Day at the Convention in Melbourne

It's a happy kind of tired I feel as I sit to write this. I've had one of those days indulging in the pleasure of the quilters' world and it fills my heart. Coming home, it is difficult to concentrate on driving when my head is spinning with a multitude of possibilities - that quilt kit I'd like to buy; that book I'd like to purchase; those threads all displayed in wonderful rainbows of colour that draw you in. Isn't the Convention just SO inspiring?
Speaking of inspiring - I spoke with Jinny Beyer today. I am sitting at the Blue Willow Cottage stand (194), directly opposite Mrs Sampsons Drapery where Jinny is busy talking to people about her fabrics and her new book. I decided to give her a copy of each of my novels, The Maria Challenge Quilt and The Elizabeth Challenge Quilt, as a way of thanking her for being inspiring and taking the time to come out to Australia and share her knowledge with us. I'll tell you a secret: one of the reasons I've chosen to be an author is because I am pretty good with the written word ... and hopeless when it comes to speaking. I think I blurted out something barely intelligible to Jinny before scurrying away. This is called "stepping way out of one's comfort zone." I know she's a regular person like you or me, but speaking to someone you admire, and who is well known, is not so easy for me.
So to all those wonderful people who talked with me today about my Aussie patchwork novels, thanks for taking the time and making me feel good. I hope you enjoy your books and look forward to catching up with you again some time.
Meanwhile, I'm back into the Exhibition Building tomorrow (May-day).

P.S. My daughter has just walked in the door with some lovely news. She works at Angus and Robertson and reports that a customer came to the store in a state of excitement about The Maria Challenge Quilt and was desperate to buy the second novel, The Elizabeth Challenge Quilt. She said she couldn't put the first one down and even though she hadn't quite finished it, she needed the sequel immediately, and had to know when the third one was coming out. Wow! That makes me feel fantastic. Thank you.

Korowa Quilt

Way back last October I told you all about a new project I was working on for the 120th birthday celebrations of my old school and felt it was about time you got to see the finished result. This quilt is a replica of a large mural we painted on the wall of our common roomm but which was pulled down only a few years later when the school expanded.

The project proved to be one of those where everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and I subsequently spent a solid two weeks trying to finish it in time. I had trouble printing on the fabric (headmistresses photos in the stars; Korowa crest on the sun; 120 memories of my time at Korowa on the orange strip of land). The fabric kept catching in the printer, messing up several pieces. However, as each problem presented myself I simply had to work through it and resolve it. The quilt is certainly not perfect, but it's done. I hope you like it. It's different.

Don't forget I will be doing book signings at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne for the next three days. Find me at Blue Willow Cottage, stand 194. See you there!

Book Signing at Australasian Quilt Convention

I will be attending the Australasian Quilt Convention for three days to do book signings, and am really looking forward to the whole event. You will find me at the Blue Willow Cottage (stand 194) with Crissie and Rhonda. Hope to see you there.