5 sleeps

Have had a lovely time in Dorset and at my mothers.  I have not been doing any stitching, as I am trying to think about my next project.  Instead I have been doing a lot of research-reading and on the Internet and taken up knitting again. I cant just sit still and not do nothing.  In fact I have almost finished it!! A photo of it very soon.
On Thursday, I have a YE meeting with Libby and all the other helpers to plan next year.  We are meeting at the Blue Egg, very near a patchwork  fabric shop not to self- I DO NOT NEED any more fabric!
On Saturday I am off to the NEC, FOQ.  Let me know if you have a quilt on display, so that I can look out for it please.

FOQ- shopping.

Well, I came home with just coins in my purse, to be expected really. I went with a shopping list and managed to get most of the items on it, plus, quite a few that were not!!

Not in the photo was some fabric for dyeing and some books, can't go to a show without buying at least one book.

I want to learn how to manipulate photos for using in my work and I hope that one of the books I chose, will be in layman's terms for me, it looks like it, but wont know until I try it out.

I liked the bags that we got from Craftynotions, so much so that Nickie and I begged another one and then we wouldn't use them in case they got torn. They have been made in India from old newspapers by an NGO, and the idea is that when these bags are bought by retailers they help provide education and shelter for the street children.

I was lucky enough to get a £5 voucher for being spotted with my catalogue showing the back page, it had to be spent on Coates products, not a problem, I like Alcazar threads. ( I actually got spotted twice, and I was allowed to give the second one to Nickie)

FOQ, and there's more!!

I forgot to post a picture of this wonderful figure created by Marie Roper, if money was no object this would be in my lounge now!!! I don't know why it only got 2nd!!! I got to meet up with JP, aka Janice. She won a book on my blog some time ago and since then we have been keeping in touch. When we found out that we were going to be at the FOQ at the same time we arranged to meet for coffee. We had so much to talk about!!! I felt like I was meeting with a friend of many years. Great to meet you Janice.

Nickie and I had a fantastic time, even though we were there for 2 days we still didn't get to see everything. Next year we will be going for 3 days at least!

Now off to pack my FOQ shopping.

FOQ- Hearts and Roses.

Christina Henri from Tasmania had an idea some to get bonnets made to represent the 25,566 women that were sent out to Australia on the convict boats. She was at the FOQ with some of her bonnets that have been made. She was selling patterns and kits in her endeavour to reach her target by 2012 when she is hoping the bonnets will be blessed in St. Paul's Cathedral, London. This bonnet was on the wall leading to the display, isn't it wonderful!

There are over four and a half thousand bonnets here (one of them is mine, all the English bonnets were put on the floor at the front). The sea of bonnets was very moving and thought provoking. June (above) a member of EAST and our E.G helped with setting up the display and manning the stall. It was through June that our EG Branch made some bonnets. After the show, we met up with June at our hotel for an evening meal and a chance for a good natter.

FOQ cont.

While waking round the show I tried to find the work created by the artists whose blogs I read.

Carolyn's lovely quilt based on her home town of St. Ives. And another more detailed picture. Lovely embellishments used but my photo does not do it justice.

The one above is by Margaret, water is so hard to capture, but she certainly achieved it here.

Above and below by Sandra, sorry for the blurred image, it is hard to hold the camera still when loaded up with bags. I love ferns, we have a bed of ferns in our garden and I get great pleasure watching them unfurl.

Below is Julie's quilt inspired by her holidays in St. Ives.

Below is Helen's quilt, you can just see the delicate stitching of birds on a branch in my photo. I don't know how she managed to get it finished in time with all that has been going on in her life!

FOQ

I am having to do these posts in bits as Blogger is playing up this morning.
When we arrived at the FOQ, a slow journey due to the rain and roadworks, the first quilt we saw as we walked in was Nickie's.

Nickie got a highly commended for this quilt based on her trip to NZ.