Nice People, Nice Things (NPNT) # 8

Welcome to the next instalment of Nice People, Nice Things (NPNT) designed by Helen Stubbings of Hugs n Kisses.

Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie

I love the view of the Milky Way from here in Australia. I don't know what it is like in other parts of the world but if you can get away from the city lights it is spectacular.

Much of my reading time over the last decade and a half has been spent reading aloud to my children. Those children's bedtime rituals of supper, bath, stories, and sleep have been a staple of my life and some of the best, most special times I can remember.

            - Louise Brown 

This quote from Louise Brown is very true. Since having children I have really enjoyed the bedtime ritual of reading a story. They have now gotten too old for me to read to them but this is still one of my favourite times of the day. I also love my bed in the winter time, with its woollen underlay, flannelette sheets and feather doona. When I get my Nice People, Nice Things quilt done I am really looking forward to spending my first night with it on my bed.

Talk again soon

Jeanette

Nice People, Nice Things (NPNT) # 7

This week I will share with you two more blocks from the Nice People, Nice Things (NPNT) quilt designed by Helen Stubbings.

“Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.”

 - L.M. Montgomery, The Story Girl

And of course, one of the best known songs from "Cats" and also one of my favourites.

“Every year on your birthday, you get a chance to start new.”

 - Sammy Hagar

I love birthdays because it gives our family a chance to catch up with one another. In our family we celebrate the most birthdays in September. I often wonder if that is because Christmas and New Year are nine months beforehand. What do you think? What is the most popular month in your family?

Talk again soon

Jeanette

Nice People, Nice Things # 6

I am still working on my Nice People, Nice Things (NPNT) quilt. I try to do a little bit every day while watching TV.

Angels are like diamonds. They can't be made, you have to find them. Each one is unique.

-         Jaclyn Smith 

Looking at this reminded me of a couple of movies and TV shows about angels. Do you remember the 1980 movie called "Angel On My Shoulder". This was one that my sister and I really enjoyed. We both thought Peter Strauss was really cute.

What about the TV series, "Highway to Heaven" starring Michael Landon. We grew up watching him in "Bonanza" and "Little House On The Prarie". He was a very talented actor and director and it was so sad that he died at only 55. I will always remember his giggle.

And don't forget "Touched By An Angel" with the wonderful John Dye as Andrew (also gone at 47) and "City Of Angels" with Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage.

Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'

-         Robin Williams

Spring was certainly in evidence today in Bendigo. We reached a temperature of 28 degrees celcius and it was glorious. When I got home I actually changed into a t-shirt and had the windows down in the car. It is a great time of year.

Talk again soon 

Jeanette

Friendship

Chris and I met in 1991. Our husbands knew each other because they shared a passion in amateur herpetology (the study of reptiles). We hit it off because we shared a love of craft. She did ceramics, tapestry and crochet and I was mainly doing cross stitch then. I taught her how to do cross stitch and she learnt, or taught herself, how to do everything else.

She is a prolific crafter now: patchwork quilting, doll making, bear making, stitchery, cross stitch etc etc And she finishes everything. Well almost everything.We started doing a cross stitch Santa project at the same time back in the '90's. Funnily enough, neither of us has finished it yet. It quite often pops up in conversation when we get together "How is your Santa cross stitch coming along?" We then look at each other and laugh.

We have shared a lot together over the last twenty odd years. Our daughters were born one month apart and our sons were born four months apart. (She and my sister were my support people when my son was born.) Our marriages finished at about the same time too. There have been laughter and tears shared over the years but above all there has been friendship, support and love.

Pictured throughout this post are gifts that Chris has made for me over the years. Below is the present that she made me for my birthday this year.

And she also gave me this book which is wonderful. It has eleven quilting projects in it based on the gardens of the quilters profiled. Another love we share is of gardens, although Chris is the one who has the green thumb. I just appreciate everybody else's gardens. A great read and a great inspiration, just like Chris.

Now Chris, if you are reading this, and I know that you will be, you really need to start a blog of you own so that you can share all of the wonderful projects you have made and your stunning garden. Thank you for being my friend, through thick and thin.

Talk again soon

Jeanette

PS: I think the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me was something Chris has said:
"Jeanette I love that you never change. You are always the same." I think I like being the constant in someone's life.

Nice People, Nice Things # 5

Ready for the next instalment of Nice People, Nice Things.

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge

I think Victor Borge was a brilliantly talented man who never fails to make me smile. For more of his hilarity, and musical brilliance as well, look for more videos on Youtube.

This is the first block I will share with you today - Laughter

The saying stitched on the back of this block is:

Sit long, talk much, laugh often.

Here is the second block "Quilts". If you are here then you obviously enjoy this subject as much as I do. 

I keep my end tables full of needlework and quilting so I don't have to dust them.  

~Author Unknown

The saying stitched on the back of this block is:

Quilts made with love age with time but never lose their warmth.

Talk again soon

Jeanette

I love teapots

What is it about teapots? I love them and I know that I am not alone in this. Is it that they hold such a delicious drink? Is it their shape (although they do come in a variety of shapes and sizes nowadays)? Or is it that they take us back to our childhood when we sang:

I'm a little teapot, short and stout,

Here is my handle, here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up then I shout,

Tip me over, pour me out.

Teapots pop up everywhere not just in the kitchen. Tea towels, cookie jars, pictures, ear rings, pillows, oil burners, lamps, fabrics etc. Here are some of mine.

And of course they feature in a variety of craft projects. Below are two wall hangings that I bought as kits from Honeysuckle Stained Glass & Patchwork; the blue mat I bought at a craft show in Melbourne and is designed by Nikki Tervo of Brandy Gully Designs. Both blue and white projects I made for my Mum because she has a Blue Willow dinner set.

