Travel

A gentle start to 2018

February 22, 2018 by Margaret

It’s been a hot, hot summer here at Quilt Station.

Christmas and January were spent in perfect harmony. Family, Friends, Food and Festivities. Some Granddaughter time… And a touch of garden/home reno …bliss on a stick I say.

Delicious White Nectarines from my tree… laden this year!

There was fruit picking galore… The Boysenberries, Nectarines and Apricots were particuarly abundant, and Delicious, this summer.

After the very busy close to 2017, including a four week trip to the USA, it was just what I needed.

And of course there was also a healthy amount of stitching done too.

I finished all those Rolling Star blocks I’ve been hand piecing for ~~a while~~, well ages.

Rolling Star Blocks

They have been my constant companion, travelling hither and yon with me.

Hither & Yon

Indiana Medallion

The inspiration for all those lovely blocks came from an antique quilt top in my collection, but rather than just reproduce I felt a medallion quilt would be just the ticket.

The lovely top with copious amounts of California Gold and Double Pink is circa 1890s and comes from Wayne County, Indiana.

Indiana Medallion and my antique quilt top

So then what’s a girl to do?

Start a new quilt LOL.

Here’s a snippet of what I’ve been doing.

Applique for starters

And a border

This one’s going to be a special project later in the year, so stay tuned.

Okee dokee… I’m off to do a little more pattern writing for Indiana Medallion.

You may notice a change or two to the Website as well.

My Teaching Schedule has been updated and includes my new classes from home.

I’m very excited to be able to offer that.

Thanks so much dear friends for sticking with my intermittent Blogging,

Til next

happy stitching

Margaret xx

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Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Antique Quilts, Applique, Design, Musings, Quilt Patterns, Reproduction Quilts, Teaching, Travel

Quilts from the Colonies (not the book) Part 3

September 19, 2017 by Margaret

After dinner show and tell, the others had gone to bed but a few of us decided to have a little show and tell

Hello again, I think you’ll find this final part of the Colonial Quilts posts totally swoon-worthy… I sure hope so.

Our tour made its way to the small town of Te Aroha in the Waikato region to view a c 1820-1830 Broderie Perse Chintz coverlet. This coverlet, which I first visited in 2014, was the impetus for the whole trip.

As she was revealed, there were gasps and smiles.

The unveiling

And we had two whole days to spend with her.

The first day was an in-depth study day convened by Janet O’Dell. In the morning we spent time studying the evolution of fabric manufacturing and printing. Janet’s knowledge in this area was invaluable in giving us an understanding of the cotton industry. As well, Janet brought many antique coverlets and assorted pieces from her own collection to compare fabrics and quilt styles with the Te Aroha coverlet and we studied those alongside Te Aroha’s coverlet in the afternoon.

Comparing a piece from Janet’s collection with the Te Aroha coverlet. This was the best match we got!

Spots are always the same… or are they?

Size and spacing are not always identical.

Sometimes the print was similar but the colour not the same.

Yellow ground with brown motifs from Janet’s collection.

Yellow ground with brown motifs ~ Te Aroha coverlet.

Or the colour was the closer but the print was different

Te Aroha coverlet

Small geometrics, especially the interesting ‘stacked’ designs featured frequently in Te Aroha’s and Janet’s coverlets. But not once a perfect match

Small gemetric prints featured in many of the pieces Janet brought with her.

Te Aroha’s coverlet features many too

Te Aroha’s coverlet is in the medallion style. At its centre is a large Broderie Perse design featuring flowers, trees, butterflies and other motifs cut from a chintz fabric. In addition there are some birds cut from plain and print fabrics. The centre arrangement of flowers and trunk has a seam through the centre to create a symmetrical design. One tree on the centre section has also been pieced to create the desired design. Here however, they have not been cut from the same fabric.

Centre section showing pieced roses and trunk, pieced tree and plain & print birds

All these are raw edge applique attached with a herringbone stitch in white thread.

The Rising Moon blocks are all pieced over papers and whip stitched together, the half circles are appliqued on top, again raw edge and a herringbone stitch.

The coverlet is not backed, but is hemmed on all four sides. Family history tells us it was a finished piece, and was used by the descendents of the maker. It would be put on the bed for special visitors, including any house calls from the Doctor.

