Fat Quarterly Retreat Linky Party!

Haven't blogged in like forever but today I'm joining up to the Fat Quarterly Retreat linky party and the count down has begun!
The excitement is building although I could do with a few more days prep - procrastination has been my middle name this week!

So I'll be heading into London for a weekend of fun and this year I'm going to try and make sure I mingle and get to talk to lots of people as last year I seemed to miss lots of people I wanted to meet, so please come and say hello if you see me!

So a few random things ...

• I'm staying at the Grange, so hope to see lots of you there too!! 
• Secret name tag swap partner - I'm bringing your badge to the retreat to hand over as you're traveling a bit of a way and I didn't want it not to reach you.
• I'm taking part in the sample swap, scrap strip swap and name tag swap, although not received mine yet :(
• I have a slight obsession with making bags and pouches or anything with a zip! I'll be sporting my new molly market tote, but please don't look too closely!
• My classes are mail organiser, fabulously fast tile quilt, six pointed stars, modern knots, patchwork into print and make a lampshade. 
• I've still not finished a real proper sized quilt - mini's and lap but that's all!
• I belong to Bee Europa quilting bee and hope to meet and see some of my bee's at the retreat!
• I really don't like having my photo taken but the one up there is one from a London Modern Quilt guild meeting with my needle book swaps from the Vancouver MQG! Thanks Shevvy for the photo :)

See you all soon!

Fat Quarterly Retreat recap

It's been over a week since Fat Quarterly Retreat happened and somehow I'm only just getting around to talking about it now!
I could probably do a post every day for the next week about all the fun, but I decided to squeeze it into one post with mainly a photo recap so here goes! It was a lovely weekend with a wonderful chance to meet people I met last year, new people from blogs I follow or on Instagram and some of my fellow Bee Europa girls! It was a fun filled time of sewing, chatting, drinking and eating, and it was lovely to eat out with some of the London Modern Quilt girls on Saturday night!! Hello and hopefully I'll be joining you soon at a meeting!! However I still didn't meet everyone - I'm not great at introducing myself! I'll just have to go back next year :)

My aeroplane bag did me well during the weekend, stayed at the lovely Grange, gorgeous streets around Baden Powell House ~

 My embroidery hoop clocks that I swapped (hopefully they got home in one piece!), Liberty goody bag (thanks to all the sponsors!), Quilt Market haul, and gorgeous swaps received!! Sadly I can't remember the names of two of my swappers, so please say Hi if it is you!! Thanks to Susy for the gorgeous red and aqua cushion!

 Loved the workshops and tabletop sessions, so much inspiration! FQ team starting off the fun, Trudi and her amazing FMQ skills, loved Katy's EPP classes and Lu's hand quilting class. Also snuck into Quilt Dad's blogging session!

So that's the recap from me! It was a fun filled time and can't quite believe that it's over for another year!

Fat Quarterly Retreat hello!

Hopefully I'm not too late to the Fat Quarterly Retreat Linky Party but in 5 days time I'll be heading down to London for the Retreat!! Yay!!
So a few random things to help break the ice....

• Next Friday is not only FQ retreat but also the end of term for me in my day job as a teacher! This last week has been more than manic with a visit from the people that all teachers dread so any last minute sewing totally went out the window :(
• I'm left handed but only for writing, right handed for everything else - weird I know!
• Originally from Jersey before settling in the UK
• Most of my friends don't understand my obsession with spending far too much money on fabric, only to cut it up and sew it back together again!
• I went to the retreat last year and met lovely people but had to travel back and forth so felt I missed out on some things so so excited this year to be staying at the Grange!! 
• Met the lovely Pippa at retreat last year who is my roomie this year and was also my secret name badge partner!!
• Last year I was carrying this bag not sure what I'll have this year just yet - need to get finishing!!

• Not great at photos so here is one of me at the London Sewing Directory meet up (Fiona hope you don't mind me borrowing the photo!!?) I'm next to Fiona in Blue, think I was trying to be the M of YMCA! (It was held at a YMCA just in case you're wondering!)

So a list of totally random facts!
My classes are Spring Carnival, Free Motion, Triangle City and Hand Quilting so see you all there!!

Name badge reveal!

Yay! My secret partner has received her Fat Quarterly Retreat name badge so I can now reveal it fully!!
I had so much fun making it and I'm really pleased that Penny liked the badge. Thanks to Penny for her photo as I completely forgot to take a photo of the front!

Fat Quarterly Retreat name badge on the move!!

