I picked up a copy of the above flyer in my local quilt shop and subsequently added the dates into my diary. Castlemaine is only half an hour drive down the Calder Freeway from Bendigo and is a lovely town to visit. I visited the exhibition on Saturday 15 October 2016 and here are some of the highlights of my visit:
"Autumn Leaves 1 & 2" by Cherie Woodfine. I neglected to get the details of the lower quilt.
"Autumn Stars" by Christine Christie.
"Stars of the Night" by Kay Smith
"My Lady Jo" by Patty Ritchie
"My Lucy Boston" by Brenda Bidgood
"A Tribute to Lucy Boston" by Kay Smith
There really are some very talented quilters in this group!
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!
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.
My stash from The Village patch - I purchased some cream fabric, some buttons and some Superior ThreadsThe 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.
