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‘‘This is too good to be lost!’’

That was just a bit of conversation overheard at Isobel Harvie’s exhibition of antique apparel and memorabilia at the Kyabram Community and Learning Centre.

A Stitch Back in Time is open until Sunday. For those who love the sewer’s craft, it’s a feast. For those who immerse in and absorb the story of the original owners of such gems, this is a treasure trove right in Kyabram’s own backyard.

Isobel’s vast collection is representative of clothing and personal items of all sorts from the times of the American Civil War, through the Victorian and Edwardian eras, to days of the Titanic.

Isobel knows her stuff. She has the history of each piece in her collection.

‘‘I have no idea how many but everything is catalogued,’’ she said.

‘‘It’ll be in the thousands,’’ her husband Keith, himself a collector of various vehicles and other things, said.

Unsurprisingly, Isobel’s stock has attracted offers to buy from other collectors in Bendigo, Benalla, Shepparton, Yea, and further afield.

But Isobel won’t even consider that.

‘‘I want to give it to the town,’’ she said. ‘‘This district has been on its knees for a long while. The drought lasted over a decade, we lost a doctor who many doted on, and then there was Banksia.’’

Isobel and Keith share a vision for the town with a number of other individuals and groups.

‘‘We have such a lot of talent and knowledge in this town and surrounding districts. We need to bring the possibilities together for the good of everyone,’’ Isobel said.

An obvious physical possibility is the old Town Hall ex-library precinct: achitecturally fitting, spatially suitable and centrally located.

KCLC marketing manager Nicole Fraser said the town already had the basic infrastructure to support tourism, and a permanent place for a collection of the calibre of A Stitch Back In Time would improve its value as a tourist destination.

This is already obvious from people’s comments in Isobel’s visitors’ book, many from other parts of Victoria but also beyond. ‘‘So magnificent!’’ ‘‘Pity it can’t be permanently displayed.’’ ‘‘You could display this in Bendigo and make a fortune!’’

Someone from Armidale, NSW wrote: ‘‘What a wonderful collection ... an opportunity to be a tourist attraction for Kyabram ... thrilled to have seen such a unique display.’’ A visitor from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan province in Canada, wrote: ‘‘Spectacular show!’’

The door takings are looking very healthy. In three days over 300 people have attended — and all proceeds are going to Warramunda — another of Isobel’s pet loves.

Isobel can’t say enough about the girls at KCLC who urged her to show her treasures and helped organise and publicise the exhibition.

‘‘I want to say thank you to Cheryl Prideaux, Leslie Lowe, Nicole Fraser, Jo Breen and Sue Solly. They were behind this,’’ she said.

So was husband Keith, of course. He did all the lifting of models and objects and is at the show with Isobel every day.

‘‘We have a great, great grandchild coming soon,’’ he said. ‘‘It all has to be wrapped in acid-free paper and stored in trunks before we take a break.

Isobel’s dream is for a permanent establishment that could house her collection and have plenty of temporary exhibition space.

‘‘There are some very talented people in this area who deserve to have their things shown — artists, quilters, craftspeople and other collectors. A re-vamped Old Town Hall is the perfect venue to showcase what they can do,’’ she said.

‘‘And tourists buy meals, have a shop around and some stay overnight,’’ Keith said. ‘‘It’d help the town get back on its feet.’’

A Stitch Back in Time is open daily from 10am to 4pm at Kyabram Community and Learning Centre.