A Little Pouch...

A couple of Sundays ago I ventured down to Melbourne and met Rosie & Judy at Jeff's Shed at the Craft & Quilt Show....yes I know, it was over a week ago but what can I say, lazy...local quilt group bought group tickets for all members so my ticket was "free" (only reason I went really)...knowing where unrestricted parking is on a Sunday from my days of working at Etihad Stadium I walked the 10 minutes down and across the river...it's always dodgy when I cross the river, my radar goes all out of whack on the wrong side...when I worked in an office situated in the World Trade Centre, back when dinosaurs walked the earth, I once asked my boss where Clarendon Street was...he pointed out the window and pretty much straight down...yep I had no idea that Spencer Street became Clarendon Street when the river was crossed!!!...Melbournites are now requested to kindly stop laughing!...anyway, the point is, it's way safer for me to park on the right side of the river and walk, I have much less chance of driving around in circles or ending up lost in the wilds of the south east somewhere with no idea how I got there!

So, anyway, free ticket, free parking...liking the cost structure so far! I arrive and find Rosie & Judy who tell me they've booked into a class at the Brother stand...a quick trip to the stand and I snaffle the last spot in the class...yay!...and again, free!!!...no idea what the class is mind you, I'm being a total follower this day and just happy to tag along and I'm not adverse to playing with a new machine...

At the "classroom" area of the stand the tutor gave everyone a project pack and we got to play with a nifty little machine...we started by stitching rows of pretty embroidery stitches...

Such pretty stitches...1 1/2 hours later and cream homespun was transformed into a cute little button closure pouch (pattern by Brother - Take-Anywhere Purse)...

Decorated with embroidery stitching and an appliqued heart the pouch finishes at about 7" x 4 1/4", a useful size for toting about a little stitchery or some hexies/paper piecing shapes in the handbag...and did I mention...free!!!

This is the whizzy little machine we got to play with...very nice...and user friendly too...

Probably a good thing there isn't any spare in the bank account or I'd have been very tempted as they were not at all expensive and sewed nicely.

After lunch Judy went off to do her own thing for a while and Rosie & I sat in on a no-cost talk by the lovely Monica Poole who shared the basics of her quilt-as-you-go techniques, which was interesting.  I was sitting right in front of one of her applique quilts (a BOM with a peacock in the centre) and it was just gorgeous.

The Victorian Quilters Showcase is part of this show and there were lots of lovely quilts but as signage at the entrance requested no photos you'll just have to believe me.

Thanks to Rosie & Judy for a lovely day out.

There has been precious little else to share going on...although I have revisited the Quilt Whose Name I Can't Remember, all the diamond paper shapes are covered, the triangles are started and I've joined the first round of hexie flowers (took a little detour from covering papers)...if I can keep up any sort of momentum there may be something to show with that soon(ish).

Hope there has been more happening in your world.

Happy Stitching...