It was quite a sobering moment when she (the coverlet) had to be returned to her usual abode. We’d all grown fond of the grand old lady, and crowded around her for one more photo and some last minute looks. Carefully covering her up again and making sure she was safely wrapped, before she was collected and carried out.

It was good for her to have a really good airing and a whole 48 hours flat

Thank you to these ladies for making this Study Trip so wonderful and especially to Janice, 6th from left.

Thank you to these ladies for making this Study Trip so wonderful and especially to Janice for being so helpful in bringing it all together.

Just a few pics to close of the Broderie Perse workshop we did on the Sunday. Students worked on their own version of Miss Hitchens’ Whimsy as featured in my book Quilts from the Colonies published by Quiltmania

How very special to have the original coverlet on hand for inspiration!

Broderie Perse Workshop

Maureen’s Centre looking divine

Mine on the floor in the distance (albeit on sheets) The ‘real deal’ gets the table.

Well that’s the trip… I am already thinking I would love to do it again next year and add some different museums and quilts if possible. Let’s see what transpires.

Don’t forget to click on all the photo’s to really get a better view. Click agin on the green arrow for zooming in capabilities… you’ll be glad you did.

Thanks so much for visiting these posts, I know there was a lot of info to take in

Happy stitching

til next

Margaret xx

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Quilts from the Colonies (not the book) … Part 1

September 17, 2017 by Margaret

Anne Romsey Coverlet c 1795-1830 Made in Dedham, Sussex, England. In the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand

Yes already I see I’m going to have to do this in parts, photo and info heavy post right here.

I’m not long back from my wee jaunt across the ditch… to New Zealand that is.

Have I got your attention?

Yes… my travel companions were amused by the constant use of the word ‘wee’ everywhere we went.

Me being a Kiwi lass, I was not at all surprised and found it familiar and comforting.

It’s a colonial expression from the Scots, and we use it all the time. “That’s a lovely wee sewing bag you’ve got there, if only I had a wee bit more time I’d love to have a wee look at it”

The purpose of going was to see Antique New Zealand Quilts, I’d already seen one a few years ago … my Miss Hitchens’ Whimsy from Quilts from the Colonies was inspired by a coverlet from Te Aroha which I saw in 2014. And I knew there were more scattered around the country.

Let’s have a pic and then I’ll explain all…

image of Anne Romsey Coverlet c1795-1830

Anne Romsey Coverlet c1795-1830 Dedham, Sussex, England. In the Collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

If I didn’t have your attention before, I should have it now!

This is only one of the eleven quilts and coverlets seen in just four museums in NZ’s North Island.

I’ve been planning this study trip for some time ~ researching quilts and coverlets of interest and working with the museums as most of these quilts are not on permanent display. The four museums we visited have all been very generous with their time and collections. Janet O’Dell was a key member of the trip too as she brought with her not just some British antique quilts to study (more on that later), but also her wealth of knowledge. And I know the museums gained as much from her as we did from them.

Let’s make this a fairly ‘photo heavy’ post shall we. And I’ll reference where I can, what was seen, and where you can see more images of the textiles online.

Day one saw us bright and early to Tamaki Paenga Hira -Auckland War Memorial Museum to view two coverlets.

Details of the Anne Romsey Coverlet

Anne Romsey’s Coverlet has two dates inscribed on the back ~ 1795 and 1830

More photo’s and documentation is available here http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-15434?k=1995.90.11&ordinal=1

We then saw a late 18th c Irish Coverlet, maker unknown. It was in the medallion style of much earlier coverlets so at first one would think it was a much earlier piece. It’s in very good condition with the Chintz still highly glazed.

Irish Chintz Medallion c 1880-1890 Maker unknown.

Irish Chintz medallion detail

More photo’s and documentation is available here

http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-19159?k=1985.116&ordinal=0

Then we spied a box that looked suspiciously like a quilt archival box!

Two more…

We had a bonus two quilts to view! … The red and white quilt is quite fragile, so that stayed in the box but we were able to carefully unfold sections for a better look. Circa 1840 from North Carolina, USA Maker unknown.

image of Red and White North Carolina, c 1840

Red and White applique quilt, North Carolina. USA. c 1840. Maker unknown.

More photo’s and documentation is available here

http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-13117?k=1946.207&ordinal=0

And the final quilt was an early 19th c Log Cabin Quilt from England, maker unknown. An assortment of cottons, wools and silks are used here.

image of Early 19th Century English Log Cabin quilt. Wool, silk, cotton

Early 19th Century English Log Cabin quilt. Wool, silk, cotton. Maker unknown.

