Koala Conventions in the USA

In May 2013, Koala Conventions are coming to America, in both Seattle and Atlanta. What on earth are Koala Conventions, you may ask? It's a company that puts together Needle Arts events, generally in Australia, with emphasis on embroidery. I've never been to one, having only been to Australia once, but I've heard plenty about them. When I attended the Beating Around the Bush Convention (BATB) held by Country Bumpkin in Adelaide in October 2009 many of my fellow students raved about the Koala Convention classes they had taken.  In fact, many of the teachers hold classes at both conventions, and some have come to the USA to teach at the SAGA Conventions. In all cases, the class projects are exquisite and the teachers extremely knowledgeable. These conventions are a great way to learn new techniques, meet people and build your skills.

I realize that it's a bit early to be talking about a convention two years away, but Koala Conventions just sent out their first USA newsletter. If you'd like to receive a copy, just sign up on their contact page. The program will be published this December, a full 18 months ahead of the Convention. All of the workshops are run in two day segments, so you can really sink your teeth into the project, so to speak! Personally, I'd like to take some goldwork classes. There will also be a few events in the US later this year, it's all on the site.

Country Bumpkin will be holding another Beating Around the Bush Convention in April 2012, in lovely Adelaide, South Australia. If you would like to keep up to date with them, sign up for their newsletter.

Please note that both Koala Conventions and Country Bumpkin are for profit institutions and I am in no way affiliated with either of them. I just happen to like their products and want to share the information with you. SAGA is a non profit organization that I am a member of, but am not a spokesperson for them. I am also a member of the Embroiderer's Guild of America (EGA), but have only been to one meeting and to none of the conventions.