Another day out that pleases us quilting ladies is one spent combing the
delightful Southern Highlands for fabrics to start new or finish older projects. We start early, usually having a coffee in
the park opposite the Village Quilt Shop
in Station Street Mittagong. The park used
to have a wonderful display of tulips in the garden (at the right time of the
year). We’ve always promised ourselves
an opportunity to do a class in the Village Quilt Shop as it always seems to
have something that inspires us.
From there we detour via Bowral, trying not to stop at the
cafes, and out over the railway line to Berrima. A nice round-about trip through lush country
and nearby area famous for filming of “Babe” brings us to Berrima
Patchwork. This shop is also a great
Highway stop on the way to or from Sydney.
Many is the time I’ve come to a screeching halt there at 4.45pm on my
way back from Canberra…. This is another
shop that has a wide range of goods and last time I visited there was a
wonderful collection of linens to make that French provincial pattern on my
list of must do’s. Berrima Patchwork also makes up nicely matched bundles of fabrics
that really help when you want to work to a specific colour theme and don’t
have the time to do the leg work & start
from scratch.
On the way back from Berrima along the Old Pacific Highway,
take time to turn into the small industrial area near Cavendish Street. There you will find two delights. Japanache
has a nice selection of Japanese fabrics, traditional sashiko threads and other
goodies to add to your stash. If you’re
starting to suffer fabric burnout, then try to walk past their collection of
kimonos, furniture items or ceramic dishes.
Sigh!
A little further on in Davey Street is My Place with its collection of Amy Butler prints and patterns. Nice, fresh and young – this is the home for
quilters of the modern style. They have
some easy patterns for sewing children’s clothes too. From here, it’s an easy trek back into Bowral
for some lunch. Too many cafes and not
enough time to choose! Find the one with
the nicest cakes….
Back out to the Highway and on to Timeless Threads in Mittagong.
Now I can never walk out of this shop without buying something. This time it was a rather nice “heritage”
style scrap quilt pattern to do some therapeutic hand piecing and use up that
growing box of scraps. Both features of my
new year’s resolution list – not to waste time or fabric!
Lastly, if we haven’t dallied too much, is a quick
side-trip into Victoria House. This long-time favourite is home to a dazzling
array for needlecrafters – cross stitch, tapestry, you name it they have
it. From there it’s an easy drive out to
the highway to get home. Did I really
buy that much (again)?
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| Christmas Lunch 2012 in Bowral (with a treat desert tray) |
