Friday, March 13, 2009

Barossa happenings

Sandy Askill from the Barossa sent this to me.

The Barossa Valley Vintage Festival is on in April, held every other year.Usually has at least three quilt shows - the one at Heather's cottage which you mentioned, the display by members of the Vine Patch Quilters, which this year will be held in Tanunda and the cottage garden quilters usually have a display in Angaston. Haven't seen the guide book yet so unsure of the details - esp as I won't be here ... A fun part though are the scarecrows which pop up all over the region, great fun to go for a drive and play spot the scarecrows . Oh and the wineries have lots of extra activities too during this festival.

Sandy in South Australia

SA girls, if there is anything else happening worthy of mention, please email me and let me know.

lizneedl@adam.com.au

Thursday, March 12, 2009

What's on in Adelaide

Hi Fellow Scquilters,

Thought I would post this website which Rosemary in Canberra sent to the list. It gives you a comprehensive list of what is happening in Adelaide in April - yes, my eastern states friends, things do actually happen in Adelaide despite reports to the contrary.

http://www.bcl.com.au/adelaide/wotson-april.htm

Also on in the week preceeding the Retreat is the Barossa Festival which includes a quilt exhibition at Barossa Quilt and Craft Cottage. (I hope I have that right. I am waiting for more information about this). I believe the Quilt exhibition finishes on the Monday after the Retreat, but if you are coming through the Barossa on your way to Adelaide, it is a geat place to spend some time with lots to see and do (especially tasting the great wines).

Last Friday, with time on my hands, I trawled along Jetty Road, Glenelg and discovered a wealth of shops - especially eating places. None of you will go hungry over the retreat weekend, because once you have eaten your share at the Grand, you just have to step out of the door to find a foodlovers paradise. I was especially taken with the Danish icecream shops - Anderssons and Copenhagen. Love that Danish icecream!

And then there is the esplanade with its fancy apartments, restaurants and bistros, the jetty and of course the beach. We even have a glorious old carousel (hurdy gurdy for old timers) which just tempts you to ride on. Within 2 kms is a great golf course with Harbourtown, Ikea and the airport a further kilometre on. Stopping right in front of the Grand is the famous Glenelg tram which runs regularly into the centre of Adelaide. You could pop in to the Adelaide Central Market on Friday or Saturday (it is considered one of the best in Australia) or stay on the tram a little longer and hop off at the Casino for a flutter. Or you may prefer to stay at the Grand and chat or do workshops. Spoilt for choice.

Liz

Monday, March 2, 2009

Retreat Committee


Retreat Committee
Originally uploaded by wineandroses09
I have just spent some time setting up a new Flickr account so that I could use Mosaic Maker to post photos to this blog. There probably was a way I could have used an existing account, but my computer skills weren't up to that. Hopefully this will work.

On Saturday your Retreat committee spent the day cutting, ironing and stitching to create something for the goodie bags. You'll have to wait until you get the bags, but I think you will like our contributions.

In fact, thanks to the generosity of our wonderful sponsors and some other fantastic Scquilters, your goodie bags will have a lot of pleasant surprises in them.

The photos show some of the committee at work.
Top row shows Tracey at the ironing board and Sue and Jan sewing.
Middle row - Jan and Nusia making some important decisions and Maxine cutting and trimming.
Bottom row - Chris, Patricia and Bron sewing.

And just a reminder about Siggie squares. The decision to participate needs to be made in the next few days, because the swap is closing. If you are humming and haaing - STOP!!

Liz

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Sorry this has been a while. I have tried to publish this post several times with no success. For some reason Blogger won't let me do it. Third time lucky.

Second apology. I missed the January meeting when the second raffle quilt was discussed and so I gave you incorrect information - for that I apologise. The second raffle quilt will soon be finished and tickets sold to raise funds towards Retreat costs, not breast cancer as I indicated. This quilt is going to be a beauty. The raffle will be drawn at the Retreat dinner on Friday night.

WIP - the second raffle quilt with coordinator and designer Jenny Loveder











There will be a special raffle at the Retreat for Retreatees only. This one is to raise funds for the Jane McGrath Foundation. The prizes are fabulous!!!!!!!!!! I am sworn to secrecy about the first two, but I can tell you that the next two prizes are the quilt by Jenny Bowker and the table set by Walton. Who could ask for more?

Thursday night dinner venue has been booked - it took some finding a place large enough to take 100 plus women!! We will be dining at the Watermark - a buffet style meal with a great variety of dishes to suit all tastes. Cost per head will be $24.95 and $21.20 for seniors. Drinks are not included.

