Up coming workshops at Russellee BnB Craft Retreats

Brenda Burgess from Flip la k will be coming to Russellee Tumut to present a Reverse Appliqué workshop. This is a 2 day work shop and includes a basic tools kit with template of your choice for $160 plus lunch . This method teachers you how to create a quilt top in a weekend. Accommodation is available for Friday and/or Saturday night with breakfast twin share at $55 per night. There will be a follow-up workshop using the Flip la k templates on the 14th and 15TH January 2017. A great method for using your scraps and stash. Contact me if you are interested in one or both of these workshops.

One of Brenda's lovely quilts
 

February Retreat 2017

Russellee BnB Craft Retreats
Five Day February Retreat
20th—24th February 2017

Tutors
Chris Dowell, Juniata Buggé and Dorothy Clee

The Retreat comprises of 2 X 2 day Workshops plus a Mystery Workshop, and a visit to the Pioneer  Women's  Hut Tumbarumba.  Drinks and Nibbles' included at a private viewing of Tumut’s Fabric and Things patchwork shop.  Lunch is included each day plus a Group Dinner, Thursday evening, with Lucky Prize Draw.

Class sizes are kept small with a maximum of six participants.  Three workshops will be running simultaneously. Choices need to be submitted early to avoid disappointment.  Please choose three from the list below with the first two being your preferred choices.

Chris Dowell, a talented  artist and successful quilter from Toowoomba .

Floral Fantasy—Create a panel that can be used in a quilt or as a wall hanging using appliqué, fabric manipulation and adding optional texture with beads, cords etc.  Chris will take you step by step to create a beautiful panel unique to you.

Captivating Panels—Chris will help you design your own one of a kind quilt based around purchased panel fabric.  Look at different types of blocks to enhance your panel/s for a stunning result.

Juniata Buggé, authorised Judy Niemeyer tutor, quilt designer and owner of Sewing Buddies Australia

Judy Niemeyer Class A—choose one of Judy Niemeyer’s wonderful paper pieced designs. 

 Judy Niemeyer Class B—choose one of Judy Niemeyer’s wonderful paper pieced designs or continue with your previous project.

Patterns and kits are available for these workshops. Note there is a $20 materials fee payable to tutor at the start of the classes.  You can choose to undertake one or both of the Judy Niemeyer classes.

Dorothy Clee, thread painter and art quilter.

Trio of Bags —this workshop gives you the opportunity to create one or all three bags offered.  The techniques to create the bags  include chenille, fabric weaving, bag hardware and also look at fabric designs for bags.  Kits available.

Landscape Panel with optional Pineapple Log Cabin—Create your own landscape panel  using one of Dorothy’s designs or she will take you through the steps to create your own landscape.  Optional pineapple log cabins can be added to your panel to create a larger quilt.

 Mystery Class

Chris will be presenting a fun Mystery Class for all.  A kit will be provided for this class.

Accommodation requests are filling fast at Russellee.  There is limited availability.  We have also organised extra accommodation a short distance from Russellee with breakfast being served at Russellee each morning.  Accommodation allocation is on a first in first allocated basis.

 

Workshop and Retreat at Russellee BnB Tumut

Upcoming Workshop and Retreat at Russellee BnB.  Fabric Mosaic Workshop with Robyn Taylor the 23-24 May. Workshop and accommodation on Saturday night is $190. Extra nights accommodation is available.

 

 A UFO Retreat 19-21 June.  Cost is $220 and includes two nights accommodation and all meals. Bring those unfinished quilts, wall hangings or start a new project. You do not have to be a quilter.  Last retreat we had a crotcheter and a lovely lady doing cross stitch.  This is a great weekend to relax and indulge in your passion for craft.  No cooking, washing up or housework!!!

 

 
 

 
 

Russellee BnB Craft Retreats Newsletter

Russellee has had a very busy six months and I would like to thank all those who attended one of our retreats either scrapbooking or patchwork. 

The year started off with our first UFO retreat for the year in February.  This was followed by the 3^rd Australian Quilting Cruise. Ladies came from all parts of the country as well as five from New Zealand.

We arrived home from the Cruise on the 9^th March and this was followed by our first Scrapbooking Retreat for the year. Helen Godden fitted her ‘Crack Pots’  workshop into her busy schedule in March. Eleven ladies from around the area as well as one travelling from Victoria.  We thank Helen and her mum for doing this for us.

Sandy’s Quilters from Canberra also came in March. This was their fifth year of coming.  To finish off March I had my sister’s, Pam, 70^th  birthday at Russellee.

Laraine and I took some time out and attended the Norfolk Island Quilting Retreat with Michelle Yea.  Both Tony and Bill came with us as we had a very enjoyable 10 days of quilting and sightseeing.  Norfolk is a beautiful place.

I made and effort and finished a project of raw edge appliqué and entered it into the Tumut Art Show in the fibre art section and to my surprise it won and I also sold it.  I find it very difficult to get the time to finish projects for competition and it was hard going getting the piece finished but it was worth the effort.

