Back home from FQCR in London

The names and faces are all echoing in my head and boy, did we have a great time!
Talking, talking and talking, and oh yes, we did some workshops too.

We started off by introducing ourselves in a really fast way: at the entrance we were all given cards with 6 names of people we had to find to get their initials. And it was a competition: if you had all the initials to the names you could enter the draw (for a prize of course). But some names did not match, like mine: Betty van Os is not the name it says on my payment to FQCR.
So it wasn't just: hi, I'm Betty and you're X? No, you're not on my list.
It was so great talking with people you only remembered by their blogging name!

Katy, Tacha, John, Briony and Lynne

Then John opened the Retreat and we all listened: so many people were soooo excited!

What followed were workshops; for me they were

Embroidery class with Aneela Hoey (above)

English Paper Piecing with Tacha (above)

Pippa working really concentrated here

Machine pieced placemat with Briony(2 above)

results of my class

Porthole technique with Lu Summers
A really easy and versatile tric I'd like to use in a quilt (someday). Lu was an enthusiastic and LOUD teacher which you need on Sunday afternoon in a very big assembly room.

Saturday evening we had a pub quiz where royals turned up and won!

Sunday afternoon all the Jelly Roll Challenge results were shown:

And the winner of the Iron Man Challenge was announced: the Royals again! They did have a very nice quilt!!

The result of my time is held up here (above) by Heather Noble, who fell Saturday evening and had to go to A&E ... Her ankle and pulse were (strained and) taped.
My energy Sunday afternoon was down to -10: my head was full!
My Iron Man Challenge team were working away and I just sat there ... completely drained!


Best pictures of the retreat, I think, are these:

Hunter with his mum.

Quiltdad with Hunter

Incredibly nice Laura sewing away at her porthole nr 4?

This is fabric someone made herself! it was stunning. But now I don't have her name, so if you know, please tell me

Caroline Walters' shoes: Dr Martens Hello Kitty!! How cool are they

Sponsors were:
Moda, Robert Kaufman, Aurifil, Oakshott, Abakhan and Korbond filled the goodie bags.
Sizzix came demonstrating their products, but somehow I missed that.
Pfaff for giving us 20 sewing machines to use, and you could even buy them at a discount after the retreat!.
Liberty Lifestyle Fabrics were having a contest of some sort, but I missed that (?) But I'll tell you more about Liberty tomorrow!

Fat Quarterly Community Retreat London: 4 nights to go!

This Friday I'll be boarding a train to London, the old fashioned way!

I signed up for the retreat in December, when it was announced and that was a good thing. Booked the hotel on the other side of the street) and my journey by train.
I wonder if I would've done it now? Yes, probably, because I'm dying to meet so many other bloggers. It's a big blog meet to me. The workshops are an extra.
The icing on the cake is the location: Londen ahhhhhh
The down side is I will not be able to see the English queen on her boat trip; but I'll get over that.

What will they all look like?
Like Beyonce of course! 
How long will it take for the ice to break?
2 seconds 
Will others be nervous too?
Everyone!
Will I meet everyone?
YEA
Will anyone recognize me?

Now you will

Will I learn a lot?
Yes and like when you were attending secundary school: you learn even more outside the classroom (LOL)
Will I buy anything?
You bet!
Will I have fun?
Me and 100 others.
Will I cry Sunday afternoon?
That's my forte, so yes, probably (I'm such a softy).

Yes, I'm looking forward to this weekend!
See you all!!


And for those who don't go: I hope to make tons of pictures!