Farnham trip 02

Hot days seem to spell moving more slowly and doing less. . .
Here are some quilts from Brigitte Gillespie's Show and Tell before we set off for the day. Most I recognised from previous years' displays at Farnham Maltings. They always stand out because of the delicacy of design and precision of technique. Many hang on walls and get interchanged with others every so often.

A more masculine colouring.

!930's in Belinda's room

Circles everywhere

Beautiful applique

From a Ruth MecDowell pattern. This one had Belinda and me rushing to buy the book.

Stack and whack with plain background and printed sashing. Great!

Karen Stone design coloured so subtly/

The book we've bought.

Farnham trip 01

Before the talk

I have just returned from Farnham where Belinda and her daughter, Penny, were giving a joint talk to Farnham Quilters. Belinda showed her lovely quilts and Penny her screen printed textiles. The listeners were super impressed by both. Their work is so lovely. However we had to scrabble a bit to find pieces with hanging sleeves on as Belinda's quilts are mostly for beds so we held up the major pieces on the stage. That was my role, bag carrier and holder upper, and I was very glad to be taken  along. Needless to say as I was holding up quilts and teztiles I have no pictures apart from a view before the start.
We stayed with Brigitte Gillespie whom we had met up with in Pasadena so it was a chance for Show and Tell and  a local expedition I'll write more posts but start with quilts which Brigitte owned which she hadn't made herself

This one was made by Farnham Quilters
member, Doris Dove, who I used to go on
retreats with years ago, a lovely lady.

I think this is one of Doris's also. She devotes her time to
using up stash and making charity quilts these days and
took five years to finish all her UFO's. A lesson for us all.

A lady called Sue Davies made this but as it wasn't going to be passed on she elected to sell it so Brigitte bought it and has
given it a good home where it is seen and appreciated. A superb.work.

Label of the Baltimore quilt.

This precious piece was made by Ruth McDowell, a famous quilter, lives at Brigitte's sudio, hanging outside when
she is working there.

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A lucky girl

I let my sixtieth birthday pass by with little notice. Being retired, pensions and bus pass were a sufficient celebration for anybody in my view. However the biblical three score years and ten has always held a special fascination for me and I thought I should be very disappointed not to make it that far. Well now I have but  I did start working towards it a long time ago and suggested to my friends thay might make me a small quilt either 24" or A4 sized expessive of them, more perhaps for fabric choices than technique which might be complicated. As the time approached and they reminded me of this I felt rather shamefaced but they insisted they would and the first two have been handed over. I am so inexpressibly grateful for the time and trouble taken, far more than I anticipated.
Belinda sent me a teaser picture of hexagons but I was amazed to open the package and uncover tiny hexagons with half inch sides made from  Liberty fabrics. All this plus beautiful big stitch quilting. Tracy loves improvisational piecing and uses a distinctive bright colour palette so I knew instantly who had made this little quiltlet which has so much sewing in it. All this and a delightful mug carrier (we take our own mugs to sewing days) plus my favourite Earl Grey tea.

Doll's bed with Belinda's quilt and quilt stand with Tracy's piece.

Detail

Close up

Detail

Label

Label

Mug carrier and tea from Tracy The catch catches without being buttoned through. Very clever. Trademark yellow and pink dots on lining.

I'm back

I haven't left such a long gap since I started this blog. A partial excuse is I have taken on an organising role which has tied me to my computer quite a lot so I needed to leave off and do other things.Once I've settled in it shouldn't take up quite so much time.

I made myself use my low volume  prnts collection I've been hoarding.
Foundation piecing helping with the long points.

However I have been trying to finish quilts albeit by basic walking foot quilting. Martha's quilt is for a friend's sixth grandchild and no the previous five didn't get one while Codebreaker uses leftover strips from a Kimberley Einmo layer cake class. As the workshop project has been sold, this quilt will serve as a memento though in time I may sell it too. The block white is the same as the background of the print but I didn't have enough for the sashing which is bright white. I call it a design feature.

Codebreaker and it's a true enigma as it doesn't say or mean anything. .

The back