FQ Retreat Linky Party!

To say that I am excited for the Fat Quarterly Retreat [linky here] would be a HUGE understatement!  I am beyond excited!  I've already packed, unpacked, repacked and now am only semi-packed!  When the girls in the London Modern Quilt Guild told me about it at our first meeting in January, I immediately booked a full weekend ticket.  Yay!  I didn't think about a hotel though... oh well.  I live in Zone 5 so it shouldn't be a problem...right!!??  [famous last words]  What - escalators with a suitcase full of 1. sewing machine, 2. fabrics, 3. snacks, 4. swap items, 5. matching thread 6. scissors, 7. kitchen sink... ;)  No problem because I just went out and bought a pretty suitcase with wheels:  

Pretty suitcase - but can it tackle the tube and survive?  Only time will tell. 
And a picture of Jax looking gorgeous...awwww.

So, this coming Friday is the beginning of the excitement with a shopping event at Tiki [quilt store near Kew Gardens].  While there, I hope to meet some of the people in the 'Bee Europa' that I am a part of so I can put faces to names/blogs, as well as meeting all the people on the FQ Retreat Flickr group, and loads of other people too!  Bumping into people I 'know' but don't yet 'know' (if you 'know' what I mean!?) should be fun - and I'm sure to embarrass myself going up to strangers saying "Hi - I'm Amy"!  By the way, this is what I look like:   

Me as a tourist in lovely Whitby...two years ago!

...and I'll be wearing this name badge [thank you Susan from the Canadian Abroad]:


Ok, so a little about me:  I'm a 38 year old Canadian living in London and am married to an Englishman.  No kids but we do have a four-legged friend (who is part human dachshund and part beagle = doxle - see above with pretty suitcase).  I sew in the evenings and on the weekends, and sometimes my lunch hour, as I work full time. Working full-time is how I pay for my hoarding habit of buying fabric and M&S Belgian chocolate milk.  One day I will win the lottery so I can just do crafts and bake and grow vegetables and swim and read and...and...   Oh yah - I've been crafting all my life and have a degree in Fine Arts (printmaking and sculpture) and love working with my hands.  I'm also a trained museum technician but no longer work in that field (too bad really).  I only started quilting in 2009 and blogging since January this year.  I'm only nervous about the 'getting there' with all this stuff and the 'getting there on time'.  The rest will be an adventure! 

The real work party begins on Saturday - woohoo!!  I've signed up for {not in order} Lynne's Paper Pieced Pillow class, John's Wonky Log Cabin class, Lucie's Porthole class and Claudia's Zippered Pouch class.  I am so excited I can hardly concentrate!  I just hope that I bring the right materials in the right state of readiness!!  I'm not bringing an iron so hopefully someone has one I can borrow to stick my interfacing on!!

I've signed up for Iron Man as well --- what have I got myself into??!!  No idea but I'm going for fun so I will no doubt have some fun.  I'm also doing the sample swap and CAN'T WAIT to see what I go home with!  There is some yummy stuff posted on the Flickr group already so I have my fingers crossed for a few of those items!  Yay!  Oh and I'll also participate in the ugly fabric swap and I'm bringing some fq's to swap as well. 

Ok, so classes, people, swaps, exchanges, trades, Iron Man and shopping - sounds like a recipe for a great weekend.  Now if only the weather and the London Underground system co-operate too...  No matter what, it will be a FABULOUS time!  Can't wait to meet you all!

Amy x