Quilt as You Go Method.

Yesterday at my P & Q group we had a lesson on one method of quilt as you go ( or joining pre quilted blocks ).

Preparation.

- All the blocks you wish to join must be quilted through top, batting and backing fabric.

- All blocks need to be the same size.

- Each block needs to be sewn around the outer edge as close as you can. ( trim all excess )

2 sizes of joining strip need to be cut. ( can be same fabric or 2 different )

- Top strip 1 1/4 " wide ( and the length of the blocks )

- Back joining strip 2" wide and length of block. Fold this in half right side out and iron.

- if the order and direction of the blocks matters, lay them in place, right side up and number them.

NEXT.

- Pin then sew the back joining strip ( the folded one ) to the right hand side of the back of block one. Raw edge to raw edge. (see pic ) make the seam just less than the usual 1/4".

- turn this block and now sew the narrower strip down the same hem line ( on the other side )this time making the sewing line slightly wider than the usual 1/4". ( this stitching line should cover the first line of stitching. ( check )

- place block 1 and 2 right sides together and pin the unsewn edge of the narrow strip to the left hand edge of block 2.

- Turn both blocks to the back side and pin; then hand sew down the folded edge of the joining strip.

CONTINUE:

- Using the same sequence continue sewing your blocks together, till you have the desired number in a row. Then another row etc.

- Now using the same method join 2 finished rows together horizontally. Just like you do if you are joining blocks with sashing.

Tip.

If you have the fabric available cut the joining strip in a long length and cut off after each seam, less wastage and they are then all the correct length. You can even use a string piecing system once you have sorted the method out.

A Bit Saucy!

Can you smell that? After 2 batches of chutney we started making sauce. DH helped by finely chopping the onions while I did the tomatoes. Later we both sieved, till our arms fell off but look at it now; yummy! 3.5 litres of red sunshine. Eldest son put in his order when I last spoke to him on the phone, so we may need to keep making batches...it's quite time consuming....but we do have tomatoes coming out our ears this year! I need to replenish the stocks of vinegar first.

I've been sewing too. See the 1st 4 piles of 10 hexagons, ready for me to machine quilt. I'm still getting blocks ready for Friday's P & Q meeting as well. Just as well it rained so I don't have to be in the orchard this afternoon.

Serviettes.

Yesterday as I was cruising fairly rapidly around the supermarket I noticed these! Serviettes ( or paper napkins or table napkins ) with New Zealand Pohutukawa, our Christmas flowering tree . Hadn't seen those before. Had to get some. I'll keep them till next Christmas. In my deep table linen drawer I already keep a stash of special use serviettes. ( not every day ones ) Some are here in this photo. There are some beautiful ones available now. I think it might have been Dale who used similar as the background or starting point for embellishing over. Do any of you enjoy finding these table setting beautifiers? As a little girl one of my jobs was to set the table and along with cutlery, cruet and glasses was always table napkins; fabric ones that were ironed( good to learn on) and kept in serviette rings. I still have some of those ones but don't use them ....these tissue paper ones are prettier and easier. Good restaurants still use linen ones.


Now the blue fabric you asked about Helen. It is Pottery by The Erlanger Group Ltd. Patt#2888. and I purchased it at Barnhouse and Embroidery in Tauranga.

Time Snatching.

Time snatching like multitasking is a great way to make a little progress when I feel I'm not getting projects done. Sometimes I use the timer on the stove and tell myself take 5 minutes and see how much you can achieve. For example switch the iron on, and quickly wash some new fat quarters in hot water then iron them almost dry. Later in the day leave the cutting mat ready and fussy cut the images I want, then by evening when I have some time to sew it is ready to go. I have just introduced 9 new fabrics for my Girlie Quilt that weren't around when I did the boy one. ( that's the 2nd pink fabric...I don't have many of those, but it's okay to have pink in this quilt ). I am very fond of the Laurel Burch designs, she really has her own style always recognizable as hers. I think it is the detail and embellishment on her creatures that makes them special rather than her actual drawing.( I really like the fish and snakes )
At the weekend I managed to quilt 2 12.5" blocks ready for my class on the quilt as you go method next week. I'm pleased with my effort even if I only did stitch in the ditch around a star and card trick block. it looks good on the back. I need to get 2 more ready.
Early on Sunday morning during our walk around a huge new subdivision about 10 kms from here, I took this photo of an original artform in a roundabout. Big rectangular pine logs, bolted together.
I must take some photos to show you how big the kiwifruit has grown...we are still working on the crop, letting light in and removing rejects or anything that won't make it cause it's too small. It rained over night so the humidity is right up there!!!

