As I mentioned in my last post, Mum's 2nd workshop was with Leesa Chandler. The mission was to make 2 of Leesa's bags and Mum absolutely loved it. She found Leesa very inspirational and enjoyed using her Under the Australian Sun fabrics.
Hard at work on the internal bag construction
The detail added to the sides of the bags was fiddly but fun (please note, I'm not sure which one is Mum's bag and which was Leesa's sample - can't check with Mum at the moment)...
Suffolk puff flowers
Ruched bottle brush
Gorgeous flannel flower (?)
Mum loves the fabric range so much she has bought more, and I have to say I love the range as well. Leesa has recently released the 2nd range, Under The Australian Sun II, and I believe there has been a limited re-release of the first range in Australia only. You can check both ranges out on Leesa's website.
The workshops were not the only wonderful thing about the retreat. Berrima Patchwork put on some wonderful food (morning tea, lunch & afternoon tea each day) and gave us some lovely gifts for attending the retreat. They also put on 2 major dinners, the first being a Xmas in July dinner and the 2nd being held at a local italian restaurant, which were absolutely fantastic with way, way too much food.
They were well supported by their suppliers and were able to provide a huge range of giveaway prizes at the major dinners. Mum and I were both lucky enough to win a prize. Mine was a jelly roll of Xmas fabric which I love as Christmas is one of my favourite times of year!
My gorgeous prize pack - I was so lucky!
You can't really see them but the fabrics are beautiful
We also had the opportunity for an exclusive shopping opportunity at Berrima Patchwork's store and bought some lovely fabric for some sort of future project :-)
And, of course, there were the amazing tutors that provided the workshops and instruction throughout the retreat...
The tutors - (L-R) Leesa Chandler, Carol Doak, Michele Hill, Sue Dennis and Melinda Bula
So all-in-all we had a fantastic trip with some wonderful experiences and lots of new friendships made. Berrima Patchwork have now announced the dates and tutors for their 2013 retreat. If anyone would like to see more photos and info on our 2012 retreat, or is interested in trying them out next year, you can find out more on their website and blog.
Well, that's it from me for now. I'll try not to leave it so long next time.
Happy quilting,
Tracy
