closely at my stitches-I don't profess to be very good but theres no police patrolling here.
I have also resurrected my Sue Ross BOM project as I am soooooo far behind.

While my points do not all meet I am just so excited that it sits flat. My first foray into set in seams in a previous block had quite a few rises and falls-hopefully quilting will sort that out. Just have to applique this down onto the background fabric now.
Hope everyone is enjoying their sewing rooms. Take care.

Back Again

The past few weeks seem to have just zoomed by. I have been working long hours so the days just roll into each other. Am also getting over a dreadful head cold-why do people think they should come to work and share their germs around??? I cannot remember when I last had a cold and I even even had to have a couple of days off which is the first time in years I have taken time off sick. these little critters have kept me entertained-twittering away in the garden where I put feed out for them. Different from the squawking birds I fed in Oz but just as delightful.

I have managed a bit of time in the sewing room. These Blocks for Lissa  are on their way to USA to Jane. If you have not seen the request already then pop over to her blog to read about her appeal for blocks to make a quilt for Lissa, a young mum of three children who has been in hospital,in intensive care, for 7 months

 Remember the book in my last post-City Quilts -well here is a little peak of a quilt I am making from that book. I have found a Quilting Circle to attend on a Monday evening. The lady who held the class on fabric dyeing that I went to also holds quilting evenings. I have only been once so far but will go again tomorrow and finish this quilt top then I hope.

I don't enter many giveaways, and only on the blogs I follow so I was absolutely delighted to get an email from Sandy to say I had won. Sandy was very generous with her gifts and I have already started the stitchery-

Bloggers are just such generous people. Thanks Sandy.
I am thinking of purchasing a longarm quilting machine,mainly for hobby use to start with, but which one to choose???. I would value any advise that bloggers who have one could give me on what their experience has been.
Have a great week.