National Quilt Symposium

I'm starting to get more than a little excited about tutoring classes at Symposium next year!
Follow this link if you'd like to read more about it.
It's going to be fun to meet so many talented people! Here is a list of the tutors:

Susan Brubaker Knapp - USA
Susan Carlson - USA
Susan Cleveland - USA
Judy Coates Perez - USA
Crain Dena - East Africa
Lenore Crawford - USA
Lynne Edwards - USA
Robbi Joy Eklow - USA
Gail Garber - USA
Cara Gulati - USA
Patti Hempen - USA
Rita Hutchins - USA
Libby Lehman - USA
Gwen Marston - USA
Phillippa Naylor - GB
Vikki Pignatelli - USA
Jennie Rayment - GB
Kathleen Sage - GB
Jane Townswick - USA
Joen Wolfrom - USA
Jenny Bowker - Australia
Nic Bridges - Australia
Pam Holland - Australia
Chris Jurd - Australia
Gloria Loughman - Australia
Debbie Louie - Australia
Jane Monk - Australia
Lisa Walton - Australia
Michelle Yeo - Australia
Sharon Bradley - NZ
Carole Brungar - NZ
Tina Cooper - NZ
Jo Dixey - NZ
Hazel Foot - NZ
Noeline Johnston - NZ
Chris Kenna - NZ
Raewyn Penrose - NZ
Sonya Prchal - NZ
Jane Rixon - NZ
Helen Townend - NZ
Mary Transom - NZ
Julie Van der Putten - NZ
Sue Weston - NZ

The classes will be posted to the website in December. Taupo is such a fantastic place to visit and in the middle of winter the thermal pools are going to be incredible!!

I hope I get to meet some of you who are making the trip!
Carole x

Being nosy in the garden...

and look what I found!

What's in your garden at the moment?
Carole x

A visit to the stock yards

Yes, you got it right, a couple of weeks ago I visited the stock yards in Feilding a rural town about 30 minutes from Palmy. I went on a Friday as this is when all the farmers bring their sheep and cattle to be auctioned off.
The Feilding yards are the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere and hundreds of thousands of dollars exchange hands here every year. There are 350 holding pens all full of wee sheepy faces staring up at you!

 And there are 140 pens for large faces too but these cattle were not interested in those who were walking above them as they waited to be sold to other farmers.
I think I enjoyed watching and listening to the auctioneers working.

Why is it when it's crucial not to wink, blink, scratch, or nod that your nose is always itchy?

I was seriously hoping that I didn't buy anything while taking this photo!! (I mean, how on earth would I be able to go home and tell Mr M&M that there would be 319 sheep arriving shortly??)

Maybe one of them bought all those sheep?
The first stock sale was held here in 1880 when 100 cattle were sold. Now there are approximately 450,000 sheep sold here every year and 50,000 cattle.

A very interesting outing. And Feilding has some lovely shops too if you're ever in the area, check out their website for more info!

Carole x

A visit to the quilt show in Palmy

(But first I have to apologize for the quality of the photos)

On Saturday the Rose City Quilters had their annual show aptly named Tote and Gloat. I decided to pay a visit, it's the first time I've ever been to one of their shows.  There were the usual merchants malls with tempting things to buy. And there was exhibitions to look at. But the most interesting part is where members of the audience - who I'm sure, are all quilters, get to stand on the stage and show their quilt and speak about it.

It lasts for most of the day and by the time I left to go home I felt very inspired by all the talented girls who were there.
This quilt was queen bed sized made from civil war fabrics with small doilies sewn onto squares. It was very plain but it would have been one of my favorites.

This one was a close second as a favorite, again a very plain pattern, but really effective. There was also a lovely display of mixed media work done by Lynette and her friend Katherine. If you'd like to see some more of there work you can find it here. I could show you lots more, but may be another time.

So off home to work on my latest quilt. I'll show you photos soon.

Carole x

Craft market was amazing!

Here's my wee table at the craft market on Friday night.
It was a busy night despite it being cold and dark all the nearby cafes were full and people were out walking. The library made for a great venue although the lighting was a little dim.
My most popular items were my lavender bags and cards, so I'm hoping lots of mums are going to get wee treats next weekend!
Thanks to those who stopped by my table, lots of people popped by who have visited me at other markets. Thanks also to Christine who stopped by and bought me a latte, it was the best coffee ever!

Now, I have a quilt to make!
Carole x

Almost ready for the craft market

Brooches, hair barrettes and rings to finish...

See you at the City Library tonight, 6pm to 9pm!
If you're in town, pop in and say hi!

Carole x

On my desk today.....

Are lots of pretty bags which have all been filled with lavender and tied with ribbon.

My sewing room smells divine. These are all for my first craft market of the year to be held at the City Library next Friday the 4th May. 6pm to 9pm.
Pop by and say hello if you're in town!

Carole x

A little NZ scenery

A couple of weekends ago we took ourselves off camping. It was just an overnight trip and we went to this camp ground at Mangaweka about 100kms north of Palmerston North. It's situated beside the Rangitikei River and is a popular spot in summer for those who like to kayak and canoe.

At this time of the year it is quiet with only a few people passing through or staying over. We were lucky to have such a beautiful weekend.

The campground has toilets, a shower and a small kitchen and lots of places to camp.

Mangaweka is pretty much run down, but it has been known for it's airplane. An old DC3 which served as a cafe for a long time. Now it's just used as an attraction.

But we like to go and enjoy the river. Mr M&M spends time on the river in his kayak and I spend time laying around reading!

Carole x

A wee gift arrives

I'd thought I'd share this with you, a wee swap that arrived in my letter box this last week.

 It was made by the very talented Doreen. You can check out her incredible stitching here.
 
It's so gorgeous and I'm very lucky to have it! Thanks Doreen, it looks perfect on my suit jacket!

Carole x

from my sketch book

Thought you might like to see a couple of my journal pages.
I have been doing an online class called "The Art of Wild Abandonment" with Junelle Hallstrom Jacobsen. You can find her blog here.       

So far I've tried my hand at cupcakes.

And the odd sheep.

She's a very good teacher, even if you can't draw!

Carole x

blackboards

I've been making a few more fabric blackboards to sell.

They are fun to make and I love the little bits of lace that have been added.

You'll find these in my Etsy store shortly :)

Carole x

trouble arrives

Buddy and cobwebs

A cat on a mission.
Could I expect anything less?

Carole x

things I'm missing.....

... warm summer evenings spent on isolated beaches drenched in moonlight...

What are you missing right now?

Carole

Some light-hearted skipping and jumping

Our Easter here was a fabulous one, we had such beautiful weather. And perfect evenings. One night during the weekend we went for a walk along our favorite beach,  Foxton beach. It seemed hundreds of people were doing the same thing. There were people walking dogs, people fishing, jogging, riding horses, flying kites, riding on 4-wheeler buggies. Children with buckets and spades, mothers sitting in deck chairs.

Enjoying life.

The evening was beautiful and mild with a wee hint of a breeze.

And as the sun started to slide beneath the horizon it touched the ripples across the sand and reminded me of the opening shots from the movie 'The English Patient'.

And once we had walked for miles down the beach there were very few people and there was no one to see you if you wanted to be a total idiot!

playing on the beach using a photo booth app on iphone

Hope you all had a great Easter break, what did you get up to?

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Sunday

the perfect mix

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Saturday

lots of lovely laces and trims

Carole x

This week on my desk .... Friday

Easter eggs and cottons

They go together well don't you think?

Have a lovely Easter!

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Thursday

ribbons for embellishments

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Wednesday

wanna be gift tags

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Tuesday

string, stamp and heart brooch

Carole x