More photo’s and documentation is available here

http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-859?k=1949.63&ordinal=0

We were then treated to a rare opportunity to have a wee peek in archival drawers.

As Jane said…”let’s just open a random few and see what’s there” Lots of interesting early stitched samplers featured heavily along with early colonial artefacts. These I didn’t have permission to share but I would encourage you to search through the museums extensive online collection to see what you find.

Heartfelt thanks are extended to Jane Groufsky, Associate Curator Applied Arts and Design at Tamaki Paenga Hira – Auckland War Memorial Museum. Our visit exceeded our expectations as you were so generous with your time.

The following day we travelled in convoy to Tauranga, a beautiful port city in the Bay of Plenty. A very informative morning was spent with our guide Barbara at The Elms Mission. http://www.theelms.org.nz/

The Elms Mission Tauranga

Two quilts are here and both were made by Scottish migrant Euphemia Ballingall Maxwell (1830-1918). Euphemia worked on the crazy quilt from 1887 and completed it just prior to her death in 1918. Her applique coverlet is believed to have been made or completed by Euphemia after her arrival in New Zealand in 1865 so both these quilts are New Zealand made.

The Elms website used to have an online collection, but a look today as I’m writing and researching shows an updated and beautiful website, but no clear pictures of quilts. However there are several photo’s and lots of documentation available in Pamela Fitz Gerald’s book “Warm Heritage, Old Patchwork Quilts & Coverlets in New Zealand and the women who made them” ISBN 1-86953-529-4

It is readily available here.

http://www.minerva.co.nz/Store/ProductDetails.aspx?product=9280&category=123

Euphemia Ballingall Maxwell’s Crazy Quilt

Euphemia Ballingall Maxwell’s Applique coverlet 102″ square. Centre section.

Applique Coverlet, fabric detail.

A return visit to The Elms is already on my agenda… what an interesting historic home it is. Thank you to the staff and especially our knowledgable guide Barbara who brought the family alive for us.

I am going to hit publish for this post and get straight on to part 2. I think otherwise it’s just going to be way too much… not a wee post at all.

Enjoy… and stay tuned. I expect to have part 2 done by this evening

Arohanui

Margaret

PS. some of the pics look a bit faded but click on them for a sharper and bigger image xx

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Filed Under: Antique Quilts, Applique, Broderie Perse, Miss Hitchens' Whimsy, Travel

Pour l’amour du fil 2017

May 29, 2017 by Margaret

Nantes was where it was all happening… As I load these photo’s I am reliving a most amazing time

(Apologies in advance for a long blog post)

: Misao Wado’s ‘Nantes’

But of course to get to Nantes, a trip to Paris is pretty much *a must*

As soon as I arrived at The Hotel Henriette on the Left Bank, I was swooning.

We were a party of ten (can you imagine the giggling) at this hotel … now my new favourite.

Hotel Henriette, Rive Gauche

A fabulous time was had by *all us girls*; we sent the guys off to do boy things because they would not have been interested at all in the Stitching Up Paris Tour we did

If you get the chance to spend an afternoon or morning doing a walking and metro tour with Barbara, you simply must! Tailor made to you and your friends’ textile passions, click here to see

http://www.stitchingupparis.com/

Here’s just a small taste of what we saw

Ines, La Boutique du Patchwork

http://www.inespatchwork.com/

We also went to Sajou and La Droguerie, I have no idea why I have no pictures :-O

Ultra Mod….Divine

http://ultramod-paris.com/

Just because…so gorgeous

Ditto the gorgeous Haberdashery

And then it was time to go to Nantes for Pour l’amour du fil

and the official launch of

Quilts from the Colonies

Quilts from the Colonies published by Quiltmania

What a thrill the whole five days in Nantes was… I was overwhelmed by the amount of visitors to the show and their kindness to me! I loved meeting up again with old friends, getting to know friends I’d met on social media and making lots of new friends.