Blue Backing Fabric.

Although I have a couple of machine projects to work on I still need a hand sewing project to carry around with me. I looked and looked for the purple fabric I had in my mind's eye that I wanted to use as the surround ( backing ) fabric for my Girlie I Spy Quilt. BUT it was not to be found, around Tauranga, as I needed at least 5.5 yards. To get around the problem I then had to look at any fabrics that were available in that quantity and pick from that. I have selected a marbled bright blue. A lovely soft to touch fabric. It was no small task washing and drying and ironing that length( it looked amusing on the clothes line ) but as I asked for the bolt to keep it on it is staying flat and needing no further ironing. I just unfold a few lengths when I need to cut another round of backing hexagons.


I have also been washing some other fabrics from my small stash in preparation for trying Quilt as You Go on some blocks I have already made. A member of our group is going to demonstrate her technique of joining the blocks after quilting. As I couldn't decide which would look best as sashing and which as backing I washed a couple and have been auditioning them.

Yesterday at our P & Q Group we discovered that the family of a recently deceased elderly quilter had cleared out her house and donated some fabric, magazines and 40 quilting stencils to our group. Wasn't that lovely of them. We are so glad they didn't just throw it all away. Some of our members that are on fixed limited incomes were delighted to get the fabric. As Librarian I had the job of cataloguing and putting in a ring binder the 40 Stencils. Fancy one little old lady buying that many stencils!

Tomorrow I need to make tomato chutney or sauce as we have picked so many lovely ripe tomatoes. (here are just a few of them.) Little sweet jewels full of Summer's goodness. ( Oh wow has it been warm...you didn't here me say that) ...it is indeed Summer here in NZ! _

More BOP Beaches.

The spell of beautiful weather is continuing in the Bay of Plenty, so as it was Sunday, the day I try and take an extra long walk, I asked DH to choose a place to go that he would come along too.
We drove Northwest for about 30 minutes till we came to Bowentown and Waihi Beaches. We climbed to the top of the hill overlooking Bowentown beach, some of the track had some shade luckily. ( the walk took almost an hour )The photos show the various views on the way up and we laughed when we saw that some kind person had placed a lone chair at the highest point facing out to sea. One photo shows the view looking towards Waihi, another shows it looking back towards Tauranga. If you look over Matakana Island (it is a long island, has a strip of white sand infront of pine trees) you will see Mt. Maunganui ( of my last post ) in the distance and Karewa Island out in the sea. Rather spectacular scenery.
After our walk we spread out on a quilt in the shade of a Pohutukawa tree and DH read and I stitched for another hour. The peace and tranquility didn't last as the spot became busy and some chap in a bus thought he should run his noisy generator to make himself a cuppa and a family with several kids and a dog named Oscar parked right beside us.
We headed off to a cafe at Waihi Beach and had a pleasant lunch, before making our way home. We have blobbed since then as the temp is hovering at 30 degrees ( that's 84 f), reading and watching NZ cricket on TV. ( Glad we aren't working today! )

Mt. Maunganui Beach.

A few more photos for Meggie and those who have visited the Mt. and beach. ( and maybe tempt those who haven't )The only change you see really is in the type of building there now.

The first photo is looking along the beach to the Mt. The others are taken from the track that winds around the base of the Mt. ( now supposed to be called Mauao it's Maori name ) The sheep which graze on parts of the Mount are controlled in small paddocks but can get down and eat seaweed on the little beach around the harbour channel side. In that photo you can look across the water to Tauranga.

Visit From a Perth Quilter.

For the last several years I have belonged to an online P & Q Group ( Picking Up Threads ) of mainly Australian ladies. One of them Thelma from Perth came to stay for 2 nights. We had only met on line before that. She was born in Ohura NZ but has lived in Oz for 16 years. She wished to relive a childhood memory of eating Fish and Chips on the beach at Mt. Maunganui, which was harder to accomplish than expected; but we eventually got some for dinner on Monday evening, after we walked around the Mt. (DH came too and was thrilled cause I won't normally buy them for us.)

