Hi Lovely Quilty people!
Welcome to my stop on the New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop, it's so nice to see you!
This has been organised by the wonderfully patient and all knowing about things techy and bloggy Beth at Plum & June
My name is Rebecca and this is where I live, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand
Check this beach out!! Ten minutes from my house and the mountain in the background is the view that I look at from my front deck everyday! So lucky !
This is Me, not really appropriate but however a good indication of my less than grown up personality!
I am just on the other side of 40 and the mother of 3 gorgeous boys 20,16 and 14 1/2 and one wee precious girl about to turn 2 this Friday! She is the ruler of us all LOL
I am now a single Mum after my gorgeous man passed away this New Years Day after a short Scuba Dive.
My Family, Friends and Sewing have been my lifelines.
I love to make Quilts and other related stuff, and of course buy Fabric.
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| Stash Bee blocks L to R May, April, March, February,January |
My Grandfather owned a Haberdashery when I was a babe and was a talented tailor.
My mother said I was sat on the floor behind the counter to play with the ribbons and velvets and offcuts, so really it's not my fault I am a texture junkie.
I am the eldest of four children, 3 girls and 1 boy.We 3 all live in the same town, but our brother had to move to Korea to get away from the ringing in his ears!
These are some of my all time favourite quilts so far, for various reasons
These top two are Sarah Fielke patterns and were made before I really knew anything about the online community.So I just followed the pattern and didn't really think about the difficulty level, or how freakin long they would take, or whether or not they were beyond my capabilities LOL
Blissful Days......ignorance really is bliss sometimes!
Once again this Sweetpea Stars Quilt was my own pattern based on the thought " I want to make an 8 pointed Star"
I didn't know what Y- Seams were, but I sure learnt fast and I did a really good job after 112 of them!
Sherbet Stars....it makes me smile every time I pull it out and is made entirely from Scraps without any thought put into placement at all.
I think I have roughly made 100 quilts in the last ten years and have given quite a few away, but am always perilously close to drowning in them.
They make me happy and I am a firm believer in doing what makes you happy every second of everyday.
I feel like I'm too new to give any blogging tips, however the one thing that really attracts me to new blogs is someone who is being him/herself.
You're not here to please anyone but yourself, so to attract like minded people
for conversations , advice and ideas, be authentic.
I swear a lot in real life so obviously I don't fill my post with swearwords but I like to think I type how I speak.Quite often it is grammatically incorrect, but I don't care, as long as I make sense ....haha that is a very loose term.
I haven't travelled far, only to Australia, so the Villa in Tuscany above looks like the perfect vacation spot to take my wee family if I win lotto anytime soon.
I certainly won't be waiting until wee OWB leaves home to travel though , she will just have to come with me!!
I think I've filled your eyeballs with enough chatter about me and any questions are Welcome personal or not, quilty or not, anything goes round here.
oops few more things I am supposed to include
Fave movie : Interview With A Vampire (love the costumes )
Fave Book : All Roald Dahl and the Stephanie Meyer Vampire Series ( I said I wasn't a grown up)
Fave TV Show : Game of Thrones!!! ( you should watch, but my boys say the books are better and way more graphic ???)
Fun Fact : As you can see I have naturally curly hair, in the 80's a week before my school ball I got a perm!!!!
I will not show you a photo, and" uh oh" is not a phrase you want to hear at the hairdressers or the beautician.
Please hop around and say Hi to the other new bloggers we're all quite lovely and some of us are Mad as Hatters.....the best way to be!
Quick question?
Do you search for tutorials when you want to learn how to make something you've seen online, or do you ask the person directly?
I would like to do some tutorials but am not sure what could be done that hasn't already?
I would like to do some tutorials but am not sure what could be done that hasn't already?
Have fun hopping :) around these gals....tell them I sent you x
Sarah @ Smiles Too Loudly
Vera @ Negligent Style
Michelle @ Michelle Bartholomew
Katie @ Good Golly Ginger
Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs
Jana @ Jana Machado
Karin @ Leigh Laurel Studios
Kim @ Ties That Bind Quilting
Yvonne @ Quilting Jet Girl
Hi Rebecca. So nice to know a bit more about you, and see those beautiful photos of the blue sky in the Bay of Plenty. I"m really looking forward to getting to know you even more during our Possum Magic round robin. I should be working on my block now!