And of course being reaquainted with my book quilts which have been away from home since August, beautifully displayed in my Salon by the hard working Quiltmania and Pour l’amour du fil teams.

image of My Salon at Pour l'amour du fil

My Salon at Pour l’amour du fil showing some of the quilts from my book

And a few more

Holt’s Landing and Miss Hitchens’ Whimsy

Rainbow Row, Sarah-Jane’s Scrapbag and Liberty Oak

A rare moment of calm

And the oooh-ing and aaah-ing over all the gorgeous salons and the work contained therein was deafening LOL

Clockwise from top left: Misao Wado, Petra Prins, Deirdre Bond-Abel and Segolaine Schweitzer

Clockwise from top left: Di Ford-Hall, Dawn Heese, Norma Whaley and Bonnie Sullivan

And let’s not forget the Welsh Quilts !

Welsh Quilts from the collection of Jen Jones

I loved popping in to the salon of the gorgeous and talented Judy Newman of A Very Fine House, what a joy it has been to share this amazing journey together

Judy Newman. Her book Quilts for Life Made with Love is another recent publication by Quiltmania

Catching up with Judy, Deirdre, Amy, Di and Kaffe

And more catching up with Norma, Anne-Helene (who did all the technical work on my book…thank you <3 ) Jo, Linda and Martine and Dawn

I also taught two classes while I was there

Sarah-Jane’s Scrapbag class

A-Tisket A-Tasket class… And a very special photo here of Christine Maxwell Bonney, I’m so pleased to have been able to spend time with her in Nantes.

Sadly Christine passed away last week after a long cancer illness. She travelled and sewed and enjoyed her life, making friends wherever she went. Truly an inspiration to live the life you want.

Here we are in Paducah in 2012

Sitting on the porch

I loved the trip and the show so much I am planning to return to Europe later next year to do some more teaching.

Because all too soon it was over.

And it was time for a little R and R.

Off to Lisbon and beyond

A well earned Gin and Tonic (they're huge in Lisbon, just sayin')

A well earned Gin and Tonic with a view (they’re huge in Lisbon, just sayin’)

After the build up to the release of the book, and the preparations for Pour l’amour du fil and all the excitement surrounding it, I extended the trip with another 3 weeks gallavanting around Portugal, Spain and Morocco gathering lots of inspiration and ideas for future quilts.

There’s some works underway already

Thanks so much for visiting, and sorry it’s such a long post.

But there’s lots of exciting things ahead and I want to show them in chronological order

Stay tuned

happy stitching

Margaret

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Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Design, Musings, Quilts from the Colonies, Reproduction Quilts, Travel

A new quilt for the New Year and a busy year ahead!

February 2, 2017 by Margaret

Since I posted last, my book Quilts from the Colonies has arrived in my hot little hands…

I am so so thrilled with the result. It is perfect in every way. Quiltmania‘s talent in bringing all the quilts, photographs and patterns together in to one beautiful package just bowls me over.

Seventeen projects

a- Tisket a-Tasket

Sarah-Jane’s Scrapbag

The two quilts shown above are the two I will be teaching in Nantes at Pour l’amour du fil.

I’d love to have you join me in the classes so keep an eye on their website which is constantly being updated

http://pourlamourdufil.com/cours-et-ateliers/

I have managed to put the book down periodically …

and I’ve been having the loveliest time in my wee studio. Here’s what a lovely time looks like

Enter at your own risk!

No beautiful or glossy styling here.

But I’ve been working on a few projects simultaneously, so may my mess please be excused?

The one I’m currently working on ~~fanatically~~ steadily is this one

Working title Irish Medallion

If you’ve been following along on my Instagram page you will have seen some of the progress.

Deciding on a background for the applique centre is not fast but it’s fun

Pull some possible contenders from the stash…

Narrow it down some and stand back…

Then pick a winner. And stick with it.

I’ve completed the applique and am now spending summer evenings stitching a border of Coffin shapes, stitched using the English Paper Piecing method

English Paper Piecing… very relaxing

One border done and three to go.

Happy stitching and til next

Margaret

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Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Applique, Design, Musings, Quilts from the Colonies, Reproduction Quilts, Smithsonian Fabrics, Travel

June Orr 1849

July 21, 2014 by Margaret

I was really surprised to realise when writing the last blog post that I hadn’t written at all about the June Orr quilt which was hanging over the top of the ladder in this pic from last time

My ladder of Antique Quilts

So as promised, though not as timely as promised,

( I have been back nearly two months…eeek where did that go?)

here are some pics and the ‘short’ story of the June Orr 1849 quilt.

Aren’t we just eternally grateful to our quilting sisters of yesteryear who had the presence of mind to sign and date their quilts!

Initials and date, thank you June.

