Ohhh look at Whip Up. Lovely NZ blogs is featured. Scroll down a titch, there are 2 posts featuring NZ Blogs. Now that's cool.

Anknel and Burblets asked me some questions a while back, and now that I've missed out on all that Whip Up generated traffic, I'll get around to answering them.

How did you find out about blogland and what motivated you to join in?
I stumbled across blogland, I've been an internet junkie for a long long time. I think one of the first I discovered was Mrs Mel, and through her, Crazy Aunt Pearl. When I found all the craft bloggers I was hooked.

How long have you been blogging?
Since April 2006. It was a spur of the moment thing...and I regret that I didn't spend more time working on a name. I was having some difficult days, and blogging was a great new distraction. It helped. It still helps.

Please tell us a little of what your blog is about?
My blog is about my quilts and my kids, my travels and studies, and forging a new life. It's an excuse to try to take better photos, and somewhere to show off my quilt making. It keeps me in touch with some far flung friends, and has helped me make some very special new ones.

What do you enjoy most about blogging?
The bloggers! I've made friends. Some very good friends I feel close to but haven't met, and others whose lives I feel involved in, but they probably have no idea! I love reading all the new posts about places and projects that are new to me. To a large extent blogging has stopped me from splurging on magazines.

Where in NZ are you based?
I'm a capital city girl, in Wellington, on the South coast.

Anything else you would like to say.....
Thinking about starting a blog? Do it. Do it today.

the boy wonder

"Mum, quick, come and dance with me", shouts the 10 year old.

Well, you wouldn't turn down an invitation like that , would you? U2's 'Where the streets have no name' is on the radio. He turns it up loud and we dance around the room like wild things. I don't think he really believes me when I tell him I saw U2 play with BB King.

"Can I go on the internet?" he asks.

"Sure", I say, a little bewildered.

He takes his guitar with him. He searches the net, he finds the 'tabs' (whatever they are) and teaches himself to play this new song he's discovered. Never mind Harry Potter. The heroes that call to this boy are The Edge, Neil Finn and George Harrison. He's a wonder.

I'm trying to persuade him to go to the Police concert with me, if they really do come to Wellington in January.

bad and good

Look, the olive oil has solidified again. It's cold! The weather is coming to get me. I've been watching clouds rolling in from the south. The calm, still ocean has turned slate grey, and the waves are growing. I hope those kayakers come back to shore soon.

I won this! From the supermarket. Just by being there. Things like that don't happen to me. Do they happen to you? I hope it's a new trend. Yum! And a basket for my crochet project. Perfect.

No-one I live with is interested in the Harry Potter book. The 13 year old has moved on, isn't interested. The 10 year old has never been interested in that fantasy stuff. They both read a lot though. Guess I'll have to buy it for myself.

8 things

Helen tagged me to tell you 8 things about me.
Well, here you go.....

1. It's so cold in my house the olive oil has solidified. Really. And the rain? It's coming inside. It's dripping into cups.
Dear E&A, homeowners, do not be alarmed. It's the wild weather we're having, it won't last.

2. My name is Helen. 4 of the people who knew me as Pixie have died. 3 of them shockingly suddenly. One painfully of cancer. I think of them all often.

3. I've killed 14 mice in my mouse trap. Guess I've poisoned a whole lot more. Surely they'll stop coming now?

4. I'm quilting my latest quilt with a 1/4 inch grid. Why didn't you stop me?

5. I've got 144 blogs on my bloglines subscription. I'm aiming for 150. Probably won't take much longer. I hope I've got you. Here are two of my latest discoveries:
anknel and burblets and so tread softly .
Oh did you know them already?
Okay, check out i hanna and Yvestown

6. I'm going to San Francisco and New York in November. See, I've told you, so it must be true.

7. I used to write commercials for radio. Back in the day. When radio stations weren't syndicated and each station had its own copywriters and journalists and technicians and 'announcers'. Name me a broadcaster, I've probably worked with them. There are 75 words in a 30 second radio commercial. That will be the source of my accustomed brevity. You can't see spelling mistakes or bad punctuation on the radio either. Best job I ever had...getting paid to be a little crazy. Loved it.

8. I like being tagged, but I wouldn't tag you, you might not appreciate it. So if you want to play, you can say it was me that tagged you.

Speedy Quilts

Two speedy quilts. Two warm sons. They're debating which quilt belongs to which boy. They're considering a time share arrangement.

Butterflies and bugs and blue and green dots and other blue/green things, all from the stash.

Quilted with a large and speedy stipple all over.

It's good to be using fabrics from the stash, some I've had for years but they've never been touched, some are old friends appearing in their 2nd or 3rd quilt. Much nicer to be using them than having them folded away. Is it a quilters 'thing' to remember where I bought them, who gave them to me? There's a piece from Annette's quilt, the binding from the 9-patch, the dotty stuff I bought in Adelaide.
The quilts both have polar fleece on the back, and no batting. I love how the thread disappears into the fleece and all there is to see is the texture.

You like? What colour would yours be? Come out of hiding and leave me a comment.

And then, perhaps there should be one for me?

Holiday

It's good to be at home for a week, hanging out with a bunch of boys (aged 10 - 13), with no pressure to do anything in particular. We've been to Te Papa (not good, seems we don't like crowds), the Science Roadshow (we all loved it, boys inside bubbles, exploding balloons, cool gravity tricks), the King Kong exhibition at the Dowse (wonderful, especially when some people were eventually persuaded to slow down and read the labels beside the exhibits).

There's been a little clay work...

and some baking....

Shame I have to go to work to finance all this..........

in the ditch

See, stitching, in the ditch.
When the seam allowances are pressed one way (all towards the orange), there's a tiny ditch formed. So I stitch into the pink, with the needle just nudging the orange. This is how I stitch the binding down, by machine. I've attached it with the right side of the binding to the front of the quilt. I fold it over, so the part folded to the back just covers the stitches and I press it. Then I machine stitch it down, from the front, in the ditch.

You want more pictures?
Can't take any. Finished Jack's quilt and left it behind.....you know, a couple of hours drive away. Oh well, it has this pretty quilt (which is not made by me) to keep it company........

she said...

Poppalina said this.
and she said it so well, you should read it too.