Why I should never be allowed to go to the AQC...

Well here was my thinking:

I'm not doing classes this year, I'll be good and save money, I've done many of the ones I'm interested in before anyway and I could probably do the other textile art techniques now... And then I can spend a little more at the stalls and still save a heap.

Um no.

I only got a couple of things....  well, sorta, kinda... here's them laid out on my table so I could fondle them all (and take a pic to remind me what I got now it's all squished into my stash)!

Lots and lots of fun new toys including the new Aussie texile magazine 'Textiles Down Under' I'm only up to page 20 but I'm already wrapped!! It's been even better then Quilting Arts (my usual fave) so far. Also got some i-spy FQ's I'll use on a recent baby quilt commission (it's going to look like the 'Hide and Seek' one on this page but with different characters - click the pattern for a bigger pic), and new sewing tools and Mylar from Punch With Judy. I'm curious on how Mylar makes normal threads look like metallic ones (i've read this but not tried it), and how it doesn't all perforate with lots of stitching - it just looks like Textiva film or cellophane in a bigger sheet.

The spending wasn't all my fault though... I mean fair is fair and bringing 13 new colours of Angelina Fibre out to coincide with the AQC is really not fair. After all it's one of my favorite things!!! Then I noticed Cecile from Unique stitching also had very large pieces of Lutrador rolled up for about $3.50 (don't quote me on that, my minds swimming with all the prices cause it's the morning after the night before for a textile-o-phile), so of course I had to get some of them. I know I have Lutrador, but the pieces I have are small and were expensive enough to not want to experiment on them... these are exactly the same but larger and cheap... so I'll feel better about subjecting it to myriad possibly bin-worthy experiments :)

Also got some 50/50 bamboo / rayon felt (that's the coloured stack at the back of the picture below), not the cheapest at $24 a metre but soooooo unbelievably soft. Figured it will be really lovely to use on the embellisher and it's soft enough and high enough quality to use on the front of my art quilts, even ones that are intended to snuggled up next to skin.

My new Angelina, including the 13 new colours, that's the Lutrador rolled up to the left.

I also got some gorgeous woven silk blends (70% silk and 30% poly) from a place i'd never heard of - and they had half metres for $10 and FQ's for $7... that's the same price (or cheaper) as cotton from lots of patchwork shops.... so of course I had to get a few of them, and then some 100% silk organza's as well. It's a little thicker then i've seen before and the intensity of colour is gorgeous.

These are the FQ's of 70/30 Silk Poly from Yazzii international in Box Hill. I'm sure I'll be going out there to visit one day. I've never noticed so many silks at the AQC before - this year there were a few and a couple like the above had such great prices. I also got some great overdyed silk hankies (not the kind you blow your nose on) and graduated dyed silk from Beautiful Silks who's located in Fitzroy... and they do textile art workshops. Yet another thing to follow up. Just what I needed... more places to buy fabric :)

Silk organza's from Yazzii International

One of Lisa Walton's stunning hand painted (with dye) cotton and some more silk from Yazzi that matches so well I'm tempted to use them together. The cotton goes from this colour to fuschia at the bottom and is 1m wide... so i'm thinking a huge sunset art quilt whenever I see it.

Last but not least this stunning hand dyed silk velvet from unique stitching, It's a FQ and I'm thinking a starry night landscape quilt.

Sooooooooo after all that, I need to go back tomorrow and look at the quilts on display and steer well clear of the stores!! But needless to say I had a very good day! :)