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy!
DeleteYes me too.... when I get 5 min HA!... I'm going to sit down and work out how to do a page just for our little Possum Magic group on my blog.
I have two blocks sorta ready to go and I can't decide on which one!
Great post Rebecca! You got me following along now. You quilts are beautiful and I look forward to seeing what you do next.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Cynthia...all sorts of crazy shennanigans go on round this place, I hope you won't get bored!
DeleteThanks for stopping and following !
So we are kindred sprits. I love Alice in Wonderland, my vacation spot is going to be your house/beach, we never quite "grew up", and I LOVE YOUR QUILTS :) You rock!
ReplyDeleteThe door's open Chelsea anytime!... I tell my boys I Rock all the time, now I have an objective opinion to prove it!!
DeleteThey can't roll their eyes at that!
Lovely to see you and always to chat with you :)
Hi Rebecca, I really enjoyed getting to know you better! Your view is really magical. :) I tend to try to search around for tutorials, but now that I am getting to know so many lovely bloggers, I might feel brave enough to reach out to someone who has done something I would love to learn how to do!
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne aka Jetgirl...is that your Superperson name? love it!
DeleteThanks for answering my question , I'm going to think about a tutorial but I'm kinda a wordy wordy girl so it might not be easy to follow?
thanks for jetting in ...crackin myself up cheesy
I tend to search for tutorials or figure it out myself. I am more likely to ask questions if I know the quilter.
ReplyDeletehi Jasmine...you can ask me anything if you wanted to know something that is, we've hung out before here so you know me ;)...Thanks for popping in
DeleteSo nice to meet you Rebecca. I've loved reading your post and really felt I got to you know a bit better. Your personality really sings out in your writing and you've made me laugh (I totally dig that 80's perm). I'm picking up some serious girly vibes I. Lots of your quilts and do wonder how your boys feel about all those pretty pastels. Thanks for sharing...I'm looking forward to reading your next posts.....
ReplyDeleteThankyou nice to see you too....I tell ya when I knew we were having a girl after being surrounded by, lets face it, stinky boys, i went a bit lala with the girly stuff!
DeleteBut the boys are used to me now and i do have some more manly quilts around I just haven't photographed them.But they tend not to discriminate, as long as it's cuddly :)
Thanks for following!
Boy, you certainly have beautiful scenery! I like your style and your quilts!
ReplyDeleteWe really do have beautiful scenery and it's right on my doorstep, I might start including the odd picture in my posts, so I can appreciate it more.
DeleteThankyou for the lovely compliment and for calling in to say Hi :)
Lovely to get to know you, you are adorable, and oh so mature :)! I love love love your bright happy quilts.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I do wonder sometimes when I will grow up? I have all the responsibilities of a grown up but inside my head I'm still about....20?
DeleteThankyou for the quilt love, and so nice to see you, stop by again :)
Ha ha - I got a perm in the '80's too!! What were we thinking! Your quilts are beautiful - gorgeous and happy.
ReplyDeleteOMG it was so bad, I bought an afro comb and it just stood straight up in the back of my head like some weird Victorian hair accessory!!
DeleteIt was so the 80's my dress was a royal blue Dupion Silk bodice with a flocked velvet lurex skirt...you would've seen me coming with the hair alone!!!!
Tehe, I got my fringe permed once - it was all I could afford, the rest of my hair is dead straight so it looked like a sheep had taken residence on my forehead! Go ahead, laugh out loud - I can take it :) Looking forward to sewing along with you!
ReplyDeleteSorry Serena still pissing myself from the mental image....even as I type I'm still laughing!!!
Deleteyes! can't wait to sew with you too :)
What a wonderful blog hop post! Your view from your home and your quilts are just beautiful. I really like your approach to learning new things by just jumping into them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl...I'm not as gung ho as I used to be only because I have even more time constraints on me and now I KNOW how long certain things take.
DeleteI find the best lessons learnt are from your mistakes, sewing or otherwise ;)
Thanks for taking the time to call in, it was lovely to chat :)
When I'm lazy I search if someone else already have a tut. I don't always follow directions though. Your view is really spectacular and yes we do seem to have something in common, wink.