We spent all day Tuesday, visiting the local P & Q fabric stores. We started up at Katipatch at Katikati, then into Tauranga to my favourite Barnhouse Quilts and Embroidery, then after some lunch Tauranga Sewing Centre. Thelma found things at each shop and accrued quite a collection of NZ FQs and magazines. I got a few too. I didn't really need anything but never browse that long and thoroughly without buying something. I can always use more fabric. ( none of these store have good websites so I won't provide links ) I hope she enjoyed her 2 nights stay. Unfortunately she hates avocados and didn't like kiwifruit juice! Here are some photos of her in my favourite quilt shop and us both in my garden and on the beach. She is the shorter, younger one.

Peacock Feathers.

Yes I have collected the feathers the peacock is dropping. ( About 50 ) The other things he is dropping are not so pretty!!! You know what.....lots and lots of smelly meringues.
Aren't the colours just the best.
We have no idea where he came from but he can fly ( even without tail feathers ) so he may have got blown off course. We think he comes up to the deck by the ranch slider doors to look at his reflection in the glass ( vanity )..... or he may think it is another peacock. We think he is lonely. But as his feathers have moulted and he is no longer honking out loudly he as probably missed mating for this year...so sad. We hope he flies off again to where there are some other of his kind. ( free to a good home but you have to come and get him! )

Waitangi Day in NZ.

Today the 6th of February is New Zealand's National Day. While it is a holiday we only changed how we spent the day from one kind of work to another! But Oh what a lot we got done! I started by helping DH clear part of his very weedy vege garden then gave all my herbs a hair cut.( lovely fragrant smells! ) Both gardens are looking so good now it was worth the sweat. Had a long lunch as I had my nose in a book. Later I spent another 2 hours weeding and cutting back part the driveway. We cut one rhododendron that was staggly almost to the ground in a hope it will bush up again. I came in so hot and tired but know I did good out there. After a long cool shower and hair wash I felt much better but announced that I was finishing my book before I did anything about dinner. I was reading the last few pages of Audrey Niffenegger's, The Time Traveler's Wife. I blubbed my way through the last part of the book and would now heartily recommend it. It's a really original story. Possible ....I doubt it but who knows she made it seem plausible.

After 2 bad attempts I think I have worked out how to make a suitable label for my quilt.

At the weekend I spent some time working on my machine quilt project. I am progressing slowly as I am not completely sure how I wish to put the blocks together.( it's purple and a mustard sort of colour....photos are back further somewhere last year ) I'll keep ya posted.

We are a bit worried about the peacock hanging around the house and eyeing the ripening tomatoes. He has over the last 2 weeks lost almost all his tail feathers and no longer shouts out. ( hope we don't have to shoot him as a pest ) Black cat Incubus ( Inky ) put himself on guard cat duty on the deck earlier today. He wants to be the only animal around here! Happy Waitangi Day to any other Kiwis reading this!

Close up photos.

Quilt Story.

It wasn't once upon a time; more of in a twinkling of an eye the spark of an idea in my brain flashed the minute I saw Anna hand sewing a small lap quilt by making individually backed and quilted little hexagons. She was generous in sharing how it was done and I knew I wanted to go further, use other colours and make it my own. I began with carefully measured cardboard hexagons but was able to move to greater accuracy and precision when I purchased a whole set of plastic (acrylic ? perspex? ) templates and later found a real gem of a marker. Have you got one? They are so fine and never need sharpening. It is a little container of chalk dust applied by a little wheel ( see photo )Mine cost NZ$14.55 . Clover Chaco liner.
I already had quite a stash of suitable fabrics to fussy cut motifs for an I Spy Quilt, as I had made one with little squares ( see post May 2006 ). Black had looked good on it and showed the wee pictures off well so I decided to use black backing with a tiny pattern.I have tried to make it suitable for boys by not including fairies, ballet girls etc, but have some of those saved for my girlie version to happen in future months.If anyone want instructions to make this see my posts back in Aug /Sept 2006.
Briefly though the single bed size has 284 hexagons. ( in rows of 14 then 13 then 14 etc. ) Each hexagon has a picture fabric fussy cut to in a 4.5" hex; and similar size batting hex and a 6.5" backing fabric which is folded forward and doubled and hand sewn onto the top. The corners are mitred all in the same direction.
As I didn't want the quilting to distort the wee pictures I did a single quilting row with the machine about a quarter inch in from the point where the backing was stitched to the front. You can see it in the close up photo. This should be sufficient to hold it in place when washing. It also makes a pleasing repetition of the Hexagon shape on the back.
I have tried to work out just how long it took to make but can't be accurate. I do know each hex took me 20 minutes to hand sew. It needed 5.5 yards of backing fabric. sewing one hex to the next took 6 minutes. Sewing the row to row took about 2.5 hours. Then there was the machine quilting and the cutting and pinning and of course the best bit looking for more suitable fabrics I didn't have! Ihave enjoyed the 6 month creating journey, enough that I will do it again. my quilt is born; I wonder who it will meet in it's lifetime?
Things in favour of this method.
1. It's a very portable project.
2.Could be made using any size hexagons. ( big singles= table mats )
3.When it's finished it's finished; no basting the batting and backing or bindings ...you've done it. all.

