Monday, December 14, 2009

Catching up before Christmas

The registrations are coming along nicely and today there are 123 people registered and the Goldfileds are almost booked out.There is still room for another 27 people as the Goldfields can accomodate 150 in their dining area.Because we received 175 EOI's I think some people are trying to make up their minds about the Retreat.

Don't forget to join the yahoo group so you keep up with all relevent information and a gentle reminder to all those doing the siggy swap to put your name on the list in the data base of the yahoo group.


2010bathurstretreat@yahoogroups.com

The mail regarding the angel/mortal swap will go out later this week so if you didn't tick that box and now want to join up please email Christine at

bcch@optusnet.com.au


The Committee would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

New Committee member

The committee would like to announce a new member, his name is Blooey and so far he has contribtued to the ongoing work we are doing behind the scenes.
Blooey is a young Australian Blue Cattle dog and he is quite talented as some photos will attest.







Blooey having a well deserved rest in front of the fire at Heather's place.




Blooey helping out at working bee.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Retreat Committee

We had a committee meeting in Bathurst last weekend and made a few more decisions, tried on some of the merchandise and attended to some other activities.




From left Heather Hanneman (Bathurst)Rosie Mann (Lawson) Del Soden (Bathurst)Lorraine Sorensen (Gilgandra) and Christine Colley (Bathurst).

Monday, October 12, 2009

Merchandise/ Apparel

Here are some photos of the clothing available for retreatees to order modelled by Christine and Del with the photos taken by Rod Soden (HWS) in his Garden in Bathurst.There are also photos available in the Photo section of the Yahoo group as well as information in the Files Section of the Yahoo group.



In this photo Del is wearing the Polo shirt and Christine is wearing the 1/2 zip Polar fleece sweater.

Del is wearing the Polar fleece jacket and Christine is wearing the Polar fleece vest


This is Del wearing a Shepherd's jacket which is 2 thicknesses of Polar fleece and is thick and warm

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Registration Packs

We have started to post out the registration envelopes and the rest will be
posted tomorrow but I have one request to make, please do not post or direct
debit until the 15th October as some members of the committee are going on
holidays .Enjoy reading what we have prepared and make some decisions in the
next two weeks.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Siggy Squares

SIGNATURE SQUARE SWAP
Signature Squares are made up of two items:
a six and a half inch (6 ½) square of fabric of your interpretation of country theme and
a six and a half inch (6 ½) square of homespun or quilter’s muslin which you have decorated with your ‘signature’.
You will be issued with a list of Siggy Square Swappers on registration and it’s up to you to track down each person in the swap and exchange Siggy Squares. It is lots of fun and a great way to meet other SCQuilters you have previously only ‘seen’ in messages.
Del has uploaded some examples of siggy squares in the photos section of the Retreat Yahoo Group pages

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2010bathurstretreat/photos/recent/list?yguid=29728530

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Challenges for Retreatees

Below are the details of the various challenges and prizes for the Bathurst Retreat next May, which might interest those who are thinking of attending. There will be pictures of the 2 main prizes posted on the Blog soon.



1. Quilt Challenge. Create a quilt measuring a minimum of 4' by 4'. The fabric of the top must be 100% recycled check flannelette shirts. You may use the reverse of the fabrics. You may use paint, decorative threads, and other embellishments on the top. The batting, backing and binding may be other fabrics. The quilt can be any style or theme and will be judged on creativity and sewing skills. If you intend to enter this challenge, go looking for your recycled check flannelette shirts very soon, as they are considered winter wear and won't be in the charity shops for much longer this year.

The prize is an antique, hand stitched, hand quilted, 1930s, Double Wedding Ring quilt valued at $699.

Bring your entry quilt with you when you attend the retreat. This challenge is also open to non-retreatees, but non-retreatees must arrange for someone to return their quilt to them. This will not be the responsibility of the retreat committee.



