while you're ahead…

Yesterday I got up nice and early (actually it was only early… not nice at all in all honesty, still suffering from this wretched jet lag) and drove to North London to spend a day learning new techniques from the one and only Anna Maria Horner.

The workshop took place at ‘The Village Haberdashery, a gorgeous shop in North London I’ve been meaning to visit for a long time.

So first up a few shots of the shop to whet your appetite  (for years I thought it was ‘wet’ your appetite.. like having an aperitif before eating… doh!) (you have to admit my explanation did make a little bit of sense though…).

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Anna Maria lives in Nashville and is in the country to promote her new fabric range.

I didn’t take that many photos during the day, I was having too much fun to be honest… I learned a couple of excellent new to me techniques which I can’t wait to use and have opened a new world of quilting/patchwork possibilities (knowledge is power!).

I finally know what to do to my ‘Nashville Star’ quilt that’s been hanging around for literally years and had always looked kind of not finished to me, I also met a bunch of really lovely people from all over the world and Anna Maria was totally charming.  Just as you think she would be.

Her beautiful ‘Travelling blooms’ Quilt which was the foundation of the workshop:

Anna Maria and Charlotte Newland (super lovely and smart, just as she appeared on TV)

and this is my work in progress… I can see a lot of hand sewing in my near future… just as well we’re only on Series 3 of House of Cards…

The day flew by and and I think I smiled all the way home.  Not even the horrid traffic on the North Circular could damp my spirits.

 

AND the Festival of Quilts is on in Birmingham at the end of the week… geesh… you might as well call it Christmas time…

 

 

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