Photos of Completed Quilt.

I can hardly contain my excitement! It's finished, it's finished ! Started in August last year my Boys' I Spy Quilt made of 284 individually pieced and bound hexagons is completed today after hundreds of hours work over the last 6 months. It is single bed size. As always I can't get the photos just as I want so I have shown you the quilt in several different poses. ( I must study how Gwen Marston had her quilts displayed in her Collaborative Quilting book ...they looked fabulous.) I now have to complete a little hex shaped label I am hand stitching, ( solid black) so it won't distract. In my next post I will tell the quilt's story.

Summer's Heat and Colour

Humidity in the low 90s is making things rather sweaty here.( it's all that rain going back up again! ) We can almost hear things growing....including the lawn which I began mowing early before breakfast, but it was still hot. When first mowed it looks good but not for long. The big gum trees behind the house are shedding bark and leaves continuously at the moment. Bright and perfumed delights keep me being a gardener.The purple Eucomis ( pineapple plants ) look good and the lilies smell so good especially in the evening wafting in the open window. Having worked hard all morning I hope to sit in the shade later( either on the deck or my red garden seat ) and sew, sew, sew. Nearly there!
I hope you ladies of the Northern Hemisphere; where snow abounds can enjoy the green delights and heat of my NZ summer garden.

Little Yellow Jewels.

The sun is shining again here in NZ and today I picked the 2nd little lot of yellow jewels, or little pear tomatoes. I pop them in my mouth whole they are so sweet. The plant has many more and I noticed the other varieties are colouring up too. Money Maker ( a medium sized red ) and a new sort called Dynamo.( big red )Oh Yum.
Some treats come via the Rural Delivery ( mail ) as well. My sister Ruth gave me a subscription to NZ Healthy Foods magazine, and it is a wealth of recipes, hints, advice, letters and useful information.( that's the 23rd issue in the photo).They have a web site as well.
We also get on subscription the NZ Listener. It has the best articles,( one this time on early onset Dementia), World News, TV and Radio programs and puzzles as well. Very good value. Often overseas visitors comment that it is a wonderful read and why don't they have something similar in their home country....fine praise indeed!
For my quilting fix I also received my copy of the Newsletter from Country Flair ( at Ngongotaha near Rotorua ) one of my favourite quilting shops. Which reminds me I must go visit them shortly as I have a generous gift voucher from my son in London to spend at their store.
This morning I found a good method to get the beans picked, without getting a sore back...pick for 5 mins then quilt for 10 then pick for another 5 mins etc till it's finished. ( it worked! ) Be happy everyone, what ever season and weather you are experiencing in your little corner of the world. ( I do appreciate how lucky we are here and that some of you are freezing, some sweltering ) Laugh and sew is a good recipe!

Picnics and Meetings.

