Because I'm not here . . .

Because I am here There is no sewing other than this to report However there is a little guest post by me here. where I interviewed Lu Summers for my local lovely quilt shop.

Sunday afternoon sewing

This afternoon I sat down with these supplies:

and turned them into these:

So satisfying to have a finished project at the end of an afternoon's sewing and just in time to send off to my Granny for her birthday this week.

Fat Quarterly Community Retreat

It's almost impossible to put this weekend into words (or at least a blog post that won't be so long that everyone nods off).  So I'm going to try and keep it short and show you what I made and tell you what my favourite thing from the weekend was.  All my photos from the weekend  (including my "fan pics"!) are here on Flickr if you want to see more.

I took some brilliant classes and came home with lots and lots of ideas for what I want to sew next.

Frame Purses with Katy aka I'm a Ginger Monkey 

Freezer Paper Piecing with Kerry aka Very Kerry Berry

Portholes with Lu aka the Summersville (Somerfield) Girl

Wonky Log Cabins with John aka Quilt Dad

I had no idea what to expect from the weekend. But in a word it was amazing.  The best thing about the weekend for me was undoubtedly meeting so many lovely bloggers, Flickr peeps and sewing folk in real life.  Everyone was so lovely so I'm not going to mention anyone in particular except my lovely roommate Justine.  Justine was one of my first bee, blogging and tweeting friends and it was so much fun to share a room with her (& the gorgeous Hunter).  My husband still didn't quite believe that I was going to London to spend a weekend with people I have never met and to share a room with "a girl I met off the internet".  So thank you Justine for such a fun weekend, for my lovely sewing pouch and thank you also from my husband for not being some crazy rotary cutter wielding maniac!

Thank you so much to all the Fat Quarterly crew for such a fantastic weekend and thank you to all the people I met who were so funny, welcoming and inclusive.  When I started blogging 2 years ago it was just little old me posting and reading my own posts.  Until I joined a Bee I had no idea that this huge online UK (& further afield of course) community existed.  I could never have predicted when I first started blogging that such a weekend would happen and that I would go, love every minute and cry my eyes out when it was over as I walked from the hotel to the tube.  When it was announced I wondered how the "community" bit of the Fat Quarterly Community Retreat would work.  After this weekend I know how - it's a place where everyone, no matter where you are from, what age you are, what your favourite fabric is, can be part of.  It's a community that I am happy and proud to belong to.

Yes I am still here!

I haven't blogged for a long time and unfortunately I haven't sewed in quite a while either.  So this post is simply my better late than never link up post for the Fat Quarterly Retreat in London.


I have been scanning through all the lovely posts this morning and there are lots of pictures of all the preparation that has been going on and the lovely things people have made for sample swap, gorgeous name tags and handmade pouches.  I have no such photos to show you.  My preparation started at 9pm last night, involved a glass of wine, a list and a lot of tweeting.

I am 30, live in Bath and when I'm not quilting I am a solicitor!   I started quilting when I finished studying 3 years ago as I didn't know what to do with my free time.  It has been pointed out to me that there are no photos of me anywhere on here and in fact even my name isn't on this blog. Sorry to disappoint but I am not a secret quilting celebrity!   As I don't have a name tag for the weekend I suppose I had better tell you my name and post a photo or people may think I just wondered in off the street to the Retreat by accident.

So here I am


Amanda

Ok my train leaves in half an hour so I need to go!  I will be tweeting @scissorsandthread and posting pictures on Instagram @scissorsandthread  See you in London!

March in Review

Lots of cushions, some hand sewing and my first and second finished quilts of the year.

Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day on Lily Quilts.

A tower of cushions

New sofas at the beginning of March meant new cushions were needed!

Husband had recently suggested I make "something useful" (as if my quilts aren't useful!)  So the new sofas gave me an excuse to cut into the hoarded decorator weight fabric.

I have spent the last couple of weeks sat on said new sofas hand sewing the binding onto these (I am very slow at hand sewing!)

Fabrics (all from the stash): Amy Butler Nigella & Joel Dewberry Ginseng from Millie Moon
Bindings are various Kona solids from Simply Solids 



Linking up with Finish it up Friday

A post of 3 random things

1. Cushions for the niece and nephew with their baby sister's quilt

Made to match this quilt

Made to match this quilt

2. The start of a new quilt top

3. Tag

This game of tag has been going around blog land.  I thought I had escaped but Sarah caught me.  I'm not passing it on directly but if you want to play or answer one of the questions randomly in the comments feel free to do so!

1.  What was the first music single you bought for yourself?  If you're a wee young thing, what was the first download you bought?

I didn't buy singles - I saved up for Albums and the first CD was The Cranberries No Need to Argue.

2.  If you could elect President of the World, who would get your vote?

I wouldn't - I think it would be too much power for one person to hold.

3.  Which TV show would you outlaw?

Big Brother

4.  If you could visit one place you've never been to before, where would it be?

South America (anywhere!)

5.  What sewing or quilting pattern/design have you not tried that you would really love to?

I really want to do Single Girl and to FMQ a quilt

6.  What is your idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon?

Lunch (preferably a picnic with a bottle of fizz) followed by an afternoon spent reading my favourite book and hand sewing in the sun.

7.  At school what was your favourite subject?

English

8.  If you were to get a tattoo, what would it be of? (I know you may never in a million years choose to do this, but just for fun ...)

Not my thing so I'm not sure, maybe a really quote like "Regret the things you do, not the things you don't"

9.  Which piece of technology do you most fear/hate?

I still can't connect the photos from the new camera to the new computer without asking my husband to help!

10. If you could put one item that you have made into a time capsule, which would it be (please show us a pic)?

Though if it were in a time capsule I wouldn't get to use it so . . . . .

11.  When I was little I wanted to change my name to Stephanie (it seemed more interesting and sophisticated somehow).  Have you ever wanted to change your name, and what to?

Someone pointed out to me recently that my name isn't on my blog!  For those of you who don't know its Amanda, always Amanda and never Mandy.  I've always liked my name and never wanted to change it!