Of all the things I enjoyed most about my trip was the people. I’ve travelled a bit, taken photographs, done tours, seen amazing things, hell I’ve even done an epic abseil and black water rafting in the spirit of travel and adventure over the years. What did I enjoy most on my recent trip? Believe it or not it wasn’t the fabric shopping (stop choking now – it was fun). It was the people I met.
People makes places special. Even the most beautiful buildings, churches and galleries all have people at the heart of them. People that have lived, created, loved and laughed within their walls. The Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, galleries, museums and parks – all these places are bursting with stories of people – otherwise they are simply bricks and mortar – nothing more. It’s people that make places special.
THE BEYOND EPIC MEET-UP
I was kinda AMAZED at how many people turned up – I think everyone was! I was so very very tired after my first week of travelling, flying over, tackling Paris etc. I wish I hadn’t been quite so tired and been more ‘Lizzy’ for everyone. Maybe in New York 2014!
The Epic Sewing Meet-up
RACHEL
This girl is the bombshell of the sewing blog world. She’s tall, elegant, creative, intelligent, thoughtful and amazingly well organised! Not only did Rachel organise the epic Bloggers’ Meet-up of the Century, she also invited me out to her hometown the following Tuesday – which was lovely as we actually got to talk – which was a challenge on the epic meet-up day! I got so busy talking, eating and wandering about that I forgot to get a picture – but here is one from the meet-up with me looking like a derp face.
Rachel & Me
And at the meet-up there was…
Karen of Did You Make That? Yes, she’s a real person not just a blogging Rock Star – don’t know if you have ever noticed but the fabric of the dress in her blog header is the same as the fabric of the dress in mine! I find that amazing considering we are in different hemispheres.
Karen from Did You Make That?
Dibs of Dibs & the Machine … this girl is delightful, I wanted to pop her in my suitcase and take her home…
Dibs – she’s just delightful
Roisin of Dolly Clackett … and yes, she is that cute and cool in real life…
Roisin of Dolly Clackett. I had a special piece of ‘happy’ fabric for this girl. Sydney Harbour fabric, I thought it would make her smile x
Kim of Kim-ing… Kim has been around since the early days of my blog. She is sweet – and I wanted her Pavot!
Kim of Kim-ing
The By Hand London girls… super glam, super lovely… I am just waiting on some fabric for my Victoria Blazer…
By Hand London girls
Tasmin of Pimp My Curtains (had a lovely chat), Catherine Daze of Cyberdaze (I was rather in awe as I love her style) & Amy of Sylkotwist (so lovely to meet her, she’s as gorgeous as I thought she would be)
Tasmin of Pimp my Curtains, Catherine Daze of Cyberdaze, Amy of Sylkotwist
There are more people to mention but I’ll save that for my next post… or I will never publish this!
AGNES LE PONT
The very French & very delightful host of my little BnB accommodation in Paris. I was terrified of tackling Paris on my lonesome but she was amazing. Kind, helpful, friendly, full of advice – and she drank beer (gotta love a beer-drinking woman!)
BARBARA of Stitching up Paris
I don’t think I would have been able to navigate Paris and all its fabulous little shops and shopping eccentricities without the professional help of Barbara!
CARLA COULSON
I went to Paris for work. To interview Carla Coulson, a photographer who spent some of her teenage years in Port Macquarie. She is a beautiful person and one of the most fascinating and inspiring people I have met. At 35 she was a Sydney businesswomen with all the trappings of success – but deeply unhappy – rather than accept it, she totally changed her life. Carla’s blog is a great source of inspiration for photography or just read her amazing story on her blog.
Clare of SewDixieLou
Clare is gorgeous in every way. We met up in Lewisham and had a HUGE chat about life, the universe, sewing and everything over a cup of coffee. She took me to her favourite fabric shop, Rolls & Rems, in Lewisham and I LOVED it! I spent the huge sum of 6 pounds 50 pence and went home feeling like a champion!