ReplyDeleteI do the same Vera, but I was curious as to what everyone else's approach is?
DeleteWelcome to the tea party of madness ;)
I usually just do it whatever way makes sense in my head - then I'll run across a tutorial that makes it more clear and have an aha! moment. Can I change my dream vacation spot to your porch? That is a stunning view - how do you get any quilting done with that around? :D I too dove into quilting not knowing what I was doing, or knowing that I was doing 'hard' things. Although, that first hard quilt is in my closet, so maybe I'm not as much of a shining example as you are. :D
ReplyDeleteHa Sarah , Shining example I am not....my very first quilt was a disaster I kept trimming the last border to square it up until I virtually had no border left!!!
DeleteMy view is a little more in the distance than those photos but it is still lovely and most of the time I am a woman on a mission and forget to look up LOL
Thanks for stopping by and saying Hi :)
Nice to meet you Rebecca! I tend to swear too...sometimes I'll type it to release it, and then delete it :) I would be remiss if I didn't express sympathy for your loss, glad quilting and your kids give you some peace. Looking forward to following you!
ReplyDeletewww.sewcraftychick.blogspot.com
Thanks Diana, only the best people swear, not in a crazy yell at people across the street way, but under your breath, at your fabric, at your computer, at your kids in your head and definitely when you are home alone! Some people do yoga to release I channel a foul mouthed Italian gangster LOL
DeleteThankyou for your kind words, life can be cruel sometimes....thanks for jumping on board the crazy train ;)
Your quilts are beautiful! I too jumped in and gave no consideration to my skill level. . . hmmm, I still do that LOL I have been known to swear as well, some might call me a potty mouth, I don't on my blog though unless it is really needed haha
ReplyDeleteI find with tutorials that yes, there are many out there on every subject BUT sometimes the way one is presented (or maybe it's my brain's alignment with the stars that day) speaks to me more than another. . . So I have done a couple, hoping that maybe my explanation will speak to one or two.
good philosophy on the tutorial front, see my reply to Diane above on the swearing...not in front of your Dad tho even now he will frown and say only unintelligent people cannot come up with an alternative word.....LOL
Deletehi Rebecca, loved reading your post. i try to figure it out myself and will search up tutorials online. I think do a tutorial of what interests you. Sometimes you need to see more than one approach to doing something!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ruth, I try to figure it out myself too, but you're right sometimes another's version will turn the light bulb on in your head.
DeleteLovely to see you in my wee corner of the world :)
What an amazing place to live, and especially amazing to bring up your children there. You make beautiful quilts and it's lovely to hear your philosophy on life, especially given the year you must have had. So glad to hear you have those 3 lifelines, which sound like about the 3 best possible lifelines there could possibly be. And I completely agree on your blogging tip, my favourite thing about blogging is finding like minded bloggers, I'd much rather find 1 fellow blogger that I feel I connect with than get 100 visitors to my blog who come and go. As for tutorials, occasionally I might look for something, but I'm much more of a dive in and try to work it out myself kind of person.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree, I don't think the boys will really realise how great they have it here until they start travelling abroad.
DeleteThe eldest couldn't believe how far he had to travel in Aussie to go for a surf when he only has a ten minute drive here haha
Like minded people are the driving force behind my reason for joining in this Hop, I certainly don't expect everyone to like me.
I quite often find myself annoying mwahaha
What a fun post, Rebecca! I too, am a big proponent of figuring it out as I go. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't get anything done at all. Your colors are so fun and your personality shines through each quilt. :) I am so sorry for your loss. xo
ReplyDeleteI agree Karin, I do wish sometimes that I would take more time to work out if I have enough background fabric FIRST before I leap in...I have two quilts on hold while more supplies arrive it's a very annoying personality trait.Time is such a precious commodity for me these days I don't know if Lady Muck will ever leave the dining room table and go back downstairs to my sewing space LOL
DeleteThankyu for your kind words and for stopping by :)
Hi nice to meet you! Your quilts are truly beautiful. Well done you for diving in and learning as you go, I love that attitude. As for tutorials. Write a tutorial for whatever you want, someone will find it useful!
ReplyDeleteThankyou for saying so and it is lovely to meet you too, you can't learn I've decided unless you screw up.
