Sunday, November 25, 2012

Oops...

How did these couple of hearts miss their photoshoot?
From Redditch in UK and made by Susan Tatlow. Thank you very much for the hearts and for the lovely letter with them.

Canterbury Quakes Exhibition

This exhibtion is now at the Otago Museum. Part of it is fabulous touch screen wizardry to allow you to view the Hearts for Christchurch Exhibition. Not quite as breath taking as the real thing but still amazing.

Little things....

Hearts for Christchurch still has an impact on my life. Just when I thought it was quiet forever but something has happened.
A call one morning from Annie, who thought I wouldn't remember her, but I do. I spent some time talking to her at the heart distribution and yes I talked to a lot of people. I can't remember phone numbers but I can remember the folks in Christchurch and the stories they shared with me and the tears they shed.
Annie and I are having lunch together tomorrow when she visits Napier....I never had any doubt she would be a person I would see again.
What is very exciting, is she will return to Christchurch with more hearts and their stories. I will let you know how they find their new owners.
The Christmas Hearts (scroll down to the ones from the Flying Geese ladies, UK) will go on a tree in Christchurch before finding their new homes.
There is yet another publication due out with an article on Hearts for Christchurch. I expected it by now but there has been a delay.
I'll be back to tell you about the latest hearts as they go to Christchurch. I do know many of the hearts will be hanging as Christmas decorations this year.....nice thought.

Lone heart had a bit of a wait....

....to get to me. It was sent to the museum and they arranged to send it to me. The museum had to close again (earthquake things) so it languished on Sarah's desk. It came to me in August and has had another languish!
This lovely pink heart is from South Australia....the card is signed from Natalie and John. Many thanks it certainly is never too late.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Quiet

My, my it is so quiet on the heart front. Perhaps the end is nigh! Another article due out in an Australian magazine. I also see I have not posted photos of some recent hearts. Worse I don't think I even took pictures as they aren't in my computer. I was about to send them off to Christchurch too! Will get that sorted asap.

Monday, April 16, 2012

American Quilter....

....have sent me a copy of the magazine so I am very happy to finally read it. The lead in for magazine articles is some months so it tends to be forgotten then suddenly all the excitement of the publication.
This issue is May2012.

In print again....

Hearts for Christchurch has appeared in the American Quilter magazine .... so I have heard from a couple of friends in the US but I haven't seen it. I did see a draft some months ago.
My fabric/stitch/quilting friends tell me it is a big deal to be in one of the largest selling magazines in the US and anything that raises awareness of all things Christchurch gets the big tick from me!

I have more hearts to photograph to show you and more will surely arrive as the AQ article and another due out in Australia will see more lovely hearts being made and sent.

Did you see it?

It was just a little thing on the Hearts in Crafts programme. I was awarded a Golden Heart for gathering Hearts for Christchurch. I wasn't given a Golden Heart so nothing sitiing on my mantlepiece! In fact I don't know that there is actually a 'something' to get. It appears to be a segment of the programme to acknowledge a cool thing. Hearts for Christchurch has certainly been that!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Maybe....

.... it's a teeny, tiny thing on Hearts in Craft show. Love the knitters on tonights show. When  babies need to be wrapped in newspaper , needles click and clack .... a difference is made. Thanks be to the knitters. Well done.

Hearts for Christchurch next week.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

A little something...

Check it out ....Saturday 14th on TVNZ7 at 6.30pm. A new programme Hearts in Crafts and a little something will be shown about Hearts for Christchurch.
I guess this pertains to NZ viewers but after it has aired I can probably post a link.
All very exciting...

Friday, March 30, 2012

.....and the envelope please!

An envelope arrived which should have had that voice over Oscar kind of thing. It looked important as it came via Canterbury Museum (they have neat stationery) so I carried it in with all due pomp and circumstance! Nice idea but in reality I got it from the letterbox as I drove out, chucked it on the passenger seat and went about my day. For all of 10 minutes!
I stopped, I opened it and there they were.....all from Freeville School. I didn't count, I just read one after the other...I cried....why were they thanking me?
Because, I got to meet that bunch of great kids....they were in their classrooms when the devastation struck....I took your hearts there.....and it was there 300+ of your real hearts (and your stitched hearts) arrived home.
Thank you.