When I purchased the quilt back in 2012 from Cindy Rennels Quilts at the Paducah KY. quilt show it came with some provenance which tells us J.O. is June Orr. She lived in Cannonsburg County, Pennsylvania which is just south- west of Pittsburg.

L-R. Cindy Rennels, Me, Gerald Roy (Pilrim & Roy) Sherry Cook.

The above pic is taken the day I decided June’s quilt was coming home with me, my dear friend Sherry really helped me make up my mind (yes I needed a second opinion…can you imagine it! But as you’ll know if you’ve been to the major quilt shows in the U.S.A. the amount of antique quilts on offer is mindboggling)

Gerald Roy dropping in to the booth at the same time, and saying “great buy…I had my eye on that, well done” just capped off a great day. Cindy and Ronnie Rennels are the most gorgeous people and I enjoy seeing them when I’m at a show.

June Orr used a classic combination of Red and Green for her nine block applique quilt.

The green fabric has stood up well over the 160 odd years since she made her quilt but the red has not fared as well.

This block is pretty good

This one not so well

The red fabric has lost its print which has ‘dropped out’ causing the small holes, in places almost the entire piece has disintergrated. But it doesn’t detract at all I feel. It is only on a few of the blocks and it is typical of the effect of the dying processes used at the time.

I have drafted the block and started to make up my own version, I confess this is a slow process as so many other qults tempt…but slow and steady wins the race.

June Orr 1849 repro,

I have made more than one block I hasten to add LOL, and I have cut out most of the pieces.. Can I be so bold as to declare a ‘finishing frenzy’ or would I just end up eating my words?

With the imminent finish of the Pomegranate quilt (all blocks appliqued and just have to do the border) I actually feel excited about getting a UFO out of the cupboard, this could be the one but yes there are plenty of others to choose from.

thanks for dropping by and happy stitching,

til soon

Margaret

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Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Antique Quilts, Applique, Reproduction Quilts, Smithsonian Fabrics, Travel

Travel prep

May 22, 2014 by Margaret

Isn’t it great that we can take our stitching with us when we go gadding about. I just wish I could sew in the car though, I know many can but not me…makes me feel a tad squeamish.

Before first light tomoro I am off to New Zealand for what we now jokingly call the annual pilgrimage. As always it will be a busy time racing hither and thither and as always I am prepping my sewing for the trip.

And as always (ever the optimist) I have prepped *Heaps*.

I have decided the Benjamin Biggs block will be a nuisance to sew on the plane as it’s a bit ‘crisp’ with the Freezer Paper method I used this time.

So Benjamin Biggs is out of the cabin bag, but will be in the suitcase.

Onboard sewing is now back-basting of the last three corner blocks for the Pomegranate Quilt…too easy, no scissors and should be pretty quick.

Roll these up and stick 'em in my handbag ;-)

I had already marked the back and *lightly* glued the blue fabric to the background so this is all good to go.

One corner block is already back-basted and ready for appliqueing.

This morning I made all the remaining outer pomegranates (Red) and since taking the photo have made the remaining middle section (~~orange~~ Cheddar), I’m now making the uppermost elipse (Red).

To see how the Pomegranate blocks are looking so far click here

Now for a little bit of eye candy.

My ladder of Antique Quilts (and assorted pieces)

I bought a ladder to display my antique quilts but they don’t all fit. I have had fun arranging and rearranging as you can imagine.

The top quilt you have seen before, it’s a dated 1849 quilt from Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, made by June Orr.

And you know what? I’ve just discovered I haven’t blogged about as I thought, I just went back to find the post and there isn’t one. So as soon as I get back I will do a post but there is a pic to whet your appetitie here.

The next two down (the Prince’s Feather and the Red & Green Applique) were purchases from Houston in 2013 so I will do those too.

And as a postscript to the last post…all that lovely Autumn foliage. This morning I opened the kitchen blinds to see a lone rose. I happen to live in an area that has a very long rose season… and I sure planted plenty.

So with only nine days until the start of Winter please enjoy this, especially if your rose season is shorter than mine.

Last rose of the season, Alchemist by David Austin.

But I’ve tricked you (or I’ve been tricked) because there is one more *last* rose just spotted as I was coming back to the studio after lunch

I’ve been wracking my brains for the name of this one. It is a David Austin and I do know it but it’s just down filtering down today.

