An early arrival this morning made it possible to take photos of the wonderful and assorted range of crafted goods without having to crop too many bodies from the pics.
That wasn't the case half an hour after the doors were flung open, it was standing room only.
Pottery Group always has a large number of items for sale, ranging from some very large pieces such as an almost life size lass right on down to little figurines.
.
These pictures show just a few of the many pottery pieces available
Love the cat, can picture him in my home.
The white cockatoos on the back wall are stunning, there were a lot of birds featured this year.
Lovely Lace from the Lace makers group.
To stand and watch any one of these ladies work the bobbins to create these intricate and beautiful pieces,is to invoke a feeling of awe and perhaps just a tiny bit of envy.
Lace edged handkerchiefs, certainly couldn't call these beauties 'hankies'
Any of these pieces would look stunning backed with velvet and framed.
A relatively new group within the Cottage is the Machine Embroidery Group. Many of whom are also members of the Patchwork Group, as you can see from the lovely table runner.
Can you believe that the teacup is machine embroidered?
Two friendly and talented ladies from the China Painters Group
A very small part of the work offered by the China Painters.
They had the cutest little butter dishes, one with a spray of wattle, and yes, it now lives at my house, along with a couple of the sweetest little baby figurines.
The 'Credit Card Girls' Estelle, Jan and Maureen, taking it easy before the doors are flung open and the rush begins.
Now the ladies from Spinners and Weavers really know their stuff, they can take the raw wool, clean it, dye it, spin it- or is that spin it and then dye it, - and then knit,crochet,felt or weave it!
The lady who bought the red hat with the cream flower looked very fetching, suited her 'down to the ground'
How cute are these, so soft and cuddly any little babe would just love them to bits.
Fran and Joan, looking out for the 'Novelties' table, little cost effective things, suitable for christmas table decorations, gift decorations and more importantly for the little ones to spend their pocket money on.
The little facewasher and soap "handbags" are rather inventive
Baskets of Novelties.
Patchwork Leader Sheila, all dressed up for Christmas, and cashiers Val and Patricia having fun.
A tiny few of the many quilts, wall hangings, cushions and other articles that the Patchwork Group had for sale.
The 'Shabby Chic' corner being looked over by a friendly Patchworker with a lovely smile.
More offering from the Patchwork Group.
There were many wonderful quilts displayed and maybe I will be able to get permission from their makers to add them to this post.
Pretty soft florals in this heart shape colour wash wall hanging, made by Fay.
Beautiful rich and vibrant colours made a mouthwatering display for the Fabric Artists
Lyn, showing off one of the many beautiful silk scarves.
The lovely soft drape of the silk makes these jackets and tops very feminine.
One of the Caligraphy Group, just had to have a pic of that t.shirt.
Another member of Caligraphy, telling me she is busy, busy, really they were having a lovely chat before the rush.
As is all of the artists work on sale at the Fair, the greeting cards made by the Caligraphy Group is protected by copyright, but it just wouldn't seem right not to show a tiny bit of the work they have amassed throughout the year for this Fair.
These lovely people, members of the Painting Group, were only too happy to pose for a pic for you, insisting that their leader Maggie also posed for the camera.
Which she happily did, what a lovely group,
Unfortunately when taking the pics I wasn't able to find anyone from the Mixed Media group to give permission to take pics, I will work on that and maybe some pics can be inserted at a later date.
Michelle, a member of the Silversmith Group was also happy to pose with her work.
Some more Silversmith Group's work, this time by George
The fair is a lot of hard work by many of the members, but there is also a lot of fun and camaraderie, not only between cottage members but also members of the public, those lovely people who visit year after year, with glad greetings, hugs and laughter, purchasing the goodies offered for sale, browsing and just generally having a good time.
And when a rest is needed, its 'off outside to the patio tea room, to have a cuppa and perhaps something to nibble'
3 of the tea room helpers
Wouldn't you love a cuppa from this smiling lady?
Gwen is a prolific patchworker and a couple of her quilts, the tiny piece of the pink floral behind the dog and the Beatrice Potter squares are in the "Shabby Chic" pic earlier in the post.
Marilyn was Tea Room Co-ordinator this year, pictured here with another of the many helpers who kept the kitchen running smoothly. All organised and ready for the day to begin.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the wonderful items made by members of the Craft Cottage and reading about some of the people who make such a huge undertaking not only run smoothly but with laughter.
