Saturday Market

Only a few days now to the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market and we are all keeping our fingers crossed for a bright sunny day.   Come rain or shine, it will be the perfect time to get cracking on that Christmas shopping.

These bright dresses are hot off the machine and will be for sale at my stall.   They are perfect for the holiday season.

I've taken a peek at some of the other stallholders' goodies and I know it's going to be a bumper day.

There will be music, food, face painting and lots of other attractions to keep you happy.

Saturday 4th December 9am - 4pm

St Augustine's Church

Racecourse Rd

Hamilton, QLD

Two more markets

It's one of those magic Brisbane days when you can feel the warmth of the promised summer.  Christmas is less than a month away, so it's time for some serious shopping.

If you don't live in Brisbane, maybe it's time you paid a visit to our fair city.  Next Saturday would be the perfect time, as BrisStyle is holding its Indie Designers Market and it will be packed with all your shopping needs for the family.

It's never too late to discover something about yourself.  A couple of days ago for instance I discovered that I am not an Overlocker Whisperer.  I thought it would be prudent to clean my fairly new overlocker, as it had been quite some time since its last clean and I had been working it fairly hard.  One lesson to be learned - wait until you have finished your current project before attempting such adventures.

I opened the casing and was engulfed by a wild mass of fluff which had been waiting to attack as soon as the latch was released.  There was enough to stuff a decent queen sized mattress.  During the process of shovelling it all away, I carelessly let the lower locker thread run free.  No problems.  This is one of those modern easy to thread models.  It was about here that I discovered that I am an Overlocker Shouter.  Nuff said.   

Back to the market, which promises to be full of holiday spirit with music, food and a happy Christmassy atmosphere.  You will find all your old favourite vendors and a few exciting new members as well.  It will be extended a further two hours, finishing at 4.00pm instead of the usual 2.00pm, so there's plenty of time to come and join in the fun.

Saturday 4th December 9am - 4pm

St Augustine's Church

Racecourse Road

Hamilton, QLD

If you are unable to attend this market, stay tuned for news of our final Twilight Market at King George Square on 17 December.

Is it Spring yet?

I can't remember the last time I was still wearing winter clothing at this time of the year - bring on Global Warming!  I have to admit that we have had some beautiful days - intermittent, but really appreciated.

It has been sufficient to encourage the flowers to bloom - can summer be far away?  The bougainvillea is stunning and the petunias came as a pleasant surprise, remnants of last summer's dropped seeds. 

They tie in with the skirts I have been working on over the past couple of days - lots of frills and plenty of warm colours.

They are available for sale at my Etsy shop, or you can buy them at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market at St Augustine's, Hamilton on 4 December, just in time for Christmas.  Hopefully by then it will be warm!

BrisStyle has not been resting on its laurels.  On Saturday 6 November you will find the most inovative designers selling their wares at the BrisStyle Indie Eco Market.  More details in a couple of days. 

Apron Strings

As a departure from my children's range of clothing and with the fast approaching festive season in mind, I've just finished a few fully lined aprons for the perfect hostess.

Here are a couple which are for sale in my Etsy shop and they will also be on sale at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market on 4 December - you can never start too early!

What a delight it was to receive these gorgeous fabrics in the mail a couple of days back.  The aprons are now on hold as I get onto creating some party dresses for the BrisStyle market.  I could almost eat them.

... Perfect the Next

True to its word, Brisbane turned on the most beautiful Spring morning on Saturday.  The birds were singing, the sun was shining and the crowds came out for a day of fun at the BrisStyle Indie Designers' Market.

There was music ...

wood-fired pizzas...

... and lots of lovely people out to enjoy the early Spring weather.

Inside the hall we set up our stalls full of tempting goodies.

My next-door neighbour was Catherine of Made by Maisie.

Opposite me was Holly of Pannikin with her delightful badges, cards, etc.

The crowds obviously liked what they saw.

Outside the sun kept shining and the people kept coming.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
These gorgeous bracelets by Sophie of Strat Designs were good enough to eat.
 

The canopy of Sophie's stall threw this dainty shadow of the Poinciana tree overhead.  What a beautiful day it was.

 
 

However, another day, another story.  Sunday the rains came and we battled the elements to get the Hot Fudge clothing into the exhibition hall at Schoolhouse Quilters.

 

 

The wild weather was soon forgotten once we stepped inside historic Brookfield Hall.  The quilts were absolutely stunning.

 

This masterpiece by Glenys Cheng took four years to complete and the hand quilting was breathtaking.

 
 

It was time to visit the refreshments room to sit quietly and contemplate the beautiful works of art before us.

Then a visit to the sales room to get started on some early Christmas shopping.
 
 

What a weekend.  It was, of course, Father's Day on Sunday, so we had a late celebration before promptly falling asleep in front of the television.

Ah Brisbane.  Beautiful one day, perfect the next, then a lot of rain.

Beautiful One Day ...

Well, this morning certainly is beautiful, so the old Brisbane tourism promotion line of "Ah Brisbane - beautiful one day, perfect the next" is what we are all praying for at BrisStyle.

The first three days of Spring have been stunning and if we could extend that into one more day, we would be overjoyed.  With nearly 60 stalls full of tempting Spring goodness from Brisbane's top indie designers, plus music, wood-fired pizzas, fresh coffee and cakes, St Augustine's at Hamilton is the place to be tomorrow.  There will be a good mix of your favourite stall holders, along with several new and exciting designers.  You can see them here.

