Sewing at the seaside

Just had a lovely weekend with friends by the sea for 3+ days of sewing, film viewing, walking and enjoying each others' company.  While others worked on major personal projects, I used my time to do "jobs": swap block instructions for October (will post tomorrow)and star log cabin prep. for a star log cabin session with the U3A in November (will post at the time). Also a lovely day making stars for Maggie's and my joint quilt for our fellow Queen Beez member though I was a bit dispirited by how much more Maggie got done. But the weekend is also for relaxing too though I am slower than most. Lots more companionable sewing in the next two weeks and then perhaps more time "getting on" at home.

 My stars, not good colour representation.

So far. The pattern is in one of Tilda's books Quilting from the Heart (?) by Tone Finnanger and the fabrics include many "Tilda's".

Cheers!
I'm on the right in grey.

Alsace 09: Out and about

Work of Sonia Delauney in the
textile museum

Taking coffee and time to sew in the textile museum

Poster to publicise exhibition 
of animals on wallpaper

Image greeting us at the entrance to the wallpaper exhibition: 
no photos permitted of the examples

Clamshell tiles in Colmar

Formed into patterns

For the remaining to days of our visit we were tourists visiting Colmar including the Hansi Museum and on Tuesday the Printed Textiles Museum in Mulhouse and the wallpaper museum in Rixheim. Lots of colour and design inspiration.

Hansi Museum in Colmar

Alsace 08: Grand Finale; Amish Quilts

I wanted my last go round to be of the superb Amish quilts, these from the collections of Hans Zogg in a church and Jacques Legeret in the theatre.

Utterly gorgeous with a very contemporary feel.
However it's a late C19th piece.

This is a Lancaster County Amish quilt made 1953-4 for
Susie Lapp's wedding by her mother. 

Mennonite Starburst made c.1875

Detail of Mennonite Straight Furrows log cabin made in Western Pennsylvania 1890-1900

Loved this one though the photo isn't very good. Ohio Crazy from late C19th

Alsace 07; Finishing up in St Marie aux Mines

On my own in St Marie I revisited some exhibitions and caught up on one or two I hadn't got round to. 

This charming piece was by Liz Maidment a British sticher based in France,

This is a Cathedral Arch at
Glendalough by Denise Labadie

And this is Norvegan Wall by
Rineke van Zeeberg one of Denise's students

And this is the whole piece

Most of her pieces were cutting edge "dresses" with a point to make but I was drawn to this  charming piece on the wall.

Alsace 06 More from Sainte Croix des Mines

Rhapsody in Sitzen by Henk van Kooten an elderly Dutch quiltmaker
who makes pieces in various styles. He is happy to let go his work and sell it.

Detail

The man himself

Cheeky cats were displayed in a small church and there was laughter as viewers made their way up the aisles. Here are Gato Argentino by Isabelle Benne-Perez  and Yellow Cat by Armand Catherine. The one I laughed at most was a red and black ragamuffin called Stendhal. I guess I must be a literary type!!

Impracticality by Angela Walters

Detail

Katherine Roumanoff: La Larme Bleu
These were art pieces first and foremost roughly but
effectively collaged. I liked this one.

The view from the car park

Alsace 05: Sainte Croix aux Mines

Life by Shizuko Kuroha

Detail of tiny log cabins

Log Cabin width varied to create illusion of curves

Dtail of HST quilt

Shizuko Kuroha's "The Peaceful Sea"  of 2010 seen in facing mirror being 
photographed by me.

I don't have the title of this one

On Friday and on Sunday we visited Sainte Croix aux Mines where we saw the wonderful works of Japanese quilter Shizuko Kiroha displayed in the grand Villa Burrus and in a larger community building Erick Wolfmeyer's large pieces hand quilted by an Amish lady.

Wolfmeyer's Blue horizon 

Detail

Detail showing the sharp break: I like this effect

And another one - "One Life" employing the same device, more complex

Detail of the above

This one is called "Overshot"

Detail of Overshot

And the view outside

And a more picturesque angle

Alsace 04: Amish and Mennonite Quilts in the Theatre

From the stage

Many of the examples  on show dated back to the C19th as well as early years of the last century. One could instantly recognise the few made in the 70's and 80's as ones made to sell.

Mennonite; Maryland c.1875.  A very rare quilt 

Mennonite c.1890 Pennsylvania

Detail

Amish Cotton Sateen
Made by Mary Miller Yutzi Plain City Ohio 1925

Amish Lancaster County 1945 Sold to pay for medical treatment