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.