2. Apparel Challenge. Create an outfit that a Quilting Swaggie might wear, complete with quilting equipment, wagga or bed roll and whatever else takes your fancy. Be as crazy or as practical as you like!

You will be expected to model your entry on Saturday night right after the dinner. Entries will be judged on creativity, imagination, and downright cleverness. Sewing skills will not even enter into it!

The prize is what any quilter forced to move around a lot would want - an antique Singer Featherweight sewing machine with all the bells and whistles, valued at $700.



3. Block Challenge. Create a 12 1/2" square block with the theme "Country". This may be interpreted however you like, and you may use any method - piecing, appliquéing, or embellishing with whatever you like. This is not a swap. You may make as many blocks as you like and all blocks will be donated to Jan McFadyen to be used to create charity quilts. The winning block will be the one voted most popular by the other retreatees.

The prize is a framed mounted antique block. This challenge is also open to non-attendees who may mail their entries or have them delivered by a friend.



4. Mystery Challenge. The details for this challenge will be in your goodie bags at the retreat and is to be completed at the retreat, and is therefore for retreatees only. You might like to bring a small sewing kit with you plus a small assortment of tiny print fabrics, ribbon, and laces. Everything else will be provided for you at the retreat. Entries will be displayed and voted on by the other retreatees.

The prize is a framed mounted collage of vintage sewing paraphernalia.



Please contact me if you need any further details.

Heather Hanneman
bigooo@bigpond.com

Raffle Quilt

Yesterday Del Sodens had the Bathurst Bun Fight with 12 quilters in attendance,lots of show and tell and lucky dips as well as a nine patch lottery.
The raffle quilt for the 2010 retreat was drawn and the winner was Trish Colley, Christine was very embarrassed that her DD won the quilt but Trish did buy a book of tickets and was therefore entitled to win.Del rang Trish and she was quite surprised to be the winner and thanked everyone involved.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

How to get to Bathurst

Trains

There is an XPT service that runs Sydney to Bathurst and return daily as well as several trains that run to Lithgow and connect with a bus to Bathurst.

The link below is to Train and bus timetables Sydney to Bathurst

http://www.countrylink.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/13811/WESTERN_Region_effective_11OCT09.pdf

The link below is the Southern NSW any service that goes to Cootamundra has a bus link to Bathurst however I think this takes all day to get from Melbourne to Bathurst. There is also a link from Canberra to Cootamundra and then by rail bus to Bathurst.

http://www.countrylink.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/13810/SOUTHERN_Region_effective_11OCT09.pdf


Indian Pacific stops at Bathurst (last stop before Sydney) if you have the time and money for a bit of luxury along the journey. The stop is not mentioned on the web page but I did check with the Ticket office here in Bathurst ,you just have to mention it when booking.

http://www.gsr.com.au/our-trains/indian-pacific/the-journey.php

Planes

Rex Airline run a twice a day service between Sydney and Bathurst

http://www.rex.com.au/Schedules/Default.aspx

Car

It is only a 2 and half to 3 hour drive from Sydney to Bathurst (if you don’t stop at any quilt shops on the way) and perhaps if 4 ladies got together at Sydney Airport you could hire a car, split the costs and you would have a car for the weekend.



http://www.budget.com/web/mobilink/app?component=%24DirectLink_3&page=CarList&service=direct&session=T&sp=SA


Coach

There is also a daily bus service between Sydney and Bathurst
http://www.selwoods.com.au/

This information can also be found in the files section of the Retreat Yahoo Group.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Expressions of Interest

Well Scquilters the day has come and the expressions of interest are being released,if you go to the 'files' section of your Scquilters home page at Yahoo.Please print off the form,fill in and send to the address on the form.
Registration forms will be posted out in September;it's getting closer now!