It wasn't too hot and it didn't rain so 18 of our P & Q members met in a local park for the Annual ( apparently ) Picnic. It was a pleasant time but involved a lot of fetching and carrying for a very short time where mostly chat and a little eating and drinking were the order of the day . Some efforts was made by everyone to try and all do some hand sewing but not a great deal was achieved. I guess it was a bonding and relaxing session. ( Notice how green the grass is with all the recent rain! )
Prior to the picnic we had our 1st Committee Meeting for the year; on the other side of the city ( who had that bright idea ) . As a new member I tried to go with the flow....it is all very informal and I think that has inherent risks , but we'll see. Few of the previous comm members are still on board and I think that wastes a lot of time with new folk making that link .( Someone needs to know what has happened historically ) I have already started my job as the librarian for the group. That involves me collecting magazines that are on order from a local shop; ( some are sent ), cataloguing, numbering, making cards, pockets and pockets for the patterns. That is all fine; I've done it before. The perk of the job is I get first look at all the mags that come my way.There are a few other responsibilities and at group days - I have to issue books and check off returns . Firstly I intend having an amnesty for all the ones which are missing.....forget fines just bring the mags or books back please.There are between 300 and 400 books and magazines already in our Library cupboard so it is a good resource and should be used. Obviously some books are more popular than others.
I'm looking forward to another good year for our group and want to help where I can.

Been ( Bean ) Busy.

Rain, rain, rain.....so I'm trying to sew, sew, sew. Between the showers I have been bean picking.....Oh my, Oh My! See what I got. Both the Scarlet Runners ( the bigger fat ones,on the left , that grow up a frame ) and the Chef's Choice ( low growing ) are producing well. Too well, when I am the picker! I'll have to try and give some away; ( don't really care for freezing them ), as it is we are eating them every dinnertime. Sorry , my dear friends who have snow piled up at your doors; you'd probably love some fresh green beans...( come right over ) My Mother said not to put beans in my ears, beans in my ears...what a silly old song that sprang to mind!

Collecting Fabric.

If I had known I was going to be a quilter I could have started collecting fabrics many years ago.....so unlike some I don't have a huge stash, but I am building quite a collection of certain types of fabric.For many projects buying fat quarters is useless cause if you really like a fabric you will need yards of it. Not all projects are like that though.Scrap quilts aren't and nor are I Spy quilts.They both require small amounts of a huge variety of fabrics.
For My boy's Eye ( I ) Spy Quilt many of the fabrics would be termed children's prints. My current project has meant I have expanded my collection of those prints.( so I intend later to make a girl's I Spy ) Some fabric is a really good buy if you can fussy cut several different motifs from one fabric.( the clown faces are like that; there are 10 different ones ) In the photo you can see 4 new fabrics I got today, which should give me the variety I am seeking to make the final row of Hex on my quilt a bright interesting one. When I last laid out all the hex to see how it was looking I noticed that the final end had too many duller coloured backgrounds ...it needed more green and yellow. As I am still sewing together row 14 ( of 21 )I can do a little swapping around and insert some of the new ones to get the colour blend overall that I desire.

I have decided:
1. If you see it and know you have a use for it and can afford it, buy it now ...it won't be there later when you go looking for it.
2. If you love it and just have to have it, buy several yards ( if you can afford ).( we all need a few of those )
3. If you don't like the feel of it or something about it leave it there; it won't improve.
4. If you have a project in your mind's eye that you hope to make, start collecting suitable fabrics in advance.
5. Never pass up the opportunity to visit a fabric shop just for a look!

I Hate It When That Happens.

Rain showers on and off all day ( over much of NZ ) means I get to sew! The orchard work will still be there and have to be done( another day ) but I desperately need a sewing day as I haven't had time for me for ages. It is dull so it's lights on or sit by a window to see. Here's where I started working early with a coffee at hand and my last few hex that I have just cut the backing fabric for, ready for me to work on.( the ones at the front have to have the backing turned to the front. The pile at right back are pinned ready to hand sew. I have also machine quilted a few that were ready. Now I am back to sewing row 11 Hex to row 12 for some variety of activity.
There is no easy solution to my little problem ( blog title ), I know that; but it doesn't stop me trying to find one. On the 27th of this month we have 2 invitations for the same time, same day. One friend is having a small gathering to celebrate her 60th Birthday, in Taupo ( about 1 hour 50 from here ), another younger friend is having a new house warming party and 20th Wedding Anniversary combined party.( about 10 minutes away from here. ) D H saw the words music and dancing on the 2nd invite so he doesn't want to go there.( he has this thing where he won't / can't dance and it terrifies him that someone ( not me, I know better ) might expect him to dance.) I have known both friends equally long and really like them both so it's a hard call. We don't get that many invitations So I hate it when that happens. I need 2 copies of myself so I get to go to both functions!
The book I am reading now is really annoying me, I think because the author has made the 2 main characters so real and flawed. It's called, " You Gotta Have Balls," by Lily Brett. ( Picador ) It's set in New York. Has anyone else read it?
Back to the sewing now.