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The possibilities are endless but I still prefer the humble teapot. I would love to collect them but they take up so much room and require constant cleaning if left out in the open. A friend of my sister has a collection and it is housed in a large glass fronted display cabinet.

My collection numbers five. A plain blue one that I use for everyday when I have the time to brew a pot, a set that is decorated with a pumpkin motif.........

This pot is impractical as the handle is hollow. When you pour hot water in the pot the handle becomes too hot to "handle". Pardon the pun.

The other three sets are these. The pink "Petit Cafe" I bought for myself when I was on holiday in Canberra; the green floral on striped background (is that called chintz?) was a present from my sister Michele; and the bear sitting on the honey pot is from my friend Chris. As you can see, each of these actually has a teacup underneath the pot. Aren't they cute?

The black and white one belongs to my daughter and is also a gift from my sister.

When I was recently walking through a local shopping centre I saw these in a the window of Le Brew Caffe  and had to share them with you.

Do you have a collection at home too? I have some thimbles as well but I will share them with you another time.

Talk again soon

Jeanette

PS It is currently 12 degrees celcius, expecting a low of 5 degrees overnight and a high of 15 degrees tomorrow with a clearing shower. What fun for the weekend and school holidays to boot.

Nice People, Nice Things # 4

Hello and welcome back to Nice People, Nice Things (NPNT) Wednesday. The last time I posted something on this theme was in November 2011. Time has certainly flown or perhaps I am just slack. The truth is I did continue to stitch this project but because my camera broke I didn't get around to doing any posts. I stopped stitching in January 2012 and, to be honest, I didn't do much in the way of craft for the rest of 2012. I started stitching on NPNT again about 4 weeks ago and that is what has inspired me to commence my blog posts again.

I went searching the web to find out what the other ladies I was stitching this project with back in 2011 have been up to. I am sorry to say that nobody appears to have done much on this project either. Kelly last posted for this project in January 2012; Vickie was also January 2012; and Carol in November 2011. That's not to say that they have stopped stitching. I am sure that, like me, they have done more but just not posted about it.

If there is anyone out there who would like to join me in stitching the Nice People, Nice Things quilt by Helen Stubbings of Hugs 'n' Kisses then feel free to join me. I will be posting every Wednesday as long as I have access to a computer.

The first stitchery I will share is Pink Lemonade.

The stitchery quote that will be on the back of the quilt to match this is:

If life deals you a lemon - make lemonade.

The second stitchery is Peace.

And the stitchery quote on the back will read:

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Thank you again to Helen Stubbings for designing these lovely stitcheries. I hope you all enjoy viewing them as much as I do stitching them.

Talk again soon

Jeanette

NPNT # 3

Well better late than never. Another busy week which means everything piles up at home but it also means that I get to stitch during my lunch breaks. Here is what I have finished this week.

"Tea Party" and the saying on the back of this reads "You're my cup of tea. May your days be steeped with joy and warmed with love."

Don't all the little cakes, slices and sandwiches look just good enough to eat?

The other design I stitched was "Roses" and the saying for this one is "May your life be full and complete like the blooming of a rose".

This is about as close as I will get to a bunch of roses unless I buy them for myself. Thankfully the house we have moved into has at least 20 rose bushes in the garden all different colours. I will have to borrow my daughter's camera again so that I can show you some pictures.

Talk again soon,

Jeanette.

NPNT # 2

Hello all

I am sorry I have been a bit remiss in my posting. Another week has flown by. I have been busy stitching though and here is what I have done for my "Nice People, Nice Things" stitch-a-long.

The first is "Shoes" and the stitchery saying to go on the back reads "If the shoe fits....buy it in every colour". I usually stitch at work during my lunch break and one of the ladies said that she would love to put this saying into action.

The second block I worked on was "Ladybugs". I found this one a bit trickier and you can see that I incorporated some satin stitch as well. The saying for the back of this one reads "With a butterfly kiss and a lady bug hug sleep tight little ones like a bug in a rug'. Isn't it just too cute.

Sorry about the shadow over the photos. I just couldn't stop my arm or camera from casting one.

I need to get a bit more stitching done before bed so I better go.

Talk again soon

Jeanette.

Nice People, Nice Things

I bought a kit of Helen Stubbings' "Nice People Nice Things" quilt, nearly 2 years ago in Adelaide at Patchwork By Sea. I love all the little stitcheries and I especially love that it is a quilt as you go project. I enjoy being able to quilt an item myself and not have to pay someone to do it or have to try to manoeuvre a huge quilt underneath my domestic machine.

As I was reading Kelly's blog recently she said that she and some other ladies, Vickie, Gabriella, Carol and Claudia would all be joining in a "stich a long" of this quilt. I decided to join too. Isn't it amazing that people in America, Italy and Australia can be working on a project together. I love the internet.

So, once a week, usually a Wednesday we will each post about one block that we have stitched that week. This is supposed to be a Block of the Week quilt but as there are 63 blocks on the front and 63 blocks on the back (mostly stitcheries) I will try to do more than one a week.

Here is what I have been working on this week. The stitched saying to go on the back is "Always face the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind."

And I cheated a bit by doing this one because there wasn't much work. It is hard to believe the difference in the colours of these photos because the backgrounds are exactly the same fabric.

I would have liked to have gotten more done but I was busy with the storm damage on the weekend and I had a little surprise: my newest nephew was born nearly 3 weeks early on Tuesday. His name is Jonathan and he was 6 lbs, 2 oz. He is the first child for my brother Christopher and his wife Danka. Isn't he gawjus. Makes me clucky....lol.

Talk again soon,

Jeanette