So the name badge I made for my secret partner is on it's way and hopefully will find it's new home tomorrow! Hoping my partner likes it too!
But silly old me as I'm looking through my photos on my phone tonight there's one of the back in progress and when complete but the front - well as it was such a secret for my partner my brain obviously told me not to take a photo of it either! Duh! So when my partner posts a pic I'll just have to borrow it!

 

Lovely new pouch

I have so much on my to do list at the moment, not only for work but more importantly getting myself ready for Fat Quarterly Retreat!!
One of the things I wanted to make was a little pouch for my phone and to hold a bit of cash for Quilt Market on Saturday night, so off I went and purchased a Michelle patterns pattern. I went with the Zip Pocket Pouches and I am totally smitten.
The pattern was easy to buy (as a PDF), easy to use and easy to follow - great instructions! Would highly recommend! I've already bought another one out to try!

 

 

 

Was thinking (in my brain where my days consist of about 100 hours!) that I might make some to sell at Quilt market. Only one question - would anyone be interested!?

Fat Quarterly Retreat preparations

It's a grey, miserable rainy day today and this week has been a pretty tough one I'm glad it's the weekend and I am going to sew!!

Plus my Fat Quarterly Retreat name tag arrived in the post!

It gorgeous and made me giggle as my secret partner is my roomie Pippa :) Thank you!!

I got a ticket!!

So if you haven't heard the tickets for the 2013 Fat Quarterly retreat are now on sale!

After waiting patiently at my computer for 12 noon yesterday I had one of these safely in the little shopping cart!

I can now breathe and relax! Last year I was a bit slow learning about the retreat and purchased my ticket last minute, which also meant no hotel. I had a wonderful time meeting lots of lovely people from my quilting bees and blog buddies but missed out on a few things due to all the train travel back and forth! So for next year I am determined to stay somewhere near by and take part in all the fun! In steps the lovely Pippa and asks me if I want to be a roomie! YES PLEASE!!! We met at the retreat last year, had a few classes and giggles together whilst watching everyone else at the retreat win lots of lovely raffle prizes except what felt like us!!!

I can't wait! If you're going to the retreat, look forward to seeing you there!!

Mollie Makes

When I heard that Tacha had a write up about the Fat Quarterly Retreat in the current issue of Mollie Makes (issue 16) I quickly planned my visit to WHSmiths to get my hands on a copy. I was not disappointed!
Little to my surprise whilst having a quick read in the store I had to study the page really carefully!

This is what was going through my mind....
Hold on....
Ummm....
Yep I'm sure....
No it's never....
OMG that's me!!! (Damn my hair looks a mess!)
To my surprise there is a little photo of me looking far too serious whilst using a rotary cutter!! How scary is that!

It is a great write up and really sums up the wonderful weekend and Tacha also has a lovely project in the issue from her new book!

Blimey - another finished project!

Yay! I finally managed to finish another project from the FQly Retreat.
This time it's a machine sewn placemat designed by Brioni Greenberg who also took the class!

The class was so much fun and where I discovered my new found love for spray starch - it's amazing what a little starch can do!
I actually managed to sew the top together at the class but then unpicked it as I had sewn the sections together in my own little way! I should have sewn it into two groups of 6 which gave me 2 half sections that could then be sewn together easily, as first time around my placemat had what looked like a little volcanic eruption in the middle where all the seams met! Not a good look!

For the layering, quilting and binding I simply followed the instructions (learnt from my first mistake!) and I love the finished placemat!

Now in case your wondering my dining room is not pink! So at the moment I have it hung in my little craft room as a mini quilt, thinking this would be a great pattern for a Christmas themed placemat!!

It's not too early to be thinking of Christmas is it!?
Linking up to Lily's Quilts: Fresh Sewing Day July

Freezer paper piecing

Remember the Fat Quarterly Retreat? Yep not mentioned it around here for a few posts but it is still fresh in my mind!
There were a few classes at the retreat where I started a project but didn't have time to finish (too busy chatting!) and I really didn't want to leave them in my unfinished projects box to be forgotten about for years to come!
So I finished a couple of spools blocks from the Freezer Paper piecing class with Kerry. I started sewing these by hand at the retreat and finished them off on machine at home. Now they have become a cute pincushion! I think the spools blocks are fab!
Front ~

 

Back ~

~ Message for Angela who left a comment on the Frame Purse post: Sorry I couldn't contact you direct as you are a no-reply blogger but the frame I used is from U-Handbag. Great supplies and quick delivery!