Ah, Hot Bread.

My savoury Focaccia bread is just out of the oven and it smells so good. Good enough to eat . Many kitchen and cooking smells are delightful but hot bread and freshly ground coffee have to be up the top of my list. I made almost all our bread for a couple of years but now buy Vogels again and Molenburg cause they are great; but I still make My version of focaccia and keep some in the freezer, so it is always on hand. I have added sliced black olives and freshly grated parmesan to the usual rock salt topping.

Here's the recipe. I make the dough in the bread maker on the dough setting ( but it could be done by hand if you have the time and no machine )
Ingredients:
*1 tablespoon of olive oil; 1 tablespoon of sugar; 1 teaspoon of salt; 3 cups of high grade flour; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 teaspoons of dried yeast granules; 1 1/2 cups of warm water.*

When dough is ready tip onto a baking paper covered oven slide , with floured fingers pat out to cover the slide in an oval sort of shape( and if you wish to cut in half later make a depression across the middle ) and leave to rise. ( will depend on the temperature how long it takes. ) Pre heat oven to 220 degrees centigrade. Brush a little oil on the topof the dough then sprinkle rock salt; sliced black olives and freshly grated cheese ( parmesan or tasty ). Cook 15 - 20 minutes. When cooked it will sound hollow if tapped . Remove from oven onto cooling rack ( inhale delicious smells! ) If cutting in half wait till it's cooled. Enjoy.

A Green and Pleasant Land

Happy New Year - 2007.
Over night the last 1.5 mls of gentle rain fell, making the total rainfall for 2006 1514 mls ( or 5' 3'' ). That's about average for us.......it makes New Zealand ( in our area anyway ) " a green and pleasant land." I know we are so lucky!




I have always been a record keeper and to some extent so has HD ( maybe it's catchy ). He keeps the weather records and has done since the 1980s. We find it useful for orchard decisions but also as a general record talking point and comparison of years.

So 1st January is a day to add up the last years totals, like rainfall and books read and other things written in notebooks. A time to put up new calendars, always a difficult decision when there are so many lovely ones to display.( 8 ) One showing Wild and Beautiful Scenes of Alberta, sent from friends in Lethbridge, wins pride of place closely followed by one with scenes of our own green and pleasant land!
The final book I read for the year, was a compelling read - The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.( Penguin /Viking ) ( recommend ).

Other progress to report, although slow, my Hexagon Quilt is now halfway assembled. The photo shows it face down on the table, so that is the backing pattern - it's a lot of handsewing but I work at it most evenings. Yes I'm hiding the feature side....it's looking fabulous but don't want to display it too soon and spoil the final finished shots.
I wonder what pleasures and delights, sorrows and troubles await us all in 2007? A mixture as always I'm sure. I don't do New Years Resolutions, don't find them useful. Note books of records ; photographic records and lists of to do , I do find useful. 2007.

Gifts that Give Lasting Pleasure.

I do not agree with or encourage the new type of Commercial Christmas. I love it when folk spend time ( not money ) making something for you to keep and treasure ( made for you with their own hands and precious time ). Some young adults in our family have little spare cash and so it is wonderful when they make some simple gifts. My elder son's partner makes jewellery which she sells and so I received a new necklace to wear.
I really think it is valuable to encourage children to make cards , wrapping paper and simple gifts from a young age...with help at first if they need it. Maybe it is just the school teacher in me ??? Our neighbours' girls made little gingerbread Christmas cookies which they took around to those living nearby.
Other clever people I know also make their own gifts, my friend Sooziii in Australia sent me a wee decorated and named stocking with 6 little white snow flake tree decorations and a beaded scissor name bangle. She did not know that DH had given me a good pair of fabric scissors so it had an immediate home. Like Dale I think books are wonderful gifts, and only some of those can be homemade. They give lasting pleasure and also can be lent on to friends and family. Home made Christmas cakes, jams, pickles and sweet treats also make very acceptable gifts and because they get consumed can be done time and again. Also things you have grown are often much appreciated. We tend to give fruit, nuts and veges we have grown. Home raised seedlings are another suitable thing for kids to grow themselves to give.
I think I might start on some homemade gifts really early this year and have some on hand so there is no last minute rush. We'll see. I'll keep you posted on that one. Understandably I have had very little sewing time in the last week That can wait.
Today with family returned home it was back to the kiwifruit vines for us.

