Gum Valley Patchwork

Christmas fun

Last weekend I had a few days in Melbourne.......for both business and pleasure. The Australian Quilt Market was held on the Saturday and Sunday, and while I usually attend on the Saturday, this year I decided to go on the Sunday. This was due to having purchased tickets to a show on the Monday night. I haven't got time now to tell you all of the great things that came from AQM......I will blog about those in the coming days.........this post is about the show that Hannah and I went to. We got dressed up in our Christmas dresses and attended the funny A Very Kransky Christmas. I was a little worried about wearing our Christmas dresses as we went out for an early dinner, but I need not have worried as no-one paid any attention to us.......that's Melbourne for you.......lol! We were also the only ones to make an effort and get in to the Christmas spirit for the show.......but that didn't bother us! The Kransky Sister trio entertained us for 1.5 hours and did an encore song...........whether we wanted it or not......it was more to say that they had tea towels for sale in the foyer......lol!

Eve, Mourne and Dawn were signing their tea towels and posing for photos........which we just had to do when we showed Mourne our dresses.

Dawn (from another father), Mourne and Eve

They stayed completely in character the whole time.........such a fun night!

Still on the Christmas theme, don't forget my Christmas Sale continues today (through to Sunday) with 20% off all stock. Also available for online purchases.....just enter the code Christmas to get the 20% off at check out.

Linda    :)
 

It's Christmas Sale time again

Yes that's right.........it's time for my annual Christmas Sale. My the year has just flown by and Christmas will be here before we know it. My Sale is a great time to stock up for your sewing projects during the Summer holidays, or buy that gift for a stitching friend.

Gum Valley Patchwork

 

Annual Christmas Sale

 

20% off all stock*

 

Wed 28th November, 5pm - 7.30pm

&

Thurs 29th to Sun 2nd December,

11am - 4pm

Come and check out the great range of

fabrics, sewing notions, patterns, kits & books available.

486 Princetown Rd, Cooriemungle

(4 km south of Simpson - look for the pink flag)

Enq. Linda 0427 943 201

(*excludes laybys, BOM’s & gift vouchers)

 

For those who are unable to visit the shop, use the code Christmas and get 20% off online orders placed between 28th November and the 2nd December.

Better head off and put up the Christmas tree!

Linda     :)

To the moon and back

A couple of months ago the new 'Guess how much I love you' fabric collection arrived in the shop. I had the previous collection, which was in flannel, and it proved very popular but not everyone likes flannel. This new range is in cotton and the prints are different from the first which is nice. When it arrived I was busy with the Stitch in Spring, then we were off to Tasmania and then the wedding, but finally last week I got to and made a new small quilt from it. 

I even managed to get my bsr sorted and was able to do the machine quilting on it. Please don't look too closely as it's my first attempt at using it.......I'm hoping that I get better the more I use it. I have made up a limited number of kits in both the blue colourway (as per the photo) and also a pink version. The pink version isn't overly pink, it has the pink colourway fabric in both the word print fabric used in the second border and the pink stripe fabric for the binding. The panel and the thin blue border are the same for both colourways. Kits are available for $42 each which includes the panel, border and binding fabrics and the pattern. The backing fabric is not included. The finished quilt measures 87cm x 130cm.

Linda     :)

Snuggly nests

Three and a half weeks ago I planted out a pot plant stand with pretty pink petunias. I lined it with some mulch mat that I have had in the shed for about 10 years. I was very proud of myself for using something that had sat and sat there for so long. Everything was going swimmingly until I noticed that the matting was getting smaller and smaller......ten days ago it looked like this......

and this morning it was looking like this......

Everyday it gets closer to falling apart completely, 'thanks' to the sparrows who are ripping it apart to line their nests with. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing I can do to stop them, so I plan to carefully lift the petunias out, line the stand with some black plastic and replant them.  That will put an end to their shenanigans!

Linda    :)

 

The wedding

It seems like forever ago that Emma and Adam called in to the shop and asked whether they could get married in our garden. I was quite thrilled about the prospect of having another wedding in the garden, with the first one being our own Emma and her husband Ryan back in 2013. I had 11 months to finish off the garden......plenty of time.....so I thought! There were many long days spent weeding, planting and mulching, that coupled with lots of lawn mowing, meant that the garden looked very nice by the time 3rd November came around. When Emma and Adam booked the garden, the only thing that I couldn't guarantee were the flowers in the garden. Spring was very late last year, but thankfully it was back on track and although there weren't many, the roses had started to come out. A week later and it would have been perfect........but you can't control the weather!

The day before the wedding was a terrible day.......very strong winds which left their mark on the garden. Thankfully the Saturday wasn't as bad, chilly and windy with just a few skiffy showers of rain (none during the service), and I was able to get out with the rake and tidy up all of the leaf litter and blown mulch. Jenny arrived early to arrange the flowers on the arch before heading off to Geelong for another wedding flower delivery. She left me in charge of keeping an eye on the arrangements making sure that they held up with the wind prior to the guest arriving. Oh my.....I was in and out every 15 minutes checking up on them.....lol. Jenny also did the wedding bouquets which were beautiful.

I have known Adam and his family for many years. Adam and his sisters went to the same school as our girls and I went to school with the Adam's dad, John. I got glammed up and stood at the back of the crowd during the service.......it was lovely to see everyone enjoying the day.

The wedding party wandered around and had photos taken in different parts of the garden. Sorry for the quality of this one......I think that I am definitely a better gardener than photographer!

The official photographers photos were amazing........Emma and Dan from Three Strand took this great photo as the wedding party walked down through the apple orchard.

Photo credit : Three Strand

Check out Emma's fabulous bridal footwear.........the most sensible bridal shoes ever!

