FQ London 2012 Linky Party

It seems so sedate, but in a week, many quilters will decend and things will not be the same. It is time for the Fat Quarterly London Linky Party. You can go to the link to "meet" the group of wonderfully talented people I get to meet next up with here at Baden Powell House, which is just around the corner from the hotel many folks are staying at. Of course, I scoped it out in advance

And this is just a block further down the road. It is the Natural History Museum which is next to the Science Museum and next to the Victoria & Albert Museum. I hope to go to see the V & A at least tomorrow. These buildings amaze me, they are old and stunning and people just get to walk by them every day on their way to ordinary places like the grocery store or their work.

I live in Edmonton, in Alberta, in Canada. It is 7 time zones west of London. I adore London, having been here once before. It is full of history and wonder - both ancient and cutting edge new all at the same time - not at all like the almost brand new wild west that I live in.



So I am supposed to tell you about me. I like to quilt (here is my current favourite quilt, Noise, again), and I have made all these quilting friends on the internet. So when the FQ retreat was announced, and I knew they would all be meeting each other in person, I really wanted to go too - I did not want to be left behind.

Also, I have a full time, busy, intense, stressful job which I like to keep separate from quilting so I don't mention it on my blog (but Annabella, Lynne, and Liz have similar training). We have four kids -2 at home now, the youngest being 14, one of the others is returning soon for a bit, and the last getting married next summer. We also have a dog, a cat and a fish. I quilt because I have always done some kind of fibre art and I finally succumbed to quilting 2.5 years ago, having started sewing when I was about 5 years old. Quilting helps with the stress of my work and family, it gives me some space to think or not think, as I need at any moment, and it is making me a nicer and better person, I think.

I hate, hate, hate, hate having my picture taken which works out well as no one else likes to take pictures in my family except me much anyway. Susan told me to find one and post it but there are none in my computer. So, time zone zonked, melted with pretty bad hair after many hours walking in the London heat (I know it was cold last week but not today, today it was stupid hot), only for Susan, this is me in the mirror of the tiny bathroom at the Radisson Vanderbilt. In the interests of full disclosure, I will also tell you that Susan is just the tiniest bit younger than me, but she may have an even worse mouth than I do given her naval days - she assures me that it is a Canadian trait and that I will keep up.



Back to London. Today I saw a lego picture of the Queen. It is wonderful - I love lego, having spent many thousands of hours building lego things with the kids. Better still is that as I was taking the picture, a man with a decidely Irish accent who was trying to photograph his wife in front of the lego portrait explained that his nephew designed and built it. How cool is that.



And I decided to do my most favourite thing first. I went to the Liberty store - that is my picture taken today. I walked there and on the way I stopped to buy new runners at Harrods - they were a good price (I did not expect that) and made a big difference to the walking part. I also stopped on the way to knit a bit in Hyde Park. It is a bit of a walk so I took the subway back, having purchased my own Oyster card so I can come and go like the locals.



It was dark when I took this so the colours are not great in this picture. They have these 2 metre bundles of pieces, some of which are no longer for sale - vintage the Liberty clerk said. I might have bought even more that I put in the picture, but I did leave several behind at the store, just saying.



And one more picture of my walk today for Rhonda, at Quilter in the Gap. I know she wanted to come to London too and just could not make it work this time. Let's encourage her to come next time as I know she would love it here. She is feeling a bit "meh", do go and visit her to cheer her up.

Best,

Leanne