Fat Quarterly Retreat - well, most of it!

I had the most amazing time at my first Fat Quarterly Retreat. It was just so much more than I had expected:  truely lovely people, fantastic tutors,workshops - what more could anyone want......! Oh yes, a goodie bag!!!

My Friday class was the Mail Organiser, that gave  everyone here a good laugh - organised?  Really?  This is as far as I got but I think I really got to grips with foundation piecing and if my trusty old Bernina really is terminal, I now know that I want a Janome XL601.  It made me jump a few times (electric-trickery and all that new fangled stuff) but once I got used to it, well....... want one, want one, want one!  It was so quiet....

 These are everyone else's.  How did I manage to not put mine on the table?  Ah well, underneath is my stab at foundation piecing.  I think I really have got to grips with it now, at last.  Although, apparently, I haven't got to grips with Picasa!

Apparently, this is the Australian version....?

Saturday morning was my most important reason for going to FQR - screen printing with Karen Lewis.  It not only lived up to expectation but far exceeded it - I just loved this workshop!  Literally, 5 minutes from dithering to printing.

Saturday afternoon was the most amazing hand-piecing and applique workshop.  I've always done a lot of hand sewing but have managed to avoid applique, thinking it far too fiddly for my shovel hands!  I just so loved it though and will certainly do a lot more.   Jen is a really generous and encouraging teacher: 'it's that easy'  and it sooooo was.  She gave everyone a finger pincushion (that I'm sure will be never used and kept in pristine condition on it's card!) and a copy of her Green Tea and Green Beans quilt. 

This is my effort that leads a bit of pressing, although Jen told us that she never presses her blocks until the whole quilt is finished.  Don't think I can wait  until then to 'encourage' mine to lay flat!  This is as far as I got, but Jen explained hand-piecing so well and now I know that matching edges greatly improves stitching accurately on the marked lines, with only the occasional flipping over and checking.  Now I know what to do with that tiny (add a 1/4")brass wheel I've had for years!

If that wasn't enough, we then had the Strip Swap!  

from PippaP

from Nessy - eccentrically green

from Corrine - Blue Haired Manxie

from Roseanne - Roseanneduk

Followed by the Sample Swap.  These are the bears I had to swap:

These are the ones I was lucky enough to receive:

Coasters for my special ornaments made by Sonia of fabricandflowersuk.blogspot.co.uk

Beautiful drawstring bag made by Di of willowbeckdesigns.blogspot.co.uk

Really useful zippered bag made by Trudi of trudi-quiltingprolifically.blogspot.co.uk

Sadly, I didn't get to the Retreat on Sunday: my new kidney had to recover from the shock of buying all that Oakshot fabric the night before!  I'm so pleased that Sue (Libertyjsy) was kind enough to send me the raffle prize I was lucky enough to win - another Jen Kingwell pattern, the Circle Game - yippee!!  Although I missed out on the Oakshot fabric and Fractured Quilt workshop (sob..), Sue also sent me a copy of the instructions for the Fabulously Fast Quilt workshop. So, if you ever get to read this Sue, thank you!

I just can't wait for next year now and to meeting all those lovely ladies when I'm feeling a bit more on form.  Roll on 2015!!