Staying Home - Week 2

Another week has passed by, and we are halfway through our four week national lockdown.  Wehave been experiencing the most beautiful weather, which is making it easier to be confined to home.  I am still walking around my neighbourhood, five out of seven days, but am starting to miss proper conversations with people.   I do find I am having a moments each day where I lose motivation to do anything and can quite easily waste an hour or so doing absolutely nothing but flicking through my phone for news updates.  On a more positive note, today it was revealed that only 29 new Covid-19 cases (our lowest day since prior to lockdown)  have been confirmed in New Zealand.

This is what I've been working on over the last week or so.

• First up is another top from some rayon fabric I bought last year at Spotlight.  This is the same Burda pattern I made earlier this year,  I omitted the elastic in the sleeve cuff, and like how lovely it feels to wear in this in between season, it also drapes a lot better in the rayon.  I may make another one yet, in a lovely viscose from the stash.

• I am still working away on my Ice Cream soda quilt - another row has been completed, two to go.

• My lock down challenge piece (see post here) is slowly being worked on

• I got to play with the power tools for my pumice garden art,  I had collected a large bag of pumice pieces about three years ago when we were in Kinloch after a storm.  I finally pulled them out, drilled holes onto them and threaded them onto heavy copper tubing I had from an old piece of art.  Quite happy with it now.  I desperately want to go to a garden centre and buy some flowering plants to add some colour and life to my garden though. A couple of dahlia plants have revived themselves with the cooler temperatures and some recent showers, which makes me happy

• While there isn't a shortage of bread in the shops at present, I felt like  making some. so I made a loaf in my slow cooker.  The recipe is here.

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter.

Stay home, stay safe.

Kia kaha

A Lockdown Challenge

I was browsing Instagram the other day when a post from Anna Maria Horner popped up showing her latest #amhappliquestory,  I was quite taken with the idea of creating something like this and suggested to Linda,  (check out her post on this here that perhaps we each do one as a little challenge whilst on national lockdown.

Browsing instagram for ideas, I also remembered being quite inspired by some fabulous textile art from @bearsville50, here and here.

I started to pull out my AMH stash, unfortunately most of my fabrics left aren't really suitable for largish fussy cutting now, so I went through the rest of my stash and played with some ideas, which gradually evolved until I was left with the arrangement in the photo at the top of this post.

My backing fabric has been prepared, threads have been selected, the blooms and foliage trimmed and starched ready to apply using the raw edge applique method.  Once this is done I can then embellish with fancy stitches, different coloured threads and seed beads.  I was originally thinking of making a pillow cover, but I feel that if it turns out, I may get it framed.

I have another row to finish attaching to my ice cream soda quilt, then I can have a little slow stitching session  and make a start on my lockdown blooms.

Staying Home - Week 1

While New Zealand is officially on Day 5 of the 4 week lockdown, I have been at home now for seven days.

I walk most days, and to be honest I don't think I have ever seen as many people out walking in my neighbourhood before.  We all give each other at least 2 metres space when walking past each other, call out hello or give each other a friendly wave.  I walk between 3-5 km a day, depending on how much time I want away from my family, and am very lucky my view includes some sea views.

Generally I enjoy being home and pottering around, doing a bit of gardening, cooking or sewing, all the while knowing if I need to pop to the supermarket, craft store or mall I can.  Suddenly knowing I can't is hard.  Point in question.  I've run out of cotton to match the shirt I'm sewing, so I can't make button holes.  Do I make them anyway using another navy thread or if I was really brave something totally contrasting, or do I leave it unfinished until life returns to normal? At this point I'm leaving it and will start another project from the pattern and fabric stash.

Evenings are spent inside reading or hand sewing.  I have completed and joined another row onto my ice cream soda quilt. last night the family discovered the Sherlock Holmes series on TVNZ on Demand.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the first episode, so think this will be a family event each night till we finish series 4.

Stay Home, Stay Safe, Save Lives!
Kia Kaha

Lockdown

As of 11.59pm, Wednesday March 25, New Zealand will be in a four week lockdown, to try and flatten the Covoid-19 curve.  No school, no work unless you are classed as an essential service (so far my husband is still working), no university, no socialising with friends or visiting family.  It's scary.  Will it help New Zealand - we can only hope so.

We are lucky it is still autumn and not the cold wet days of winter.  I can open the house up for fresh air, we can sit on the decks, potter in the backyard and  enjoy some sun. I can go walking (by myself or with a gap of at least 2 metres from another person) and I am lucky I live in a suburb  with coastal views and walking paths around it.

So while Miss B and Mr J are supposed to be doing school/uni work via online teaching and lectures, I feel there will be many days of general lethargy and an I can't be bothered attitude from them both.  The novelty of not being at school will wear off, the moments of anxiety will overflow into tears. I am sure there will be many days where we will be bickering, and sick of seeing each other, arguing over who needs to vacate the sofa, turn down their music, clean up their mess.

No doubt I will be spending a lot of time in my sewing room.  I may or may not get lots of clothes made. I have started my first Bonn shirt, and am telling myself  I don't need to order or buy more fabric, I do have enough at home.  What I will miss is the access to my work printer for printing out PDF patterns, not economical to do at home.  There is a good chance I'll get my ice cream soda quilt blocks all pieced together and maybe my folk flower blocks too.

I have a few real  books to read, but have also uploaded the Libby app to my phone for e-books.  I never thought I'd not be reading a physical book.

I can prepare my garden for winter, cutting back plants, no vegetable seedlings to be seen anywhere in the garden centres though, they have sold out very quickly.  I did manage to get perpetual spinach planted a couple of weeks ago.  I can cook nice meals for my family and try new recipes, I have an awesome selection of cookbooks to use.

I will miss talking to people in real life, stopping and chatting to strangers over their garden fence as I'm walking, while I can ring, text/message or facetime friends and family it's not the same.  My parents live 3 hours drive away from me, so I'll worry about them from afar,  my sister and her family are in Australia.

These are strange and challenging times for us all, and I know I am not the only one going through this.  Stay well everyone, stay away, stay safe, be kind to yourself and to your family. Kia kaha.

Stitching, Sewing, Planning

Life has been quite busy lately,  Miss B has started university, and Mr J has just obtained his learners driver licence as well as spraining a ligment in his knee one week, and injuring ribs in another.  So between work, giving driving lessons to both teens, playing chauffeur to sports activities and physiotherapists, the pick ups and deliveries to and from train stations at odd times, I am finding that my sewing room and sewing time is much neglected.

Work is still continuing slowly on my ice cream soda quilt, and I figure that while I am so enjoying the making of it, I shall continue stitching and joining blossoms together. Other quilty projects can wait.

Now that the intense heat of summer has passed, and we are getting cooler mornings and evenings, I feel inspired to add some new clothes to my work wardrobe.  I am quite lucky that I am able to dress in a smart casual style, so I am planning on making some new shirts to see me through the autumnal and spring months.  I haven't made a shirt with buttons for over 20 years, however I love the look of linen shirts or boho inspired shirts with jeans, so am planning on making the Bonn Shirt in a sky blue linen/cotton and hopefully if it turns out all right, another one in the dandelion printed navy voile.  I have buttons ready to go with them too, bought in a moment of planning for self isolation activities.

Should I have to self isolate, I have no shortage of fabrics to play with, whether it be for quilting or making clothes. I am planning a few changes to my gardens for next year also, so am enjoying seeing the bees on my sedums as I am outside writing down ideas and plant moves.

Stay happy and healthy everyone.