I have to go finish my last little pile of elipses.

til soon

Happy Stitching

Margaret

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Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Antique Quilts, Applique, Benjamin Biggs Quilt, Musings, Pomegranate Quilt, Travel, Turkey Reds

Life

September 30, 2013 by Margaret

I was thinking of the sorrow and joy DH (Lindsay) and I have had here at chez Quilt Station over the last few months, it’s just ‘life’ and the same for all of us really. And it has been a whirlwind of racing hither and thither, but at the same time still just going through the paces of the day…work, fun and laughter…plus some tears.

And so Spring has snuck up on us with all the promise of new things it might bring.

Spring at Quilt Station

Our beloved Rollo went in to decline and in early August

we made the decision to send her off to the great doggy park in the sky.

We suspected she would not be with us through another winter but it broke our hearts none the less. We miss her but the rawness has subsided.

But what a lovely long life she had, and she got to be on this blog and in Quiltmania magazine…she be famous

Rollo enjoying Christmas a few years ago...seems like yesterday.

Then Lindsay and I had the very great joy of becoming Grandparents, a few days after we lost Rollo we welcomed

Harriet Louise Mew in to our hearts.

Harriet and Papa Lin, he's still got the knack.

Quilting Life stuff now

Later in August I went up to Brisbane to meet up with friends from the Victorian Quilt Study Group for the V&A exhibition Quilts 1700-1945.

No photo’s were allowed of the quilts but I’m sure many of you have the book and/or have seen the exhibition either in Brisbane or in London.

Of course the Exhibition was wonderful & inspiring, and it was just lovely to get away to warmer climes for a few days…wear sandals for the first time in months, stroll around in the warmth and sunshine. I left Melbourne wearing coat & scarf, in howling winds and bitterly cold. Then two hours later I’m in warm, sunny Brisbane feeling very glad I did throw a pair of sandals in the suitcase at the last minute.

And it was a perfect time to relax and sew…

I sewed at the museum

I sewed at the Hotel, just catching the last afternoon rays of sunshine before heading down to Happy Hour ;-)

And a few days later headed to NZ (but more of that later) and sewed on the plane.

Many thanks to Janet O’Dell for organising the trip to Brisbane, and to Maureen for being a super ‘roomie’.

One of the nights we all went to a great Mexican restaturant at Southbank and noticed the designs on the ceiling were applique possibilites.

There's a few design ideas here.

Then we had fun re-arranging the tiles into applique possibilities

And from Brisbane I took the oppportunity of nipping across the Tasman to New Zealand for 10 days to see how my Mum is doing…

…Not great, for the first time she didn’t know who I was although it did seem to filter down as the days went on. She is a lot more confused about things now, and I learnt over this last weekend that she has declined further still. Am waiting to hear how things are progressing before deciding to drop everything and go over or not.

My sewing, and the friends it has given me, continues to be a constant in this ever evolving time.
I’ve enjoyed catching up and sharing at Quilts in the Barn this last weekend as well as a much needed play day with Linda…just us, plus Sea Breeze Quilters Quilt-in earlier this month.

And as if life wasn’t busy enough, I am involved in the new Applique Guild of Australia

Several of us have been working towards an Australian guild specifically for applique for a couple of years, slowly chipping away at the format we felt would be beneficial to members and in July this year we launched it at Melbourne Quilt Showcase and on-line (where most of the ‘action’ will take place)

So ‘Life’ has been full indeed.

On the sewing front I don’t have a lot to show you, I seem to have a disparate assortment of projects in the studio which I am constantly moving to make room for something else I need/want to work on.

Rising Sun Medallion in progress

And still chugging along with the paper cut applique

One more Indigo to applique and then a fabric choice to make for the centre block.

I will be at Houston Market and Festival this year, leaving in three weeks. Very much looking forward to that again. If you’re going to be there let me know…it would be nice to meet up.

Well the coffee machine is on and I will grab a much needed cup of caffeine.

Thanks for stopping by, I know I’ve been very slack in the blogging department and I appreciate that you’re still here

til soon

Margaret xx

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Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Applique, Indigo Blues, Musings, Travel

Repro Fabrics Galore, Merry Stitching, and Happy Blogging in 2013

December 26, 2012 by Margaret

Oh dear this blog post was to be my pre-Christmas catch up ~ oooops

I think even if I squint it can’t still be the 25th somewhere in the world so I hope you all had a fabulous day yesterday with the ones you love.

