Gentlewomen, start your engines!

February is when my year really gets going.  Our summer break seems to have gone on and on this year, but it's finally drawing to a close and the kids start back at school tomorrow.  I do get some quilting work done when they are around, but my concentration is constantly interrupted and it's just not the same as having unbroken hours to absorb myself in my work.

Summer in the Bay of Islands.

It seemed like 2014 was a year of major upheaval.  I'm hoping 2015 will be slower, with less excitement.  I've told my husband - no buying boats, no moving house, no expanding the business.

I didn't think I was going to have a word for this year, but one seems to have found me anyway and it's been floating round in my head unbidden....consolidate.

According to oxforddictionaries.com, consolidate is a verb that means to make something physically stronger or more solid; strengthen one's position or power; or combine a number of things into a single more effective or coherent whole.

And I think it suits what I want for this year.

I want to settle into this boat life and make it work for us.  I want to strengthen my quilt making and further develop my own style and way of working.  I want to gather my far-flung quilting supplies and fabrics and make an effective working space here on MV Cerego.  I just want to settle in and stabilise ourselves in all respects before we stretch our wings any further.  

So no goals or resolutions for me.  Just a word to remember (before I get excited and hare brained about anything new and shiny).

With this is mind, I've been working on organising my sewing corner in the boat.

I've had some fabric here and some at my Mother in Law's and the fabric that I did have here has been spread around in several drawers and cupboards, interspersed with batting and notions and everything else a quilter needs. (There is another cupboard identical to the one in the picture on the opposite wall, plus a small set of three drawers.)  I consolidated (sorry, couldn't resist!) the fabrics into the plastic containers that slide nicely under my Sew-Ezi table and now have all my sewing notions, sketchbooks, threads, iron, UFO's etc sorted and in order in the cupboards and drawers.  I've put my batting down below in a big plastic tub and eventually I'll get more of those shallow plastic tubs and move the rest of my fabric here to the boat too.  They will go down below in the kid's playroom on wide storage shelves.

I cut and iron and draw and work at the dining table.  The cutting mat and rulers slide nicely under the couch.  I have a small heat resistant pad for ironing that slides away behind the set of drawers, but need to make a bigger, sturdier one at some stage.

The major flaw in the plan is a design wall.  I've got a small portable board (you can see it in the photo above, beside the sewing machine table) but it's too small really.  I've been using the floor, but that's a pain when I want to slide out my fabric containers and sit at my machine.  And the cat likes to sit on my work and donate fur or rearrange my layouts.

That's Wild Puss helping me cut batting for the design wall.

So I've taken down my Swallow quilt and tacked up a length of cotton batting instead.  That wall slopes gently inwards so I had to tack it at the bottom too or it floated out and swung around.  I usually have polystyrene behind my batting so I can pin straight in, but this works for now, and is a huge improvement on the floor.

Step one in consolidation, done.

PS - Note to my Stepmother:  That is the wonderful sewing machine cover you made for me, it's just inside out!  I'll explain why another time xxx

Crazy Cat Lady Tote and DUQ Cover Girl

I've had a productive week.  I don't know how it worked out like that, but I'm guessing having deadlines helps just a bit!  I've finished writing my midwifery standards review, completed a technical editing project and made a cat tote for a budding crazy cat lady.

My inspiration for this tote came from Pam at Hip to be a Square.  She said it was okay if I was a 'copycat'.  Sorry....couldn't resist.

I made if for my daughter's best friend.  The order was for a bag with cats on it, and her favourite colour is purple.  Done and done.  Shhhh, don't tell my daughter, but I'm making her one too so they can be all matchy matchy.  Didn't you do that with your best friend when you were seven?

Love me a stripey lining.  Just about as much as a stripey binding.

And what do we have here?  My very first magazine published pattern.  And I made cover girl!  Woot!  Now that they've published the photos, it'll come home, maybe in time for Christmas?  It's called 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and is a cute little wall hanging inspired by my favourite seasonal poem by Clement Clarke Moore.

