Sue B's Quilting was where Sharon's adventure into longarm quilting began.
Her friend Sue initially started her machine quilting business with a hand-guided Gammill, but once life got busy had it retro-fitted with a Statler Stitcher.   What a boon!   But - where were the patterns she wanted?
Sharon offered to design and digitise them for her (!?!)
Business got more and more busy for Sue and she now has three machines with Statler Stitchers on the go.

The patterns Sharon designs are all done with ease of placement and accuracy in mind.
Hence, new ideas and methods have been developed and Sue can keep ploughing through that work at a fast rate of knots!

Karamu Quilting has the distribution licence for Gammill and Statler Stitchers in New Zealand
Ross and Maria Munro from Karamu Quilting are both long time quilters and are always on hand to help.
The overseas tutors Ross and Maria bring to New Zealand are at the cutting egde of Statler Stitcher development and Statler Stitcher owners are always very pleased with the many new tricks which are demonstrated.

As well as being busy with all this - Ross has won many awards with whole cloth quilts quilted using his own original digitised designs.   Many of these patterns are inspired by Maori designs.

New Zealand Quilter has been showcasing and encouraging New Zealand quilters since 1992.
The editor, Anne Scott, has eyes and ears out all over the country discovering and featuring what is happening from the far reaches of the north to the depths in the south.
New Zealanders are well known for the different way they treat colour and their new interpretations of traditional ideas.
New Zealand Quilter certainly does justice to the wide variety of quilting in this country and is full of all sorts of invaluable information.
This magazine gives real value for money and one I would not be without!

Minerva Bookshop is where NZ Quilter is housed, and Minerva is a bookshop where the minimum visiting time would be at least 1 hour.   It has the most extensive range of textile books in New Zealand.
Definitely worth a visit if you are anywhere near Wellington and if not nearby - then look at their on-line catatogue.

Auckland Airport Skyway Lodge is a great place for basic accomodation:
• very near to Auckland International Airport
• clean and tidy facilities
• a variety of accommodation type
• very friendly hosts.

When Sharon & Bryan stay there they have the added benefit of being able to say hello to their youngest nieces and nephew whenever they want (their parents own the place!!)

Nancy's Embroidery Shop has been an inspiration since the day I shifted to Wellington.
• their needlework supplies are second to none,
• they have wonderful specialist knitting supplies,
• they have lots & lots of patchwork goodies
• and their customer service is always top class - they are full of suggestions, whatever the problem!

When I first started doing beadwork samplers, they were the ones who encouraged me to produce patterns for them.   Nancy's have sold large numbers of these for me.

Sawmiller's Quiltery is a patchwork shop a little distance out from the centre of Wellington.
It is in wonderful surroundings and has a delightful coffee stop across the lawn in a reconverted barn (Stonestead).
A quilt festival is held in the grounds each February and it is gaining momentum from year to year.
Yvonne is a most welcoming and helpful proprietor - she is more than willing to go to great lengths to get just what you require.
The Cloth Shop is north of Wellington in Palmerston North. Just a nice distance for a girls' day out.
Katherine has had this shop for quite some time and her enthusiasm is infectious. She has a wealth of information, is full of ideas and the shop publishes many of their own original patterns. There is quite a team of helpers there and it goes without saying that the fabric is to die for.
Oh - they have lots of lots of classes as well - there is something for everyone in this shop!
Complex PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
This is often a result of childhood abuse and/or neglect (which actually in and of itself is a form of abuse).
Pete has many on-line papers which are very helpful in understanding the results of childhood abuse - from how the brain is incorrectly wired, to the life-long effects of these traumas.
He has also written books which take the papers even further, giving much more detail and explain how the effects of some of this damage can be mitigated.
If you are a victim of childhood abuse - I found that the best way for me to see it was to look at myself as a child in a room, somewhat distant from that child, and able to grieve for it.
Should you seek help from a professional, do be aware that the word 'complex' in the name Complex PTSD is very important.
What Makes Narcissists Tick by Kathleen (Kathy) Krajco
Parents (more commonly the mother) who are narcissists can cause untold damage in children. It was an utter and complete mystery to me as to why or how any parent could do this to a child.
This book was an extremely powerful one which really did help me move on. Prior to reading it I knew what happened at the hands of a narcissist, but this book gave me an understanding of how a narcissist functioned and why I needed to let go of many things and should not feel guilty in doing so. It greatly helped in my grieving proccess.
It is a book which is out of print and the link I have given was put up because it is considered such an important resource (do let me know if this link stops working)
It is a very long read at some 500 pages - but even though a heavy subject - Kathy has written it in a way which is a very readable, clear and helpful. I printed it all off so that I could highlight things as I wanted to.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.