DeleteTutorial is added to the "to do " list :)
First of all, I'm so sorry for the loss of your love. Thank goodness for family, friends, and quilty therapy. Secondly, your quilts are beautiful! I have a request...would you be able to post bigger photos? I'd love to drink in ALL the gorgeousness of your quilts and your surroundings! I'll be back to see you again!
ReplyDeleteLOL Carole that is the nicest possible way I've heard someone say....Make your photos bigger my eyeballs are hurting haha
DeleteIt is top of my list to learn how to resize my photos and edit them better, would you believe I have a photography genius in my house and the latest Photoshop programme on my PC...he has more jobs than he knows when he gets back from overseas this weekend!!
Thankyou for your kind words about Mr OWB he truly was delicious, and thanks for jumping on board :)
Oh my Gosh! i'm a big swearer too! though I am really trying to cut it out!!! I am a new blogger, would you care to follow my blog(i follow yours!). I found out about the New Blogger thing you are in too late to participate this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Jacqueline in Pitt Meadows
http://www.quilt-sewhappy.blogspot.ca
It's bad I know but sometimes the bad words just have the best expressive quality, I'm trying to do more in my head so I don't have wee OWB trotting along behind me picking up bad habits haha
DeleteKeep commenting and I'm sure others will come and check your blog out too, I know I will :) and thankyou for following I hope you enjoy the craziness!
your quilts are awesome, but I love your sense of humor even more. That photo just made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shauna I did try to let the crazy lady out just a little...too much and it would've just been scary.
DeleteMaybe I will dig the said ball photo out one day as a treat and you can all have a laugh on me!
Thanks for stopping by :)
I love your quilts and like your down-to-earth blogging style! I think that when it comes to tutorials I tend to pin them to pinterest and use them when inspiration strikes. If there isn't a tutorial I might draft something myself. I also think if you want to make a tutorial, go for it! There may be 100 tutorials on a 4-patch, but maybe your style of writing works the best for some people, you know?
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, thanks for saying so I like to think I blog how I would talk if you were sitting in front of me, but without the deletes LOL Well said about the tutorial advice, and thanks for popping in to say Hi :)
DeleteI would love to open up a haberdashery, if only to keep myself in trims and supplies.
ReplyDeleteI think the more tutorials out there, the better. When I want to learn something, I usually google it, and read the top couple sites. I look for what they have in common, and whether one just has a great method.
I always ask ladies who work in shops I like, fabric and shoes mostly, if they ever take home any pay? and not many of them say they do haha So I think there would definitely be hazards to having your lovelies around you all day!...I also use your method for tutorials...thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteI think I need to move to your street!
ReplyDeleteHaha Beth...I'll keep an eye out for vacancies!
DeleteThankyou for organising this Hop, I'm having a blast and have met some crackpots like Moi already :)
Love your quilts!
ReplyDeleteThankyou Juels it is lovely that you took the time to say so...makes me happy :)
DeleteWe all have bad perm stories I am sure, especially growing up in the 80's!
ReplyDeleteI blame the eighties for alot of really bad photos of myself....but they make for fantastic pee your pants laughing moments when shared!!
Deletewhat an adorable header! that is always the first thing i look at when i read a new blog, because obviously it is the first thing i see :) and my dream vacation is to where you live! lol. so fun reading and learning more about you! and to answer your question, i just search on google and usually go to the images to find tutorials
ReplyDeleteThankyou! middle teenaged son helped me but I chose the horned Owl, and the font....it is a pretty cool place to live!
DeleteThankyou for taking the time to stop in and say Hi :)
Your awesome -- but you knew that already.
ReplyDeleteNo you are sweet lady xxxxxx
DeleteIt's nice to meet you, Rebecca. thank you for showing some of the great collection of quilts you've made.
ReplyDeleteIf I see something that interests or intrigues me I often ask the blogger if she (or he) can give me a link to the pattern. Mostly I get a link, but a couple of times this has resulted in that person writing a tutorial on the topic in a following blog post. I don't think it matters whether or not there is already a tutorial on the web: if you know of one, post a link, but if the design or technique is your own invention, then write a tutorial or not. It's up to you.