Please check!! Any electrical equipment you will be using in workshops or conference areas will need current electrical tagging. This includes sewing machines, light boxes, irons and computers if using mains electricity. Current means within the last 12 months. If anyone has a problem with this, we can possibly arrange for on site tagging for a small fee.


Retreat Committee - hard at work



And what you couldn't see - at the other end of the table. Sue (Sioux) Smith taking time out with a friend.












Sewing Machines - we will have available a limited number of sewing machines for use in workshops only. These need to have been booked and paid for with registration. If you are driving over and need a sewing machine, it would be very much appreciated if you could bring your own as numbers available for hire are limited.

Not sure how many sleeps to go, but it is getting closer and closer - and still so much to do.

Liz

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Reminders

Just in case you missed these reminders on the list, here they are again.

Girls wishing to attend the Thursday night pre-Retreat dinner need to contact Heather Bolt direct to book your places. No last minute decisions, girls. Places are filling up fast, so get onto it.

Apparel and merchandise orders need to be in to Bron Atkinson in the next couple of weeks, so don't put it off - reminds me I have to do mine. Bad girl, Liz!! End of January is the dead line for that one.

There is still room in most of the workshops, so if you have been humming and haaing, do something about it now - Whoops! You may already be too late. Check with Tracey on that one.

RAFFLE

Exciting news for those of you who missed out on the Retreat Raffle. We have another one!!! We enjoyed the first one so much, that Jenny Loveder organised another raffle quilt. This one is a gorgeous New York Beauty in batik fabrics. You will love it. But wait....................!! There's more.............!! Two of our famous Scquilters, Jenny Bowker and Lisa Walton, have donated beautiful pieces for second and third prizes in this raffle. More details and photos later. Tickets will be available at the beginning of March and proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Research. This raffle will be drawn at the Friday night Retreat dinner, so keep your eyes open for the ticket sales.

Finally a glimpse of some of our volunteer slaves busy preparing goodies for the Retreat. No details - it's a surprise!!




91 days to go!!

Liz

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sorry

My apologies for neglecting this blog. End of term, Christmas and poor health (not mine) got in the way, but now I have it sorted and will try and post more regularly.

Preparations for the Retreat are well under way and with only 3 months to go, excitement is building - at least here in Adelaide. After all, it is the social event of the year in this sleepy city!! LOL!! I imagine that Glenelg will be anything but sleepy come April!!!

Congratulations to our lucky raffle quilt winner - JULIE KLINGBERG from Murray Bridge. Julie's winning ticket was sold by committee member Patricia Little and you can see both Julie and Patricia in the photos below.

Julie Klingberg (left) receiving her quilt from Patricia Little


A very happy Julie with her gorgeous quilt.
More later.

Liz

Monday, November 17, 2008

Retreat Workshops

It's a while since I wrote on this blog, but I have been away on school camps and there hasn't been a lot to tell you. We had a committee meeting on Saturday and sorted out registrations, workshops, merchandise orders etc. It took all afternoon, but it was a job well done.

There are still spaces left at the Retreat, so if you know anyone who was humming and haahing, pleae encourage them to join us in Adelaide next April. We can guarantee a fun filled weekend.

There are also spaces in most of the workshops, so please consider taking one of the classes. Here are a couple of class descriptions to whet your appetite. Both Tara and Gina are very highly regarded teachers, though perhaps not so well known interstate.

TEA WITH ROSES - TARA SNIEDZE (OF TASSIE QUILTS) $40.00

With simple floral shapes perfect for the beginner, this is the ideal project for you if you've always wanted to try needle-turn applique. You will learn easy techniques to create bias strip stems, inside and outside curves, clipped points, and simple marking techniques. Bring along your favourite fabrics and coloured threads, and learn how easy needle-turn applique can be.

Approx 24 x 76 inches.

Tara Sniedze has a blog. Tara has also published in AP&Q. She teaches at Quiltaholics at Magill.


DAISY CHAIN QUILT - GINA BURGESS - $40.00

This fun one day workshop will show you how to make the delightful Daisy Chain quilt. Based on the traditional single Irish Chain design, we will look at the construction of the chain block, the preparation and stitching of the appliqué block and finally the piecing of the border. You can choose the daisy chain appliqué block (see photo), bring your own appliqué design (must fit a 9" fin. block) or complete the Wine and Roses theme block. (This photo will be available later.)
This is a stress free workshop suitable for all skill levels.

Gina teaches at Port Noarlunga, and has a group called Gallery Quilters there.

This quilt made by Gina Burgess and Mary Williams won Group Quilt at the recent SA Quilters Guild exhibition



Details of workshops and photos of projects can be found on the Retreat website - link on this page.
Liz