Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair

Tickets: check.  Four year-old grandson delivered and left in charge of Granddad for the day: check.  Camera: check.  We were ready for our Big Day Out.

My daughter (The Knitting Whirlwind) and I had planned our trip to the Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair many weeks back and now the day had finally arrived.

We were greeted at the entrance by a large screen displaying an image of an old friend from Brisbane, textile artist Sharyn Hall.  It was a delightful surprise to see her smiling face and I felt for a moment that I was back in Brisbane.

We grabbed our free copy of The Australian Women's Weekly and then headed straight for the quilt exhibition where I was so happy to see that a couple of friends had taken out awards.  We were permitted to take photos for our personal use only, so I'm afraid you will have to take my word that they were stunning.  The collage at the top of this post will give you an inkling of what we saw; however the major prize winners can be seen here.  There were well over 400 quilts on display, which was a little overwhelming to take in - rather like diving into a bowl of thick whipped cream.  It was wonderful, of course.

After a well-earned coffee and cake, it was time to hit the mall.  I literally bumped into Fiona, proprietor of Fifi's Fabricology.  Luckily she had a trusty helper manning her shop while we had a chat.

So many things to swoon over.

Decisions, decisions.

The Knitting Whirlwind can be seen here stalking her prey before going in for the kill.

My bargain of the day was this box of threads which was on special for $10.  I should have bought more.

Look at the buttons I found.

Aren't they beautiful?

They are destined to be found on some Hot Fudge creations in the near future.

But for me this was the greatest discovery.  Self threading needles.  Whatever genius thought up this little invention, I thank you. 

Don't ask me how it works - just be thankful that it does.  You simply push the thread down over the top of the eye and it pops into position.  No more squinting or swearing.  Thank you, thank you whoever you are.

We two had such a perfect day, bumping into friends, shopping, looking and generally have a typical girl's day out.  There's still time to visit the fair if you are in Sydney, as it runs until Sunday.  Just go - you won't regret it.

We arrived home to find that Dan had taken such good care of Granddad.  They bonded by watching DVDs, playing cars and games, devouring sausage rolls and generally doing things that boys like doing.

It was a win-win sort of a day.

Sailing

You have to be keen to follow the Olympics from Australia.  Staggering out of bed at 5.00am on a cold winter's morning is not for the faint-hearted.  We are a tad shell shocked and are in desperate need of some comfort.  I blame the Australian commentators who with their every prediction of a gold medal bring down the Kiss of Death.  So far they don't appear to realise that we are actually doing quite well in the sailing and I am happy to keep them in the dark.

Earlier this week I was invited by my quilting group to bring along a selection of my quilts and to give a presentation of my quilting journey.  A couple of the girls asked me to include some of my Hot Fudge clothing to complete the story.

It hadn't occurred to me that some of the grandmothers in the group would want to buy what I had brought along, so I was quite surprised when I finished my talk that I was rushed with sales and orders. Keeping in line with the Olympic sailing theme, I had just completed a nautical dress which was snapped up quickly, with orders for another two, which are now ready for delivery next week.

As the Olympics descended into further gloom, the latter stages of the week were considerably brightened by two deliveries of fabric.

I love the top three fabrics in the image above - they say Christmas without being overtly so.  I have a couple of custom orders to complete and then I can set my mind to creating new dresses in time for our Aussie summer ... oh how I love summer.

Quilting weather

The year's half gone and here we are in Sydney in the middle of a cold winter.  It's perfect quilting weather, which is just as well, because the Gems Quilt Sitters' 2012 challenge quilt deadline is almost upon me and I've yet to miss one.

The machine quilting is finished, but there's a fair amount of hand quilting to go.  Nothing like a fast approaching deadline to get that rush of adrenaline started.

Deadlines

Possibly it's the end of the financial year lurking on the horizon, bringing dreaded thoughts of tax returns to be completed. Whatever it is, this month has been full of deadlines.

As a consequence my poor Etsy and MadeIt shops have been woefully neglected and the fabric I had purchased at the beginning of the month lay there staring at me mournfully.

Finally I was able to make this reversible swing dress, with promises of more completed items next week.  With that behind me, I couldn't put off any longer the next most pressing deadline ... machine quilting a challenge quilt, due in Brisbane in a couple of weeks.

