Monday 3 November 2014

Maldon & the Village Patch

 
On the way home from our visit to Ballarat, Mum and I decided to stop off at the historical old town of Maldon.
 
Maldon is a town in the Shire of Mount Alexander  and has been designated "Australia's first notable town" and it is notable for its 19th-century appearance, maintained since the gold-rush days.  The heritage streetscape not only gives you a peak into what life might have been like in the gold rush era, but it is also a photographer's dream!
 
  Video courtesy of Maldon Tourism.
 
Maldon is a town that is steeped in history. The National Trust declared it Australia's first Notable Town in 1966. It once had quartz reefs that were among the world's richest, attracting a population which built grand houses and a very busy commercial centre.
 
Maldon (Population 1,500) is located 135km northwest of Melbourne in the heart of the Victorian Goldfields. The town is nestled on the slopes of Mt. Tarrangower in an agricultural, pastoral and mining district. It has retained an authentic pioneer-like appearance with history of the gold-mining era being preserved.












Imagine my surprise when I suddenly realised that one of the building facades that I had been standing in front of and admiring, was in fact a quilt shop & upon checking my watch I noticed that it still had a few minutes before it closed.  I think I squealed with delight because my mum came running to check that I was alright! LOL
 
I met the lovely Lee French - the owner of The Village Patch.  She was tidying up after having a very busy day with visits from two coach loads of tourists; but despite her exhaustion she was warm & friendly and welcomed my visit.  As it was so close to her closing time, I kept my visit brief (much to my Mum's relief), but I assured her that now I know she is there, I will definitely be back as she is only about 45-minutes drive from where I live. 

This was such a wonderful way to end a most amazing day out!
 





 
The Village Patch is a retailer of patchwork and quilting supplies. They have over 3000 fabrics in stock; threads (DMC, Superior Threads, Bottom Line, Rasant and more); kits; gifts, books; quilting accessories and other hand made goods.  The Village patch also offers a personalised machine quilting service. 
  


The Village Patch - Maldon
 
The Village Patch
49 High Street
Maldon, Victoria, Australia
 
Opening Hours:
Open 6-days 10am - 5pm
(Closed Tuesdays)
 



My stash from The Village patch - I purchased some cream fabric, some buttons and some Superior Threads The Bottom Line" thread for my applique.  Now that I know this shop is so close to home I will DEFINITELY be going back on a regular basis!!!

I hope that you have enjoyed reading my series of posts from my visit to Ballarat and Maldon.  If you know of any other quilting/needlework stores in or around the Bendigo/Central Victorian/Goldfields area, please let me know and I will try to arrange to visit and review them.  There are a number of shops here in Bendigo which I now realise that I will have to review for you.

2 comments:

  1. I've loved this series. It's been so cool getting to see a bit more of Victoria. Thanks for sharing. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Angie. It's not often that I get to go out but I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and I hope that I can review more craft stores in the near future.

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