I am extra excited (but humbled), as Kid Independent showed some of my clothing on their Fresh Baked Friday feature today. 

I put the finishing touches to the last of the shirred sun dresses yesterday, so all is in readiness for the big day out tomorrow.  And don't forget to visit the Schoolhouse Quilters' Exhibition over the weekend (details here).

Ah Brisbane ... where else would you want to be?

Spring Madness

Ahhh ... I'm looking out the window at the most perfect Spring morning imaginable. Goodbye Winter.  September is shaping up to be the busiest month of the year, starting with this weekend which features two events.

On Saturday 4 September it's the eagerly awaited BrisStyle Indie Designers Market at St Augustine's church grounds and hall, Racecourse Road, Hamilton, where I'll have some new Spring outfits on sale.  The hours are from 9.00am until 2.00pm, so mark it in your diaries.

There are knot dresses and romper suits.

This little dress is perfect for Spring days.  Imagine your dismay if you buy the Princess an ice cream cone and she spills it all down the front.  Head for the nearest tree, do the reverse trick and ...

... all problems solved.

There will be lots of dresses for the warmer weather (warm ... mmmm ...).  I'll be inside the hall at St Augustine's so please stop by and say hello.  Oh, and there will be tempting wood-fired pizzas and fresh coffee to keep up your energy levels, and scrumptious goodies from Enticing Icing.

On Sunday I'll be at the Schoolhouse Quilters' Biennial Exhibition at historic Brookfield Hall, Brookfield.  It's on all weekend from 10.00am to 5.00pm and the entry fee is $5 (children free).  I have seen some of the quilts which will be on show and they are stunning.  I'll be selling my goodies in the sales room on Sunday, so if you can't make the BrisStyle Market on Saturday, do come out to beautiful Brookfield and take in the exhibition - you won't be disappointed.

Meanwhile, Sydneysiders can have their own feast of the arts.  Our first-born Fudge (AKA Maz Dixon) is holding an exhibition from 21 to 26 September at Mary Place Gallery, Paddington. 

Not content with that, she is also taking part in the Sydney Fringe Festival  in the Electric Encounters exhibition at the Plump Gallery from 10 to 20 September.  What a gal.

But the talent doesn't stop there.  The second-born Fudge is part of the Mothers' Soccer Team taking on the Under 11s at our granddaughter's school presentation day on Saturday.  She's never played the game before, so it should prove interesting.  One can only pray that someone videos it.

Welcome to Spring.

Market Frenzy

My blog has been somewhat neglected, I know.  However, there is a good excuse.  On the weekend of 4-5 September I will be involved in two events.

First of all on Saturday 4 September there's the BrisStyle Indie Designers' Market and I am more or less permanently chained to my Bernina in the hope of producing new stock.

This is the back view of a little sundress I have made for the market.  It's a voile fabric I bought in Sydney a couple of weeks back at my favourite fabric shop, Tessuti. 

If you are coming to the market, please drop by and say hello.  I'll be inside the hall and would be delighted to see you.  It promises to be loads of fun and there will be music and food keep up your energy as you take in the exciting atmosphere.

The second event of the weekend will be Schoolhouse Quilters' 2010 Biennial Exhibition on 4-5 September at historic Brookfield Hall, Brookfield.

I have seen some of the quilts that will be on show and they are absolutely stunning.  The refreshments room will cater to your needs with delicious freshly made sandwiches, cakes, scones and slices, and the sales room will be full of beautiful handmade goodies created by Schoolhouse members.  You can read more about it here.

I will be there on Sunday (unless my split personality manages to manifest itself on Saturday as well) selling my children's clothing in the salesroom and again, I'd be delighted to see you.

I was a little amazed to discover a rush of views on my Etsy shop on Monday, with a few hundred hits on this little cushion, along with several hearts.  After some clever detective work I found that it was featured on Etsy's blog, The Storque.   You have to scroll waaaay down, but there it is - I do the dance of joy.  With all this attention, did the cushion sell?  Nup.  But at least I've had my 15 minutes of fame.

Market Trends

You couldn't have ordered a more perfect day.  This was Brisbane at its best, with a crisp, clear early morning to cheer us up as we motored to the other side of the city to set up for the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market. 

Apart from the usual children's clothing, I had a new line of cushions to create a little more interest.  I had a custom order for reading cushions for a children's reading nook and loved them so much I decided to make a range to sell at the market and in my Etsy shop.

After ably helping with the setup, Mr Fudge kissed me a fond farewell and I had time to walk around and greet the other BrisStylers, both old and new.  There is always a warm and friendly buzz in the air with this group - it's quite contagious.   Here are some of the stalls:

Kellie Christie shot to celebrity status this week when everyone's favourite cook Maggie Beer wore one of her beautiful creations on the TV series Master Chef.

Melanie of Kimono Reincarnate's beautiful stall was next to mine and drew crowds like bees to honey.

My other neighbour was new mother Catherine of Made by Maisie.  I lost count of the number of little girls who were dragged away crying and pleading to their parents for a Maisie doll.  I was pleased to see that many a little girl walked away clutching a Maisie doll of her own.

Miss Dish had some gorgeous brooches and hair pieces.

Sandrine of SM Boutique brought her usual French elegance to the market.

Sophie of Strat Designs has been absent for a few months and was warmly welcomed back.  Her beautiful creations are so tempting you could almost eat them.

  

Outside the market took on a carnival atmosphere.  Great weather, great friends, perfect day.