My son is still here as his wife had to work today so he and his Dad are playing with boy toys in the shed and,

after a morning of putting the house back together, I am pottering/tidying in my studio after a perfect day yesterday with my nearest and dearest.

Life is good.

I have a list as long as my arm of things I want to do over January, so a clean and organised studio space is a must. But of course it doesn’t take long for me to mess it up again.

I still had sitting on the floor the bundles of fabric I bought in Houston, I want to show you them as there are some great fabrics for the repro afficionados amongst us.

I bought these at Cotton in the Cabin ‘s booth at Festival. Unfortunately the website doesn’t show these wonderful bundles,

labeled Walnut Root Dye circa 1850-1860

but they are worth a phone call or email I think if you were looking for early repro’s. I don’t know where in the States they are situated.

Here is the same bundle unrolled for a better look, I’m not sure if Walnut Root Dye circa 1850-1860 was the name of the range or if this is just a mix of era appropriate fabric prints/colours.

these only have Baum Textiles on the selvage

This next bundle is labeled Bannister Hall c 1830 and this was a range, called Bannister Hall Summerhouse by Xenia Cord for Freespirit.

I don’t recall seeing this range at all in Australia so would be interested to know if it came to our shores.

Bannister Hall Summerhouse by Xenia Cord

I already had those two fat quarters of one print from an earlier US shopping spree so was thrilled to get another fat quarter to play with.

Next up is American Beauty.

American Beauty by Mary Koval for Windham Fabrics

A few of the above I have in the stash already but am down to scarily small amounts so very pleased to have found some more

and the last bundle I bought, although I should’a, could’a, would’a bought many more was titled Koval and Friend,

just a gorgeous selection of 19th c prints

and is a nice selection of prints. I checked with Mary and she just laughed, she couldn’t remember who the friend was but two selvages hint at it being Bethany Fuller. In the absence of complete selvage info I am guessing these were all Windham fabrics. A few I had seen before but others were new to me.

From a different booth, I did take a card but can’t put my hand on it at the mo, I found an early piece which intrigued me.

In the picture below it is the base print I found, Discovery by Jinny Beyer for RJR fabrics,

Discovery by Jinny Beyer for RJR Fabrics. Commemorating Columbus's 1492 discovery of the Americas.

a commemorative range 1492-1992 of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the Americas. The other four fabrics surfaced when my friend Sherry said “I’ve got some of that range” and there ensued a flurry of activity searching the shelves. A bit of swapping followed and now I have five pieces from the range.

During the same shelf search, these early Jinny Beyer Shirttails surfaced, and thanks to Sherry’s generosity these found their way home with me too.

Jinny Beyer Shirttails for RJR Fabrics

Trawling Sherry’s fabric stash ended up being a Jinny hunt and I have to show you this because I think it’s beautiful.

Jinny Beyer for RJR Fashion Fabrics, that's all the selvage says.

A bit of picotage, full blown flowers in that brilliant blue I love ~ it hints at being teal, brown and some Perkins Purple. Is this one of the best repro’s or what? To my mind it is and it’s from a time when we didn’t really buy repro’s cos we hadn’t coined that term yet.

From Cotton in the Cabin I also bought these two prints from South Africa, these are on the website.

Shweshwe quilting fabric, printed in South Africa by Da Gama Textiles

I think with some tea-dyeing these could pass for mid 19th c Prussian Blue repro’s. That’s on my list to do through January,

add to list ~ buy plain pack tea bags.

Well it’s nearly 2013 and I am reflecting on what an amazing 2012 I have had, I feel very, very fortunate.

I have had some wonderful opportunities arise and I am grateful I was able to grab them with gusto. I have met quite a few overseas blogging friends in person this year, you all know who you are and it has been brilliant to meet you all (and y’all). I have made closer friendships online with others even if we haven’t met up ~ yet… And I have met and made new friends so I am a lucky girl indeed.

Thank you for dropping by and being interested in what I am doing here in my little neck of the woods, I really appreciate the support and friendships I have made here.

But I’m not done yet

Let me tell you about a couple of blogs.

The first is called PinMoneyQuilts and belongs to a friend from Melbourne, Linda Bear.

Linda had a quilt accepted in to Houston this year and I was pleased to be able to see it and congratulate Linda on her acheivement.

This is the quilt titled Best of Friends, it’s all reverse applique and is stunning.

