SAQA Blog Hop

Have you been checking out the SAQA Oceania Blog Hop? http://www.saqa.com/

SAQA stands for Studio Art Quilt Associates, an international group of art quilters. The SAQA Oceania group is having a Blog Hop this month featuring members' studios. Many SAQA members are also members of SCQuilters and SCQuilters member Lisa Walton is the Oceania Rep. Lisa has been posting the blog hop locations each day to the SCQ group. So far we've seen:

Mel Forrest's Studio http://mixedmediabymelforrest.blogspot.com.au/

Sue Dennis in Brisbane. http://suedennisartquilts.blogspot.com.au/
Sue's whole house is used for her creative pursuits.

Lisa Walton http://www.fibreinspirations.blogspot.com.au/

Linda Robertus  http://lindarobertus.blogspot.com.au/
Linda is originally from the Netherlands and has been here in Australia since 2008.

Averil Stuart-Head  http://www.avesrave.blogspot.com.au/?m=1
Averil - originally from New Zealand, lives near Sulmona in Italy. It is absolutely gorgeous and the light is amazing.

Beth Miller http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/blog/2012/05/13/saqa-oceania-blog-hop-beth-mi\
ller/

Brenda Gael Smith  http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/blog/2012/05/23/saqa-oceania-blog-hop-welcome\
-to-the-serendipity-studio/

Jenny Bowker http://www.jennybowker.com/postcards/ 
Jenny said, "It is not big, or spectacular or even tidy. I decided not to clean up - I simply do not have time and I thought it was time that someone showed the way it is when they are working in it. So all those who are messy when working - you will feel at ease in my space."

Sally Dunn http://sallydunn.blogspot.com.au/. Sally's blog includes a list of other participants, so you can keep up with other Blog Hop participants as they make their studios available.

So if, like me, you love to see other quilters' work spaces, you're invited to snoop!

More Retreat donations

Generous people continue to contribute to our Townsville Retreat.

Sarah and Emma from Treehouse Textiles, Merricks Nth, VIC. have donated $50 　
Bronwyn van't Hof from Pussycat Quilts, Parkdale VIC has sent a $100voucherr for Patchwork Piecing. Check out her lovely work at 　
Quilted Kimono, Townsville, who will be a trader at the retreat venue, has donated 2 complete bag kits and a fabric pack all in beautiful Japinese fabrics. 07 4775 3380
　
Liisa Dawson from Quilters Corner, Keperra QLD www.thequilterscorner.com.au has sent a box load ofwonderful fat quarters, at least one for every retreater and then some.www.pussycatquilts.com.auwww.treehousetextiles.com.au

Gail Chalker from Sew Creative in Gatton QLD has donated some very yummy fabric packs

Sonia Melville of Craftbasket in Orbost, Victoria
  scissors, Perfect Circles and Perfect Stems templates.
Wendy Whellum from Legend and Lace, Daw Park South Aust www.legendandlace.com  0417084245 donated the Karen Kay Buckley Products, including
 www.thethreadstudio.com sent the most beautiful range of hand and machine embroidery threads, as well as beads, sequins etc.
Dale Rollerson from The Thread Studio

Thanks to all these businesses and we  hope you'll support them in turn.http://www.thecraftbasket.com.au/ 03 51541151 donated the lovely "Breakfast at Tiff's" quilt kit and pattern.www.sewcreativegatton.com.au

Retreat news and donations

Plans are well under way for our annual retreat, which will be held in Townsville this year. Full details are on the Retreat blog http://www.scqtownsville2012.blogspot.com/ but here are some highlights. 

Many retreaters will arrive on Thursday 28th June and will start to mingle with others or look around at some of the many places to visit in Townsville. It has became a tradition to have a pre-retreat dinner on Thursday night. This year, we will be having dinner in the Aqua Restaurant at Jupiters, a lovely spot, where you can eat as much seafood as you can plus lots of other great dishes and sweets.

Registration starts at 2 p.m. on Friday 29th June. Friday night dinner will be a fun night!  Cathy Miller, The Singing Quilter, and her husband John are attending the retreat  and they are going to entertain us with her great quilting songs. Cathy is also bringing along a trunk show for us to enjoy.

