Shinersview blog has a new address !
Welcome!! I am excited to share that I have moved to the UK and am starting to quilt again!
The past 18+ months have been a whirlwind! My last quilt finish and launch was in April 2020 when I launched the Brushstrokes quilt pattern—which was offered as a FREE download when registering for my newsletter.
Turns out ... I actually haven't sent a newsletter, as spring of 2020 saw us busy with mask production—raising $3,000 for the small food bank in my community—and then we turned our focus to organizing for a permanent, international move.
My amazing husband immigrated to the US 25-years ago when we got married and it has been an adventure. We have weathered the tough years and enjoyed some truly wonderful ones—always blessed to have each other. As we entered retirement, we spent a few years thinking about when and where our next adventure would take us. Eventually deciding that returning to John's homeland, the UK, was our ultimate destination. We began my spouse visa process, completed it in October and we (along with our 7-month-old English Setter, Finn) left the US, mid-pandemic, in December 2020.
We knew we wanted to be in the southern part of the UK (weather) and likely the west (affordable). I wanted to be a 2 hour train ride to London (city girl at heart) and future proofing ourselves, in a community big enough to have a good hospital system and strong public transportation. We spent the first 3 months of 2021, in the midst of England's 3rd lock down, looking for which city/town met our needs. We were fortunate, being in the midst of the move, we were exempt from some of the lock-down restrictions pertaining to travel.
Ultimately, we decided on Worcester. A beautiful town in the west Midlands, 40 miles south of Birmingham (2nd largest city in England), 40 miles east of Wales and 40 miles north of the bucolic Cotswold hills. With a population of just over 100,000, a cathedral, university and 3 train stations, it offers much of what we desired, including easy access to much of England, with central London (Paddington station) a mere 2 hours and 2 minutes by train.
So we are now home. We've condensed our lives into a much smaller space, but still roomy by UK standards. My quilting has started again, though I am probably a bit away from launching my next pattern with several concepts in development.
And my first quilt in my new 'studio' is an improv version of my Brushstrokes pattern which will lay at the foot of the bed in the guest room. The rooms color palette will be B&W with just the pop of orange from the quilt.
Once quilted, my plan is to make a few videos to share of the steps to make these improv blocks. They are EASY and FUN ... win win!!!
Thank you for joining me on this new journey and I look forward to engaging with you over the coming months!
Best,
Lisa
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You are brave to move into retirement to a different country, but I’m sure you’ll make friends. Quilters always do. Love this Quilt style, right in my ballpark…