Please find below a link to some of the things that Bathurst has to offer

http://www.visitbathurst.com.au/index.php/see-a-do/attractions

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Bathurst 2010 Retreat Announcement

This is what the Retreatrees at Adelaide are being told this morning-

Hi everyone. I'm Heather Hanneman and this is Christine Colley and Lorraine Sorensen, and we're three of the organisers of the 2010 Retreat which will be held in Bathurst NSW from Friday 7th May to Sunday 9th May 2010. Bathurst is in NSW, 3 hours west of Sydney over the Blue Mountains, and is Australia's oldest inland settlement.
Mindful of the economic downturn, we decided to organise a modest retreat based on the original idea of getting together, bonding within our group, sharing ideas, and having fun. Indeed we are hoping that some of the Scquilters in remote farming communities might feel able to attend their first ever retreat. We have deliberately chosen a weekend out of school holidays when airfares and other charges are lower. With our registration fee around $200, and accommodation on site starting at as little as $30 a night, we hope to benefit some of our disadvantaged sisters.
Our theme is the bush. We are planning a rustic weekend of fun and festivities that will be a whole new experience for many of you. BUT.......
....if you're hoping to wear evening gowns and high heeled shoes, don't come!
....if you're expecting spa baths, don't come!
....if your holiday is not complete without room service, don't come!
However, if you would like to share the companionship of 149 other fun loving quilters, to step back to our roots and explore a little history, to breath fresh high-country air, enjoy country cooking, sit around wood fires, or wonder at the silence and glory of a star-strewn sky - then come to the Bathurst Goldfields.
Pack your jeans - fancy clothes and jewellery are forbidden (apart from tiaras of course). There are 2 types of accommodation at the Goldfields. There is motel style accommodation, each room with a king bed that unzips to 2 singles, plus 2 more singles. Two of these rooms are for disabled guests. Currently these rooms are $120/night including continental breakfast.
Then there are various cabins with bunkhouse accommodation and shared bathrooms. No one will be expected to use a top bunk (unless they prefer to). Currently these are $30 per bed including continental breakfast.These details are being posted onto Scquilters today so they will be available for everyone at once. There are of course lots of other hotels and motels in Bathurst if you really can't do without your free shower cap or breakfast in bed.
Due to ever changing prices, the venue will not give us final quotes on food and accommodation until the beginning of September. Therefore, we will be calling for Expressions of Interest in August and we anticipate opening for registration in September. Please don't try to book accommodation at the Goldfields until then as we are still negotiating the prices and we will have a special system on line for choosing rooms.
But if any of you would like to get started on Sig. Scquares, then we are returning to the original concept of a cream 6 1/2" signature square plus a 6 1/2" square of fabric in country patterns and colours.
The Major Challenge for both attendees and non-attendees will be to create a quilt no smaller than 4' by 4' using recycled used check flannelette shirts, and the reason I am telling you this now is that they are considered winter wear and therefore now is the time to look for them in the charity stores.
The second Major Challenge, which will be for attendees only, is a return of the apparel challenge. Swaggies were a common sight on country roads early last century, looking for work, food, or a hand-out. How would a Quilting Swaggie dress and what would she/he carry? Your challenge is to design, make and model this outfit.
We will also have all the traditional fun and games such as Fat Quarter Draws, Show and Tell, Angel/ Mortal Reveals, a Shop Hop and a Thursday night dinner.
So remember:
Lock up the kids
Toss out the men,
We're goin' bush in Bathurst
In 2 thousand and 10 !!!

Raffle Quilt


Lock up the kids
Toss out the men,
We're goin' bush in Bathurst
In 2 010
Windmill Quilt Guessing competition
$2.00 per ticket
Quilt Co-ordinated by Del Soden Pieced by members of the organising committee and quilted by Belinda Betts of Orange


If you want a ticket please contact Christine Colley at bcch@optusnet.com.au





Sunday, April 12, 2009

SCQuilter thimbles

Souvenir thimbles
$5.00 each (plus postage)
contact Christine Colley
bcch@optusnet.com.au