Dry at last

Today feels like the first dry day in ages.  The burn in our village is full and flowing fast and the garden looks bedraggled. However, it was a fine morning and there was even some watery sunshine. 

Not much quilting this week but here is a pic of the little wallhanging that those attending Bonnyrigg Quilters Workshop last week could have gone on the complete had they wanted to follow on from the foundation piecing activity.  It is a very simple little quilt and the foundation patterns were adapted from Carol Doak's book.  

At the workshop last Saturday, Anne, one of the quilters taking part kindly shared a pattern for a small round table mat.  She emailed me the instructions and I have made one with another just needing the binding.  This is a really easy little hand project - perfect if you are stuffed with the cold and disinclined to do anything bigger or further from the fire.  

Having seen close up, a superb large finished quilt of different stars by a friend this weekend I am now raring to get back to one of the bigger quilts I am working on.  I might even dig out the Grandmother's Fan Quilt which as been waiting patiently for some time now to be finished. 

Next week off to York so will bring you news of the exhibitions there.  I notice that the Quilt Museum now lets you shop on line. 

Busy day in Bonnyrigg

Bonnyrigg quilters hosted a workshop day yesterday to which they invited members of other neighbouring groups.   There was a super turnout with 4 workshop stations and an extra workshop so those finished other projects would not be left with idle hands. The variety of workshops seemed  to ensure that everyone found some new technques, ideas or inspiration and people left buzzing with possibilities. 

The group also had a 'show and tell' at the the end of the day.  Now I know many quilters are very modest and shy of showing others their work but we all love to see what folks have been up to. 

We had some finished and almost complete work from earlier workshops, some personal projects that were a real feat of talent and even had a very old quilt top which one of our members got from a Canadian Aunt's kist and we all mused over how old the top was and how much older the fabrics must have been.  It inspired me to get out some books on the history of quilts and do a bit of reading about quilts from the turn of last century.  I've never owned an old quilt but that would be a real treat. 

The Quilt Museum in York of course gives us great opportunities to see some well preserved fine antique quilts.  I am in the lucky position of going there next week so will report back on all things York in next bur one blog. 

I did not get around to doing a blog last weekend so I should mention here that last Saturday I took a drive from Aberdeen to Cullen on the Moray Coast with a chum who was staying.  She knew the area very well so we had a wonderful drive (and guided tour) on a most glorious day.  We visited a lovely ceramics shop, several fishing harbours and of course the wonderful patchwork shop in Cullen - Puddleduck Patch.  The shop has over 600 bolts of quilters cotton and a wide range of other needlecraft supplies.  It is also an excellent coffee shop with gifts.  The shop does seem to have some great tutors providing classes there.  I noticed that Pat Archibald has been doing classes there and that Kaffe Fassett in booked for a workshop there soon.  Needless to say I had to buy some fabric, but this time some I really needed for quilt I am preparing a workshop on. 

Needless to say I am looking forward to my weekend in York - shopping, sightseeing and a wealth of textile exhibitions.  The Quilt Museum have two exhibitions on, one of which about turkey red fabric in quilts sounds really interesting.  The other features contemporary quilts, also right up my street. 
At the same time, as luck would have it the York Art Gallery and Museum has an exhibition of sashiko quilting.  This major exhibition is on tour but York seems to be the nearest it will get to Scotland.  If you can't go in person you might want to see the exhibition gallery by clicking on this link. 

http://www.sashiko.org.uk/gallery.php

Getting new ideas

Going to quilt shows and exhibitions certainly give us new ideas and spurs us on to finish projects and start new work.  The Milton Quilters exhibtion in Portobello today certainly did that for me.  As part of the exhibiton they had a collection of Christmas themed projects.  It got me thinking about getting things done for this year's winter festival and you can see here some cards I have come up with.  They still need the edges finished but essentially they are postcard sized quilts, three layers and backed with card.  The hearts are bondawebbed on to a asymetric central patch then the outer fabrics attached in the style of log cabin.  If you are interested in making quilt postcard I think the publication by Katherine Guerrier (which is on a CD) is excellent.  It is full of inspirational ideas.  The fabrics I have used here are lovely close up and for those who live in central Scotland you can get them at Purely Patchworks in Linlithgow.  You can find a link to Katherine Guerrier's lovely ebook on postcard quilts at http://www.rainbowdisks.com/item/36/patchwork-postcards

Here are some other lovely pieces of work that caught my eye at the Milton Quilters exhibition.  You will see where the inspiration for the heart cards came from!

Autumn is progressing very fast in the Scottish Borders and most of the leaves are off the trees in our garden now so no surprise my thoughts are turning to mid-winter festivals.  Coming up on the 7th of November is a Christmas themed workshop run by Bonnyrigg quilters which should be great fun. Next Saturday I hope to visit both of the quilt shops in Aberdeen so I will bring you news of what's new in the Aberdeen stitching world. 

Finally I don't know if I am the last person in the world to know about a Talking Threads, a TV show you can get on Sky or on the internet.  I have put a button for it on the right hand bar.  Looks really interesting.

Happy stitching.

Back to quilting - well nearly!

Thanks to all of you who have encouraged me to start up this blog again. I have been really busy over the last few months starting a new job so had not put needle to fabric since July till last week when I finished a small quilt which really got me back into the swing. I will have less time for stitching so I have to make every minute count! I hope to begin to run this blog regularly again with news of quilting events in the South East and now the North East of Scotland.

I met up with my quilting chums for the first time in almost 3 months last week. One chum said it was as if I had fallen off the planet. Moving job and house meant that I had to give up my (booked) trip to Birmingham which I really missed but heard great things about the show. I was able to catch up though with friends at the quilt show run by Fala Quilters. They are a small group in a tiny village south of Edinburgh. The show was really lovely. I was struck by the great use of colour in the quilts. It represented 10 years of work by the group and was well worth the visit. I am afraid I forgot my camera but hope to have some new pics for my next blog.

The plotting began today to plan out our next quilting adventures. Regular readers of this blog will know that a small group of us went to Caithness to Patchwork Pleasures in June. We had such a great time that we are now planning to go again if we can find a slot that is free next year. Now that really will be something to look forward to.

So - what's next on the quilting front for me. Well, Milton Quilters have their exhibition next Saturday in Portobello. It is open 10 - 4 and has trade stands, teas and a raffle. The venue is Portobello Old Church Hall, Bellfield Street, Portobello. Milton quilters do a super show so well worth the visit I think.

Bonnyrigg quilters are running a Xmas workshop day on 7th November with four short workshops which will be informal and great fun. I will bring you some pics and a report on both of these events shortly.

Artists trading cards

Well after coming back from holiday and straight into a workshop this weekend seems a little more laid back. I have been busy creating samples for the Young Quilter workshop on the 5th of August and getting back into the swing of things at work.

I have also been getting into making artist trading cards (ATCs). Regular followers of my blog will know that I did a class with Frieda Oxenham (see link on right) and I am really hooked now. I have been busy signing up for ATCs swaps at http://www.atcsforall.com/

It great fun and I have already taken part in two swaps and received some great work in return. I though I would put a few of my own ATCs up to let you see what I have been up to.

Great fun between larger quilting projects. Do let me know of anything coming up in your area. It's great to get your feedback.