On Saturday morning and afternoon, there will be a great variety of workshops. Local merchants are also bringing lots of good stuff for us to buy. In addition to live Show and Tell, there will be a digital Show and Tell, a presentation of our quilts and the stories of their making, put together for our pleasure by Mal (of Mem and Mal fame). It will run continuously over the weekend and will give us the opportunity to see quilts that would be too bulky to bring as carry-on luggage.

On Saturday night, we are taking a sunset cruise to Magnetic Island, followed by the Gala Dinner at Peppers Restaurant. Check the Retreat blog for more details of the high jinks planned for this night.

On Sunday Morning, there are more workshops and merchants, another opportunity to sit and sew,  share ideas and socialise. At Sunday lunch, the 2012 retreat committee will hand over to the 2013 retreat committee. But there still time to fit in a workshop or some socialising, before it's time to leave exhausted at 5pm. Some diehards will stay until Monday for the Shop Hop and trip to the historic Gold City of Charters Towers.

Now doesn't that all sound like fun?

Many quilting businesses kindly donate to our annual Retreats, and our Townsville Retreat is no exception. We're grateful to these businesses for providing goodies to make our Retreat memorable.

Liza Jewellery http://www.lizajanejewellery.wordpress.com/ - A beautiful sea shell with (real) pearls necklace
Robert Gordon Pottery, Pakenham, VIC - a range of goodies.
Dianne Mitchell from Attic Quilts, Berwick has sadly closed down but has donated a range of patterns and a lovely Attic Quilts Bag.
The Patchwork Tea House, Warburton VIC http://www.thepatchworkteahouse.com/  - 2 X packs of Four lovely overdyed cotton floss
Mrs Martins Quiltshop, Emerald VIC http://www.mrsmartinsquiltshop.com/  - a $30 gift voucher for in store
or on line.
Liz Stanway, Teddlywinks, Mt Evelyn, Victoria PH: 03 97364821 150 packaged patterns and 150 printed stitcheries
Jane from BeBe Bold, Lismore NSW PH: 02 66219188 http://www.bebebold.com/ - 3 Bag patterns, a bag kit
a Lamb kit, 2 Shakio kits and some fabric
Liz and Dianne, Aboriginal Fabric Gallery, Alice Springs PH: 08 8952 6163 http://www.aboriginalfabrics.com.au/ -  20 beautiful fat quarters of Aboriginal art fabric
Sylvia Barry, Fishpond World Ltd - One Block Wonders by Maxine Rosenthal
Kathy & Geoff Adams from Kool Kat Quilting in QLD, PH: 07 46968746 www.koolkatquilting.com.au
-  $100.00 Gift voucher

The support of all these business is very much appreciated so show your support for them by visiting their very inspiring websites or by saying hello and thank you in person.

Sydney SCQuilters

The Sydney SCQuilters have updated their blog with images of their May meeting at the Blue Gum Hotel, Waitara on May 5. Check out the fun at http://sydneyscquilters.blogspot.com.au/
The group meets on the first Saturday of every month, 55 Pacific Highway, (cnr. Unwin Road)
Waitara. NSW 2077 for a day that is "loud, noisy, funny, warm, fun, yummy and inspirational". All SCQuilters welcome.

SCQ Carrum Downs, Victoria

Check out the Carrum Downs SCQuilters blog for the latest from their meeting in May.

http://carrumdownsscquilters.blogspot.com.au/


The group meets at Carrum Downs Library/Community Centre on the first Wednesday of each month.  The Library/Community Centre is located on Lyrebird Crescent, just near the corner of Hall Road, Melway page 100.  If you need more information e-mail helen.evans@nanderil.com.au or phone 0417263958.

SCQ Melbourne

Unfortunately, SCQuilty Tarts has been cancelled this month due to renovations at the Old School House where they usually meet.
If you are interested in joining them in the future but would like to peek in the door first, have a look at their occasional blog

The group meets at the Old School House on Le Pine corner, corner of Waverley and Springvale Roads, Glen Waverley, on the Third Tuesday of each month from 7.30 to 9.30pm
Lurkers are welcome as well as returning members!http://scquiltytarts.blogspot.com.au/

SCQIllawarras

Just a reminder about our SCQuilters group in the Illawarra. Their next meeting is tomorrow, Saturday May 19 at the Oak Flats Bowling Club,  David Ave, Oak Flats, NSW, from 10am - 3pm.

The girls say: This is our monthly gathering of Illawarra Scquilters. We would love you to join with us as we sew, chat and eat.