Out to Lunch.

New Zealand Christmas Trees or Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa ) can bee seen flowering at this time of the year in the more Northern regions of NZ. The ones in the photo are on our driveway. We have several areas on the property with these lovely trees and they are all a little different, some lighter colour, some darker and they don't all do their thing at once so we are able to enjoy them for several weeks.

When we finished work last evening we got in the truck and drove around the orchard shelter belts till we found a suitable branch of Cryptomeria to cut and bring inside for our Christmas tree.( it has that lovely fir tree smell and will last well.) Here it is with just the light strung on it. Decorations still to be added.


To All My Blogland Friends -
* *** I Wish You Season's Greetings from Te Puna, New Zealand.****

New Zealand Christmas Trees.

New Zealand Christmas Trees or Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa ) can bee seen flowering at this time of the year in the more Northern regions of NZ. The ones in the photo are on our driveway. We have several areas on the property with these lovely trees and they are all a little different, some lighter colour, some darker and they don't all do their thing at once so we are able to enjoy them for several weeks.

When we finished work last evening we got in the truck and drove around the orchard shelter belts till we found a suitable branch of Cryptomeria to cut and bring inside for our Christmas tree.( it has that lovely fir tree smell and will last well.) Here it is with just the light strung on it. Decorations still to be added.


To All My Blogland Friends -
* *** I Wish You Season's Greetings from Te Puna, New Zealand.****

I kid You Not!

I am so glad there are plenty of you out there who love Avocados...they are so good for you. I said I would tell you a little more about their strange habits ( sex life )...well here we go. Firstly it is very complicated so I will try and keep to the basics.
NZ only exports Hass variety. ( so that's what we grow).
Flowering and hence fruit set are very dependent on weather conditions, especially temperature. For about every 1500 tiny flowers One fruit may set.
Each flower had a female and a male phase ( yes the same flower). With Hass, when it is warm enough the very tiny flower opens as a female.( 20 degrees will see it open for 2-3 hours ) hotter = longer. The flower will then close and later open as a male. Avocados are pollinated predominately by insects - mainly bees. ( sometimes by wind )
The flowers can be self pollinated or closed pollinated ( another flower on the same tree ) or cross pollinated ( flower from another tree ). The cross pollinated are the strongest and are most likely to not fall off later. ( some orchard have other varieties just as pollinators ) As I am sure you all learned basic biology at school I will not go into how all the different parts of a flower work. But you can see why with Avocados the crop from year to year is very variable with so many dependent factors.
Needless to say this rain we are getting is just what we need. I wish I could send a few clouds over to my friends in Australia - where it is desperately needed.
The photo shows the small red netlon bags of reject fruit I got ready for callers who come by as little Christmas gifts...so if you are in my area....... ( the red looks nice with the green fruit)

* Shirley it is the freight to the South Is. that puts the price up so high. The grower doesn't get that much per fruit. ( the high air fares between our islands is a killer, that's why folk pop over to Oz instead cause it's cheaper to fly there - crazy eh )

Growth.

Today we have glorious rain, right when it's needed. The kiwifruit are growing fast. The first 6 weeks after pollination is when the fruit grow rapidly, by cell division. After that they stop cell division and plump up the cells already formed and gain size and weight more slowly till picking time in May/ June.
In the photos you can see the remains of flower petals and stamen still attached to the young fruit. Where my hand is holding up a match box for size comparison the fruit nearest the match box needs removing cause it is going to be the wrong shape - it will turn into a flat fruit ( not export standard ) so it will get pulled off. The quicker we can remove those ones ( reject thinning ) the better so the vine doesn't have to feed them, instead putting the nutrients into fruit that will be exportable.
It's a shame I can't share the avocados with you all. This morning I bagged up some for gifts for friends and neighbours. All the Christmas mail is now posted and another batch of fruit mince pies are in the cupboard.I even wrapped some gifts in a spare few minutes. ( glad it rained so I have a good excuse to be inside ) We haven't had time to go select a Christmas tree yet. We get one from under the shelter belts around the orchard...not always a perfect shape but free and we are not cutting down a good tree.

