Two finishes.

I couldn't let January close without at least one finish!

And now I have two. The smaller of these two table runners was made on Tuesday, the larger one, underneath with the white border was started last year, way back before we moved house.

The top was complete, it just needed to e quilted and bound.

It feels good to get that finished.

I have a third Kiwiana here on my cutting board, well when I say quilt....

You know I mean a pile of fabrics and lots of good intentions right?

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I went to see my niece yesterday, look what she did for me.

OK, so the flowers are just stickers, but very creative and artistic, the way she stuck them on!

I love them.

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Did you go and see Debbies blog yet?

She has put up a second post, showing some of her recent makes.

She was thrilled with the comments she received on her first post, thank you everyone who stopped to say hello.

An almost finish

Cut, pieced, quilted and almost bound, all in a couple of hours!

What a happy little quilt. I'm delighted with it.

My back is feeling much stronger and I felt able to sit and sew today. I did all of the work here in my wee room, even the cutting, here on this table.

I'm still a little stiff and I need to continue to be careful, but I enjoyed my sewing time today.

Each time I walked out to the ironing board in the hall I could feel things loosening up.

Bliss.

Time now for a change of seats and a little hand stitching as I close the binding and add a label.

I have another Kiwiana table topper that still needs to be layered, quilted and bound, maybe that could be a task for tomorrow?

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Did you visit my blog yesterday?

Possibly not, I haven't been posting much of late and you could be forgiven for looking in only once a week!

Well yesterday I told all about my pal Debbie and her new blog.

As you know Debbie is my new friend here in Timaru. She is a very clever lady. Life, family and work got in the way of her crafting and sewing endeavours, but our meeting has re awoken her talents. She has produced some lovely items and has a few UFOs which I'm encouraging her to finish, as well as leading her very easily along the path to true addiction!

Her stash is growing, as is her shopping list and the list of 'one day' projects!

Go along a visit Debbie, make her feel welcome to the land of blog.

You can find her here. 

A new blogger!

You have all read in recent posts about my new pal Debbie haven't you? She is the lady who is sewing along with me on A Christmas Story.

Well, she only went and started her own blog.

Please go along and visit her and make her feel welcome.

Leave a comment and let her know what you would like to see on her blog.

Debbie is very crafty and has made all manner of things on her sewing machine over the last few months, I seem to have re awoken some of her talents which had lain dormant while family life and work commitments took over for a few years.

Welcome to the world of blogging Debbie. 

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As you know life is also getting in the way of my own crafting endeavours at the moment too!

My back has made improvements though. The lightening strikes are fewer now. We had our weekly get together on Saturday and I must admit to drinking more than two very large barcardis!! I could feel my back loosening up as the evening wore on and had to remind myself to be careful.

On Sunday morning I lay in bed wondering if I would be able to move. In the end I could put it off no longer and had a try.

That was easier than it has been of late!

I wandered about the house for a while.

Oh my goodness, could this be true?

A favorite perch at the moment is here! To allow the sun to shine on my back and warm it. Lovely.

I was even able to help out some in the garden! The reclamation of a very much overgrown and neglected garden continues.

The silver pear tree in the picture below was our first target yesterday. It is sadly now gone. I may find a spot for a replacement, but that is a long way off, plenty more reclaiming to do, before we begin replanting.

Next to go was another tree on the North side of the house, it was crowding out this beauty. I'm not entirely sure what this tree is, It has very pretty variegated leaves and a lovely shape. There is also a variegated sycamore/maple leaved tree in this photo too, it was also overcrowded by the now chopped down culprit.

Try as I might, I just cannot get a good picture of this spot this morning, maybe on another less bright day?

After I had downed tools in order to go to work, Mother and Father in law turned up again. Things really got going. Tony and his Dad pulled out the stumps of the two trees while his mother set to having a good tidy up of the beds along the North side.

Sadly one or two items I had hoped to keep are now gone and one or two items that I planned to chop are still here! 

This pink creeper is gone. Shame, it is pretty.

Work will continue!

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So, am I paying today for a weekend of fun and hard work?

Not really no. Yes my back is still sore, but it really is vastly improved on this time last week. I'm off to see the chiropractor again today before I go in for an extra shift at work.

Fingers crossed for a continued speedy recovery.

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While I was poking about looking for photos hoping to find some 'before' shots of the garden, I came across this one and remembered that I hadn't shown my quilt inspectors since they were unboxed here at our new place.

They may or may not be staying in this spot in the corner of my room, we'll have to wait and see.

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Hmm, my room, I did ask for help with naming this here room didn't I?

I even hinted that there may be goodies in it for one lucky commenter.

I haven't forgotten, I just didn't feel up to creating anything yet.

I'll get to it.

So if you're interested, comments here please.

Oh, my goodness, that was over a month ago!!

Creaking along!

Thank you to everyone who has sent healing thoughts and get well wishes.

I do appreciate all of your comments.

I'm getting there, slowly, very slowly. Too slowly! LOL

The chiropractor says she is happy that I went to see her as soon as I did, rather than leave things any longer.She is also pleased that I intend to try to keep on working, (something that would have been impossible in previous jobs) I just hope my colleagues are as supportive while I work my way through this. 

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As well as continuing slowly at work, I'm also still doing things here at home too, albeit at a reduced pace. 

On Tuesday after posting here I did as I suggested and took all that I needed through to the kitchen and worked on the higher surface in there. I think I possibly spent a little too much time on my feet, but just look at what I achieved.

The first blocks of A Christmas Story are all ready for sewing. I even got on my wee scooter and scooted off to Sandy's to get threads for machine appliqué.

I don't think I'm quite ready to sit at the machine yet though.

Soon hopefully.

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So far, today is a good day. I managed to rumble out of bed without the lightening strikes in my back!

I pottered about getting a cuppa and basking my poor back in the warming morning sun.

Then after a very long and HOT shower, I was able to continue slowly with the usual routine of dressing me and the bed still with no lightening strikes. (Have you ever had a trapped nerve? I think lightening strikes is the best way to describe the intense tweaks of pain that come amid the dull aches and burning that is all the surrounding muscle tissues trying to cope with what is going on) Then I pottered on outside to see what my little garden is doing. The tomatoes are huge, they are taking over the sunny back porch, so I tidied them a little, trimming a few leaves that are being brushed by the doors. I watered them, then went outside to see my beans.

Look!

Oh I know, it's only half a dozen, but they are my beans, I grew them.

Hopefully this time next year I'll have a proper little veggie garden and be able to grow more than a few beans.

I know I have told Tony this and friends and family, but have I mentioned to you just how much I love this life that I'm building here in New Zealand?

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Time to move, I've sat here for too long and can feel things seizing up!