Disaster Strikes!

I got home from Yorkshire last night to find a leak in the bathroom had caused chaos! Water everywhere! It is dripping through the floor to the kitchen below where as well as a lot of water, it had taken down a large glass fronted poster which got wet from water running down the wall, soggy, heavy and pulled itself down, smashing all over the floor. Glass and remains of beautiful pots in shards all over the floor.
Just my luck when I had a particularly busy day ahead, preparing for the Knitting and Stitching Show in London. I have to leave tomorrow morning for the build up there in the afternoon.
Oh well, such is life I suppose and not all that much goes wrong with my house normally. It could have chosen a less hectic day to do it!!

More on the Harrogate Show...

I forgot to mention in my earlier musings, how good I thought the organisation of the show was.
The people on duty during build up were very helpful and friendly. The venue with the textile faced boards was excellent for display and set everybodies work off to its best advantage. It was also very thoughtful to have a cafe especially for exhibitors. Much appreciated! Also the showground is very easy to find and has ample parking, unlike the other venue in the town where parking is expensive, if you can even find it, and build-up and and break-down must be a nightmare for exhibitors!
Just a few useful points to anyone else who is thinking of exhibiting there!

Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch Show at Harrogate

I am having a lazy morning after a very intensive 3 days at the exhibition at The Great Yorkshire Showground. It was my first time exhibiting at this show although I had attended as a visitor before. It is well worth the effort of getting there as the variety and quality of textiles of all sorts is breathtaking and despite numerous walks around while my sister-in-law "womanned" my stand, I still did not get to see everything or examine it with the attention it deserved.
I was very pleased with the response to my quilts. Without boasting, I have to say that some of them are unique in that I know of no one else who combines fabrics from East Africa with their own printed panels and fabric lengths. A number of people booked me for their groups but the interest was such that I have decided to run some day workshops of my own around the country. Anyone who may be interested in a workshop, printing fabrics or designing an African quilt, please let me know so I can see where in the country the interest is and plan accordingly. The first one will be held in Yorkshire in the Spring and I will advertise on my web-site and in the Quilters Guild area magazines with details of venue, price and content.
Many people were also interested in the Textile Tour to Tanzania that I am running next June together with Di Huck. We have started taking bookings and have a number of people already, so do not leave it too long if you are interested in joining us. Ring Di or Maddy on 01531 640001 for more information and booking forms. Unusually we will be doing workshops en route with local artists and crafts people as well as myself. These are included in the price.
Thanks to all those who came to visit me at the show, this includes the large number with connextions to Africa who came to admire my Kilimanjaro Quilt and fondle the African fabrics!
Looking forward to meeting more fabric freaks and Africa enthusiasts at the Knitting and Stitching sShow at Alexandra Palace next weekend!!!

Tanzania Links

On Sunday I was invited to attend the church service at Ledbury where Fr Emmanuel Chilumba was preaching and later to a lunch to welcome him. He is from the parish near Mtwara, Tanzania, where Ledbury Deanery has a lively link. Rev Walter Gould and his wife Hazel brought another Tanzanian Father with them, also on a link visit to Uk. He had been working on Pemba and Zanzibar and due to my links with Zanzibar, we were able to have some interesting discussions on the political and religious situation there. Zanzibar has a fascinating history, and is a melting pot of peoples and cultures which has been the cause of both harmony and conflict. The buffet lunch was truly delicious and lively discussion interspersed with an occasional snatch of Swahili, ranged over many subjects.
Thank you Anne and David for inviting me to such a lovely occasion.

Anybody out there?

My first blog. What do I say?
Usually what you say depends on who is listening. This is like a leap into the unknown. Who will read this? Friends, colleagues, aquaintences, employers? Is it making oneself vulnerable to exploitation by exposing oneself in public? Is it a marketing tool? Does one reach out to others with lifes lessons learnt or insights gained? Or is one merely being self indulgent and full of ego?
I will have to see what happens as I go along.