Great advice Marly! And thankyou for taking the time to stop by and say Hi....I just need a few more hours in my day to fit in everything I want to do, so for the meantime I think I'll rely on others for my tutorials :)
DeleteLove your post! So much fun to read and so many beautiful quilts to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I forgot to say, the Game of Thrones books are amazing, but I haven't watched all the shows yet so I can't really compare. I certainly recommend reading them, though.
DeleteThanks Leeanne....I used to read all the time but sewing and a small child have taken over LOL
DeleteBut I am a firm believer that the book is usually ten times better than the movie/tv version.
The graphic nature of the books sounds hectic for bedtime reading too!!
You live in a beautiful place and make beautiful quilts as well. I'm so sorry to hear about your dear hubby :>(
ReplyDeleteThankyou for saying so it's really nice to hear.
DeleteLife can be extra tricky sometimes :(
There is just something about you Kiwi quilt ladies! It makes me wonder if everyone there is so witty and quirky and just plain fun. Liz from Shush I'm Quilting is my online quilting bestie and you remind me a lot of her. All the best quilters really are mad, you know! Nice to meet you. :)
ReplyDeleteLMAO the best compliment ever, such a nice way to say "nutty as a two bob watch"...I will definitely be checking out that blog, Liz sounds lovely :)
DeleteThanks for calling in to say nice things....do it again ;)
I always love your posts, Rebecca - you're one of my "must clicks" and especially on Sundays because I love your fabric choices and your wit. I hadn't realized that your husband had passed earlier this year, though. My condolences to you, your wee bird, and your three larger birds. I can't imagine that profound a loss, but how wonderful to have an outlet in your quilting.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! Nice to see a regular here...thankyou for cheering on my fabric addiction LOL
DeleteYip life is very different without him and I still hear him all the time saying "really more fabric? " LOL
I know you'll be back cause you know I can't stop with the fabric buying!!!!
I google it when I'm looking for tutorials - I guess it's never occurred to me to ask the person directly!
ReplyDelete100 quilts! Wow! How do you have the time?
The stars you make are beautiful!
Thankyou! I sew alot when everyone is in bed and when baby sleeps in the afternoon, alot more over Winter as in the Summer we tend to be at the beach :)
DeleteThanks for calling in to say Hi :)
I tend to go to and want to live in cold places but oh man New Zealand and the beaches make me second guess every time! I love your quilts and I too am a Stephanie Meyer fan and proud of it! It took me a long time to get to the point that I am who I am take or leave me...but I am finally getting there! I love your blog and I love your attitude! Good to meet you! :-)
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like you've got the attitude thing sussed....just be yourself and like people will surround you!
DeleteVery lovely to meet you too Barbara....NZ rocks if I do say so myself!
I am jealous of the view! I am also watching Game of Thrones, and agree with your boys, the books are very good. I also love your quilts! You're brave to tackle all those stars, experience is the best teacher.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about the scuba diving accident. I cannot imagine what that must have been like for your family.
ReplyDeleteI too don't properly think about difficulty levels, time or my capabilities before starting something. That would be being sensible! Where is the fun in sensible? We should have fun on this round robin we have signed up to do, right?!
You live in a beautiful place and make beautiful quilts! I love the graphic on your header! :)
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your loss, Rebecca. Sounds like you have a beautiful family in a beautiful place in the world.
ReplyDeleteAnd holy quilts Batman! 100! And they all look so great!
I could dive into your sky! What a beautiful landscape to be inspired by. Oh, and I would definitely take a vacation in your quilty world. Your quilts are all so light and happy.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you! I can't believe how many quilts you've made, and I admire you for diving right in even when you're not quite sure how to do something like a Y-seam.
ReplyDeleteHi Cynthia, I love your irreverence and sense of humor. Your sense of color is too bad either. Your many quilts are beautiful. I am visiting late in the hop, and I was in the first group too. i plan on getting to each blog, even if I am a little slow. Glad I stopped by, and hope to see more of you.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca, I'm from the first week of the blog hop as well and just getting around to visiting everyone. Great intro post and love the picture of yourself that you included. You have some amazing quilts and I just LOVE your Sherbet Stars. It's my favorite of the ones you showcased (BTW, there are several photos that I can't see, not sure if it's an issue with my computer or blogger)
ReplyDeleteCool and that i have a neat provide: kitchen remodel for small kitchen
ReplyDelete