Quiet

It is quiet on here but behind the scenes (as if there are several departments of activity) things are a happening.
This little bit appeared in my local newspaper. There has been several attempts by a few people to actually get it in our local news but for some reason it didn't rate! How exciting that it did get attention. To be fair it is one of the best articles about Hearts for Christchurch.... sensitively written and 99.999% accurate. The only reason I would have liked it to have been in the local news a little earlier was because it would have resulted in even more hearts being made!
Anyhoo....here it is:
http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/hearts-beating-in-new-homes/1295426/

Monday, March 12, 2012

From....

...Wagga Wagga, Australia. My first thought is the flooding over there.....a disaster for that area.
Thank you to Jenny and heartfelt hope you are okay and dry!

Superb hearts....

....from Snettisham, Norfolk, England. I should have shown you these hearts long before this but there has been 'issues' with the memory thingey in my camera. Usual advice about retrieval processes at increasing $ amounts.... seems a piece of cellotape works just fine!
A note with these hearts explains they are made by the stitchers of the Flying Geese Patchwork Group and they hung on a church Christmas tree. Now, here they are for hearts and homes in Christchurch.
Heartfelt thanks to all the makers.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Home

I am back in Napier ...awaiting me was a box of gorgeous hearts! They are from the UK and are delicious. I haven't unpacked my suitcase to find my camera! You know I like leaving you in suspense!

The two wonderful heart quilts have new homes. The one with the green floral border has gone to the Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Unit at Burwood Hospital, Christchurch. This has been temporarily shifted into the Orthopaedic Surgical unit while earthquake damage to their 'proper' place is being fixed. I was also able to leave 60 hearts for the patients and staff.
Quilt 2 (with purple pansy border) is now in Ranui House. This is a facility by Christchurch Hospital where families and/or patients can stay while undergoing treatment at the hospital ... a home away from home for them.
I was introducing myself and about to unfold the quilt when the lady I was speaking to, picked up her cellphone and showed me a photo.... the very quilt I was about to hand to her. Yet another amazing moment in the hearts journey.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Do you have ....

.... any photographs of the Heart Giving? I had my camera but no time to take any! If you do, please can you email me with a pic or two.
stitchesn7@yahoo.com

Thanks

The walls maybe bare.....

...... but hearts are full!
For more than 4 months the Hearts for Christchurch Exhibiton has reached the hearts of those who saw it. Over the weekend, as we gave away hearts, I was able to hear the stories of earthquakes and heart ache. Many people told me that they visited the exhibiton several times...one lady went at least once a week.
The hearts have had a long journey. The gathering of them began a year ago, then there was the wait for the Canterbury Museum to reopen. The hearts sent a powerful message. Now, the hearts are with theirs new owners, every one of them exactly where it should be.
I know blogger is a bit of a mission to read recent comments so you have to be in scroll mode. Many of the hearts makers may also have stopped visiting here but I do hope you get to read the comments by our Christchurch heart owners.
The mini quilts have been distributed to schools, pre-schools and a Retirement home. They were very warmly received. Today I will take the two larger quilts....I will tell you later where they finish up....I'm hoping Ronald McDonald House and the Spinal unit at Burwood Hospital.
Tomorrow I will go home and every heart will be in Christchurch. Those that arrived after the exhibition were all part of a distribution of  about 400 hearts to Freeville School. I'll tell you more about that in a later post.
Happy comment reading!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

What a day!

I don't know how to explain it to you.
Heart makers, find the post of your hearts....you may see a comment or you may not....keep checking because you will.
You heart makers are being thanked....you great people can know where your hearts are.....just arm yourself with tissues and know your heart will be filled.
I happily accept the wet shoulder I have....I hugged for you all.
Sometimes it was just a look .... The one when nothing can be said but more importantly doesn't need to be said.
NB: there is no such thing as waterproof mascara!

Trouble ....

.... In blog land!
Very surprising to visit here this morning and find (actually not find) last nights posts aren't on here.
Here is a link to be going on with while I try to make sense of it.

www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/6478436/Children-get-heartfelt-presents

Friday, February 24, 2012

Oops

I forgot I have to moderate my own comments hence the lateness of the post below!
Judy has kindly offered me her iPad so I can keep you up to date with the heart happenings...
Of course I now covet an iPad!!!
First things first...I need a cuppa....back soon.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Memorial Service

I attended to Memorial Service yesterday. Thousands of people gathered in North Hagley Park. For me the most poignant part was the reading of the names of the victims of the earthquake. Spoken out loud this is a long list and highlighted just how many foreign visitors perished.
Today I was able to walk nearer the CBD than on my last visit....it's an uncanny feeling. This is a silent city. Small shrines in the places where people died, are a sobering reminder of tragedy. They sit lonely on vacant sites where once there was busy, vibrant city life. I also went over to Lyttelton, a favourite place of mine ....it was barely recognisable, so much has gone.
Today was a shakey start to the day with a 4.1 earthquake at 5.20pm.

