Durham Quilt Weekend; part the second

 A veritable Hive of Industry

 Measuring to make sure it's not too big

 Adding to the forest

Choosing sashings
Phew, such work, such enthusiasm..

Durham Quilt Weekend 2013

 Here I am in Durham (England) at the Region 15E Quilt weekend.. I'm in jolly good company, with Sheena Norquay and Lillian Hedley also teaching.. I have a big class of enthusiasts from all corners of the UK, and including the President of the Quilter's Guild!

 The classroom is fantastic, very big and airy, and with huge tables for all..

 So the first session was after supper, and all made Pieced Trees with a deal of enjoyment.. Some made two (and some made bushes too)

 And here is Today's Cute Owl..
At the Kirkleatham Owl Centre
Well worth a visit..

More tomorrow

As Promised

 My Veldhoven quilts.  This is Blanc.  When I went to Paris with Michael Oakshott, our booth at the Aguille En Fete Pro show was lined with nice white cotton fabric.  And at the end the pieces were being discarded, so I gather this one and took it home.. Quilt has about 4 metres of fabric, all exactly one sort, made into traditional and modern blocks, chenille, raw-edge and turned applique, and 3d pieces..
And it looks wonderful with the light through it..

 This is Burning Bright.  I made this originally for the Loch Lomond Quilt Show 2011,  fantastically fast because my venue had been changed six weeks before the event and all my part-made work had to be laid aside and replaced.. And it has gone to live in Strasbourg, which is very pleasing..

 Green Copse.  This is number four of an Improvised Tree series from which I have derived a most successful new class

 This and the quilt below had the most encouraging and possibly the most unexpected reaction of all my show quilts.  These (Sunset Hedges 2, above and 3, below) are whole-cloth.  Cotton fabric treated with a mordant to accept dyes is used as a table-cover as I work with colour, print and dyes, and also as I teach.  After each session the cloth is dried and folded, and eventually becomes a slightly accidental masterpiece.. I use each big piece for a year or so, then drop the remains of the dyes from the day onto the piece and wash it out.. The resulting cloth has almost no end of uses.. These have been printed and over-printed with my Hedges stencil as screen-prints, and stitched/quilted by machine and hand..
Almost everyone who saw the exhibit was drawn to these and they got very nice comments and lots of questions

More tomorrow..

On the way home

A long drive..
 I stopped in Belgium, at a shopping mall near Antwerp.  If I did not live so happily where I am, I think I could live in Belgium.. it seems just the right sort of slightly eccentric country, friendly and a bit scruffy..
The shopping mall in Weinegem, is huge and extremely classy, with leather and diamond shops alongside a cheapie book shop and assorted cafes

 

This baby shop window was decorated delightfully with these filled frames of toys

A spectacular spectacle shop..

This gents' outfitters had a wall of ties, and a little man making alterations in the front (I didn't think it polite to take his picture, but he had a lovely old machine and an overlocker, hot iron, and a box of threads..

 

The end of one hall was being renovated - this hoarding covered the works

 Further along, I stopped for lunch.. This is Belgian motorway services food

 and even the rather unpleasing Eurotunnel terminal had this chicken salad for me..

 Last view of France, this staircase - as the train draws away I am sorry to leave

Tomorrow, the quilts I took with me, and one that did not return

Veldhoven, Sunday

 Well, I'm please with this show altogether.  I sold a lot of small stuff and a Big Quilt (more on that tomorrow) and got a lot of nice comments..
And the free-hanging quilts are interesting - see above for light coming through from the "wrong" side

 My Trees 9 from the back.. Needs a better title, I think

 The estimable and wonderfully skilled Barbara Chainey  is here (follow the link to her blog with more Veldhoven news) and this delicious sample adorned her demo table

 Quite hard to photo, but I adore the spirals..

 And the leaves

These two quilts are from an astonishing collection by Colette Berends from The Netherlands.  They are quite unlike any quilts I have ever seen - very good drawing, extremely vivid and glittering colours, and these big fabric frames.. The above is Carlo En Ricardo, below is Foret Bleu. They are mostly the sort of size you expect paintings to be..

 This piece is by my charming and extremely Parisian neighbour in the hall, Ina Georgeta Statescu.  She was teaching next door to me on Thursday, and her quilts are exquisite, but hard to photograph as they are so subtle..

My evening was perfected by a completely undisturbed swimming-pool which I had to myself, and a very good dinner..

More tomorrow

Veldhoven, Day Four

 Not so many images today, I'll save some for later in the week.  Above is Blossome 3 by Eti David of Israel.. There are several very good Israeli artists here, and all seem to have a superb colour-sense. I really like the simple and strong quilting lines on this one too..

 Next, Intimate Space by Paula Chung of the USA.  This one really strikes a chord with my ragged teeth..

 Detail

 This one was a prizewinner last year.  Memory in My Heart by Kim Jong Hye from Korea.
I love the freely pieced greens and the delicacy of the flowers.  A big piece with grace and good style

 First detail

Second detail

More tomorrow

Veldhoven Day Three

In no order again..
I'm too mean to pay for quick internet
Apple Tree Moon
 This one (above) nearly didn't make it.  A sticky fingermark while the quilt was being quilted led to a Washing Moment.  I tried to rinse; no joy and a yellow ring, so the whole thing went into the washing machine with it's raw edges sticking out.. And came out clean but utterly covered in tiny bits of batting (note to self - Use The Overlocker!)  Finished en route in the hotel and looking pretty much OK,  Phew!

 Backs of two quilts.. I tend to calico, for reasons of cheapness and reliability (IKEA, very good stuff), but I've been trying to Use It Up..  The pale  green I have had for at least 25 years.. Only 36 inches wide, so pieced with leftover blocks from the front.. The red is an ikat weave which shrank over 25% and ran for 10 washes, but is beautifully soft and slightly heavier than quilt weight, so nice to sew..

 My neighbour is Yemima Lavan from Israel.. Most of my photos (done in a hurry) failed, but this is Rust Bitter Sweet - screen printed, pieced, rusted, Shrinked and utterly wonderful

 Detail of the same

 This is huge.. Made by a Swiss group, I think, of Berne? I must check.. It's abot 5 metres high and hangs incredibly well.. The blocks were all made by different members of the group

 Detail again

 Contemplation of the Art

 Cream Trees 9, with Very Poor Hanging Stick.  Calico

 Yemima ironing at the last minute..

 My Little Trees on a chair.. Hit of the stand at stupidly low prices.  One very charming old Dutch lady told me very shyly that her name was "Boom" (tree)

 Left side of my quilts.. From the left, Blue Blaze 2, Blue Blaze 1, Indigo Trees, Enchanted Forest, Green Venus, Fair Copse 3, Blue and Red, Apple Tree Moon, Twelve Trees Again

 Right side:- Rusty Trees, CreamTrees 7, 8 9, Sunset Hedges 2 and 3, Fair Copse 2, Green Copse, Burning Bright, Blanc

 Yemima Lavan's "A Passion To Dance"

 and her "Pathways of Fabric" lots of stuffed triangles..

 My Rusty Trees

 On the other side of me, an exhibit about France.  All about 1 metre square
This is Sedative Lavandula by Anneliese Friedan

 Detail - nice 3d Lavenders

 Souvenirs De Provence, by Rahel Machler and Silvia Shubiger

And finally Wald Bei Fontainbleau by Laura Stauffer
This is my 250th post on this blog..
More tomorrow..