Wish I could show you more, but shhh ... it's a secret.  However, you can go here to take a look at an earlier challenge. 

I guess I should be grateful for deadlines, otherwise I would possibly just sit here in front of my computer screen and vegetate.  Sigh. 

Show time

Way back in the Thirties and Forties (as in Nineteen Hundred and), Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland were teenagers in the Andy Hardy movie series.  No matter what the situation, Mickey would always say to Judy, "Let's hire a hall and put on a show."  Today it was the crafting community's turn and what a show it was.

The Craft & Quilt Fair came to town at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre and today my daughter and I left the menfolk at home (one grandfather, one father, and one three year-old) and had a girls' day out.   

As we entered the quilt exhibition hall we heard applause, so we followed the sound and discovered that the quilt awards were being handed out.  We watched for a time and then decided it would be prudent to inspect the quilts while the crowds were otherwise occupied.

My daughter is not a quilter, but is a new convert to knitting, so we were delighted to come across Loani Prior, famous for her wonderfully quirky tea cosies, in attendance at her booth.

Among the many quilt booths I found my favourite Sydney store, Material Obsession.  I am on the same wavelength with this store in its fabric, colour and design choices, and there was a little elephant bag on display that I know sooner or later I will have to make.

In our family, a girl can never have too many magazines and I could not resist these at only $2 each.  My daughter managed to do a little more damage.  I am so proud of her.

While The Knitter was in a buying frenzy, I was caught up in her enthusiasm and found myself buying these two balls of beautifully soft wool.

Of course, the wool is useless without knitting needles.  Aren't they adorable?  They come from Russia with love and are made of birch and maple.  Just perfect for a warm scarf to help me through my first Sydney winter in 21 years.

Kim McLean's Pandemonium (detail)

What a fun day we had.  I will be back on Friday to take a proper look at the quilts with some quilting friends.  Can't wait!

Keeping warm

It's the first Saturday of the month and it's really cold; well, cold for Sydney at this time of the year.  What better way to spend the day than to don the thermals and head to the Blue Gum Pub to meet up with the Sydney SCQuilters.

Sitting among fellow quilters, catching up on their news and seeing their latest works in progress is the ideal way to keep those autumn chills at bay.

Show & Tell produced the usual lovely variety of quilts.

I noticed that the gentleman sitting at the table behind us started to take an interest in our goings on.

He REALLY loved this pirate quilt.

I ordered a chicken burger for lunch.  What was I thinking of?  Well, it was cold outside and I needed comfort food.

Good food, good company, great day.

Show Time

We've been back in Sydney for eight months now and we are still experiencing the novelty of the difference in the seasons.  Brisbane's Aprils are still in summer mode, but here in Sydney we are certainly feeling the early bite of winter.  However, the one of the rewards is the blooming of the beautiful sasanqua camellias which are everywhere.

Another reward is the Sydney Royal Easter Show, which we Fudges have such fond memories stretching back to the early post-war years when our parents would take us faithfully every year.  We carried on the tradition with our own children in the Seventies and Eighties and this year we visited the Show with our grandchildren.

We were so fortunate that the day was gloriously warm and sunny, the last gasp before winter sets in.   

 The children were keen to see the animals.  Who would have thought that judging bunnies was such a serious business?

High on the list was the dog pavilion ... 

... where the children immediately fell in love with this Australian Shepherd (an American breed - very confusing).  Methinks their parents are in for some serious begging-for-a-dog times ahead.

Snack time found us at the wood chopping arena.

This young boy was celebrating his 15th birthday by competing with experienced axemen, including his world champion father.  The worrywart mother in me was terrified that he would take a tumble as he balanced precariously on the top plank which was high off the ground.  However, he came through it unscathed, to the wild acclamation of the crowds.

Time to calm down and take in the more genteel arts.  These two delightful ladies were giving their expert opinions on the cake decoration display (I'm guessing that the cardigan is all her own work).

I was so pleased to discover that two of my new friends from St Ives Quilters, Judy Day (above) and Heather Watts (below) were prize winners in the Quilts section.

I know from my own childhood that the most important part of the show is the Show Bags Pavilion.  Nothing has changed - except the prices.   

What a privilege it was to experience the show through the eyes of our young grandchildren.  

Time to go home.