chicken foot packman ghost

*warning:  this is a bit of a blether so you may need a cuppa or to skip to the end!*

Well, I think I've finally stopped spinning!  I had THE BEST time in Barcelona (if anyone wants to know that best place in Barca to have cava, I'm your girl!).  Of course I forgot to take any photos #idiot. Then it a quick turnaround and off to London for the FQ Retreat.  So quick in fact that I left half of the stuff I needed in neat piles on my bed, including the lovely tag that Ann made me and my sewing kit and caboodle #idiot.

Loads of people have blogged about the Retreat already.  There was much more chatting than sewing for most of us I think.  Especially me.  I am a little embarrassed to show you my "makes" but I'm all about full disclosure so here goes:

PJ class with Kerry
OK, so I'm not ready to for the Big Reveal on this one yet.  I did learn lots in this class tough...including...

Sitting next to the lovely Shevvy is not always conducive to accurate sewing.  She's too funny.  And we just laughed at and then copied each other's mistakes.  I had to borrow her spare seam ripper for the entire duration!  Of course, she ended up with a pair of almost finished and beautifully constructed PJs for her mum.  Where as I realised that making an XL size of a unisex pattern when your 5' 4" maybe wasn't my cleverest move.  I could leave them as they are, put a hula hoop in the waist band, add braces and fill them with balloons and I have very passable clown troosers.  But I will finish them and reveal at a later date #onefortheWIPpile.

FMQ with Trudi
Another great class that I was terrible in.  I broke two needles and had eyelash quilting until Jane took pity on my patheticness and sorted things out for me (wrong make of bobbin for the Pfaff machine).  Whilst all around me were doing fabulous work, I managed a few interesting moves:

I perhaps should have taken more sandwiches!

I've not got the smoothness in my swirls yet but it's all about practice (poo).  I'm liking the squares though.  I intend to FMQ the wee man's bee quilt so I need to get my practice head on!  Great class though and such amazing quilting being performed.

Trapunto
Ok, I had no idea what this class was about but I knew that Ruth was selling the kits so my lack of pre-organisation wasn't too troublesome in this class.  I learnt that this is another craft that I am useless at!  This was in no way anything to do with the instruction - pure user incompetence.  I was hoping to make a tulip but it morphed into a chicken foot/pacman ghost instead:

I like the back of it better, apart from the ruddy big scar across it:

Laughing Boy was less than impressed that I went to London for the weekend and a chicken foot pacman ghost was all I "finished".  Yup! #worthit

Hand quilting with Lu
My final class on Sunday morning was with Lucie Summers and it was a real giggle. It was hand quilting and (I'm sure you can sense a theme) I didn't have anything useful prepared so used a quilt sandwich I had originally brought for Trudi's class.  I like the look of the front stitches:

small stitches are hard!

 But the back needs work!

Lu was kind but I can do better!

Sample Swap
I was in a fab group for the sample swap. Sara (who was one of my clients many moons ago), Kath and Aylin made such lovely things....

my booty!

 

And lovely Di took a photo of us...

 

height order unintentional!

Which brings me to the only real downside to the whole weekend..... I've seen myself in other peoples photos a few times now and I'm having to readjust my mental image #fatterthanIthought.   I decided that urgent action needed to be taken on my way to South Kensington tube station, via Hummingbird Bakery to get some cupcakes for the journey home #obviously.

 

I'm seriously thinking about Couch to 5K, despite the scatological side affects experienced by Lu and Emily!  And Laughing Boy is up for some healthy eating, only after we get back from our hols #obvs. I'm thinking of rewarding any progress with fabric!

 

So the outcome of the weekend was pure joy at meeting up and spending time with friends (old, new and now not so virtual), pure amazement (but not surprise) at the gorgeousness of everyone's makes, pure lust over handmade bags, clothes and sundries (such inspiration), an unexpected reaction to air con (aaaa-tchoooo - sorry class mates), a re-energising of my sewing mojo, a sense of pride that I spent £0 at quilt market (tinged with sadness of course!) and a real desire to lose a few lbs.  That was worth it, I think.

Linking up with Clare's Brit Sewing Linky Party: it's a Thursday thing!