Christmas and Summer School...

For the first time in many, many years Somerset Patchwork will be closing for the Christmas Holiday break. We will finishing up at the end of the day on Saturday 20th December and returning on Friday the 2nd January with normal trading hours.

During the Christmas break we will be putting the final touches on our very popular Summer School program for January 2015. This year we will be taking a slightly different approach with an on going class over 9 days featuring the new Block of the Month for 2015. It will be a...

'Mystery at Somerset'

Each class you attend you will be given another instalment of the new BOM, stitch along with us in the morning then take some quiet time for your own projects in the afternoon. Classes will run from 10am till 4pm at a daily cost of $35 each session. Call the shop for more information and class vacancies. (03 9873 5992)

Our travelling days are over for this year and that means a sale on our pre-cut 30cm strips. Call in for a bargain!

Until next time,

Houston highlights 2014...

Houston has come and gone for another year! There were many highlights including this magnificent display of Red and White quilts. The theme for Festival 2014 was Ruby Jubilee.

Sue and I had a great time too and it was fantastic catching up with so many of our blog, Facebook and Instagram followers! Thank you for calling past and saying hello.

These three ladies popped in to our booth with their matching carry bags. The bags were very full when we saw them :) I think they were having a nice time.

This was the display of my new quilt 'Kensington' and other sweet things on the Marcus Fabrics booth at Market! The lovely jacket is made from the Quilted Crows new wools and it looked amazing on top of the skirt made using my Victoria Park fabric!

And no trip to Houston would be complete without the compulsory visit to the Galleria and these two shops!

Today's adventure!

It's Sunday morning and I am sitting at the airport waiting to travel to Sydney, then catch a flight straight through to Dallas. Must admit the prospect of a 16 hour non stop flight is a little daunting but I know there are lots of adventures to be had once I arrive :)

While I am away there will be a slight change to business hours at the shop! 

Please check the times listed below before visiting... 

Hopefully there will be lots of fun to report on over the next few weeks!

Chat again soon, Karen

Travel time again...

Its that time of the year again when Paul and I start heading to Houston. I have been madly stitching, quilting and binding getting lots of new quilts ready to show. The suitcases are out and now its time to see what I can squeeze inside!

But before I arrive in Houston I will be visiting Eudora to stitch with the lovely ladies at Quilting Bits and Pieces and the local Eudora Quilting Guild. If you are in the neighbourhood stop by and say hello! Visit here for more information...

Almost Settled...

We have been in our new shop 4 weeks now and I think we are almost settled. Mrs Billings is on the wall, all the fabric is on the shelf and the delivery men have found us :)

There was great excitement on our first Friday stitching group with flowers, chocolate cake and of course something to drink!

But before the girls could join us, Sue and I made a trip to the local Ikea store for supplies...  Lots of pretty things to make the new shop feel like home. We filled three trolleys at Ikea and overloaded the car, it was touch and go there but Sue just fitted into the front seat. 

The shelves were filled with fabric and then it was time to set up all of our new tables and chairs! It was lots of fun but I think I am over building furniture for the next little while!

I am very pleased we looked at the instructions! Read first then call Ikea for help!

You only need 1 tool, some screws ... Yes, we supply a tool set for every chair, we assembled 12 chairs that day :) can you see?

Sue and I had a great day that day and felt very satisfied with the finished result...

Back soon with more,

Moving Sale!

Paul, Sue and I are working well towards our relocation in August to our new home. 

BUT!!!!! 

We have collected quite a lot of 'stuff' in the last 5 years and it is time for some of it to go! 

So... we are having a big moving sale to help us make the trip to Vermont easier.

There will be a large selection of fabrics on sale at $17 per metre

 with some at $10 per metre too!

Each day we are uncovering some little treasures that don't want to come with us! 

There are a variety of quilt tops in all stages of finish, even some completed ones! 

Last ones of Block of the Months, fat 1/4 bundles, special fabrics and more...

Come for a visit and help us make the move a little lighter ... 

We will be open from 9.30 - 5.00 Tuesday - Friday and 9.30 - 3.00 on Saturday.

See you there :)

The Future!

Last post I mentioned plans for the future... Well its now official Somerset Patchwork is moving!

In about 3 weeks time our new home will be located at

Shop 4, 580-584 Canterbury Road, Vermont 3133 

Our telephone number will change and we will let you know what that is when it is confirmed but 
in the meantime please feel free to use the current number 03 9807 3399 

Our future home is brand new and I am currently spending my time choosing new floor coverings, colour schemes and planning where everything will go! A bit of fun you might be thinking. (mmmmm I will tell you later if it remains being fun!) 