Best of Friends by Linda Bear, thank you Linda for letting me show it and congratulations.

The next blog belongs to another Kiwi lass, but unlike me Sharon still lives there.

I met Sharon at the Melbourne Quilt Market, she is the owner and creative force of Sharon Keightly Designs.

As soon as I saw Sharon’s quilts I had to chat with her and was amazed to learn that her applique is all done the invisible machine way, something that’s been on my mind to try for ages but is now on the tangible list for January.

For tonight though it’s the old fashioned needle-turn way as I start block number three of the Cannonsburg Quilt

I should be a bit further along but have not done any hand sewing for about two weeks !!! It’s been prepped and sitting by my chair but there’s just been too much to do in the lead up to Christmas, so a quiet night in with stitching sounds good to me.

Now that the studio is tidy I will have fun in here and hope you get the time to drop by to see my progress.

til soon

happy stitching

Margaret

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Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Applique, Design, Musings, Travel

Back home after a whirlwind visit to Texas

November 15, 2012 by Margaret

I’m not sure how to capture two busy and exciting weeks in a single blog post, but I’ll give it a go.

Jenn and I arrived in San Antonio in time for dinner on the Monday evening (the 22nd ), having left Sydney just prior to Monday lunchtime!

It’s always a pleasure spending time with our good friends Sherry and Darwin, their home has become quite the home away from home.

America was getting ready for Halloween (and Thanksgiving too going by the amount of pumpkins I saw), it was neat to see as we don’t celebrate that here in Australia.

Anyone for Pumpkin?

Of course the reason Jenn and I were there was to attend Quilt Market, arriving on the Friday morning to help set-up the booth.

We had to set off early in the morning from San Antonio to get to Houston, and because I am pathologically punctual we set off at 5.00am which allowed plenty of time.

On the road, it got light soon enough.

It was great to meet up with Marianne again and also to meet her ‘girl Friday’ Judy, we all hit it off really well and the time together just flew by.

First up was ‘Schoolhouse’ which I knew nothing about, but now I do know… 30 minutes (that’s 30 minutes, not 31) of manic activity showing attendees what you will be showcasing at Market. Marianne spoke and watched the clock ticking, Judy and I held up all the quilts and Jenn handed out flyers and photographed the whole affair with three cameras as of course we all wanted our own record!!

getting ready for the next quilt on the list

Harmony Rose being seen for the first time at Market. She got an "aaaah" moment.

Then it was racing back downstairs to start hanging the quilts in their places on the booth.

Judy and I did take turns up the ladder, and it sure was nice having someone taller than I for a change.

At Market there is always a well known face or name going past.

A spot of celebrity spotting, with Eleanor Burns.

The next day, we and the booth were READY.

Marianne Elizabeth for RJR, ready to roll.

We also caught up with quite a few friends at Market, dinner with Mary and Joe Koval, Petra Prins and the Quiltmania crew. We all went to Mama Ninfa’s which was fantastic. Really good Mexican food and with a wonderful vibe to the place.

Margaritas and munchies.

I had a couple of real highlights to this trip, the first was finally meeting a good blog friend in person. We had tried to meet up earlier this year but the gods were against us that time. But this time Michele from Betwixt the Betweens and I met up, along with another friend Gina (whom I always knew as Janet!!) and we had a super time together, as if we had known each other for years. We were so busy talking and laughing that we didn’t get photo’s sorry.

And there was a perfect deja vu moment on the streets of La Grange, just outside the Texas Quilt Museum, literally steps from where Irene and I had met Kathy in April…

Irene Blanck, quilter Kathy from California and Texas Quilt Museum staff member Julie, April 2012

… Kathy and I locked eyes and grinned like cheshire cats in November.

Fancy meeting you here

We were thinking “were we wearing the same clothes last time”? No, phew.

And a big, big thrill was seeing a Mid 19th C Star Quilt hanging in the European Championship section of the Houston Quilt show.

I can’t really describe how it felt, I guess the only thing better is having your own quilt hanging there.

Mid 19th c Star Quilt by Kea Gutker de Geus from Velserbroek, The Netherlands. Quilted by Elly Prins. Awarded first place ~ Traditional.

Kea has used beautiful Dutch Chintzes in her quilt, it is stunning.

I will be back with some other quilts to show.

Thanks for visiting,

til soon

Margaret

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Filed Under: Musings, Quilt Patterns, Travel

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