One of my wonderful customers was asking me about these charts today.  Hopefully she does read my blog, so that I can pass the message on to her, that I can place the order for more designs in this range when she is ready with one of my major distributors.

Today has proven to be fun, and very educational.  Unfortunately, when it came down to it, the organisers changed the layout slightly and I am not  next to the entrance to the quilt show now.  But I am still in Aisle I at I06.  I am now looking forward to the rest of the show.  I hope to see you there.  I will take some photos tomorrow.

I think!  Craft and Quilt Fair starts tomorrow, 9am.  So I will need to be up by 6am, at the latest, so that I can get to the show by 8am for last minute jobs.  Right now I am finishing off labels, I have just finished photocopying several pages of stuff, oh, and my Spring Retreat postcard arrived today!  So these will be available to people attending the Craft and Quilt Fair.  I am so grateful to my Dad.  I have set up and taken down stands on my own in the past, but it is always so much better to have a helper, and Dad has a covered Ute, making it even better.  He was at my place early this morning, having come from the other side of Melbourne.  What is even more important, is that if anyone had told him when he was in his 40’s that he should be an invalid, a) he would have told them where to go, and b) I would not have the help I get now.  You see, my Dad is chronically ill, and should not have any use of his hands.  But he has ignored all of that, and is a major help to both my brother and I.  He packed the Ute, while I ran several errands relating to this event, made me lunch while I dropped off Steph, unloaded the Ute and helped with the new thread boards, completely doing the Sampler Threads ones.  I am so blessed to have such a fantastic father.

Gina, I am looking forward to seeing you again at the show.  Your talk on Aprons at the Guild last month was received with great interest.  But that is the subject of another Blog post.

Until Tomorrow…

Today is the last day that I can spend on preparations for the Craft and Quilt Fair.  I have so much to do.  And the kids finish at 1pm today - Parent Teacher Interviews.  On my list is to finish putting the fat quarters of cross stitch fabric in their bags, printing of the up to date catalogue of what I have in stock - and I am considering putting together a small print catalogue of everything that is in stock as of today.  It wont have any pictures, which should make it easier to do.  I also need to get my print newsletter done today.  But these can be photocopied and assembled tomorrow night.

I have heard that the exhibition of quilts at the fair is fantastic.  I will be making sure that I go to see the quilts.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Retreat.  I will be promoting it at the Craft and Quilt Fair, so you had better book fast.

Oh my goodness, this is fast approaching!  I am not even sure that I am ready!  Of course I always feel this way in the lead up to another show, and it always seems to work out.  I am excited, because my stand is supposed to be next to the entry/exit to the quilt exhibition.  WOW!  What a great place to be!  Oh, the stand number is I6.

Want a tip for exploring the venue?  When you enter the hall, check to see which way the majority of the visitors are going, then go in the opposite direction.  Now if approximately equal numbers are going left and right, why not go up the middle.  Makes it a bit more complicated, but it does mean that you get to see all the middle stands without being surrounded by crowds.  Have a look at the layout.  Would it be best to start from the end of the entry, or the opposite end of the hall?

Be sure to stop by The Needlework Boutique and say hello…oh and check out our wares.

The housework is done, and you now have time to sit down and pick up that needle and thread.  Then the phone rings!  It is a telemarketer, and there goes your mood and your stitching mojo!  Or as you sit down, you suddenly realise that the day has caught up with you and you are ready for bed.  (Yep, that has happened more times than I care to think about!)

Alternatively, you could be waking up to a beautiful hills morning, having a hearty breakfast ready for consumption, dishes are done for you, and all you need to do is get dressed when you are ready and join 24 like minded souls stitching and talking.  And the best thing there is…you don’t have to stop to prepare meals, do the washing, clean the kitchen, vacuum the floor, or any of the myriad of tasks we do everyday.  You can spend the whole day relaxing and stitching at our Spring Retreat.  But you need to book soon as numbers are limited.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting about past stitching weekends and weeks that I have been on. Some have been for pure fun, others have been working trips(don’t you just hate attending tradeshows!)

While I was living in Europe, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend various embroidery and cross stitch weekends. The first one I ever attended was in Cardiff, Wales, with the magazine Classic Stitches. I know I have completed the butterfly we started in one of the classes, but can’t remember if I have finished the other two projects. That was in 1999. My husband and son were both with me that weekend, though my son spent most of it in the Cardiff hospital with the flu. A week later, I was back in Delft, in intensive care, with pneumonia and pleurisy. I was 20 - 22 weeks pregnant with Shannon at the time. As you can understand, I do not have many memories of this weekend away, but I do know that I enjoyed it so much, that I was willing to give it ago again later on.

Butterfly from the Classic Stitches Retreat. 

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