It only seems like yesterday that I was nervously waiting at the Brisbane International airport for Camille Roskelley and her friend Holly to arrive. This was the first international Fabric Designer / tutor that I had approached and brought out to Australia so I was nervous about how Camille's tour would go as I wanted it all to be perfect. I had spent hours working on all of the details but you never really know if it will all go to plan until it's happening.
Camille has posted 2 great posts on her blog here and here of her Australian trip so pop over there and see her photos and read her story.
The problem with flying from the USA to Australia is that you land early in the morning and the trick is to try and stay awake all day. With both Camille and Holly having never been to Australia before, I thought that an afternoon at Lone Pine Koala Santuary would be a great way to be introduced to Australian fauna and to try and fight the jetlag.
And if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen this video of Camille holding a Koala for the first time!
Of course there were heaps of Kangaroos and wallabies to try to grab photos with (they don't always want to co-operate!) along with Platypuses, Tasmanian Devils, Wombats etc.
We spent the next 2 weeks working at Market Trends, and 4 Australian Shops - FiFi's Fabricology on the Gold Coast, The Quilter's Store in Brisbane, Quiltsmith and Kim Bradley Creations in Sydney. Camille has plenty of photos of her classes on her blog so I won't double up. The classes went off beautifully and I think everyone who attended will agree that they had a great time. Once we arrived in Sydney, both Camille and Holly's husbands had flown in to join them.
Holly and her husband Dave popped in to Quiltsmith and Dave gave a hand at holding up Holly's version of Red Letter Day.
The two weeks flew by and before I knew it, it was Camille's last day in Australia. I couldn't think of a better thing to do than to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I have been wanting to cross it off my bucket list for ages and it was everything and more that I had dreamed of. We were very lucky and had perfect weather. My partner Allan was able to come up with me which just made it even more special.
And there is this video on my instagram page to show our achievement!
Our last night was spent with PK Fabrics at Cafe Sydney - the most gorgeous restaurant with amazing views of Sydney Harbour.
I have to say that saying goodbye to Camille and Holly at the airport the next morning was tough. It's funny how people come into your lives for just a short time but are etched into your heart forever. There was absolutely no need to be nervous on that first day waiting at Brisbane airport. Camille was nothing short of professional in everything she did but was also sweet, kind, and generous. Holly was the perfect travelling companion and just as lovely as Camille. I enjoyed many long chats with them as we travelled the east coast of Australia and we are already planning a return trip in a few years time.
So now it's back to work and organising next year's tour....who will it be???
Take care....Di
