Hi my name is Anthea, I diddled about for over 20 years making patchwork quilts by my own very dubious methods before I bimbled onto a City and Guilds Course, thinking it was a beginners course!
My husband and I had planned to retire abroad for the winters and I thought that I’d knock up a few simple quilts to earn some pocket money. Anyhow City and Guilds turned out to be not so much a beginners course as one which tested my metal and petrified me as the artist I thought I could never be.
My full time career in social services was cut short by Captain Cameron’s cut backs and our early retirement plans were put on hold by the addition of my pride and joy Leon into our family in 2008. Hey ho, the world moves in mysterious ways. So instead I opened my own patchwork and quilting business called Quilting Antics, quiltingantics.co.uk put the future on hold and got busy investing our retirement fund in stock for the shop, AARRGGHH!!
But guess what…I love my new life, I have made so many new friendships, been overwhelmed by the good will that I have received from my very good friends and am now enjoying life working extremely hard wizzing about the country to shows and one thing and another.
Join me in my journey and lets see where we end up!
Kindest wishes
Anthea x
Quilting Antics 
Thank you for following three (!) of my blogs.
Greetings from Germany. 🙂 Jule, UFO mechanic
My pleasure I did not realise that I had followed you so many times I just liked your work. Return greetings from England x
I lost my teaching job last year due to cutbacks so I found your about very inspiring. I would love to have my own shop.
Do it! After a year of working for myself I can’t ever imagine being an employee again.
Thankyou for following my blog (:
My pleasure x
What a great story you have. I hope you enjoy quilting and your shop for many years to come (retirement may not be all it’s cracked up to be). Thanks for following me and for linking to Kameleon’s site. That quilt is stunning, like a painting. In any event, my blog is mostly about gardens and gardening (giant vegetables being an aberration). I had no idea what a community of craft people were out there until I wrote about the stuffed veggies. I hope they and you enjoy my posts on gardening as much as I’ve enjoyed seeing all your beautiful fabric creations. Sew on!
I think the giant veggies are ace! I love a good horticultural show. Are people as fiercely protective of their miracle grow secrets as they are made out to be?
We really liked the veggies too. Since we’re a group “plotting against hunger,” we want everyone to know what we do and where to get information. We do talks and have a demonstration garden at the library that’s popular, so our purpose is different; we aren’t going after that prize at the fair, just good, fresh food!
Thank you for following me. I have a mad quilting sister and have dabbled myself. I watch with interest! x
Thank you for following me. I love up cycling I only wished I’d realised how trendy my Grandma was when she was alive; she could have taught us all a thing or two!
I’ve have enjoyed reading your blog for a while now – so I have nominated you for The Liebster Award! Congratulations! All you have to do is visit my post, answer the questions and nominate 11 others of your choice – have fun http://thismakesmehappytoo.wordpress.com/the-liebster-award/
thank you. I am a little behind at the minute but I promise I will catch up over the coming days. I hope you continue to enjoy it x
Thank you for the nomination, I will follow your instructions as soon as I get a chance. x
Thanks for dropping by my blog and the like. You have a great blog going on here with some lovely projects to see. What a shame your shop isn’t a bit nearer as I could see myself spending a lot of time in it………I shall follow your blog with interest!
Hi Minerva. I’m chuffed to bits that you like my blog, as you already know I like yours too! Where do you live?
Near Bath in the West Country! However I live only about a mile away from Midsomer Quilting so I’m very luckily spoilt for quilting supplies and fabrics although it’s always a pleasure to go somewhere new. Hope you are surviving the weather!
Hi Minerva. You are still in my stamping ground! Do you visit the quilt shows? If so I will be at Westpoint, Exeter from the 5th to 7th April and The Three Counties Showground at Malvern from the 16th to the 19th of May. If you visit it would be lovely if you could come and say ‘hi’ we will be wearing our bright yellow T-shirts so we will be difficult to miss. All my show fabric is £6 per metre…even better!
Hi Anthea,
I have really enjoyed reading your blog and so I have nominated it for a liebster award. You can see your nomination here: http://minervahandmade.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/liebster-award/
I hope you will accept and enjoy.
Minerva
Having met you at Olympia, I only wish you lived closer (I’m on the Kent/London borders)
Loved your stall, your personality shone through, and can’t wait to see your shop web site go ‘live’!!!
Susan
we will be at the Detling show ground near Maidstone 12th to 14th April if you go visit and make yourself known to me again
Thanks for following my blog. I hope you find some quilt inspiration there. Wish I could hop across the “pond” and see your shop and take a class. Love the bags.
What’s up to all, for the reason that I am actually eager of reading this web site’s post to be updated daily.
It carries good information.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I am very flattered that you think my information is good.
Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any recommendations for inexperienced blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.
Hi, I have had a look at your website and blog and I am not sure what I can suggest as it is lovely. Was there anything that you specifically wanted to know?
Hi. Met you today at Malvern. Thank you for all of your help and a big thank you for taking my money! See you soon. Jean Smith
my pleasure x
Hi Anthea,
It was lovely to see you today – thanks for the coffee 🙂
(We’ll not mention the fabric purchases to anyone 😉 )
See you soon, Karol-Ann
http://www.sewkalico.blogspot.co.uk/
It was lovely to also have a chat to you, you must call in anytime x
Hey! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative
in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to
work on. You have done a outstanding job!
Thank you I’m so glad to be of service!
Hi there I am so glad I found your blog, I really found you by accident,
while I was searching on Google for something else,
Anyways I am here now and would just like to say thanks
a lot for a incredible post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time
to look over it all at the minute but I have saved it
and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the fantastic jo.
Thanks Jo for your lovely comments, I am so glad that you like my blog. I look forward to hearing more of your comments x
Hi, I found your lovely shop by accident whilst on a family holiday. I have previously made one very simple quilt and you were more than happy to pass on a couple of pointers to me and were so kind to look up classes closer to home. (Which I think I’ve misssed the boat on till sept but will keep looking) I just wanted to say thank you as taking those extra few minutes really does make a difference.
Awww thanks Kirsty you are so kind. Next time you are in the area call in for a brew…’kettles always on for friends x
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people about this topic, however, you seem like you know what you’re
talking about! Thanks
my pleasure
Hi Thanks for following by blog 🙂 Your quilting is very creative!
Thank you 😉
Go girl!
I have fun with, result in I discovered exactly what I was taking a look for.
You have ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man.
Have a great day. Bye
Thank you for your kind comments 🙂
I’ve been browsing on-line more than 3 hours
nowadays, but I by no means found any interesting
article like yours. It’s pretty price enough for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made just right content as you
probably did, the internet will be a lot more helpful than ever before.
Thank you for your kind comments
Hi Anthea
We met at Yarndale. Finally found time to sit and look at your lovely blog!
You may remember I was interested in your lovely tweed packs for my kits.
I wondered if you could send through some details please?
my email is tillyrose10@gmail.com
many thanks my lovely!
Tilly Rose x
That sounds brilliant, I will e mail you
I would like to kniw if the winter retreat table runner is available as a pattern to buy on its own and if so where would I get it from and how much would it cost?
Hi the Winter Feast table runner is available as a kit and also as a pattern I hope this link is useful, it should take you straight to the pattern. Thank you for your enquiry https://www.quiltingantics.co.uk/Winter-Feast.html