The Best of Both Worlds

Well, the rain held off so we headed to Braidwood nice and early yesterday on the BMW and sidecar. It was a beautiful morning for a ride, and while having a cuppa at Goulburn, we got talking to another couple on a bike who were also headed to Braidwood for the Braidwood Airing of the Quilts, so we weren’t the only silly ones.

The day ended up being quite warm and windy.  Therefore, quite a few of the quilts hanging from balconies weren’t sitting as well as they could, but that didn’t matter, it was still a great display.

Our first stop was the markets.

The park was full of stalls and many were craft related.  I even succumbed and bought my first ever jelly roll.  I haven’t taken photos of my booty yet, so will show you shortly.  It was hard to make a decision as to which design to go with.

Next we headed to the indoor displays.  All I can say is that there are some very creative people out there. It was really hard to try and choose one quilt for viewers’ choice.  My favourite quilt wasn’t in the competition and was only about the size of a sheet of A4 paper.  It was created by Mary-Ann Kane as part of an exhibition of journal quilts by New Zealand quilters.

I was taken with the technique.  The fabric was cut out and fused onto the base fabric with Vlisofix…but it then had a layer of black bridal tulle placed over the top and was quilted with straight vertical lines about a quarter of an inch apart, which held it all together. 

There were two Dear Jane quilts, one in traditional fabrics and one in modern.

There were two traditional needleturn Baltimore quilts – both major prize winners – as well as another one which had quite fine detail. 

On closer inspection this quilt was fused appliqué with a very fine zig zag in monofilament thread. It was beautifully done.

I also loved this rather dramatic Celtic knot quilt.

The next quilt was on display in the fire station.  The olive background looked stunning with the Japanese prints.  A colour combination I’d never have thought of.

 

When I looked closer at the technique, I thought of Loulee from the Isle of Man.  This is the same technique as she is using with denim and batik fabrics.  This quilt is a quilt as you go  and had hand stitched blocks with the blocks sewn together with a decorative machine stitch.

 

We visited a lovely garden that was showing some more quilts and was hosting high tea with vintage tea sets.  Oh, I wish I’d known about that earlier, as we were there latish in the afternoon and didn’t need anything to eat at that stage.  I must remember it for next time as it looked lovely…..and yes, I forgot to take any photos.

There were more quilts on display at the Anglican Church. The building itself was quite stunning.

The workmanship in this quilt was amazing.

 

There was also a short concert held in the church by the Canberra Grammar School Chapel Choir.  This a group of very talented young men, both vocally and instrumentally.  It was an unexpected event in our weekend and one we very much enjoyed.

We capped off a lovely day yesterday by having the most delicious dinner last night at a local restaurant which was quite convenient to where we were staying.  It was so nice, that we ventured there again this morning for a lovely breakfast.  Mick couldn’t wait for me to take a photo before he started on his.

Now, there was also a slight detour into the Patchwork Shop in the main street yesterday where a little purchase was made………and another little detour into the same shop this morning when another little purchase was made………well, it was a patchwork related weekend!

The grand plan was to visit some open gardens today, but not long after we had breakfast the wind picked up again and it was raining in the hills to the west, so we decided to don the wet weather gear and head for home. 

The rain had stopped before we reached Goulburn, but it howled a gale all the way home.  We’ll be glad when we see the end of these westerlies.  Of course, we had no rain at all at home and we desperately need it.

So, we ended up having a lovely weekend.  Mick enjoyed his ride and was very patient with me looking at endless quilts (just quietly, he doesn’t mind at all and appreciates the work involved).  I enjoyed the quilts and the ride and we both very much enjoyed the food.

We’ll have to go again in a couple of years.