Quilt Fair I

And finally, the reason for my trip to Sydney (besides the princess time) was to go to the quilt fair at Darling Harbour. In previous years I hadn't been able to go (hmmm...what was I doing this time last year?)so I was looking forward to finally seeing it. We arrived quite early so we could book into the workshop on making owls from japanese fabric but they were sold out. There were whispers that they had presold tickets which is very naughty. I even tried the old 'but I've come all the way from Junee' trick but it got me nowhere. Well actually I bought the pattern so I can do it myself. They don't look that hard.
Then Mum ran into a woman that she knew who seemed quite croaky and chesty and we all tried to subtly take a step backwards (oink).

From her stall we could see the Hamlin Fistula Stall, where things weren't available for sale, but donations of Knickers and knitted wool squares were gratefully accepted. Mum and I dropped our knickers and I took a photo of the previous donations.

For anyone who doesn't know what a fistula is, who wants to learn more or make a donation here is the address
http://www.fistulatrust.org/
or you could read Dr Catherine Hamlin's book, Hospital by the River.
After that we had a look at the quilts. It is amazing what some people use to make quilts (old heavy metal t shirts or westpac uniforms)and the designs they come up with. There are serious hours involved and some of the quilts were very impressive.
A volunteer showed us around for a little while, which was interesting and then we had a break and looked at the stalls for awhile. My father, who never misses a quilt fair, happily read the paper while he sipped his tea. We found some lovely fabric, met some nice people from Bright in Victoria (one of my favourite places) and promised to go to visit them one time and drink green tea.
Then it was time for lunch, so we followed tradition and with Garn in mind went to Jordons for a nice fish meal,

which it was (great chips, shame about the strange woman hurling in the toilets) and finished with dessert.