Last weekend, when I attended the Fat Quarterly retreat in London, I took with me a small suitcase, filled mostly with clothes, toiletries and the like, as well as an over-the-shoulder canvas bag that held the majority of my class supplies. I imagine it comes as absolutely no surprise to you then that during the return journey home, my shoulders were burdened with an additional two bags. Bank balance and musculature alike were not happy with the obscene amount of fabric I had managed to accumulate over the course of the retreat.
But what a retreat it was! I swooned into London with all the excitability of a child at Christmas. I had no idea what to expect and was, if I’m honest, a little nervous. I needn’t have been. The weekend was a delight from start to finish, so much better than I could have ever imagined. I meet so many wonderful people, took some great classes taught by some greater teachers and, much to my disbelief, walked away with an even bigger sense of love and pride for the community we find ourselves in. The passion was palpable. In every room creativity bred, passing from person to person like an infectious laugh. It was intense; days filled with fabric, friends and the odd power outage. Seams were sewn and ripped alike; cutting, pressing, laughing and singing, all culminating in a teary farewell on the street outside Baden Powell House, thanks to a rather ill-timed fire alarm. Wonderfully organised and incredibly rewarding, I’m already looking forward to the next one!
What made it so much fun for me were the people. Before the retreat Id touched base with a few people on Instagram, most notably Kelly, who posts as the_orriginal. As well as looking through her stash for any Tula I needed, Kelly was kind enough to be a fabric mule for me. She told me she lives close to Intrepid Thread, and that if there was anything I wanted she’d be happy to bring it over for me. Well, I don’t need asking twice!
Not wanting to over-burden her, I tried to restrain myself. Unfortunately fortunately the store hadn’t received their delivery of Cotton and Steel by the time Kelly had to leave for London, so I limited my self to a fat quarter bundle of Indelible by Katarina Rocella. This stunning debut collection is heavy with my favourite colours, teals, greys and mustards, and features a shade of purple that simply begs to be seen in real life. Graphic lines mix beautifully with flora and fauna to make a truly striking collection. I can see me needing more of this before to long.
I couldn’t let Kelly leave just yet though, not before I’d scored another fat quarter bundle, this time Brambleberry Ridge by Violet Craft. This seemingly endless collection blends soft pastels with vivid greens, purples and metallic ink. Like the indelible, this collection features stags, as well as birds and other woodland creatures. There are so many useable prints my mind is doing over time trying to come up with a quilt design that will do them justice.
Go and seek out these fabrics at once! You will not be disappointed!
I’m so greatful to Kelly for bringing these all the way from the states for me. I have a lot more goodies that I acquired at #FQR2014 to share with you all, but you’ll have to wait until next week for the juicy details. I’ve got to keep a little something back! so, after all of my recent extravagance, the stash looks like this…
Like I said on Instagram…it’s a sickness.
As usual, I’m linking up with Molli for Sunday Stash. I’ve already had a nose around at who’s bought what and it’s looking pretty from where I’m sitting. I suggest you go and do the same!
Quilts From The Attic 