Avocado Picking.

Yesterday was Avocado picking day for us. We began at 7.30 am ; R ( DH ) and me picking from the ground and 2 guys up in the tree tops using hydraladas ( elevated work cages ) to pick the high up fruit. The crop was off by just after 4.30pm with 12 field bins picked.
The photos show the long picker which grips the fruit and then cuts with a blade allowing the fruit to be carefully lowered and put in a picking bag, still being held by the grip.
The yellow hydraladas are similar to what some of you may have seen lifting someone to change high up light bulbs in the streets. (They are called cherry pickers in some places.) The guys up in the hydraladas maneuver around the tree tops trying not to damage next season's crop. Avocados are one of the only crops where the next years fruit has just set before this year's crop is picked.

One photo shows the tiny wee fruit just set which we hope we will be picking during summer next year. The photo showing the mature fruit that we were picking also shows the flower branch with some tiny fruit. You may also spot a strange small fruit not avocado shaped at all....They are called cucs ( short for cucumber ) and are fruit that have no stone and did not get properly pollinated last year ( they are useless ). If you thought kiwifruit were complicated wait till I tell you about how avocados behave ( another post will be needed to tell you about the sex life of an avo ! )
Life is certainly busy as we are still working with the newly set young kiwifruit -( have more photos to show you of their progress - next post )
So not much sewing getting done just a few more hex as I blob out at the end of the day. Still trying to finish Christmas Correspondence too and cooking...I'll get there I always do.
Suzi-k thanks for your helpful tip re blogger comments - it worked.

Fresh Green Peas.

Growing our own veges is satisfying but time consuming. When they are ready, as these yummy green peas are it takes longer to prepare dinner as they require picking and shelling, before quick cooking. Even the silver beet you see beside them takes time as it has too be really carefully washed to be sure there are no bugs. The new potatoes need digging and washing or scrapping but are so, so yummy. We have grown 2 potato varieties this year Heather and Agria. Can't wait till the green beans are ready. They are flowering, but not quite there yet. Mint with the spuds and peas of course!
I'm off to do today's' picking cause even though we are going out to a friends 50th dinner party tonight, the peas need picking and storing in the fridge...don't want them getting to old and tough....babies are best.

Finished that Round.

Yesterday afternoon I completed my round of every kiwifruit block in the orchard. ( has taken me several weeks ) I was tying in new growth, thinning flowers ( now small fruit ), pulling out wind broken shoots and making sure every bay is set out to get the optimum amount of sunlight. As always I now can start back at the beginning and thin fruit where necessary. Having an orchard is a bit like having a garden you never really finish, there is always more you can do.

I spent time in the garden at the weekend. These bromiliads love the warmth from the rocks, but the rocks had maiden hair fern still sprouting up from a previous planting, so in desperation I moved lots of the rocks off, weeded, then put them back. Some people find it hard to grow maidenhair fern...I find it hard to kill.( it had to go as it was rotting the decking by constantly dripping onto it, after rain )
The other photo shows a new black leafed Ajuga that has finally started to creep out and cover some ground.I'll make more space for it as it needs it.

Today I am taking time to catch up on other tasks that were piling up. Pleasant tasks like organizing a birthday lunch for my cousin( and friend ), that involved phoning or emailing lots of ladies, some I know, others I will meet.
I have also spent some time making a costume for a silly skit I got roped into, to do at our P & Q Groups end of year Dessert Evening and Annual Meeting. ( cunning aren't they having those 2 things combined ) That's tonight so I still have to get food organised too and wrap a small gift to swap ( a fat quarter and copy of one's favourite recipe ) I am using my Crustless Quiche recipe.

But the sun is shining, it's just a pleasant temperature ( not snow ; not scorching hot - just right....NZ is lucky! ) so I can cope with being busy.

Score for the Hexagons. 6 rows attached and looking good.
I'm reading "Blindsight," by Maurice Gee ( a NZ author ) and enjoying that - I have read several of his other books too. Guess every one else is getting busy...it's that time of the year.