Les petit maisons d'artistes de quilt

I am pretty sure that I have made an error in my post blog title, but my schoolgirl french is not what it used to be!

On with my photographs from the Nantes show - another reason for visiting the show this year was to see Di Ford's work. She has her first book out called "Primarily Quilts". Di is fantastic at "fussy cutting" or "fancy cutting" her fabrics to obtain a new perspective from the fabric in its use. I don't quite know how she does it as so many of the fabrics in her collection are in mine too and yet I have stared and stared at some fabrics wondering how I will use them, and there they are popping up in her quilts - so why didn't I think of that I wonder? A true artist!

 

I have been collecting Di's patterns since about 1993 when she had a shop, "Primarily Patchwork" just outside Melbourne. I unfortunately never got the chance to visit her shop when I lived in Australia, but often telephoned to buy patterns and could hear all the bustling and laughter in the background. I wouldn't say that I have all of Di's patterns, but I have got a draw full of "one day quilts", especially those that feature a lot of applique :-)

Di's book is published by QuiltMania and both she and other featured quilters each had their own little houses to showcase their work.

Les petit maisons...

Kaffe Fassett's petit maison was an explosion of colour as one would expect, but two tapestry cushions particularly took my eye.

I love Baltimore Album Quilts, and these tapestry cushions are wonderful. I particularly love how he has blended the blue "ombre" in the vase and urn. I haven't seen the patterns for these two cushions although I do have the applique patterns!

Di Ford's petit maison was always busy whenever we popped by, but towards the end of the day I finally got the chance to take photographs without arms, heads and bags suddenly appearing. Unfortunately, the lighting was appalling, although Di had one of the better lit maisons. All of the following quilts have patterns in Di's new book.

Rotherfield Greys - Rotherfield Greys is a tiny village in the Chilterns, near Henley-on-Thames.

Rotherfield Greys with Jane Austen inspired quilt in the background

Close-up of Rotherfield Greys centre

The Antique Wedding Sampler is a re-worked quilt of a pattern I bought back in the late 1990's. I have a workbox of fabrics that I have collected over the years to start work on this quilt and have two blocks completed, but I have to say that I much prefer the fabric combinations in this quilt than the original and in someways shows just how far fabrics and their designs have developed.

Antique Wedding Sampler

close-up of one block

another close-up - I have sooo many of these fabrics in my stash!

Sarah Morrell Quilt - again I have another box of fabrics in readiness for this quilt including the fabric for the right hand block with the boy and girl on it - too many quilts not enough time!

Centre of the Sarah Morrell Quilt

Broderie perse block

I love the fabric use in this block

Antique Flower Basket - this pattern originally came out in one of the Australian Country Craft magazines. - and yes I have the pattern - I told you too many patterns and not enough time!

Dutch Flower Urn - inspired by the fabrics of Den Haan and Wagenmakers in Amsterdam, Netherlands - I must get some of the border fabric.

Oh Dear Mrs Tompkins Quilt (the Burnt quilt) - I don't have this pattern in my stash - all that piecing! - but there is quite a bit of applique in it too... so maybe... maybe...

Oh Dear Mrs Tompkins Quilt

Centre panel

Blogger is now "acting up" - may be too many photographs, so I will continue in another blog tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.