Melbourne here we come!

Setup day in Melbourne for the Craft and Quilt Fair.

I will be doing a FREE Workshop at 10am everyday in Workshop 5 on how to make an Art Quilt using simple piecing and a few basic beading stitches. I will be demonstrating how to create Aurora and Midnight Sky and Fantasia quilts. There will also be a free handout with the beading stitches to all workshop attendees.

It is also a great opportunity to join my Monthly Metre and Beautiful Bead Clubs with a 10% discount if you join both clubs.

Best of all - if you spend $120 we will refund your admission price to the Fair.

Hope to see you there - the Show is open from 9-5 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday and from 9-8pm on Saturday. Saturday night has a purple theme so do forget to wear purple for some great prizes.

Back from Melbourne

We are just back from the AQC in Melbourne. I loved it but didn't have access to blog so that is why I have been so quiet for a week.

The AQC was held in the restored Exhibition Building and it had to be the most beautiful building I have spent time in for ages.

We spent a day wandering the streets of Melbourne where the alleyways tend to be art galleries

and the art Galleries are full of magic. I was thrilled to be able to go to the Rosalie Gasgione exhibition. I have always loved her work and to see it en masse was pure joy.

I taught an Aurora Workshop on Monday and all the ladies really seemed to enjoy themselves so it was a great end to the week in Melbourne.

Home Again

It was great fun in Melbourne and the Show was wonderful but exhausting. Lots of wonderful feedback and many blog readers who said how much they enjoyed the blog. Thanks so much everyone.

We only had one night out with friends and went back to Scherezade in Acland St for some comfort food. I just had to have the chicken soup with matzo balls which were light, fluffy and very yummy.

As we left the traffic was a bit blocked by this fire eater. As it was very cold and raining I do admire her enthusiasm.

To Tired to Blog

Too busy (and weary) to blog the last few days but we are having a great time.

The Show is a lot of fun meeting heaps of wonderful people. My Aurora quilt has certainly appealed to lots of quilters and the positive comments about my appearance on the DVD has been very encouraging.

These figures greet you as you arrive in Melbourne and always make me smile.

Half a Day Off

Another early start to fly down to Melbourne but a beautiful clear flight and a I had a window seat I took advantage of the view.

Once settled in the apartment with the aid of my wonderful new iphone and its brilliant map function we set off for lunch. Ending up in Brunswick St, a place I recommend for any art appreciative traveller , we finally decided on the nationality for lunch - Indian today. We think we could probably have a different cuisine every night for the week we are here without walking two blocks. So exciting for a couple of foodies.

The street sculpture was wonderful - both static and living. This fellow offered a poem in exchange for a beer .

Then my eye was caught by a glint of silver and after going back a couple of times I couldn't resist. So now I am the proud owner of this beautiful necklace.

Then with the assistance of my phone (again) we went to the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Art Deco exhibition from the V&A Museum. It was wonderful and I am now very inspired with lots of geometric ideas for quilts.

All that and we haven't even had dinner yet.

Unfortunately the rest of the week will be flat out with the Quilt & Craft Show. I hope lots of people come and say hi.

Melbourne here we come!

We are nearly packed and ready to take everything to the shippers tomorrow for the Melbourne Quilt & Craft Show. We are really looking forward to going down although I suspect it is going to be a lot colder that when we were down in February at the AQC.

As usual we have been dyeing up a storm and will be bringing down all my latest projects including Aurora as well as stocks of the magazine and DVD.

For the needle-felters/embellishers amongst you - I have also just dyed lots of loose weave muslin which is not quite as loose as cheesecloth but takes the dye beautifully and felts up really nicely. I have 10 different colours tied up in twists (70cm x 50cm). They are very yummy. If they are popular I will put them onto the website but if you are interested now just let me know. They are $10 each and I will post them free in Australia if you want all 10.

Melbourne & AQC Day 1

Another early start today as the AQC had a preview for delegates before the show opened and it was a wonderful way for them to check out everything before the general public came in and they had to go to class. Certainly a very happy bunch of ladies and many familiar faces. I was especially thrilled when some of last years customers brought in their completed projects with our fabrics. We sell so much fabric and it goes out into the world and we never see it again so this is alway a wonderful moment.


On the way to the tram stop (a novelty to me) we pass a vacant block of land which used to be a nursery I presume. It has a wonderful fence which was obviously created especially for it but now looks a bit lost. At least it has been retained which show appreciation for the work of street art.





There is also a little laneway which has some painted street art. Melbourne is quite famous for this type of laneway art so I will try and find more.

Tonight we are dragging our tired bodies back into the city to see Spamalot which I am really looking forward to.