Welcome to Wednesday

We're happy to report that the Blueberries stall at last week's Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne was a huge success, with many new friends being made over the four days. Jackie and Carmel were the face of Blueberries during the convention which located at the beautiful Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, which has recently been heritage listed. Jackie and Carmel were thrilled to see friends both new and old and even the shared bout of acute nasopharyngitis (translation: sore throat and runny nose) hasn't been enough to put them out of action, and are looking forward to doing it all again next year. Thank you to all those that visited the Blueberries stall.

Click here to see our photos from AQC or visit our Facebook page.

We'd also like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers and customers a very happy Easter filled with lots of gorgeous chocky things (just don't eat them all at once). If you're travelling anywhere over the extra long weekend, please drive safely. Enjoy the break and we'll see you next week. 

Class Report

Where the pupil writes the report card for the class and tutor

Pupil: Rosalie Gessey (pictured, on left)
Tutor: Kaye Haerland
Class: Magic Mushrooms, Tuesday 5 April 2011

What did you do in the class?

We all made a mushroom each. Kaye also showed us some techniques that a lot of the ladies wouldn’t have seen, like burning fabrics with a heat gun, and techniques to enhance a plain mushroom.

How did you find the class?

There was a lot to listen to and apply. We really had to be on the ball the whole time. About half way through the class my confidence wavered a bit, but I think I was just having one of those “bad machine days” that we all experience every now and then. It was a very full seven hours, right from 9.30am. We certainly got our money’s worth.

What was the best part of the class?

Kaye brought in a big board decorated with mushrooms in different stages of completion, a kind of “here’s some I prepared earlier” thing. It was very well displayed and she let us take photos of it.

What, if any, suggestions would you make to improve the class?

Maybe a smaller list of requirements and if we actually used the requirements during the class. Also, maybe fewer demonstrations throughout the day that sometimes interrupted the workflow (but then again, I was having a “bad machine day”).

By the way Congratulations to Kay Haerland for winning Best of Show Quilt at the Australasian Quilt Convention.

Pattern Princess

What’s hot in the House of Blueberries

Well my loyal subjects, this week we’re looking at the jelly roll series of books by mother and daughter team Pam and Nicky Lintott. The books are published in association with Moda and contain a total of 70 different patterns throughout the four books.

The four titles are Jelly Roll Quilts, published in 2008, Jelly Roll Inspirations (2009), Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts (2009) and Two From One Jelly Roll Quilts (2010). Each pattern averages out at about $2.00 each, so you can’t get better value than that. All the patterns are unique with no repetition between the books.

These books give you the perfect opportunity to actually make use of those jelly rolls that looked so seductive in the shop but which you haven’t touched since buying them. And if you find it difficult to put the time aside, come to Jackie’s Cake Club which are held every month.

The books retail at $35.00 each. Click on the book titles above to order.

Just Wing It

Just Wing It Fabric by meterage is now available instore and online.

Available for $20 per metre

and also Charm Packs and Layer Cakes.

Big 'n' Bizarre

A road trip of Australia’s fibreglass monuments

The Big Miners’ Lamp

This is our first stop on the way back to the coast from last week’s visit to Bathurst’s Big Gold Panner. This week we’re in the old mining town of Lithgow to check out its contribution to Australia’s roll call of Big Things – the Big Miners’ Lamp.

This Big Thing is a rarity in that it’s been constructed without using a single piece of fibreglass, which is usually a staple ingredient in the creation of Big Things. The Big Miners’ Lamp is made of concrete and glass with aluminium for its conical roof and is attached to the Lithgow Tourist Info Centre, a spot that certainly ensures it has maximum exposure with visitors.

The Big Miners’ Lamp was the brainchild of a creative local with the wonderful name of Snow Vanderbelden. It seems Mr Vanderbelden (okay, let’s call him Snow) had lived in Lithgow all his life and wanted something to put the town on the map. Something that paid homage to Lithgow’s rich mining heritage while simultaneously acting as a bit of a tourist attraction. I can feel a Big Thing coming on.

Snow decided that a big miners’ lamp ticked all the right boxes and took his idea to Council for approval. Council loved the idea of Lithgow getting its very own Big Thing and enthusiastically gave the project the green light. Additional funding was provided by the Tourism NSW Gateway scheme, which was a state government initiative to promote and connect areas along the same transport corridor, like the Great Western Highway.

The Big Miners’ Lamp was officially opened by the Mayor of Lithgow and the NSW Minister for Tourism in 2005, making it one of Australia’s most recent Big Things. In the years since, it’s become an affectionately regarded local landmark, but has struggled to retain a true sense of purpose. Part of the problem is its size. While it’s certainly big for a miners’ lamp, it’s still way too small to accommodate anything useful like a café or gift shop. The most people can do is walk into it and gaze out of the glass windows like bugs caught inside a real miners’ lamp.

And the last word...

"Today is a good day to plan your quilting goals for the coming year."