A WEEK IN REVIEW

Savage Beauty

Unless you live under a rock, you will know that there has been a huge retrospective exhibition of Alexander McQueen's work on at the V&A, what you may not have known however is that today was the closing day so if you haven't been, I'm afraid that's it. Thankfully I managed to sneak my way in (legally) on Friday with two of my fabulous friends - you know who you are!! What a treat it was, having frequented the museum on several occasions and seen a couple of previous exhibitions on McQueen, I can honestly say that this was by far the best thing I have ever seen.

My poor feet may never forgive me, we were in there for 3 hours and I'm still fairly sure I missed things. The exhibit itself spanned his entire career, starting with the 1992 graduate collection from his MA at St Martins all the way through to his final collection Pluto's Atlantis for Spring/Summer 2010. I have had many favourite McQueen's over the years but I have to say that his final collection was by far my absolute best!! From a fashion point of view, a design point of view and just all round beautifulness. 

And now it's even worse because I look at things (and by things I mean everything!) from a quilting point of view, like those dresses above they would make such a gorgeous, kaleidoscope, English Paper Pieced style quilt and the more I look at it so would this wallpaper......

This was the wallpaper in one of the rooms at McQueen, it really was a feast for the eyes, so many shapes that could be worked into the most wonderful of designs. Lately that is the eye I seem to have been using the most, my design eye, I have a few things in the pipeline that I am very excited about....watch this space, I will share them with you as soon as I am able. 

I would like to leave you with this image.......

I will explain in much more detail, I just have a few more kinks to iron out and a few more of the 2025 squares to sew together and then all will be revealed.

Have a great week, for those of you that will be joining me at Festival - whoop whoop- don't forget to write your list of must haves, mine may or may not be 2 sides of A4!!

Happy Quilting

Kerry xx

21 QUESTIONS

A Few Things About Me You Might Not Have Known....

1: What is your current fashion obsession? I wouldn't necessarily call myself fashionable, having struggled with my weight for most of my adult life I tend to go with the motto - The Baggier The Better, however at the moment I am loving the whole over sized shirt (told you - baggy) open over a vest top.

2: What are you wearing today? pyjamas and there is absolutely nothing you can do or say to make me change my mind.

3: Hair? Unwashed, in a bun, a-la top knot style!! But in general life platinum blonde and honey blonde highlights half way down my back rocking the spiral perm God gave me. 

4: Do you nap a lot? I wish!! I'm fairly sure in another life I was a sloth, and I yearn for those days of bygone times!! I do love a good lay in though and on my days off DO NOT phone me before 10am.

5: Why is today special? I have had a taste of what it might be like to be a parent, I have spent the morning doing loads of washing and making home made pies for lunch......for my parents who currently have no kitchen/utility room due to the renovations being done on their house....parenting the parents??

6: What would you like to learn to do? Run!! I would love to learn how to find the motivation and determination to run every day, all the cool kids do it, I wish I could to. 

7: What's for dinner tonight? Whatever you are making me!! But I am super partial to Chicken Pesto Pasta, so maybe that. 

8: What are you listening to right now? Borrow My Heart by Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio and Jonathan Jackson. I absolutely LOVE Nashville, it's like Glee for grown ups but Country style!! And secretly I've always wanted to be a singing cow girl. 

9: What is your favourite weather? The hotter the better, having experienced a few Californian summers, I would totally say that!!

10: What's the last thing you bought? Ingredients to make the aforementioned chicken pies and the new issue of Love Patchwork & Quilting

11: What are your essentials when travelling? A list of all the quilt shops and fabric shops within a suitable distance to where I am staying/visiting, to be clear a suitable distance is anything within a 3 hour driving radius!! My Sunglasses and a good pair of spangly flip flops.

12: What's your style? Whatever is clean on the day! 

13: What is your most challenging goal right now? to be honest I have 2. Firstly trying to lose this last 5lbs!! I have lost 45lbs over the last 18 months and I just can not get rid of that last 5 to make an even 50lbs!! It's so frustrating!! And secondly to keep remembering that I deserve better and not to think that this time might be different because it won't , I may not be perfect but I deserve better.

14: If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? A big old Brownstone in New York, preferably close to and overlooking Central Park....absolutely beautiful. 

15: Favourite Vacation/Holiday Spot? Huntington Beach, California

16: Name the things you cannot live without: My parents, my sister, my bestests Joelle, Chantal, Lauren and Kerry Q, chocolate and fabric!!  

17: How was your childhood? A mixed bag just like everybody else.

18: What would you like to have in your hands right now? David Beckham, I mean come on?? Look at him, he is absolutely just the most gorgeous being that's ever walked the earth!! 

GOD ALMIGHTY!!

19: What are you most excited for? It's a secret that's not mine to tell, I'm so excited I might just wet myself!!

20: If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? I would go home and hang out with my favourites

21: Which countries/cities have you visited? I have been very blessed with a wonderful family who love to travel so I have been very spoilt - New York, Florida, Boston, Rhode Island, Huntington Beach, La Jolla, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Carmel Valley, Santa Monica, Cape Town, Joberg, Durban(obvs!), Wales, Scotland, Yorkshire, Barcelona, Rome, The Vatican City, Paris, Calais, Bruges, and a few more I am fairly sure I have forgotten to write down here.

I was set the challenge of these 21 Questions by my Aunty Gilly over at Gill's Jottings, if you fancy taking part in the challenge, I'd love to hear from you so post a comment with a link to your blog post in it.

Happy Quilting

Kerry xx