Quilting Owl

My little houses are now sashed and bordered and just need to be layered for quilting.  If time permits I would like to do a bit of big stitch Perle thread quilting and then add prairie points to the outer edge.  I have decided to name this quilt "Midsomer Madness" as some of the little houses were stitched while watching this favourite TV series and it was stitched here in mid summer. A couple of new books have arrived and are very welcome additions to our library.  These are Dorothy Osler's much blogged about book "Amish Quilts and the Welsh Connection" which is a great read and also Kathryn Berenson's "Marseilles - The Cradle of White Corded Quilting" which as yet I haven't had an opportunity to look at. At the last Thursday class it was Rachael's turn to put her blocks on the display wall and decide on what fabric to choose for sashing and borders for her version of the "Jacob and Friends" quilt.  Till next time Frances

Santa was very kind to me and brought some wonderful new books for the library:  "Indigo & Sarasa" The Quilts of Shizuko Kuroha; "A History of Dutch Quilts" by An Moonen; and "The Quilters Hall of Fame" 42 Masters Who Have Shaped Our Art.  These are wonderful books and filled with lots of inspiration. Peter is always on the prowl for new owls to add to my collection and now I have this wonderful selection to add to the owl shelf in the Studio.  I also received a lovely hexagon mug rug from Suz over at PatchworkNPlay  which has an owl in the centre. Outside the Studio there are some pineapples just ready to be picked.  All Peter has to do to grow these is plant the top part of a pineapple and wait a few months - mind you at certain times of the year I think that if we planted a stick it would grow in the warm tropical earth. What with Christmas and preparing for classes in 2012, I had fallen behind with some of my ongoing projects but have managed to...

It has been stressful for quite a while as we try to sort out a few things in our house so to cheer myself up I commenced a new project.  Cairns Craft Centre has just had a large shipment of lots of new paper piecing shapes and I decided to try out the Apple Cores using lots of black and white fabrics from my stash.  I have to say that this project is coming together much faster than the Pies & Tarts using an applique stitch and it is proving to be lots of fun. Christine over at Once upon a Quilt...  has a new blog where she is selling off lots of bits and pieces and I fell in love with these thimbles and just had to have them for my collection.  I might add they were speedily dispatched and beautifully wrapped so they all arrived safe and sound. I have also been adding the odd little owl to the ever growing collection and they now have a new home on a shelf between the button jars and lots of fabric. The other new addition is to the library and thi...

Peter has been shopping again and now we have these wonderful new books to add to the Quilt History and Block Library.  I am looking forward to taking some time over Easter to curl up with a coffee and delve into these books and I am sure there will be lots of new inspiration. Take care Frances

The latest edition to our Quilting Library is "Inlaid Patchwork in Europe from 1500 to the Present" which documents and discusses 70 inlaid patchworks held by various museums and private collections.  We became interested in this patchwork technique some years ago and even more so after attending lectures by Annette Gero and also Pam Holland. We also managed to find this book secondhand on the Net which presents more than 60 quilts from mid eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. Another wonderful new book for the library is "19th Century Embroidery Techniques" by Gail Marsh. An Op Shop find was this Quilting Manual by Dolores A. Hinson which was published over 40 years ago.  I just love looking at the type of project popular at that time and the techniques used. Some wonderful reading and inspiration waiting for us here. Till next time Frances

Santa arrived early at our house and brought us some wonderful new books.  I mentioned to Peter some time back that I would like "Quilts" - Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum and he also found Robert Shaw"s book "American Quilts" - The Democratic Art 1780 - 2007.  Peter has always been interested in Hawaiian quilts and we have added to our comprehensive library on this subject.  Now all I have to do is find some free time to sit back with a cup of coffee or two and really get into these wonderful books which are absolutely full of inspiration. Till next time Frances

Peter has been shopping again and look at some of the wonderful treasure that arrived in the mail to add to my thimble collection - the one with the owl on top is really cute. I have been involved with Baltimore style applique lately and Peter thought these would be useful additions to our quilting library - another collection that seems to breed every time we turn the lights out!  I have been talking about looking out for these Elly Sienkiewicz books for some time and when Peter located them he didn't let on but kept it as a surprise for me. Till next time Frances

This is the latest addition to our extensive quilt library.  This beautifully illustrated book showcases 55 wonderful quilts from a collection of over two hundred quilts housed in  The American Museum in Britain .  We were lucky enough to visit this museum which is at Claverton Manor, a splendid Georgian building just outside Bath, when we were in Britain last September.  On that occasion we couldn't resist bringing home this book:   This compact book gives an overview of the different styles of quilts in the museum's collection which is said to be one of the finest outside the US. Till next time Frances

The National Quilting Association  in America has officially designated the third Saturday in March as National Quilting Day.  According to the NQA we should "take time to reflect on the rich traditions of quiltmaking .." so I am going to follow this good advice and settle into a comfortable chair with a cup of coffee and enjoy these wonderful books from the V&A Museum. The  V&A quilt exhibition is just about to open in London and while we are disappointed that we wont be there to actually see the quilts in person at least we can console ourselves with the book.  From the quick peek I have already had it looks fabulous and I can't wait to seriously get into it. Till next time Frances

I am keenly interested in quilt history and love reading about old quilts and Peter and I have managed to collect quite a library on the subject.  Santa was particularly kind at Christmas with a few more to add to the collection - A highlight of our trip to the USA last October was a visit to the  Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington DC where our group was given a private viewing of some of their archival quilts.  We put on our white gloves and were allowed to get up close and personal with the antique quilts - what a treat!  Luckily Peter remembered to take some photos because I was too busy enjoying every minute of being with the quilts. Till next time Frances

When we visited France late last year we had the wonderful experience of visiting the Musee de la Toile de Jouy outside Paris.  An enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide made this tour and the prints we saw on display one of the highlights of our European trip. So you can imagine how excited we were to receive this book in the mail the other day. Now we can read the story of the factory, learn more about the techniques used to make these popular toile prints and find out about the lives of the people involved in the manufacturing process in pre industrial France. Till next time. Frances