Hills, Slippers, Quilting and Laughter

A number of years ago the QQ discovered Farncombe Estate in the Cotswolds.  www.farncombeestate.co.uk.  An amazing place running weekend courses of all kinds.  We were luckily enough to attend a Saturday course by Barbara Chainey - and have been on the look out for another course – time allowing – to enjoy ever since!  With the 2011 course list advertised we found a whole weekend course - Texture in Sudoku – by Jennie Rayment.  So having booked at the beginning of the year the course has been pushed to the back of our minds until a few weeks ago when we got our material list.

 

Friday - Excitement had been steadily growing and like small children at Christmas two very excited QQ set off early Friday morning.   We allowed the whole day to travel as our last trip turned into a bit of a nightmare – taking four hours to travel a small section of the M25 rather than four hours for the whole journey.  But the journey was a joy this time – stopping at a small town - Witney - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witney - for a spot of lunch and a good stroll around the shop to stretch the legs.   

One in four eh?? Should we worry about 6 QQs??

   

After a good couple of hours we travelled nearer our destination with a small stop at Burford - www.burfordcotswolds.co.uk/map/map.html.  The reason for stopping at Burford on route was to make a special visit to the local quilting shop www.cupcakecottons.co.uk .  The highlight of the day, however, was finding a needlecraft shop in the heart of Burford http://www.needlework.co.uk/index.html – what a find – more an Aladdin's cave of sewing delights than a simple shop - kept us entertained for some time – room after room with things you never new you wanted but just had to have!!!


Credit cards safely back in purses Farncombe welcomed us.....

Arriving in very good time we off loaded our sewing machines and all our other sewing stuff – met Jennie and then checked in.  After a quick unpack we headed to the bar (well it would have been wrong not to!).  Having armed ourselves with a large glass of wine we made ourselves comfortable on a large sofa.  It was all quite odd how the ‘quilters’ managed to spot each other in a room full of mediators, evensong singers, pet painters, canal boat artists and historians– we managed to find nearly all the quilters in the bar even before the course had started!!!!

   

Now the thing with Farncombe is that you will never go hungry.  With a three course meal offered at lunch and dinner and a full english at breakfast we had to remind ourselves at each meal that we were sitting on our bums for two days!!!

With dinner over our first evening session started and although only one block was due for completion we actually constructed the first two.... to be fully twiddled the following day!!

  

Saturday – After good nights sleep and a very hearty breakfast the next stage of block construction started.  We were both incredibly impressed by those students completing two sets of blocks during the course against our one set.  HW had been sensible in packing her slippers to sew in but CB being not so sensible spent the day in her ‘happy’ socks!!

Much progress was made before lunch – stopping only briefly for a cup of tea (and begged for biscuits – as if we really needed them) – and it was a very welcomed break.   Having eaten a two course lunch HW and CB set off for a brisk stroll around the grounds to get the circulation moving.  The hills were much bigger than they looked!!  Returning slightly out of breath (well actually very much out of breath for CB!!) we both felt ready to hit the machines again!

The afternoon was much of a repeat of the morning – completing more blocks – much admiring of other people’s works and lots of ooohing and arhhhing!!  CB did have minor break down on the Origami Twist  - Declaring when JR demonstrated - that was (JR) really sure that the block was that easy???  The doubting was taken very well and reassurance given that is was that easy – and do you know what - it was – it really was that easy!!!  Fantastic another quilter said – bloody fantastic declared a joyous CB!!! I guess that why we are the students and JR is the teacher!!

 

   

  

Dinner came and went (another two courses – both being very good not to hit the three courses!).  Evening session arrived – easy folding for the final session of the day – sixteen very happy but tired students hit the bar at 10pm (ish) that evening for a very well earned ‘large’ (as in not small) glass of wine.  It was most interesting chatting away to other group members who were staying over – so many interesting stories.  We did learn that a selection of the girls who had come together to do the course were taught on a weekly basis by Ferret.  http://www.ferfab.co.uk  Can you image Ferret as your weekly tutor – how very exciting!

Sunday – Breakfast, Packing and a very quick walk before starting this morning session.  CB was able to display her flowers (given to her by JR because they matched yesterday's socks!).  HW and CB were both very impressed that they had completed all the blocks and even more impressed that not only border one and two had been attached but they actually managed to back the piece as well – what a bonus to have completed so much.

     

And a final show and tell of some of the others.....

    

And we are done...... Thanks Jennie for a great weekend!