Sydney Craft Expo 2011

On Friday, I volunteered to assist with the Knitters' Guild of NSW stand at the Craft Expo which was held at Rosehill Racecourse. I had the afternoon shift (1.00 - 4.30pm) so I had the morning to do as I pleased. I attended the following seminars:

• Scrap Happy with Pam Davis of "Picklemouse Cottage"
• Quick and Quirky Quilts with Judy Hansen of "Busy Thimbles"
• A Flannel Affair with Pam Davis of "Picklemouse Cottage"
• Charm Pack Quilts with "Logan's Patchwork and Quilting" 

Yesterday, DD and I went to the Expo for the day. We attended the following seminars:

• More Quilt As You Go Ideas with Michelle Poole of "Moonshine"
• Children's 'I Spy' Quilts with Heather Bartsch of "Barossa Quilt and Craft Cottage"
• Quilt as You Go Scrap Savers with Julie Wallace of "Quilters Barn"
• Patchwork for Beginners with Julie Wallace of "Quilters Barn"
• Tips, Tricks and the Latest Gadgets for Patchwork and Quilting with Elizabeth Wallace of "Aussie Patches"

Are we sensing a theme here? (Stop smiling, Delighted Hands!) The fact of the matter is that there were no seminars on knitting, only one on crochet, and one on dyeing. So, of course, we had to take the patchwork options! LOL

We had no intention of taking that last seminar. We're not interested in buying any more gadgets but somehow we ended up in the seminar anyway! And the outcome was a lengthy chat with Elizabeth Wallace and two more people joining her patchwork workshop on 9th April! (take that grin off your face, C!)

As for retailers, if one took away all the stalls selling patchworking materials more than 50% of the Expo would have gone. Take away the papercrafts and beads and 90% of the Expo would be gone! Let's just say there wasn't much there if your only interest was in knitting, crochet and dyeing.

So, was there any retail therapy for us? Well, put it this way: if we get out the sewing machine from hibernation, GB#2 will have four new cloth books!

Sydney Craft Expo

DD and I took three week old GS#1 to the Craft Expo on Thursday. No sooner had we got in the door than he wanted feeding! * sigh *

We did manage to attend a couple of seminars and demonstrations and, because it was the first day of a four day Expo and was fairly quiet, managed to push the stroller through the aisles without bumping into too many people.

There were only four stalls selling yarn (which is nothing unusual) so it's just as well we never attend these events for the knitting!

The highlight for both of us, was participating in Boot Camp run by Husqvarna Viking to make blocks to be made into quilts for Haiti. DD toook some sewing classes last year but my last 'drive' of a sewing machine was thirteen years ago and then I was making drawstring bags and supervising DD making boxer shorts for her father's birthday. When we finished our blocks, we received a badge that looked much like this:

It was so much fun and so easy that I now am trying to ignore all those scraps of fabric hiding in the top of the wardrobe from days when I used to sew my own clothes! Catsmum and Delighted Hands (and any other quilters among you) will no doubt be smiling and willing me to open that long closed carton!! LOL