Hello
It is has been more than 7 months since I last wrote anything on my blog. So much has happened during this time with trips across to the USA and France, and of course work/life continues apace, although sadly, not much stitching has happened during this time and I have very little to show other than what I have completed within the last two weeks, but more on that later.
Whilst I have been found wanting on writing up my trips and life in general I have not slackened with my photography, so I intend to make a few posts during the next few days/weeks before I forget what the photographs are all about!
So here goes...
NANTES 2013
I attended Pour l'Amour du Fil in Nantes, France. My friend Theresa from Indianapolis and her daughter Julie came over on a flying visit and it was fun to go around the show together although unfortunately I had a couple of health issues which were no fun what so ever!
There were more merchants than last year and during the show we learnt that next years the venue will be moving to a new exhibition centre, still in Nantes, but a little out of the city. Not too far I hope as some advantages to its present site is that it's within walking distance of the train station with good transport links around the city and hotels for every budget and the main shopping centre are also easily accessible.
Outside the exhibition centre we were greeted to wonderful knitted "socks" for the street furniture - even the tree was dressed for the occasion!
How much fun and colour would these be to our street environments if they were to become permanent sights?
One of the main reasons for attending the show this year was for a special exhibition of Dear Jane quilts from around the world to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the making of the " mother" quilt by Jane Stickle of Bennington, Vermont, USA. Brenda Papadakis who drafted the blocks and authored the book Dear Jane was coming over from Texas and it had been rumoured that the "mother" quilt, would be on show.
The anniversary cake is made of triangles and blocks from the Dear Jane quilt and even had flashing candles.
Unfortunately, the quilt is in a fragile state and could not leave the USA and poor Brenda at the last moment was prevented from flying over for health reasons, but we made up for all of this and had a wonderful celebration - more on that in another post. But in the best Dear Jane/Shipshewana tradition - we ate and we shopped!
First we ate...
Caroline who had been instrumental in persuading the exhibition organisers to celebrate Dear Jane organised tickets to join the other exhibitors for an evening buffet, so here we are toasting the start of the show - although I look somewhat merry, but I can promise you this was my first and only glass of wine!
Caroline also very kindly organised a meal for all the "known" Dear Janers attending the show at La Cigale (the Cicada), a world renowned restaurant specialising in fish.
We were certainly in opulent surroundings...
and then I shopped...
It is has been more than 7 months since I last wrote anything on my blog. So much has happened during this time with trips across to the USA and France, and of course work/life continues apace, although sadly, not much stitching has happened during this time and I have very little to show other than what I have completed within the last two weeks, but more on that later.
Whilst I have been found wanting on writing up my trips and life in general I have not slackened with my photography, so I intend to make a few posts during the next few days/weeks before I forget what the photographs are all about!
So here goes...
NANTES 2013
I attended Pour l'Amour du Fil in Nantes, France. My friend Theresa from Indianapolis and her daughter Julie came over on a flying visit and it was fun to go around the show together although unfortunately I had a couple of health issues which were no fun what so ever!
There were more merchants than last year and during the show we learnt that next years the venue will be moving to a new exhibition centre, still in Nantes, but a little out of the city. Not too far I hope as some advantages to its present site is that it's within walking distance of the train station with good transport links around the city and hotels for every budget and the main shopping centre are also easily accessible.
Outside the exhibition centre we were greeted to wonderful knitted "socks" for the street furniture - even the tree was dressed for the occasion!
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| Knitted "socks" for the bollards |
How much fun and colour would these be to our street environments if they were to become permanent sights?
One of the main reasons for attending the show this year was for a special exhibition of Dear Jane quilts from around the world to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the making of the " mother" quilt by Jane Stickle of Bennington, Vermont, USA. Brenda Papadakis who drafted the blocks and authored the book Dear Jane was coming over from Texas and it had been rumoured that the "mother" quilt, would be on show.
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| Display at the entrance |
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| Close up of the Dear Jane anniversary cake |
Unfortunately, the quilt is in a fragile state and could not leave the USA and poor Brenda at the last moment was prevented from flying over for health reasons, but we made up for all of this and had a wonderful celebration - more on that in another post. But in the best Dear Jane/Shipshewana tradition - we ate and we shopped!
First we ate...
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| Tatiana (Russia), Fernande (Belgium), Caroline (Belgium), Me (UK), Brenda (USA), Theresa (USA) and Julie (Australia) |
Caroline who had been instrumental in persuading the exhibition organisers to celebrate Dear Jane organised tickets to join the other exhibitors for an evening buffet, so here we are toasting the start of the show - although I look somewhat merry, but I can promise you this was my first and only glass of wine!
Caroline also very kindly organised a meal for all the "known" Dear Janers attending the show at La Cigale (the Cicada), a world renowned restaurant specialising in fish.
We were certainly in opulent surroundings...
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| Inside La Cigale |
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| These took my eye and I'll just add them to my stash |
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| These are for a couple of projects including the Beyond the Cherry Trees Quilt |
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| Of course, I had to have these from Den Haan and Wagenmakers including fabrics from their new non-glazed chintz collection |
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| Apparently this fabric is from the 1940's - I am not totally convinced and was disappointed later in daylight to find that the background was a butter yellow, rather than the off-white I thought it was. I plan to use it for broderie perse - note the extraordinary centre motif of a swan emerging from a flower! |
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| Hmmm... not sure how I will use these, but I'll add them to my box of "muddy" fabrics |
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| Carrier bags with Dear Jane quilt and the centre panel of Di Ford's Phebe quilt. More about this in a later entry. |
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| and finally... two new books from Di Ford and An Moonen and Petra Prins - again more about these in a later entry.
More on Nantes 2013 in my next entry.
Beyond the Cherry Trees Quilt
Would you believe that it has been just over 8 months since I last picked up these blocks? I have finally finished two more blocks and I am working on a further two blocks.
I am very pleased with this block and very pleased that I have finally finished it - all those fingers and oak leaves... There is one more block with similar motifs on it, but not quite as many!
This block I am not nearly as happy with. I need to reshape the foot of the bowl and straighten it out, but the fabric itself is I think all wrong. I love the fabric itself, just not on this block, but it will stay until I have finished all the block (7 more to go) and then I'll make some decisions as to whether I replace the bowl or not.
That's it for now... I'll write another entry at the weekend.
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Oh Fiona It's just like being there with all of you. Yes please do post more. I love seeing the photos. wish I would have had you pick me up a Phebe bag. I have Di's new book and have been collecting some of the original fabrics for a few of the quilts. Looking forward to more.
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