Quilt Norfolk report

We have just come to the end of four wonderful days of stitching with twenty six fabulous stitchers from Australia and New Zealand. I can now reveal what we were stitching and nearly everyone can go home with two completed projects. I decided to provide kits for everyone with extra quilt patterns to complete at home. First of all we completed a stitching project carry bag that I called the Petal Bag. We did the black and gold version of the bag but some girls went on and also competed the stitcheries for the alternate bag to do at home...........

 By day three it was wonderful to see the bags already in use as they started on the next project........

And that was a large zippered purse very loosely inspired by Beatrix Potter....Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail behaving very well (as all good bunnies should), in Mr McGregor's garden...........

 Every day we were looked after by the three girls who organise these retreats - Rowena, Raewyn and Kay who keep us well fed and watered with assistance provided to unpick or help in any way with the projects. Each day they prepared wonderful home made lunches and morning teas that we shared outside while inside was a flurry of activity. The venue is roomy and having the doors and windows open meant we could occasionally enjoy the cool breeze.........

 I had already made some smaller thank you gift versions of the purses personally embroidered with a monogram..............

 Each day we have had a variety of gorgeous flowers displayed on the loo and sink..........

 And even in the men's urinal!!.........

The Quilt Norfolk mascot finally appeared today and she was told to behave and sit still on more than one occasion by Rowena.......

 As a surprise today I put everyone's name in a hat so that one lucky person could take home my unfinished quilt. All the appliqué has been completed so it just needs to be quilted or perhaps have a border added first ...and the lucky winner was Jan from Queensland. I would love to be a fly on the wall when she shows her group what she produced in four days!.............

 A couple of nights ago we enjoyed another scrumptious Fish Fry. It was a little windy outdoors but the food was delicious and all locally sourced. The salads were beautiful accompanied by mashed sweet potato with coconut milk and curry. And the coconut bread was divine........

 The fish was light and fluffy with the lightest and crispest of batters that you can imagine...hope you are drooling by now!!............

Of course the location was perfect and the evening concluded with some local girls performing traditional Tahitian dance............

 Before I conclude I must mention that the cows and hens have free range on the island so one must drive very carefully to avoid them on the road. I just had to capture this poor girl trying to reach something that tickled her fancy but I do wonder how her udder was feeling that night!.........

So my heartfelt thanks once again to Rowena, Raewyn and Kay for inviting me and for putting on such a fabulous week for those twenty six travellers and of course Larry and myself. Thankyou to everyone who came from far and wide....it was a great honour. We still have the farewell dinner tomorrow night and I might just sneak in a little shopping on my day off tomorrow! We fly home on Saturday via Brisbane so next report will be from home. Thanks for dropping by x