Thoughts

Were you a child that had an idea of what you wanted 'to be' when you grew up? So many adults I know can clearly tell me what they dreamed of becoming - fireman, teacher, robot inventor...! I'm sure I had dreams of being a rock star, or a ballerina, or something equally as glamorous, but those dreams were nothing outstanding enough to stick in my brain. I wonder how many of those kids with clear ideas actually got there? Or did other doors open for them in life? And if those children did become what they wanted to, how many of them stayed that thing for the their whole career?

These thoughts are going round in my head at the moment because I have finally made the decision to retire from midwifery. I have been a midwife for about 21 years. In that time, many other doors have opened for me, some I've chosen to walk through, some not, and some I'm teetering on the doorstep of.

When I was a child, I never thought I'd live on board a boat for more than three years. I never imagined I'd live in Greymouth for a year. For that matter, I never imagined I'd live in Northland! I never saw myself making quilts and dyeing fabric, or teaching in Canada, or visiting Newfoundland, or raising rabbits for meat. And when I began my midwifery career so long ago, I never, ever imagined giving it up (I was a pretty vigilante midwifery student - out to change the world one birth at a time!) Yet here I am.

I'm a little bit sad, and a little bit glad, a little bit excited and a little bit nervous. But it's time to concentrate of my textile art and building a lifestyle managing the campground and accommodation at the beach where I'm now living. A doorway I'm firmly stepping through. I started midwifery young, so I reckon I can have a whole other 21 year career before I'll be ready to retire for real. Guess what that means? Two retirement parties!! ;-)

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Stitches

One of the main things that's been happening in my studio lately is class prep. I moved to my new place about six weeks ago, unpacked (mostly - don't look in my garage...) and then have been getting stuck in finding my class samples, making some new ones, and prepping for some upcoming teaching.

Firstly, I'll be teaching at Cottage Flair in Rotorua on May 21st and 22nd. The class on the 21st is called Translucent Colour and is all about using silk organza. I LOVE silk organza! It's lush and rich and, as an overlay, it adds a whole new dimension to a quilt. So if you've ever wanted to have a play with it and would like to learn some of my best tips and tricks, come along and join us.

The class on the 22nd is Florabunda! The title has an explanation mark at the end because it's such a fun day! I'll be sharing how I use plants as a tool to create gorgeous printed fabric or paper that you can then use in multiple ways. Bring an apron and a playful attitude!

You can sign up to either class on the Cottage Flair website here.

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Next, I'm really excited to announce that I'll be teaching at the Wellington Quilt Symposium 2022 in October! Symposium is a big deal in NZ, and after lockdowns and cancellations, we are all gasping for quilt shows.

I'll be working with the most beautiful sewing machines in the world, the BERNINA Q16's. You can take a half-day introduction class with me and have a play date to see if you'll love the machines as much as I do. Or, if you want to level up your free-motion quilting, you can spend a whole day on a Q16 and we'll increase your pattern repertoire, learn how to combine patterns for awesome effects, and discover how to make the most of nesting, curving and grids.

It's going to be an amazing five day long fiesta and I'd love to have you join me!

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(I'm a bit of a bird freak, so every newsletter I intend to profile one of NZ's cool, unique, special, wondrous, fabulous birds)

This newsletter is brought to you by...

This newsletter is brought to you by arguably New Zealand’s best known songbird, the Tūī.

• Favourite quote: self-confidence is a super power!
• Second favourite quote: life is short, eat dessert first.

The Tūī is a medium-sized, widespread songbird, often seen and heard in New Zealand bushland and in suburbia.

It appears black from a distance but actually has a brilliant iridescent sheen on head, wing and tail feathers; a sprinkling of filamentous white feathers on the sides and back of its neck; and of course, the distinctive white tuft at its throat. That little white poof led early Pākehā colonists to nickname it the Parson bird, a name that hasn’t made it to common usage in modern times.

Tūī have a complex song made up of tuneful notes interspersed with clicks and coughs and unusual sounds. They have been known to imitate noises (like phones) and occasionally have even been taught some human speech. They make loud screams when chasing off raptors and to keep in contact when flying.

They are boisterous and can be aggressive, vigorously defending a favourite feeding tree with very fast, loud, whirring flight. The whirring wingbeats come from a notch on adult’s 8th primary feather, which makes the narrow part of the feather quiver.

Tūī are primarily nectar eaters, with a bit of fruit and the occasional insect on the menu. In Greymouth I counted more than 30 birds hanging out in a Kōwhai tree when it was in full flower. Quite the raucous horde, darting in and out of the bright yellow flowers, puffing themselves up to look bigger and belting out their distinctive song.

You can read about their successful comeback in the Wellington suburbs here, and see cute images of tūī fledglings. And you can see more of them and hear their song here.

I took the photo at my bird feeder at my previous house where tūī loved to take sugar water and fruit. I don't see them so much out at Elliot Bay and I miss them. A relevant point of interest for me is that the te reo Māori word tūī, when it is written without the macrons (tui), means to sew or bind. Tui kuira means quilting! Below is an image of one of my earlier art quilts that feature Tūī (and silk organza - if you are interested in the silk organza class in Rotorua.) ​​

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Thanks for staying to the end! It really does make me happy to know that you're reading my thoughts. If you'd like to continue the conversation, please hit reply and send me an email. You can also find me hanging out on Facebook and Instagram.