FOQ 2023 - day 2

 So! today is the day, first day of FOQ 2023, in my hotel room I got ready .... first up, red lippy, necessary!

Next up, patchwork earrings, valentines present from Scoobs!

Next up my Pearls .... all ready for clutching because ...

There was profanity!!!!! 😂

Ahhhh it was #fuckthetories thats not really profanity is it?

I managed to get the pictures of the entries because I got a free catalogue! I was sitting in the hotel foyer waiting for Ruth and Sheena when two lovely ladies came up to me and asked if I was going to FOQ, "how did you guess??" said I! 😂

Turns out they had booked VIP passes and you get a free catalogue with it, for every day you are going!! so if you book for all 4 days you get 4 free catalogues! they had taken them with them to give out, which was lovely.

pilferred from Sheenas instagram its us in the queue! Now I will admit that i felt a little anxious but didnt feel the need to mask up, I did mask up some times, in the flight in the queue for the flight etc. Im not quite sure how I feel now, dont want to get it but where are the real dangers? dunno still mulling over this one.

Firstly I had to check out the necessary stops "phew" !!! still here 😂 The first person I saw was lovely Lorraine from Sea Parrot designs, my first hug! which was lovely, she is so nice.

The first quilt we saw was Sheenas mini, how fabulous is this!

Sheena looking suitably chuffed.

I took the chance to look over the other minis, maker caption after picture, these are not them all but the ones which took my fancy.

This was such a moving quilt, the Terrence Higgins Trust quilt

This was one of my favourites

No caption needed for this! the Lovely Jo Avery!

Awww I was SO excited to see this in person! At home with Alice Dear Jane, what a stunner

The best thing about this years FOQ? meeting up with so many lovely folks, I was eventually able to thank in person and get a picture with the lovely Jen Walshaw - Mum in the mad house, who gave me this panda water bottle via the lovely Helen many many years ago. Getting the picture taken outside a gents loo was not intentional!

Awwwww another stunner! by the lovely Trudi Wood 😍

Just before this picture I bumped into Jo Myhill a librarian chum, so super to see her then I had a super catch up with Carolyn! Here she is with her super Red Manor quilt

There was another example of the Red Manor quilt in the same area, both beautiful

The lovely Cath!!!! what a super quilt

Above by Rosie Taylor

This one really took my breath away, simply stunning

This is me, clutching my pearls 😂

Friday was all about the catch ups! Lunch was fabulous, the first time meeting some of my Bee mates from Siblings together group! The lovely Jen, Pauline and Krysia! Suzanne was able to join for a short while but not long enough for the photo, Kathryn couldnt join us so I met her for some fizz at the end of the day!

So my haul from the first day!!! First purchases were from Sea Parrot, just adore Lorraines fabrics

Favourite penguins!

Japan crafts, very lovely fabrics! These will go into Dear Jane

I stopped by Helen Steele, lovel the reindeer and the dinosaur prints!

Viv at Purple Stitches always has great fabrics and hardware, love that library date stamp print!

Liberty was required to appease budthepuppy! This is from Alice Caroline

I have been watching Rosie Taylor make this quilt, its so lovely I bought the book!

Slightly boring but necessary from Barnyarns plus a Dorset button kit!

We had our Evening meal in TGI fridays, our orignial was Pizza Express (there is a tradition around Calamari!) but they were full! Never mind we indulged in TGI fridays instead 😂 a little detour on the way home we went to Coventry but soon found our way back to the hotel!