When in Melbourne

I headed off to Melbourne last weekend for the Australasian Quilting Convention (AQC). Actually that ended up being a very small part of the weekend with the rest of the weekend being spent in an effort to eat my way through the city.  It's always good to get away for a mini break and it's even better if you're catching up with a bestie. Little Miss Sunshine flew South to meet up with me and we had a weekend full of food, all things quilt related and lots of chatter. Naturally I took sewing with me and then didn't touch it for the entire weekend. 

The Melbourne weather did what it does best and rained on my gorgeous hair for pretty much all of Thursday and Friday. Adelaide gets rain but it comes in occasional bursts so I was completely unprepared. I capitulated late Friday afternoon and bought the cutest umbrella ever, because when in Melbourne you do as Melburnians do and carry one everywhere. Naturally it didn't rain a drop after that so my gorgeous umbrella has yet to see the outside of it's equally cute holder thingy. I'm planning to run outside the very second it rains so I can give it a trial. 

I am the world's worst photographer, not least because I often simply forget to take pictures. I was all fired up to take photos at AQC, and pretty much forgot most of the time after that. Still, I got some eye candy to share. 

The Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens - the venue for AQC 2014.

Naturally there were plenty of quilts. These were a few of my favourites.

see bottom of page for quilt credits 

We headed off to Amitie and GJ Fabrics by train and tram on Saturday (very ably navigated by Little Miss Sunshine because I'm crap at reading directions). Melbourne - you have the best public transport system. Seriously easy to get around.  GJ's was awesome and they had a 25% off sale if you spent over 50 bucks so I took full advantage.  

 My haul for the weekend looked like this. I thought I was incredibly restrained, given I was surrounded by fabric. 

Most of the fabric I bought was for my eventual Lucy Boston Quilt but I bought some "just because" fabric too. And I bought a pattern for this amazing quilt because I fell immediately in love with it before I thought about how much work it was going to be. 

I got to hang with some very cool people in Melbourne. Loz and Claire were there as well as Gail Pan who allowed me to stroke her upcoming and as yet unreleased fabric collection. And I met Helen Stubbings of Hugs and Kisses fame over dinner as well but I only got a shot of her with her mouth open and if I post it she might ban me from using her patterns and what not so I'm not going to risk it. 

Gail Pan and Quiltygal (Claire) with Gail's fabulous fabric 

Gail with Loz at dinner

Wandering around Melbourne I was rather taken with the tiling on this floor in a little arcade we wandered through so a picture was in order. 

It was a lovely weekend. So much to take in. 

Happy Easter to you and yours from me and mine. This was the sum total of my decorating for Easter, and unlike me I left my Easter shopping until the last minute so I was off to the shops yesterday morning to pick over what was left in regards to chocolate ...I still did OK mind you! 

And I'm hoping for a finish or two of the quilty kind this weekend since it is an ultra long one. The triangle quilt is ready for basting. (Finally!)  

May you overeat chocolate and hot cross buns, overdose on family and have a fabulous weekend. 

Quilt Show Credits : Top Row  Left to Right ,Lancaster by Sue Daley, And On The Seventh Day He rested by  Sandy Corry,Lucy Boston Blocks – uncredited at the show

2^nd Row -Reminisce by Mariane Boatahight , Cornelian by Helen Stubbings , Cat in The Hat’s Journey by Robyn Shephard

Bottom Row -Mary Brown Revisited by Liz Willing (Pictures 1 and 2 )A piece of a quilt I forgot to take the details of.