Now because of this move Sue and I are doing a little bit of early spring cleaning and have found lots of little treasures. We have unearthed some 'oddments', 'orphans' and 'oddballs'!

i.e. some unusual pieces of fabric, lonely single block of the months, leftover 'things' and a few quilt tops in various states of completion. 

SO... watch this space and check out my Facebook page and instagram feed for updates each day for whats on sale!

Chat again soon, 

Where did that last 8 weeks go!

Its been a while, I know ... but I have been a little busy lately working on some secret projects and plans for the future ... 
I found this post in the draft section of my blog and thought it was probably about time to post it! 

While Paul and I were in Bedford earlier this year we visited the 'The National Museum of the American Coverlet'.  
Wow what an amazing place! They had an extensive display of antique woven bedcovers in all colours and designs. It was very hard choosing a favourite.

Have a look at these pics and see if you can choose...

The Museum is open daily all year round and if you are in the neighbourhood I would recommend a visit.

Bedford County

We went exploring Bedford County yesterday in search of covered bridges. There are 13 within a very close distance of Mary's Quilt Shop..... We found most of them but not all! They were beautiful, the countryside is so green and lush. The rain came and we stayed in the car for this one, but Paul drove us through!

Back with more soon, Karen

P.s. Still haven't found a new pair of red shoes!

Quilt market - Pittsburg 2014

I am having a wonderful time at Spring Quilt Market -2014- Pittsburg! There are so many things to see and so many friends both new and old to meet. This is the view of half of the floor from above...there are 26 aisles to wander up and down! And where is Somerset Pathcwork?

Don't forget to call in and say hi if you are in town..... Chat soon, Karen

What's next?

Another busy quilt market is done and dusted, now it's time for a few well earned days of R & R spent with friends at Mary Kovals Quilt Shop, followed by a weekend of fun meeting and chatting with new friends. Come along and visit with Lynette, Leonie, Deirdre, Wenche and myself if you are close by. We would all love to meet you.....

Come and visit with us if you can!

Karen 

Nantes.... What a beautiful city

We had a wonderful time in Nantes last week. Sorry for the delay in posting but blogger was a little tricky! Every time I tried to post the inner workings popped up in French! I did manage to communicate face to face but not on a small electronic device written in a language unknown to me.... :)

Here are some of the highlights....

We visited the large walking elephant at Le Machine des I'les..... wow how fantastic is this!

We walked the walls of the ancient city.... beautiful! A wonderful day in sunny, but cold weather!

And ate in this magnificent restaurant.... Le Cigale. Every wall was covered in the most amazing display of tiles. The interior dates back to the 1920's and is largely still in its original state!!

We have been there and back again, how time flies. This will be a city that will stay in my memory forever. Maybe there will be a return trip one day! Would you like to come too!

Until then, Karen 

Two and a half days in London...

How much can you do in two and a half days? Lots!! Sue and I walked and walked, climbed up and climbed down, took the tube and the overground railway and walked some more! We saw lots of wonderful things....

We went to the very top of St Paul's Cathedral, about 500 steps up and of course 500 back down! The view from the top was amazing, lucky for us it was a very clear day! See the sign on the wall we passed, Mrs B is everywhere.

We took the tube and the overground rail to visit the home of William Morris (1860-65) and then walked on to Danson House to visit the Quilt Exhibition 'Things we do in bed'. The quilt that took my eye the most was a hand quilted beauty hanging at the top of a lovely oval staircase!

You may have noticed a little retail therapy was done too! A new umbrella was on my list!

It's time to move on now! The Eurostar to Paris and then on to Nantes where the quilts at Pour l'amour du fil await!

I'll be back soon, Karen

Out and about in York

There was lots of interesting shopping to be done in York. The buildings were fascinating to see from the outside but when you stepped in there were many amazing treasures to find. This shop had a beautiful staircase made from a large variety of tiles!

Another one we loved was named Duttons for Buttons. There was every shape, size and colour of button you could ever possibly need all sorted into little cardboard boxes. The building was originally built in Medieval times. The floors were all uneven and the shop covered 3 floors of tiny rooms. A real treasure!

Sue and I headed off to the Yorkshire Dales where it was very, very windy.....

and went in search of Lucy from Attic 24, no luck.... we think she was out of town!

Then back to our hotel for a quiet afternoon of stitching in the spring sun! Very pieceful!

We are off to London now. More photos soon, Karen