I'm Surprised I Am Even Here...

Townsville. Tinkers Cart Stitching Retreat. What can I say? Beautiful and amazing tropical weather:

 
One of the best retreats that I've been fortunate enough to teach at with the most enjoyable ladies:

 
Had such a fun time (my face is still sore from all the laughing!) with Tracy, Rosie, and Bronwyn (it was great to catch up with a friend who drinks even more coffee than I do!):

I just did not want to come home! I will tell you more tomorrow but for now I am going to tuck up in bed (under about three quilts because it's about 5 degrees here!). Quite different from Townsville where we slept with the door open and fell asleep to the breeze off the ocean and the sound of the waves lapping the shore....

A huge thankyou to all the ladies who made us feel so welcome and to Tracy (and her many helpers) who put on a great day that I will cherish...

Leanne Beasley xxx

P.S. If you are after a great view when you visit Townsville check out the Aquarius Hotel where Tracy was kind enough to put us up! This was room 1203!

Heading Up To Beautiful Townsville...

Tonight I have been busy gathering my treasured quilts and bits and pieces and packing in great anticipation of coming up to meet all you ladies in Townsville at the wonderful Tinkers Cart retreat on Saturday:

 
Once again I am weighing and reweighing that suitcase (can it REALLY be that heavy?) and hoping that those lovely ladies (and gentlemen) at checkin at the airport are very nice to me when they put on one of those 'heavy - be careful lifting' labels!

 
I hope all you ladies up there are just as excited as Rosie and I about Saturday! Please don't forget to bring all your basic sewing items: needles, scissors and so on and recheck those requirements lists before you leave home! But don't worry if you do forget, Tracy has assured me that she is well prepared and has all those things should you forget! I am really looking forward to playing with my latest pattern, 'Let's Design' with you:

You can make a quilt as simple as the one above or wait until you see my sample that is covered in stitchery and applique! We are in for some fun.

Looking forward to getting there, better go and finish packing, my alarm is set for 5am!

See you soon,

Leanne Beasley

Down In The Garden At Foothills...

I had a really wonderful surprise when I dropped in at my local patchwork store, Foothills Fabric and Threads, the other day. Sandra, one of the store owners, has been very busy teaching 'Down In The Garden' classes AND making her own sample:

 

Sandra has a real eye for putting colours together and her threads are just as divine as the fabrics. I wish you could see her quilt so far in real life because photos just don't do it justice:

 

Wanting to do a little less stitchery than me, Sandra has fussy cut some fabrics in place of some of the tiny (but time consuming) stitchery blocks:

 

Maybe you're feeling inspired now to have a go at 'Down In The Garden' in a soft and country colourway. If you would like to do a version like Sandra's, you can contact Foothills Fabric and Threads on (03) 9754 6166 or [email protected] . Lots of these yummy 'Heart and Soul' fabrics by Whimsicals are still in stock there, and of course the 'Down In The Garden' patterns:

 
Have a wonderful day,

Leanne Beasley xxx

Happy Dance Kind of Happy...

Oooohh I have a BIG secret and I am just bursting at the seams to let you in on it. Why, because you can be involved in it and it is truly exciting! I wish I could tell you every little detail right now but I am sworn to secrecy!

Because so many of you have (almost literally) begged for a Stitching Retreat here in Victoria this year we have made the decision to have something incredible for you in Spring:

So what can I give away? I can tell you that there will be three Designers and they will be me, Rosalie Quinlan of Rosalie Quinlan Designs and Melly and Me, and Melly of Melly and Me! Erica from Under The Mulberry Tree will be having her (usually online only) shop there for the event and she has some lovely things in store for then.

Today found the four of us out and about in the beautiful Yarra Valley looking at wonderful views, somewhere completely divine and perfect for stitching, with quite a few extra surprises that we think will make this an event you will not only enjoy on the day but remember forever.

We are all just so excited (and really, was a little happy dance inappropiate in a carpark?)!

Anyway (you know how I have trouble getting to the point) we are getting our mailing list together right now and if you would like to be on that mailing list simply register your interest with Erica at [email protected] just letting her know that you are interested in the 'Yarra Valley Stitching Event', your name, email, and snail mail address. Simple.

When all the details are finalised (should be very shortly) you will receive a flyer via email or snail mail from Erica. Erica is going to be offering a payment plan (so you can sneak it in with your grocery money if you like!).

We will keep you updated via the blog in the meantime. I promise the secret will be out soon..

Happy dances are good,

Leanne Beasley xxx