Monthly Archives: October 2017

Happy Hallowe’en!

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Earlier in the month, I taught at the Thumb Butte Quilters’ Guild in Prescott, AZ. This wonderful Hallowe’en quilt was shown at Show and Tell after my lecture. Princess Kat-Rina was designed and pieced by Betty Foley of Prescott. This gaudy witch-princess rescues cats. I like her stripy green leggings and floral accents. All the Stack ‘N Whack blocks in the borders are made from cat fabric. What fun!

Notice how the centers of all the blocks are pumpkins. The orange dot fabric makes a great frame around the pictorial center, separating it from the border blocks. I also really like the orange and black striped binding. This is an entertaining and decorative piece, guaranteed to bring a smile. Thank you, Betty, for allowing me to share your creative art.

ClothPlus Quilt Shop, Prescott Valley, AZ

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Earlier this month, I taught at the Thumb Butte Quilters’ Guild in Prescott, AZ. After my workshop in Prescott Valley, we visited the ClothPlus Quilt Shop, at 6497 E Copper Hill Drive.  From the outside, this place doesn’t look much, but inside this industrial space there’s a great variety of fabrics and plenty of interest. I picked up a couple of nice turquoise fabrics for my current project. There is a large collection of batiks, some wonderful Southwestern fabrics and other theme fabrics.  As well as an abundance of quilting fabrics and notions, they carry home decorating, auto, marine, and RV upholstery and outdoor fabrics. Here’s a visual tour. It’s worth stopping by if you are in the vicinity.

 

Antique hexagon quilt at Lanhydrock House in UK

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I saw this stunning hexagon quilt on display at a National Trust property, Lanhydrock House, in Cornwall, UK when I was there at the end of July. The house was built in the early 1700’s and then renovated in Victorian times after a bad fire. The quilt was on the bed in the nanny’s room. My guess is that it dates from the late 1800’s, judging by the Turkey red and the patterned fabrics. On the detailed shot you can see some embroidered crowns on some of the blue hexagons, so perhaps it is from even earlier. If any of you readers can date it more accurately, please write me a reply.

Someone spent hundreds of hours piecing this beautiful quilt and planned the pattern of the colors of hexagons carefully. I love the arrangement of the concentric rings of hexagons with the defining red rows. Even the areas between the red hexagon outlines are well planned in regular patterns with symmetrical spacing of the colors. This is a magnificent quilt.

Inspiring Architecture in Milan, Italy

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In July, I spent time in Italy in the Piedmont area with friends who recently moved there from the US and we went to Tuscany together. My last night in Italy was spent at a B & B close to the airport, then I had a morning to explore Milan before flying to the UK. I caught an early bus into the city center of Milan and spent three and a half hours at the Duomo (Gothic cathedral), the Galleria and the Teatro alla Scala. What I saw was fantastic and very inspiring. The sheer scale of the Duomo was so impressing and it was majestic with its towering turrets, magnificent stone carvings and windows. The combination of angular shapes and smooth curves was fascinating, and I felt awed by the grandeur of it all. I’m sure that experiencing something like this influences me when I am designing quilts, even if it’s in a very subtle way.

I climbed up to the roof top for amazing views of the skinny turrets, flying buttresses and the surrounding city.

The Galleria was spectacular too with the arches, domed ceiling, decorated floors and fancy stores such as Gucci and Prada.

 

 

 

Cowslip Workshops, Launceston, Cornwall, UK (5)

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I’m continuing from a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about the exhibition of quilts in the barn at Cowslip Workshops, near Launceston in Cornwall, UK. Quilters were invited to participate in a challenge themed around a view through a window. This beautiful Celtic Cross quilt, View from my Window, with a background of the Cornish coast was made by my quilting friend from Cornwall, Lesley Coles.

Lesley writes, “Many of my quilts are inspired by Cornwall and the sea I can see through my window. I look over St. Austell Bay and The Gribben headland with the day mark to warn miners of the rocks below. The Celtic Cross, central to this window, represents my faith which is central to my life. The cross was inspired by the stained-glass window at St. Uny Church, Lelant.” I love the stained glass effect with all the different “stone” fabrics in the cross and the pastoral marine scene behind. This is a stunning quilt.

Here is another window quilt made by a local group, the Trevithick Quilters. Cornwall Through the Window of Time is made of 12 blocks pieced and hand appliqued by members of the group. Others in the group assembled and quilted this interesting quilt depicting a variety of local Cornish scenes. The detailed shot shows the remains of an old tin mine on Bodmin Moor.