THE DINNER & DRINKS CREW
Oh my lord, this was fun. Organised by the astonishing gorgeous and lovely Clare, along came Emma of My Oh Sew Vintage Life, Janene of Ooobop, Hannah of Sinbad & Sailor, Nicole of Nicole Needles, Jo of SewLittleTime & Clare of SewDixieLou. I swear I don’t often drink that much – but it was fun. Thank you girls for a great night! I swear one of these girls kept filling up my glass because I’m not quite sure how I managed to drink so much all by myself!
Ummmm, just press the button, yes that one…
Has he taken it yet? No I don’t think so…
It seems the camera wasn’t French…
WINNIE of SCRUFFY BADGER
Now I didn’t get to meet Winnie in the flesh 😦 but we have a little email friendship going on and it’s like we met in spirit. I think she’s actually my long-lost sister (she’s just the funnier groovier one).
Now I’m in Sydney and off to my first Aussie meet-up – even though I haven’t quite finished this post I’m going to publish it and write another one soon about the two swops I’ve been part of & a few other things. Life has been frantic since I got back & it’s been hard to find any free time to blog 😦
FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT MARVELLOUS PEOPLE
My life has its fair share of ‘challenging’ and, at times, really unpleasant people. The sort that make you grind your teeth in frustration while you smile until your face aches. The ones that like to quietly whittle away at your self esteem and pick at everything you say and do. You know the ones… in fact I bet you are thinking of someone right now and thinking ‘yep, that’s the sort Lizzy is talking about’.
You can choose to let these people’s misery infect you, dominant your thinking or you can choose to find and focus on the fabulous people – people like you. People that have encouraging things to say, jokes that make you laugh til you cry, send you something special from across the globe ‘just because’. People who celebrate your individuality and quirkiness – rather than grooming you to conform.
It’s not an easy thing to do. Once someone said to me “but it’s easy for you – you don’t care what people think!”. Well actually, (I hate to admit it) I do care. However I’ve reached that point in my life when I’ve realised that while I might care, I can’t actually change what other people think. So why waste energy on it? I choose to define myself- no it’s not easy, it’s a daily battle I’ve come to love/hate waging and I can’t declare a truce. Love me, like me or loathe me. I’m just me. Plain old Lizzy for better or for worse (and trust me I have my ‘worst days’ more often than I would like). The only thing I can do is work on being the best version of me. And that’s a much more interesting way to live than trying to be the ‘someone’ people think you should be.
Thank you for coming to the Bloggers’ Meet-up. Thanks for helping carry my bags. Thanks for sharing a meal, a drink, a laugh, your fabulous town. You are all epic, beautiful, creative women and the world deserves more of you. Mwah.
Sew Busy Lizzy 
You’re a complete and utter doll, just as I imagined you would be. Millions of love to you, Lizzy!
Right back at you Roisin x
i wish i had been able to come to meet all you lovely folks. 🙂
Me too. It was great! We shall remain virtual buddies x
What a lovely post. You are a classy lady Lizzy. And I’m proud to have met you even though I came off all embarrassed and stuttery 🙂 hope the Aus meet up is awesome too
Hilarious, I don’t remember you like that at all – you were perfect (was I drooling from exhaustion?)! I’ve got you in the next post! This one was getting sooooo long! x
It looks like you had an amazing time away and met some fabulous people, sewers are special people I think and invariably lovely 🙂 Now we just need to arrange an Aussie meetup!
It’s crazy isn’t it how hard that is to do in Australia. I’m at the Sydney meet-up tomorrow. Hopefully I will get to the Melbourne one in Sept!
Well if you go to the Melbourne one hopefully I will meet you there, I am already planning to go
Just back from Sydney High Tea. Lovely ladies. I just wish they were also on twitter!
I look forward to reading about it, I didn’t even know it was on! Not to worry, I have been in Townsville this weekend so couldn’t have gone. Now planning my frock tails dress 🙂
I better start on my Frocktails dress sooner rather than later… and I think I might have just thought of the perfect one…
This is why I love your blog so much – through you I get to “meet” all these totally cool people, check out other terrific blogs, and finish up by feeling happy and uplifted, even though I’m off to work, and today is always the toughest day of my week! You rock, Lizzie!! Thanks for such a great start to my day. 🙂
That’s a wonderful thing to hear – and I hope your tough day is a little easier than usual x
It all looks amazing Lizzy! What a miraculous thing to organize, Bravo to Rachel. You all look so fantastic, stylish and trendy. That’s cute cherry fabric on the top Clare is wearing and BTW, her ring is giant and gorgeous too.
