A NEW ADVENTURE....

It's Been A While!

"Not all who wonder are lost", has always been one of my favorite quotes, sometimes life takes you to unexpected places and you have to just go with the flow, it's an adventure, be brave and take the leap! So I did, I took the leap I made some big changes to my life and had to focus my attentions on getting things done. I started studying full time again, whilst having a full time grown up job, running two households (with the help of my favorite), dealing with ups and downs, family dramas, new arrivals and some unexpected losses. 

You would think that with all this going on I didn't have time to buy fabric, sew, quilt or make pretty things? WRONG! You know me, I will always find away haha! I really had my confidence knocked and haven't felt in the right place to write about it, but I've not been idol and have got some great things to share with you!

Firstly Kerry Q did in fact say 'I DO!' and it was such a brilliant day.....

She looked absolutely beautiful, the weather was glorious and the Gin was flowing! What more can you ask for on a Friday in September?

My Favorite and I have had some grand adventures over the last year, in Ireland, Blackpool (never again!), Los Angeles, Vegas, Hastings and in a few more sleeps Boston! you'll be very pleased to hear that all of them have been littered with fabric and quilt shop stops!

There have also been a few new additions to the mix, as if I need any excuses to make more quits! Just look at those little faces, so so cute!

I'm feeling very lucky as I sit and write this from my new studio space, he did a fab job of putting up my shelves, it's a bit bigger than my previous one and in an entirely different county! The view is slightly different and there is a great deal to explore but it's been an epic adventure so far and there's plenty more to come!

It won't be so long until my next post, I promise, as I said I have been super busy making and creating so keep an eye out!

Happy Quilting

Kerry xx

TWO CHEEKY MONKEYS SNUGGLING ON THE BED...

And A Whole Lot Of Shopping!!

So the quilts made it safely across the oceans and found their way to these two cheeky monkeys

And as you can see they loved them!! Look at those smiles and those chubby cheeks, just to beautiful but then I am a very biased Aunty. Something else I am very biased about is how breathing taking The North is, if you have never ventured up there I can't tell you enough how much you should, just don't tell my Granny she won't be pleased if I start sending hoards up there!!

Half of my family is from Yorkshire, it is a fair distance - 263 miles if you want to be picky about it - from where we live down south, so for one week of the summer my Granny (who is rather young to have that title) and I head up to make the rounds visiting friends, friends and quaint little villages that time has forgotten, eating far to many pub lunches and baked goods and of course stopping off at as many quilt shops/ fabric shops that can be found!!   

This is Whitby Abbey, one of my most favourite places on earth, it is set high on top of the cliff face where only the brave can reach it, not because of the cliffs or the heights oh no, but because of the 199 stairs one has to climb to get there!! That is a lot of stairs, I know it looks like a lot of stairs and even saying 199 stairs you know it is a lot of stairs but you don't really, until you have climbed those stairs and then have to turn around and walk back down those stairs...then you will know!!

It was a busy start to the week with lots and lots of walking around all these beautiful places and the end of the week was just as busy with possibly even more walking around at Sandown for The Quilt Champs!! Did you go? Wasn't it wonderful?? I thought so, my bank account didn't however!! 

These are just a small number of things that caught my eye, mostly the really beautiful quilting, a lot of which is free motion and something I really wish I could master!! I'd love to see what caught your eye if you were there?! And if you have any gorgeous projects you are working on I'd love to see them to, not that I need any encouragement to start yet another new project!! Kerry Q already despairs of me, she might just disown me if I start something else!!

Happy Quilting

Kerry xx

50 SHADES OF AFRICA

And 1 Great Tan!

On the 17th of February, in celebration (but more commiseration) of leaving my 20s and starting my 30s the Rents, the Brat and I filled a few suit cases and boarded a plane for Durban. Having spent the last few months slowly freezing to death in another "fresh" English winter the prospect of 30 degree heat literally had me skipping with glee. It was a loooooooong flight, and not much can be said for plane food at the best of times but eventually we landed......

 The Brat and I

It was so amazing to see my bestest and her two little monkeys, obviously I'm outrageously biased but just look at them, have you ever seen such cuties??

Seth the "Doffin"

Baby Nate

Having spent the morning watching all the dolphins, we then had to spend the afternoon swimming like dolphins in the pool. I can honestly say I am the most ungraceful dolphin that has ever lived, Seth informed me on a few occasions that I wasn't a very good "doffin" and  eventually gave up and let me be a mermaid instead!! The next few days were filled with shopping, eating, soaking up the sun and getting as many cuddles as I could from my two heart breakers. And if they weren't enough occasionally I had this little princess as well,

It's very hard work this sunny holiday lark, so Lauren and I had to go on a Spa day and have a wonderful massage, reflexology and pedicure courtesy of my amazing honoury Aunty Gill, Roxy and my parents, we also had to lounge about on leather recliners watching the outrageously beautiful Jamie Dornan on a very big screen....seriously England get on board with these seats in the cinema!!  

And of course I emptied a few fabric shops along the way, it just wouldn't have been polite otherwise right? There is a very different approach to quilting and fabric over there, a great deal of it is very tribal with strong ethnic prints and colors, the designs are often quite simple making the overall effect very striking and a refreshing change from the widely accessible fabrics I have become used to.

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who spoil me like they do I had such a fabulous week and cried an absolute river having to get on that plane even if it was to go to even sunnier Cape Town.

For those of you who know my family, it will come as no surprise to learn that of all the planes flying to Cape Town it was ours that lost its windscreen wipers and therefore had a two hour delay, you also won't be shocked to hear that of all the hire cars in Cape Town it would be ours that "wasn't quite ready" resulting in a further almost hour delay!! But you will be thrilled to know that all four of us had our passports which had not expired as well as the much needed drivers license and therefore did not have to spend 30 mins driving around chasing the postman on his route (Dad!). For those of you that don't know my family count your blessings that yours isn't as loony as mine!!

Having lost 42 lbs in the run up to my birthday and this holiday I was in no way looking to put any of it back on again, however with High Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel, lunch at The Potluck Club, a picnic at Boschendal Wine Estate, a morning at Neighbour Goods Market and a day on Safari things were not looking good....well actually they were, hence the problem!!

Having not previously spent any great length of time in Cape Town I didn't really know what to expect and being a true Durban girl at heart I wasn't expecting much and let me tell you I couldn't have been more wrong, what a truly magical place it was. I wouldn't say it stole my heart, as I said I'm a Durban girl (come on you Sharks!) but it really was a beautiful place to be.

Happy Quilting

Kerry xx