A very thorough review, Christine. Not all reviewers consider how it stitches!

I get the same feeling of under-achievement when my husband and children are all out! I build it up in my head as a great day to get some sewing done and find I need the hustle and bustle to work.

Versatility is the key word here! Great ideas for one pattern.

Lovely article! I really resonate with this, especially sewing fake fur. I had a neighbour turn up a couple of weeks ago with her great niece Miranda, who is 7, who had to do something for school for Australia Day. Luckily she had a grey velour velvet pyjamas/tracksuit to start with, and a hairband. 2 hrs later she was a cute koala bear complete with white fake fur tummy & koala ears. She watched me like a hawk while I was cutting and sewing, completely fascinated. She loves coming round here to watch me sew, last time it was a quilted case for her sunglasses & a mini shoulder bag in Mermaid material. I think there is a young sewer in the making there!

The best bit was the lovely thank you card from Miranda with a photo of her in the finished outfit complete with kola face paint.

I think your Panda legs were a great improvement, very cuddly!

Reference the theatre performance Christine, relieved that those eyebrows and beard were only temporary!

Christine, it sounds as if you had a lovely day out with your friend and her daughter. So pleased you met Mo Jones in person, she does so much for UKQU in terms of the stand at that exhibition & the UKQU postcard swaps, & now the A4 mini quilts initiative will be really exciting. You are absolutely right though about trying other things. I was an amateur dressmaker, then professional embroidery designer & I’m now a quilter, but even now it’s fun to try new things! I am going to local community craft classes on bag making, felting, & ceramics in the near future, and I even made soap, bath bombs & candles a few weeks ago, & the wreath making class I went to, before Christmas, was really successful. So create away!

That feeling had always been in the back of my mind too but seeing everyone at the retreat emphasised the fact everyone had their place and fitted in. It was such a lovely weekend

Just relived it reading your blog! Especially the pinging of the messages at some dreadful hours! . Great weekend – nice account Christine.

I smiled when reading your blog, as it brought back lovely memories of the weekend.
Strange isn’t it, how we expect someone to be based on posts and comments on FB, just to find them very different in real life! x