The wallhanging has piecing, fusible appliqué and a little bit of stitchery.  If you are interested in making one of your own (I could imagine it with a snowy white background and red and green houses), you can get a digital copy of Down Under Quilts from here.

I'm working on editing my next podcast with another of my interviews from Festival of Quilts, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with this:

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
Mom in her kerchief and I in my cap
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter
Away to the window I flew with a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
Gave a luster of mid-day to objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer

With a little old driver so lively and quick
Well I knew in a moment, it must be St. Nick
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came
And he whistled and he shouted and he called them by name

"On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen
On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly
When they meet to an obstacle mount to the sky
So up to the rooftop the coursers they flew
With a sleigh full of toys and St. Nicholas too.

And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing, the pawing of each little hoof
As I drew in my head and was turning around
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back
And he looked like a peddler just op'ning his pack

His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples, how merry
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry
His droll little mouth was drawn up in a bow
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow

The stump of a pipe, he held tight in his teeth
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when laughed (ho, ho, ho, ho) like a bowl full of jelly (ho, ho, ho, ho)

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf
And I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread

He spoke not a word but went straight to his work
And filled all the stockings and turned with a jerk
And laying a finger to the side of his nose
And giving a nod up the chimney he rose

He sprang to his sleigh, and to his team gave a whistle
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle
But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight"

What I saw this morning...

My ducks eating their breakfast.  Ducks are rude and loud and obnoxious, then they shut up as soon as their beaks are full....hmmm, sounds like a few people I know.

Wildpuss, pretending to be a tiger.  He's not a fastidious cat and doesn't mind the dew.

Emma saying good morning to Wildpuss and Wildpuss not looking so amused.  Don't worry, WP, I don't like the wet nose either!

Them's thar turkeys on thar hills!

I love this one.  She looks like she's saying, "We are not amused," in her best posh voice.  As in, we are not amused that you are taking pictures BEFORE you feed us.

Such an enthusiastic, dopey dawg.  Being a labrador, trained as a gun dog, Emma feels she has to carry something in her mouth at all times.  Today she's found a bit of wood.  Usually it's a rock, which is bad.  Check out her blunted tooth.  She will drop them when we tell her too, but as soon as our back is turned...

And another pretty sunrise.  Can't help myself, I've a million shots of pretty sunrises.

Sunday Mumblings

It was frosty this morning.  Only our second frost this winter (and the first was yesterday).

But frosty mornings usually mean sunny days and, sure enough, today was lovely.

Everyone was out enjoying the sunshine.  The boss of the world thought he might herd the ducks.  They were having none of it, and fair enough, they're about twice his size.

The chooks have started laying.  They were hatched on New Year's Day, so bang on six months old.

Floppy (for obvious reasons) is a North Holland Blue, which looks very similar to Barred Rocks.

This girl is unnamed as yet and she's a mix of Light Sussex and Golden Laced Wyandotte.

We put the cows on the lawn to mow the grass.  Grass converting itself to beef, yum, yum.

I tried to work on my swallow quilt but the kids kept annoying me and each other so I got them outside for some sketching.  It worked a treat to get them settled down.

Mine's in the middle, but I think I like my daughter's on the left best.  Although my son's, on the right, might make an interesting quilting pattern!

Hope you had a lovely Sunday too.

What's on the design wall (floor)?

I'm determined to write a blog post tonight.  It's been awhile.  No excuses.  I got immersed in some novels, which takes my attention away from anything else until they're read (The Green Rider series by Kristin Britain if you're curious).  And I've been doing a locum stint for the past two weeks for a local self-employed midwife (glad it's over and I didn't even have to catch any babies, 24/7 on-call is a major stress).  I've also been working away on my two Taupo Symposium exhibition entries.  They're done and sent off and I know they've received them because my credit card bill shows the entry fee already!  Last, but not least, I was printing up fabric for my handprinted fabric swap: III - all sent off by the deadline and I've received one fat quarter in the mail already - thanks Holly!

