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It's time to pack up and hit the road again. This time I am taking the shop to the brand new Craft Alive event in Mt Gambier.
The shop will remain open while I am away, in the very capable hands of Russell and Jodie. I have left plenty of stock on the shelves for any visitors over the week, and there are even a few new kits for some new projects that I have made recently.
Well I had better get back to packing it all up, ready for loading the ute tomorrow.
Hopefully it will all fit in!
Linda :)
The Friendship Frolic is over for another year, and I know that both Lenora and I have had a great time putting this event on for you all this year. Can you believe that it has been four years since our very first Friendship Frolic? We certainly can't.......where does that time go to! We will be meeting up in the next month or so to start planning next year's Frolic and have some plans for making it bigger, better and more fun. For those who weren't able to make it this year here are a few photos of what I did for the FF this year.
I always have a different display in my classroom. I clear it all out and set it all up the day before the Frolic begins. Over the years I have has a display of items made from selvedges; then a display of quilts that my Mum had made (as well as her wedding dress); and last year it was a display (good, bad and ugly) of my quilts through the years. This year I pulled together all of my Tilda goodness and the result was this pretty display
and a close-up
Thinking that the weather might be good in May, I decided to have a display in the garden.........table runners on the 'clothes line'
I took them all off on the Wednesday night, but as it rained on and off over the 5 days, I have have left them out......and they are still out!
I have often admired the yarn bombing that appears around towns and cities and decided to do something similar but with old, never to be quilted, quilt tops. So on Wednesday morning at about 7am Russell and I went for a little wander up the road, down the road and then to the power pole on our front lawn.......3 quilt tops, staple gun and cable ties.
A fuzzy photo taken through the windscreen this morning.....lol! I have decided to leave them up........pretty sure no-one will pinch them!
We have now drawn all of the winners from the various competitions held during the Friendship Frolic.
Congratulations to:
Heather Suter, Camperdown : 2 x $150 gift vouchers from Gum Valley Patchwork and Elm Grove Patchwork
Julie Payne, Mepunga West : $150 voucher from Barb Devine @ Devine Quilting
Our 'Fun for the Frolickers' anagram puzzle winners were
Tammy Renwick-Patterson, Warrnambool : $20 gift voucher, Gum Valley Patchwork
Heather Daffy, Colac : $20 gift voucher, Elm Grove Patchwork
I completely forgot to have an in store competition, however, every week (or almost) I have a Free Fabric Friday giveaway on my Facebook Page and last week's winner was Pat Ervin from Ballarat. Lenora had a guess the number of buttons in the jar which was won by...........wait for it.......... Pat Ervin from Ballarat. Pat has indeed been a lucky frolicker this week. Pat correctly guessed 287 buttons.
Oh and congratulations to everyone who completed their Frolickers Passport and collected their very special FF 2018 6.5" ruler. Very handy!
Before I finish, I would like to thank everyone who joined in on the Frolic. Lenora and I are great friends and it was lovely to see you all enjoying your time with us. We love putting on this event for everyone and will definitely be back next year for our fifth Friendship Frolic.
Linda :)
With Day 4 over, we only have one more day to go for the 2018 Friendship Frolic. If you haven't joined in yet there is still a chance to visit Lenora at Elm Grove Patchwork and little old me at Gum Valley Patchwork. Both shops are open between 10.30am and 4pm tomorrow. Collect your passport, spend a minimum of $20 at each shop, and you will go into the draw to win $300 worth of vouchers......AND collect one of these fabulous 6.5" FF Rulers as our gift to you. So why not make Sunday a Funday!
Linda :)
It's been a long day and now that the shop is back in order (and ready for tomorrow), I finally have the chance to sit down and pop the feet up. Our Friendship Frolic kicked off this morning at 10.30am and apart from a little lull in the middle of the day......probably when everyone was in Timboon having lunch.....it has been a wonderfully busy day.
I started off first thing by putting up a little display in the garden......
and also doing some 'quilt bombing' out along the roadside. We cable tied the quilt tops to some road signs........hopefully they will last for the 5 days of the Frolic, and not go walkie walkie......lol!
The Frolic continues tomorrow and runs through until Sunday at 4pm.
Linda :)
I know that I should be focused on our Friendship Frolic, but I am so excited about this new event at Gum Valley Patchwork that I couldn't wait any longer to release the details. About 12 months ago I started planning a Christmas in July event for Gum Valley Patchwork. I had even booked the venue and then found out that my slaves workers weren't available on the day that I had penciled in.......so it was cancelled before it was even launched. Fast forward to a couple of months ago........this time I asked my workers first, then booked the venue, and now it's all go.