Congratulations to Adam and Emma on your big day. It was an honour to have you in our garden and we wish you a lifetime of happiness together.

Linda   :)

 

Happy special birthday Jodie

Many of you who have visited the shop may know Jodie.........she often fills in for me if I have to go away and is always there to lend a hand at my shop events.  Over the years we have become great friends, sharing a love of stitching, family and gardening. Tuesday we tripped off to Melbourne for an early birthday celebration for Jodie, and we went to see A Gentleman's guide to Love and Murder.

It was a fun play, and we even spotted acting royalty 2 rows in front of us.......Mr Geoffrey Rush.

Next stop was a visit to L'uccello in Swanston Street.......a first for Jodie, so she had fun fossicking through all of the vintage goodness. I can't wait to see how she adds the trim to her stitching projects.......knowing Jodie it will look fantastic! After any retail therapy one must have cake and coffee.......well cake and a dirty chai latte for Jodie and an iced chocolate for moi......low fat of course!

It was soon time to head to Southern Cross Station to catch the train back to Lara where the car was parked. It wasn't until we got on the packed tram that I realised that we didn't see the Myer Christmas window......dooh. Jodie is a real Christmas tragic, so maybe we will just have to go back another day........lol!

Friday was our monthly Stampin-up card class, and so it was day 2 of Jodie's birthday celebration. The room was decorated, cards and gifts were given, and I made a special cake for afternoon tea.

Jodie is the queen of cake making, so I was very nervous about making a special cake for her. She always makes beautiful cakes for everyone else, so it was nice to see the surprise look on her face when I walked in with it........and of course we all sang her Happy Birthday. It was a another lovely day spent with great friends.

So today is Jodie's official birth day. Happy birthday Jodie! You are a great friend and a wonderful person. I hope that you enjoy today with your beautiful family and that they spoil you rotten.....like not letting you milk! xx

Linda   :)

 

Southern Right Creative Festival

Previously known as the Southern Right Quilt Show, the hard working committee have decided to expand this biennial event and incorporate other creative interests into the show. 

There will still be the Quilt Show and trade stands........yes Gum Valley Patchwork will be in attendance.....as well as new workshops and demonstrations. If you would like to enter a quilt in the exhibition, you can download a form here:

Download Southern Right Creative Festival Registration Entry Form 2019

Pop it on your calendar now.

Linda     :)

Apple cider mates

During our recent trip to Tasmania we called in on karting friends to visit their cidery. Russell and Rob met through being officials at go-kart racing events, and are also happen to be Presidents of their respective state karting associations. Rob mentioned to Russell one day that his wife Michelle was part owner of a cidery and if we were ever over their way to drop by for a tour. Little did we know that the cidery was in fact the Spreyton Cider Co. Rob took us for a tour of their orchards which were filled with blossoming apple trees, as well as a huge cherry orchard, with the fruit mostly exported. We then visited the bottling area and ended up very nicely at the cellar door.  It was just on closing time but Michelle gave us her personalised run through of the different varieties of cider that they produce. Michelle asked us which we liked the best.........my favourites were certainly different from Russell.....being the sweet tooth that I am! She very generously then gifted us some bottles to bring home and enjoy. 

I have never ever been a beer drinker and never will........my one and only attempt at drinking beer was a shandy and I only drank about 1/3 of the glass! But cider is a totally different thing. Russell may just have to start making double the amount of bottles of his brew!

Linda    :)

A solo day trip

For weeks I have had today marked on my calendar as a 'me day'. I try and have one of these days a couple of times a year, and today's involved a trip to Castlemaine to the fantastic Shades of Gray Studio. I have followed Peter and Chelly on Instagram for quite a while and I must admit that I love everything that they post! I arrived just prior to midday.

My first thought was that I should've bought the ute!

After walking through the front gates and being greeted by Coco the Great Dane, I wandered around the garden and through the various buildings checking out the hundreds of different pieces of artwork.

The flowers were beautiful......it was hard to pick a favourite colour......or design.

These floating waterlily flowers made me think about putting a water feature in my garden.

The wire museum was full of interesting wire items.

and the ceiling was covered in baskets

I even found a wire basket the same as one that I have at home.....it's the one in the centre (below). Mine belonged to my grandfather who used to use it for gathering eggs.......he had a lot of chooks and ducks! I also have a squarish one as well.

These teapots caught my eye

and I loved the bugs in the jar........will pop one of those on my wish list I think.

I 'picked' my flowers and chose my 'new' birdhouse..........thank goodness for split drop down rear seats!

I was soon back on the road and, with a couple of stops, I was back home by about 4.30pm. I was eager to plant my new purchases in the garden.........red flowers......

and blue.......and yellow (in the background)

But my favourite is my new fancy smancy birdhouse.......which may or may not stay in this position.

I might just have to take the ute next time!

Linda    :)

And it's done.....phew!

Over the last 2 years there hasn't been many weeks where I haven't had a pile of wood chips in the car park. Five truck loads of mulch in total with the most recent lot dumped on the 11th September.

My goal was to remulch the whole garden, which had been neglected somewhat over the previous years. Hundreds of wheelbarrows full moved around the garden to help control the weeds and keep the moisture in. This morning saw me shovel my last load of mulch, and I am very pleased to say that there won't be any more wood chips in the car park for at least another 12 months or more.........when I will probably have to do some topping up works.

But in the meantime I will give my back a rest, sit back and admire my garden. I'm hoping that others will also enjoy it tomorrow as there is a wedding in my garden. Unfortunately the wind has been shocking today, so I will have some raking and tidying up to do in the morning prior to the guests arriving.

Please remember that the shop is closed tomorrow, but I will be open again on Sunday.

Linda    :)