Then we've had Easter weekend.  The kids get Good Friday off, right through to the Tuesday (tomorrow).  We've had a visit from the three little girl cousins and there were only a few meltdowns, mostly they are old enough for harmonious interaction.

So this morning I was left at a loose end.  No major projects with deadlines, my two kids and one cousin playing happily.  I rummaged around and came up with my Creme Brulee quilt, and when I laid it out on my design wall floor, I realised I'd forgotten I had all the rows together and I just needed to work on the sashing.  Yay!  

Wild Puss thought he'd add his influence to decision on the final layout.  Why do cats always want to sit on whatever it is you're working on?  And they don't listen to you when you tell them to get off either.  

And then the little *^&%# came charging out from under the table, pounced on the middle of the blocks and skidded them into a mess!

I have the evidence, Cat!  You can't pull that innocent, I-didn't-do-it expression on me!

I thought I'd have the whole top put together today, but unfortunately the little darlings (humans, not cats) demanded some attention and entertainment.  And being their Mother I gave in.

So Happy Easter to you all.  

Wassup?

Now we are back into the swing of things, I've been pondering a blog post for a few days.  But what to focus on?  I've been doing a bit of this and a bit of that with nothing particularly driving me to write it down.  So I thought I'd just do a conglomeration post, showing my thisis and thats and maybe that will encourage me!

I've made a bag - and loved it so much and had so many positive comments that I'm making another one (sitting flat on the chair) and writing a pattern.  (And by crikey, I admire people who churn out pattern after pattern.  Those things are a drag to write!)

A close up of the quilting on the other side of the bag.

I've recovered from two weeks camping and I've started exercising to combat the Christmas/New Year's/Summer/Just Because bulges.

 (Truth:  the sum total of my exercising was a half-hour walk this morning.)

I've climbed and conquered Mt Washmore (the nickname I have fondly given my washing pile).

I've laughed at the cat.

I've started a new night-shift project with some of my favourite prints.  These squares are cut to finish at eight inches to show off the fabrics.

I've oogled the ducklings (anyone want a pekin duck for their pond - I've got a few spare!)

I've played with organza and tui and low-volume strips (no you are not seeing double, I've just offset the organza overlay).

And I've firmly tried to ignore the urge to write a list of resolutions as long as my arm.  In fact, the best New Year's list I've seen is here, on Terri Grant's blog, And sew it goes...

I don't make quilts for people allergic to cats.

Spot the interloper.  And it's not the teal blue fabrics in the green pile. 

No, it's the orange furry thing taking advantage of the 'yet to be organised' shelf.  Puss - can't you find somewhere else to catnap?

Like the couch?

A few rainy day pictures

It's raining here today.  Pouring in fact.  So I'm just sharing a few pictures I've taken over the last little while.  Can you see the cheeky bunny stealing chook food?  We had a bunch of half-wild ones born a while ago and one day they all got out.  We managed to recapture most of them but this wee one has continued to elude us.  But he's semi-friendly.  I think he's living in the chook enclosure because he always seems to be there when it's food time, but I know he can sneak out through the fence too. 

Did you ever read 'My cat likes to hid in boxes' when you were a kid?  Wild Puss crammed himself into this box for a wee cat nap today.  Can't say it looked very comfy!

And these two made me laugh so hard I just had to take a picture!  They are a couple of my chooks done with a recipe my MIL shared.  You rub salt and pepper and turmeric into the skin - I added dried mixed herbs too - and then stand the chook upright and cram a jar of beer/cider/wine up it's bum.  Roast for about 45 mins to an hour depending on the size of your chicken.

I think they look like a couple of old ladies at a show day.  They've taken their little fold up stools and they're sitting down for a wee rest and a gossip about who won the chutney and pickle section!

By the way - they tasted delicious!

Mystery in the Vege Garden.

They are all so beautiful (if a little holey).  Jewels in the garden crown. 

So which one will I choose?  Whose life do I end today?

I feel like a murderer.  I'm stalking my victim.

Ahh, the knife slips in.  One good hack and it's all over.  No one will ever know it was me.

Darn.

No one except the cat.

Don't forget who feeds you, Wild Puss!