Sunday 22nd July, 2018
10am to 4pm
at the Simpson Community Hub,
Recreation Reserve, Simpson
Cost : $65 per person
Includes : 2 course meal (Roast lunch & dessert); morning and afternoon tea with tea / coffee all day; two Christmas themed projects; a goodie bag; lucky draws; plus more!
The shop will there for some retail therapy. Bring along your hand stitching and spend a great day with friends and fellow stitchers.
To book your place, please contact Linda @ Gum Valley Patchwork 0427 943 201
I am hoping that this mid year stitching day will become an annual event on my calendar. If you are wanting to book a place, please contact me asap.....and yes, you can book for more than one person. Numbers will be limited.
Linda :)
It's almost that time of the year again when Lenora and I join forces for our annual Friendship Frolic event. Lenora gave a great insight to what our Friendship Frolic is all about in her blog post a couple of days ago. Due to various commitments in June, we decided this year to bring it forward a month and have it in May. It starts on Wednesday 16th and runs through to Sunday 20th May.......yes I will be open on the Wednesday and Lenora will open on the Sunday......and we will both be opening 30 minutes earlier at 10.30am to give you extra time to shop, lunch and have fun! Yes that's 5 full days for frolicking for everyone! And what will I have happening at Gum Valley Patchwork during the Frolic?.......well here's just a little run down for you all.......
Since the launch of my Bargain Bundles 2 years ago at The Friendship Frolic, customers have been able to purchase some great fabrics at about 50% off the retail price. I have spent time last week cutting, packing and restocking the basket with new bundles so make sure that you check them out.......4 x 1/2m pieces for $22 is a great deal!
I will also be having my yearly massive double discount on all of the packaged 'End of Bolts'. My usual End of Bolt discount is 20%......but if you purchase any of the 'End of Bolt' pack you will receive an extra 20 % off the pack at the register. There are over 120 packs to choose from and they vary in size from 15cm to 120cm..........but rest assured, they won't last long!
The classroom this year will feature a display of Tilda goodness. I will have projects on display, including the ones using the newly released 'Sunkiss' fabric collection. The 'Sunkiss' fabric will be there along with books, patterns, kits, buttons, wrapping paper, fat 1/4s, Fabric bundles, and some 'End of Bolt' packs (don't forget that double discount on them!). I will also have some other bolted Tilda fabric which will be reduced for this event only.........reduced from $25/m down to just $16/m (min 50cm cut and no further discounts apply). And finally I will have a big basket of $2 Tilda Fat 1/8ths.........great for adding to your Tilda Stash!
There will be a super special deal on my specials fabric. Normally priced at $12/m these are great for backings, borders or adding to your stash. During the Frolic these will be reduced to just $5 /m.......yes that's right $5 per metre. There must be a catch......just one.......it's a minimum cut of one metre........oh and no further discounts apply (ie end of bolt discount). After the Frolic they will be back up to $12/m.....which is still a great deal but $5 is better!
This year I will pop the urn on in the classroom for those wishing to have a cuppa. I just ask that you don't wander around the shop with your hot drink, just enjoy it in the classroom.
There just might be a game to fill in the time between Gum Valley Patchwork and Elm Grove Patchwork......maybe over lunch at one of the many eateries in Timboon. There are no special deals this year, instead we are leaving the choice up to you. You can choose from the Timboon Railway Distillary (new revised lunch menu); The Provedore (new owners); Timboon Bakery; The Fat Cow Cafe; Margaret Gays Cafe (next to the Chemist); Timboon Takeaway; The Railway Hotel (Pub); Childers Restaurant in Nullawarre; or pack a picnic lunch from home. Please be aware that some of the eateries in Timboon are not open on Saturday and Sunday.
And of course our Frolic wouldn't be the Frolic without our very special Frolickers prize. All you need to do is spend $20 at both Elm Grove Patchwork and Gum Valley Patchwork, get your passport stamped and you will go into the draw for 2 x $150 gift vouchers.......one from Lenora and one from me.......I'm sure that $300 worth of goodies would not go astray! We also have a second prize for a $150 quilting voucher from Barb Devine of Devine Quilting. Barb has been a wonderful supporter of the Friendship Frolic and we thank her for her continued support.
But wait there's more! When you hand in your completed passport, as a thank you for supporting us, we would like to give you a special 2018 FF gift. There are a limited number of these gifts, so once they are gone that's it.
So there you have it, what is happening at Gum Valley Patchwork during the Friendship Frolic this coming week.........Wednesday 16th to Sunday 20th, 10.30am to 4pm. I might even be able to plan a few extra things between now and Wednesday.......