A group of lovely ladies from Sydney came for a five day retreat at the end of April.  Some of these ladies have been on our cruises and one was also at Norfolk.  It was wonderful being able to catch up with them again.

Robyn Taylor from Wagga came over and gave these ladies a workshop on her Fabric Mosaic technique.  They also invited Roz to join in and the resulting pictures were stunning.

In May a group of ladies came for their third Mothers and Daughters Card Making weekend.  This group come from different areas of the state and use the weekend to catch up with each other and make some beautiful cards.

I also had a thread painting weekend in May.  It has been three years since I presented one.  Had ladies travel from Sydney, Mittagong, Wagga and The Rock as well as local.  A small group but the results were great.

The end of May saw Tony, James, Liam and I head off to Uluru for a road trip. (Tony’s idea.) It was a long, long way but the scenery was spectacular.  I have lots of inspirational photos for thread painting and hope have one done in time for the Desert Sands Exhibition in August.

Back home and another UFO Retreat.  This Retreat was a bit different to our other  UFO quilting retreats as we had two knitters and a lovely teenager working on an appliqué project for her HSC.  It was great to see the younger generation interested in sewing.

I am working on two quilts for the Canberra Quilt Show in August.  Nothing like a bit of pressure to get things moving.  I promised myself that this year I would enter some of my work into shows.  Have managed one and two more to go. (I hope).

As to the rest of the year.  July is fairly quite as far as Retreats go but August has two retreats plus I am doing two craft shows to promote the cruise and the retreats.

October is our Bail Quilting Retreat.  We still have one spot left on this.  Two ladies are coming from New Zealand to join us at Bail.

 

I am planning to have another UFO Retreat 7 – 9 November and a Thread Painting workshop 6-7 December.  In  between I have a scrapbooking retreat plus three private retreats.

The second half is going to be busy but life is best when busy.

 

Take Care

Dorothy

 

Bali Quilting Retreat was Great

This being Russellee BnB’s first Bali Fabric, Cultural and Quilting Retreat  Tony and I had the pleasure of taking 10 wonderful ladies from NSW, VIC, QLD and the ACT on this two week fantasy trip.  The first week we spent at Sanur, Bali seaside resort, and then inland to Ubud buying fabric and sightseeing along the way.  We visited many batik shops, which were packed with fabric and at very low prices, and also some interesting local sights. The families riding motor bikes are an amazing sight with as many as five on one bike.

A visit to the Bali Safari and Marine Park was a highlight of the week the concert shows, with hundreds of participants, are a site not to be missed.  Most of us even had a ride on an elephant and posed for photos with native animals.  This day comes to an end too soon.

Tony and John patiently waiting for us 

We then visited the thermal pool at the Volcano-Batur and on the way  stopped at the amazing terraced rice fields for a photo shot.   

I purchased a patchwork quilt at one of the road side stalls which I later gave to the lady who looked after our BnB and animals while we were away.  She just loved it.

Drawing the design onto the fabric

concentration

Adding the wax

Tony getting a bit of help

A hands on batik making workshop had us all bringing out drawing skills that some of us did not know we possessed.  Tony was even coned into creating a master piece.  The wax took a bit of getting used too (it seemed to get a bit hot which caused many drips)  When we finished following the lines we had drawn and looked at all our excess drips we handed them over to the staff who were going to dye them for us.  When we picked them up a week later we were overjoyed at how they had turned out.  Who could imagine that our amateurish drawing could turn out to be a masterpiece.

Our finished masterpieces]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited a wholesale silver warehouse on the way to our next home for seven days ‘Candidasa’ (also on the beach) where we were to spend the next week cutting up and sewing back together our treasured batik purchases (yes, we are mad patchworkers that cut up perfectly good fabric).   The staff at the resort had no concept of what we were wanting the room for that had been booked for us to use as a workroom.  They had provided us with tables and plenty of power points.  John, our Bali agent, had purchased basic Singer sewing machines for us and the room was airconditioned.  The staff were very interested in what we were doing and visited several times to see our progress.

The resort was booked for a week but we still managed to fit in sightseeing and some snorkelling not to mention swimming in the crystal clear pool.  At the time of our visit Bail had a hotter that usual heat wave - thank goodness for good air conditioning. 

 An important Bali religious festival occurred while we were in Candidasa and hotel staff asked us to prepare an offering which we were able to comply and the ladies each decorated a 2½ strip of fabric which was then hung outside the room.

Between all this we did manage to get a lot of sewing done and also a lot of clothes buying.  You only need to take minimum clothes with you to Bali as you can go out and buy a new outfit just down the road  very cheaply.

All breakfasts and lunches were included with our trip and also several dinners.  John took us somewhere different every day this could have been next door or at his home or at a lovely spot by the sea. The variety of food is unbelievable.

This little lady carried three baskets full of our fabric back to the car.

We finished our tour with some final fabric shopping before we had a farewell dinner at Jimbaran Beach.  It was then time to say goodbye to our fellow quilters and new friends.

We have booked the venues for October next year and are looking forward to meeting more wonderful ladies then.

Until next time

Dorothy