Linking up with Canoe Ridge Creations: {sew} modern monday!

Sewing will commence shortly....

It's been one of those weekends.
I had plans to get the sewing machine out but it just didn't happen!
Instead I've been tidying my sewing/office room, catching up on far too much TV(!!), reading this lovely new book that arrived in the post ~

and planning on giving this a go as I've signed up for the "In the Frame purse swap" having never made a frame purse!! The words "easy peasy" are making me feel a bit better!!

Sample swaps!!

Yep, sorry another FQly Retreat related post! Maybe only one or two more to go - I promise!!
Having purchased my weekend pass rather late and then reading on Flickr all the exciting preparations that had been going on for months I was glad that I was not too late to miss out on the amazing sample swap organised by Trashalou!
The plan "you make four samples of the same thing and swap them in a group randomly assigned on the day. In return you get back four lovely new things of handmade wonderfulness from your four new best friends"
And boy were they lovely things!!
Lucy made this gorgeous hexie tea towel, just check out the embroidery! It is too cute to use but is being displayed lovingly in my kitchen!

From Fiona I received this amazing armchair sewing organiser. Just love the colours and fabrics!

I felt very privileged that the next items came all the way over from the US! Dolores made these cute London tube humbug bags and cute little extra goodies!! Last but not least was Rachel and her adorable felt birdie brooches!!

It was lovely to meet all these people and discover new blogs as well. Thanks for the wonderful swaps!!

FQly retreat - I could go on forever!

Yep another post about the retreat! You'll probably see a few more before the months end!
I wanted to post the "goodies" photos to show the generosity of the Retreat sponsors and what fab goody bags they were!
The sponsors of the Retreat were Moda (love me a bit of Moda!), Aurifil (heard about them never tried the threads, now I can!), Oakshott (big fan and have purchased lovely fabric from them before!), Sizzix (had a go on the die cutting machine and now want one!), Pfaff (used one of their machines both days and really enjoyed using them), Robert Kaufmann (just look at the fat quarter selection we were given!), Korbond and Abakhan fabrics (some great little extras provided!).

Mandy from Simply Solids was also at the retreat and if there is fabric to buy well enough said! So I also came home with this ~

Hoping to make a few zippered pouches out of some of these!
Thank you also to Cindy from Fluffy Sheep Quilting who bought this lovely order all the way to the Retreat!

 I'll leave the amazing sample swap goodies until another day! See told you I could go on forever!
On a different note - finally got with the times and joined Twitter! Don't really have a clue what I'm doing but it is fun! (I've added the follow me button right at the top)

Fat Quarterly Retreat 2012

So it has only taken me a week to write this post!! And I only just unpacked everything this afternoon!!
Last Saturday and Sunday I spent an amazing weekend in the company of wonderful people, meeting friends in person that I have got to know through Flickr and {Pink Stitches}, taking fab classes being taught by talented people and all of this was put together for the first time by the wonderful Tacha, Katy, John, Brioni and Lynne. Thanks also to Claudia for making me addicted to zippered pouches, Kerry for making those Y seams seem not so scary and Lucie for hand delivering a gorgeous charm pack of her Summersville fabric!!
I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking. All I can say is when is the next retreat and can you make it a week long!?

Lots of lovely ladies (and a couple of men!) in a sewing frenzy all weekend ~

First class was Freezer Paper Piecing with Kerry (top of the yellow spool still needs stitching!) ~

Zippered pouches with Claudia, this was so much fun!

Sunday morning Machine Pieced placemat with Brioni (who introduced me to the amazing world of spray starch!) This is the top of the placemat ~

A fab class to finish the retreat was Wonky Log Cabins with John aka Quilt Dad! I used an old jelly roll and the colours are a bit more subtle than I usually go for but I am really pleased with the block. John in action ~

A lovely new charm pack ~

I'll be back tomorrow to share the amazing goodies we each received from the sponsors and the wonderful goodies I received from the sample swap!!

FQly retreat Day one!!

An amazing day!! Meeting lovely people and having a wonderful time!
Exhausted but can not wait for tomorrow!!
Wanted to post these photos before today but never got a chance due to last minute sewing into the wee hours!!
Amy Butler Cosmo bag with Heirloom by Joel Dewberry fabric started Monday finished Friday!! (I'll post more about making it another day) This went with me to the retreat today ~

My sample swaps that I took the retreat and have now found new homes!! Needle books or circles!