Linda :)
This time last year I took the plunge and decided to take some drastic pruning action on my two standard Lilli Pillies. Over the years they had grown and grown, and even though I had pruned them each year they just got taller and taller......so tall in fact that I needed Russell to prune the tops using a ladder. This was the before photo taken last May.
And then this was the after photo
Drastic I know. But I decided that if they lived that would be great......and if they died then I would just plant something else. After quite a few months of waiting and watching this happened........
Over the months both trees have really boomed.......obviously my harsh treatment didn't hurt them and this was what they looked like this morning....
prior to their next trim.........
Less drastic this time around.....lol! Next job is to replace some of the roses that have reached their expiry day.......unfortunately there will be no second chances for them.
Linda :)
Well maybe it's not old old, but in my garden it is old. I was given a tiny oak tree in a pot about 14 years ago by the son of a friend. He had grown it from an acorn and I was happy to plant it in the garden at the location of where the shop would be built. Two years on, I decided that I had planted it in the wrong place, so I dug it up and 'dumped' it in a quickly dug hole in the bottom corner of the garden. And there it has stayed, and grown over the years since, with just the odd low lying branch chopped off and a few barrow loads of weeds thrown underneath it. That was until last week when the chainsaw came out and the bottom branches were trimmed off.
Yesterday afternoon after shutting up the shop at 4pm, I decided it was time to put a little bit of love into this forgotten corner of the garden. I used the larger unmulchable branches as garden edging.......I'm all out of rocks and bricks. I then dug up some of the dwarf white agapanthus from near the garage, and planted a border with them. Hopefully by the time the branches rot down the agapanthus will have formed a nice border to keep the mulch contained. I also had 4 large bags of Jonquils that I had purchased on a recent visit to Bunnings, and I have planted them in behind the agapanthus.
It is a bit rustic looking but nice and manageable. I will plant a few other hardy plants, and the mulch will help with weeding.
The mulch pile was putting out a lot of steam and felt really warm. I was curious as to how hot it was.......
I'm now on the lookout for a nice seat to go underneath the tree.......might not be used in the Winter.......but in the Summer it will be a nice hiding place for me!
Linda :)
I have been back in the sewing room stitching up a storm with the newest of the beautiful Tilda fabric called 'Sunkiss'. You might remember a couple of weekends ago I spent two days stitching up my version of the Tilda Whale quilt. Well it's back from the lovely Wendy at Clever Ducks Quilting, the binding is done and it is up on the wall in the shop. I made my version smaller than the pattern, which is now in stock for those wanting to buy it. I absolutely love it!
The next small project I made was a new zippered pouch called 'Peony Kisses'. I am just a little addicted to making zippered pouches.......these lacey zips are so easy to sew on, and everyone can use another pouch can't they? Kits are available for $19.
Yesterday our First Friday Stitching Group met, our first time since February. It was lovely to sit & chat......and eat yummy cake......thanks Jodie! I did do some sewing and I started this new version of my 'Bee Beautiful' Table Runner. I have made it just a little longer and it came up a treat. Kits are available for $30....and this one is pre-cut!
It was back to the sewing room today and I made another zippered pouch........yes another one........lol! I have these cute lacey star zippers and really wanted to use them in a project. Charlotte's Pouch is a long rectangular shaped pouch and kits are available for $19 each.
So there you have it.......my Tilda stitching. The 'Sunkiss' fabric is listed online and is $25 per metre.
Linda :)
After a rather slack blogging month in April, I am really hoping to pick up my game with my posts in May. Despite having a rather large work load in the shop, I decided early in the week that I needed some outdoor therapy and spent a few days in the garden. I have an orchard that I started about 12 years ago, and over the years have gradually extended it and added more trees. It consists mainly of apples (15), cherries, mulberries, a nectarine, and up until Monday afternoon, 2 plums , 2 apricots and a pear tree. The chainsaw and tractor came out......Russell's two favourite pieces of gardening equipment!........and a couple of hours later the 5 trees were gone. Don't get me wrong.......I love apricots and my Green Gage plum is my favourite plum in the whole world.......but unfortunately these trees had shot out and grown from below their grafts and the root stock had taken over the trees. There was absolutely no bringing them back, so out the came. I will replant the plums but doubt very much I will try again with the apricot. After persevering for 12 years to grow one I've had enough! Tuesday the mulcher came out and Russell spent 2 big days mulching up all of the branches.
I also made the most of Russell and the chainsaw and a few other trees were trimmed off and neatened up..........there are still more to do but they can wait for another day. With wet weather forecast for the next few days, I won't feel guilty about being inside stitching up some new projects......now that I have had my gardening fix!
Linda :)