Great.........

Air New Zealand accepted the extra suitcase at no charge!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

In the nick of time!

I leave for the airport in less than an hour and these have arrived....had to get the camera out of my bag!
Heartfelt thanks to The Quilting Conspiracy in Silver Springs, Maryland.
The makers are Debra, Judy, Valerie, Susan, Mandy, Donna, Christine, Irene,Kathy and Marianne. Whew! I'm in a rush and have to remove something from the suitcase!
Pretty in pink!



Today...

.... I head to Christchurch today. One large suitcase is packed .... 300 plus hearts so clothes are looking an optioanl extra! I think I can squeeze in a few things (I hope)!
Later today I am attending the Blessing and preview of an exhbition "Canterbury Quakes" at Canterbury Mueum....and I get to see all the hearts again!
Tomorrow is the one year anniverasary of February's devasting earthquake.
On Friday the giveaway of the hearts begins ....one year anniversary of the first heart!
First to be given away are the hearts by children and they are going to children at Freeville School. Groups of hearts have been made by schoolchildren around the world and these schools are now forging a relationship with each other. Added to them will be other childrens hearts, many made with the help of their Mum's or Grandma's.
I'll be back to tell you how the others are being distributed....that all happens Saturday and Sunday. I like to keep you in suspense. For those of you in Christchurch, it will be well advertised and I will post details on here when I get to Christchurch.
I am inviting you all along for the journey. It's your hearts that are warming hearts in Christchurch.
I hope the heart recipients will visit the blog and search out their new heart and they will find who made it and where it comes from. Wouldn't that be great? Perhaps some of you will get to know where your heart is!
Aroha nui.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Belated photos....

Here we go with the great hearts from Harewood Primary School. I was drawn to one particular heart.....my style of embellishing....if you think there is enough,  add still more!
Thank you all for your creativity. Your hearts have enjoyed a small holiday in Napier and on Tuesday they will return to Christchurch with me.





For my International friends....

....try to pronounce this.... Kaukapakapa.
That is where these two lovely hearts are from. Thank you to Sheryl and Simon. They are in the box to travel to Christchurch with me.



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Harewood Primary....

..... have sent a great bunch of hearts, very exciting ! (Have a bit of a soft spot for this lot).
So, I am ever so sorry I haven't posted the photos of the hearts....but I will. Photos taken, all set to upload.... just not my best work! Battery on charge, check back!
Already, I am packing my bags to travel to Christchurch.... so far 200+ hearts (no clothes)!
Do you think Air NZ can relax the one item of baggage rule....afterall one large suitcase is full of hearts???

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

SOON.....

I'm off to Christchurch next week! Countdown to giving away all the lovely hearts.
I'm so excited!!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Two Woven Hearts....

....from Des Plaines, USA. Thank you very much, Karen.

From Coussey....

....which is in France. These lovely hearts are from the Hoen family. Made I am sure by Laure who together with her husband, Michael travelled New Zealand five years ago. They left here with a little Kiwi....Amandine, born 8 months after their trip!
Many thanks for these hearts and for the wonderful things you say about New Zealand.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Lost and Alone

Hearts have arrived from many wonderful places but this one is an orphan. I discovered it in a bag of stuffing. It obviously hid in there while I was on a stuffing mission!
If it's yours, it has had a comfortable and cosy rest for some weeks!
Thank you to the maker.

Special fabric...

....is used in this heart. The picture doesn't do the colour justice. The fabric is from the Vestments at St Pauls Cathedral, London. No name of the maker though.
Many thanks. (I took the liberty of adding vintage, velvet ribbon to hang it by).

Funny place name....

....but great hearts! These are from Deb Blackmore in Dummer Lake (named after an Irish Lord), Ontario, Canada. They took there time getting here but I guess that was due to heavy Christmas volumes.
Heartfelt thanks, Deb.

Thank you also for the lovely star you included for me...it is on the tree!

Just before Christmas....

.... these two lovely hearts arrived from Eastbourne, Sussex, UK. Thank you very much, Janelle!