Last of the Retreat

We ate very well at the retreat, with morning tea and lunch at the venue, the  Mittagong RSL Club. Christmas in July, Saturday night dinner was also there, but I forgot my camera, so instead an offering from our Italian night at Vin Santo, with yummy Italian food that just kept on coming to the table.

This was a night to win prizes from the sponsors and a sewing machine from Bernina, who also supplied the tutors' machines.

Tamsin's enthusiasm is infectious and her energy amazing. The next Retreat is in the planning stages with USA tutors already announced.

Carol travelled with her great friend Sherry, who helped us all out. Thanks for a wonderful experience, all my students, fellow tutors, Sue, Charles and Tamsin.

Retreat tutors

We were treated like quilting royalty at the Quilting in the Highlands Retreat and got to do lots of 'posing'!

Here I am with the amazing Carol Doak. It was lovely to have the opportunity to get to know the other tutors who were all fun loving people.

Melinda Bula and I in front of her wonderfully coloured work.

Lessa Chandler of Chandlers Cottage is based in Victoria and designs glorious fabric ranges.

This was our last curtain call at Tuesday lunch. With soooo many cameras pointed at us we weren't sure which one to look at. Michele Hill in the middle, author of 2 books on William Morris.

More Opal Fever

Leonie and her glowing gems.

Elisabeth with a fiery central opal.

Larry and her opal necklace.

Clare got Opal Fever.

Peta with her cool and warm coloured opals.

Opal Fever at Retreat

WOW, don't these opal quilts look spectacular? L-R front row Fay, Larry, Jennie, Tracey. Back row Carol, Clare, me, Leonie, Peta, Elisabeth. I love the look of each quilt showcasing the colour choices of the maker.

Jennie had all her opals stitched at the end of day 2.

Fay chose a necklace of opal with pearls.

Carol with Flat Stanley checking out her Opal Fever quilt.

Tracey with her glowing opals.

More Garden Trellis

Cornelia's layering for her tile.

Yvonne's tile with dimensional flowers.

Hilary's tile.

Jan's multi-layered work in progress.

Garden Trellis

My 12 students have worked hard over the 2 day workshop Garden Trellis and stencilled, rubbed, painted, stitched and stitched, even discovering decorative stitches they didn't know they had on their machines. The trellis was made and the tiles well on the way to completion.

Eileen and Hilary.

We had a great classroom to spread out in- the children's playroom! L-R Kim, Anne in the back, Yvonne, Eileen, Cornelia behind Eileen, Jan, me, Robyn, Patrise, Christine, Jean. Hilary and Vicki in the front.

Jean was adding elements to her frog piece begun in a Kim Bradley workshop.

Anne's work in progress with blue butterfly and pink dragonfly stitched on washaway.

Eileen's tile.

The tutors

We got to pose for photos after the Christmas in July dinner at the Mittaging RSL. What a fun night.L-R Lessa Chandler, Carol Doak, Michele Hill, me and Melinda Bula. We all got to reveal a little of our quilting journeys, the funny bits.This photo was taken by Tamsin Harvey, the talented organiser of the Retreat.

A day in Berrima

Nice to have time to spend a day relaxing/shopping/lunching/talking in Berrima before workshops begin. This is what I got up to- the edited version!

We are staying at the Springs Resorts Mittagong RSL Motel and this is a view on the road to Berrima.

A short morning stroll along the Quarry Walk by the river and I was ready for morning tea.
Just around this corner is the award winning Gumnut Patisserie where I had a Passionfruit Chiboust that was divine.

Visited the  restored Courthouse, opposite the old gaol, on the left. The tour gave us a sense of the Colonial/Convict past with a recreation of a famous trial. The sandstone from the local area had great colour and textured markings. The rounded doors had been carved with an adze from a solid piece of cedar.

A quilt greeted us in one of the Courthouse rooms.

Thanks for a lovely day out, Sue and Tamsin Harvey, owners of Berrima Patchwork  and organisers of the retreat. US tutors Carol Doak,  author of 20 books and Melinda Bula and Joe and Sherri are great fun to hang out with.

Quilting in the Highlands

Hello from the Southern Highlands, south of Sydney in New South Wales. I'm one of 5 tutors preparing for the 4 day quilting retreat Quilting in the Highlands organised by Berrima Patchwork  and run by Sue and Tamsin Harvey.

I'm teaching Garden Trellis and Opal Fever and will remember to take lots of photos! Quilt above is Opals which started the opal fever.