Auckland workshops

This is a group shot of my first class with the Auckland Patchworkers and Quilt Guild teaching Tsukineko Inks. We had a great day with our class just down the road from Glens at a boating club.

The following day we moved to another part of Auckland to have the painted whole cloth fabric class.

These are just a few of the many wonderful paintings worked on Saturday.

It threatened to rain but held off over the weekend.

Hazel, my host for the second half of my stay in Auckland, is an avid gardener with the most beautiful flowers around her home. While admiring the many blooms we came across this large and dark golden bumble bee burying his head deep into each blossom.

This is a New Zealand Monarch caterpillar

and a round balloon shaped milkweed pod, so different from the ones in the states that I always thought looked like fish when you opened them up.

Here is Hazel next to her gorgeous award winning quilt hanging in a guild competition titled My City. Hazel had several Best of Show awards in her sewing room at home.

This beautiful group of butterflies hanging on the wall in Hazels house stopped me in my tracks. They are painted, stitched and beaded batting! Guess who's Quilting Arts article on painted batting inspired her? :-)

On Sunday Hazel and her husband Ed took me up to the top of Mount Edens, a volcanic cone, with a lovely view of the city.

Then we met up with Glen and drove over to a seaside suburb called Devonport with shops, galleries and outdoor cafes, it was sunny and warm. With such wonderful company it was a perfect day.

I was very excited to buy several skeins of possum wool. I first heard about Possum wool a few years ago, that it was supposed to be very warm and soft.

The possum in New Zealand, not like our rodent type one in the US, was brought over from Australia. Unfortunately with no natural predators its population has grown out of control and destroys the natural flora and fauna of New Zealand, it is considered a terrible pest here, much like the cane toad introduced in Australia.