Welcome to Wednesday

In this week’s edition of Midweek Moments, we meet another Blueberries staff member, Karli, who shares some of her impressions and experiences of her first three month at Blueberries. We also learn about the connection between one of the biggest Big Things in all of Australia, and the Hitchcock thriller, Psycho. Read on to find out what it is.

P.S. Don’t forget the approaching Blueberries Spring Fair, slated for Friday 2 and Saturday 3 September. Click here for more info.

And come and see Blueberries on stand D32 at the upcoming Newcastle Craft and Sewing Show August 18 -21 at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre Showground, Broadmeadow. Click here for more information.

Learn Hand Quilting with Jenny Rofe

Due to popular demand, Jenny Rofe is returning to Blueberries this Saturday!

Jenny will teach hand quilting with a touch of Bullion embroidery. By the end of the day you will be well on your way to creating your own hand quilted cushion as pictured.

Lynda Mahoney who previously attended Jenny's class says "I really did thoroughly enjoy the class. Jenny is so knowledgeable but in saying that, didn't make things at all complicated. She gave a lot of interesting background information on things I had never even considered, such as thread choices. Jenny is such a great teacher I would happily spend hours and hours just listening and learning from her!"

If you don't have any plans for this Saturday, why not book in for Jenny Rofe's "Two Dozen Roses" class.

Bright Owl Fabric

"Hoot Hoot!" said the Owl

The Bright Owl fabric, by Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures Fabrics is now available instore and online!

Click here to purchase now.

Terrigal Quilt Show

Saturday 13 August 2011 10am to 4pm

Terrigal Presbyterian Church 2 Willoughby Road Terrigal

Stunning Quilts
Vibrant Arts
Cafe
Craft Stall
FOR SALE: Plants, Art and Quilts

Donations: $5 Children Free (All funds supporting Allowah Children's Home)

Enquiries: 02 4384 2597 or 02 4365 4393

Workshop with Chris Timmins

Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th August

We welcome back Chris Timmins, a tutor with 28 years experience. Able to teach beginners through to advanced students, choose from any of Chris' quilts in this two day workshop!

See a selection of quilts hanging at the front of the shop or flick through some pictures of Chris' quilts available at the front counter.

Staff Profile

The stories behind the faces behind the counter

Name:  Karli

How long have you been working at Blueberries?

I’ve been working there for almost three months now. I work two days a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

What do you do at Blueberries?

A bit of lots of things, really. I do some of the frontline counter work, a lot of the online work like uploading fabrics, a bit of cleaning, stuff like that. I like the variety.

What do you enjoy most about working at Blueberries?

I like all the ladies who come in, I love chatting with them and giving them advice when they ask for it. Everyone always seems so delighted just to be there. It’s such a great atmosphere. I like all of the staff as well, they’re a fun bunch to work with.

How long have you been a sewer?

Actually, I’m not a sewer. Yet. I’ve always enjoyed working with fabrics. It’s more glamorous than working with food, for example. When I was little, Grandma made a gorgeous quilt for me, which I’ve always looked after. It’s one of my most cherished possessions. I really like the idea of making my own.

What’s the next step in that journey?

Maybe making cushions first, as a stepping stone to bigger things like quilts. That was Susan Carr’s suggestion and I think it’s a great idea.

Big 'n' Bizarre

A road trip of Australia’s fiberglass monuments

The Big Koala

At last! A true Australian icon immortalized in fiberglass as a Big Thing! The humble koala is one of our cutest, cuddliest most famous furry residents. Bit of a shame then, that this one looks completely psychotic. The kind that’d happily chew the hands off small children. Okay, maybe that’s a bit unfair – let’s just say he looks badly constipated and be done with it.

We’re in the little town of Dadswells Bridge in western Victoria, about halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide. The town, which bills itself as the gateway to the northern Grampains, is named after an engineer called Dadswell who, well… once built a bridge there. It’s most famous resident, however, is named after someone far more famous to 21st century Australians. Someone who brought lumps to our throats and tears to our eyes. But more on that later.

Technically the Big Koala is known as the Giant Koala. They’re not kidding. At 14m, he’s three storeys high and contains a cafe, restaurant, souvenir shop and koala information centre. There’s a Norman Bates style motel next door, which makes the Giant Koala seem uncannily like the big creepy house in the movie, dominating the horizon. This kinda adds to the general psychotic air surrounding this particular Big Thing.

It was back in 1988 when Koala Motor Inn and roadhouse owner, Beryl Cowling, commissioned internationally acclaimed sculptor, Ban van Zetten to build the Giant Koala to attract passers-by. It was made from 12 tonnes of cold cast bronze over a steel frame with a fiberglass paste used on the exterior to give him a hairy look (and maybe a bit overdone inside the ears?). He was officially unveiled in mid-1989 and has been drawing large, curious crowds ever since. Some people have been known to enter the Giant Koala and never come out again.

Twenty years after his inauguration, he was bestowed with a national honour when he was officially named ‘Sam’ at a moving dedication ceremony in September 2009, which was ‘Save the Koala Month’. You may remember that Sam was the name the media gave to the badly-burned but heroic koala who was photographed drinking water from the hands of a CFA volunteer during the Victorian bushfires. The pic went global and Sam became a symbol of hope after the tragedy. When he died of complications six months later, even the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, described his death as “tragic”.

So ever since then, the Giant Koala has been proudly bearing the name of this much-loved and honoured creature. This hasn’t stopped him from looking psychotic and constipated, however, no matter how long or hard you stare at him.

And the last word..

“Old quilters never die, they just fray away.”