It was amazing! So many people, all lovely who made my trip extra special.
Lovely, lovely post Lizzy! Hope you make it back to the UK in the not too far away future!
I’d love to come back but I’ve promised myself NY next!
Gosh, what a happy, sweet post! I so dearly love this sewing community! It’s just so fun to meet so many sweet, intelligent, fun people, all of whom are non-judgmental and such a joy to be around! I feel like a lucky duck for being a part of it (although, can’t lie, still feeling a little jealous that I couldn’t go to this meetup! New York 2014!). Thanks for posting!
We do have an amazing community that stretches around the world. I can’t wait til NY Oct 2014!
It was such a great night! I know it was because I felt terrible the next day. So great to meet you and hopefully we’ll meet again! I don’t care if there are too many exclamation marks in this comment!
Oh good! So glad it wasn’t just me!! So fabulous to meet you – thanks for coming! And there is no such thing as too much punctuation! Especially the excitable kind!!! 🙂
What a great post. I’m really happy that we’re going to meet up today too.
Thank you – looking forward to meeting you too!
Looks like you had a fabulous time! What is the meet up in New York in 2014?
I’m planning on coming over in October 2014! That’s all the details so far 🙂
Your final thoughts- Wow- how true… and how aptly put. 🙂 Honestly I really appreciate knowing that I am not the only one out there with “challenging times…” and people that try and drag you down. And nice to see that I am NOT the only one who actually cares what people think! So good that you realize you are just going to be the “best lizzie” you can be! And I think you are rather marvelous! You have made some great clothes, write a wonderful blog and to me, all these miles away seem to just sparkle! 🙂 Happy your trip was wonderful! ~Laurie
Thank you so much, that comment really brings a smile to my face. I think everyone cares deep down about what others think – it’s about getting to a point where you realise that you can’t change what people think & just being true to yourself in whatever form that takes.
Hugs! Such a sweet Post and totally agree! Be the best u can be, don’t be put down by those vampire people that suck the life out of you. Hugs!
I do so wish you were not so far away – I so enjoyed spending a day with you *hugs* x
Lovely, warm and enriching post Lizzy. Made me smile, sigh and think how lucky I am to be involved in this sewing lark! See you again one day xx
I wish you weren’t all so far away! It’s so wonderful to have met you all x
What a beautiful sentiment and a wonderfully full life you’re living.
I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet up in Sydney yesterday.
Next time!
I’m so sorry that you couldn’t make it – next time!
Great Times- your all so fortunate to have enjoyed this event
It was amazing, it was a trip highlight!
Your lovely post has really set my day off the right way, it’s so true, we are all so luckyand I hope you have an awesome Melbourne meet up to continue the high!
And if anything, you’re my non stop fun loving sister who if we’d known esch other as children, would probably be getting me into scrapes and making me laugh all the time! Oh how I wish we’d managed to catch up in person, but cyber hugs to you Lizzy xx
One day we will meet, we never know we may end up in a retirement village together doing burnouts on old people scooters! I wish we had met up too… one day!
That looks like such a load of fun. Oh how I wish I had been there too!!
Did you mention something about a possible meetup in New York in 2014? Are there any plans? Can anybody come? I would so love that idea!
Well I’ve just decided that I’m going to NY in 2014! So therefore I think there should be a meet-up LOL. You are most welcome – would love to meet you. I’ll have more details early next year!
It was lovely to meet you Lizzy! Wish we’d had more chance to chat…it’s the only problem with such a huge get together.
It was lovely to meet you and so many other bloggers at the epic London meet up! definately a lovely group of people.
What a great summary of people places and meet-ups. I am so glad to have met you even briefly! I am totally having my share of ‘vampire like’ people at the moment and struggling to just be me, but hey ho, it’ll all be over soon and I can get back to doing stuff for me! We are all fab, and must try to remember that!
We should all have a mantra “I am a fabulous unique person!” and repeat it daily!
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