Riptide to be included in

Riptide

Exciting news - my quilt Riptide is to be featured in the 2012 Wales View - Visit Wales' Tourism brochure. I was approached by the brochure designers after they saw my quilt featured on the Quiltfest website following its appearance as part of 2010 Contemporary Quilts' Breakthrough exhibition.

Ahead of Time!

Winter Birches

Winter Walk

I am feeling very pleased with myself as, unusually, I have actually completed a challenge entry ahead of time! These are two little A4 journal quilts that I have created for the Grosvenor sponsored 'Quilt Poetry' challenge. 'Winter Birches' is based on a poem called 'Birches' by Robert Frost and 'Winter Walk' is of a poem by the same name written by Ms. Dostoyeski. Although both use different techniques they each try to represent the sentiments of the poems. They will be on show at the various Grosvenor Spring Shows next year.

Autumn Quilt Show, Malvern

An exhibition of my quilts will be on show at the Autumn Quilt Show, Three Counties, Malvern from 28th to 30th October. I will also be teaching a workshop each day and have a demonstration stand. Do pop by and say hello if you are visiting.

Festival of Quilts

Just to let you know that I am taking a raincheck this year and will not be attending Festival of Quilts other than as a day visitor. Although I am not exhibiting anything in the competitions (I promised myself that I would not do the usual trick of entering a quilt without having made it first!) I have been busy making some items for Janome to use in their Horizon and TXL sewing machine promotions. If you are attending the show please pop by their stand and take a look at Lollipop Trees and Lollipop Flowers (plus various smaller pieces of work) also why not check out their great range of machines. Above is a picture of  a little cushion, the instructions for which you can find on the  Janome UK website

Inspiration in Iceland

Jökulsárlón glacial lake

We have just got back from a fabulous week in Iceland and my head is spinning with ideas for new projects. Here are just two of the incredible sights that we saw whilst on our travels. The first is of the icebergs floating in the  Jökulsárlón glacial lake. We actually visited twice, not out of choice but because an overnight glacial flood took away a bridge on the main ring road round the island. Thus is the ONLY road if you do not have a high clearance 4 x 4 (which we didn't) so we had to travel to the far east of the country and fly back to Rekyavik affording us some fabulous views of the uninhabited centre of the island.

Flying directly over the top of a huge volcano

 

Moon Rainbow

I have just finished my pieces for 'Moon Rainbow', an exhibiton of textiles taking place in Ledbury from 28th June to 9th July at Weaver's Gallery, Church Walk. This has become an annual event running at the same time as the Ledbury Poetry Festival. We take our inspiration from a common theme based on some aspect of poetry, this year it is the Dymock Poets. The exhibition title 'Moon Rainbow' comes from a poem 'Iris by Night' by Robert Frost. I have to admit that I could not get my head around 'Moon Rainbow' so have taken another Robert Frost poem as my inspiration - 'Birches'. This describes the way in which birch trees are bowed by the effect of snow and how it would have been nice to think it was actually as a result of young boys climbing the trees. Why two cushions? Simply because I believe that cushions should be in pairs.

Yosegi wins awards at Quilts UK

Yosegi - quilting

I am delighted to report that Yosegi, my latest quilt, was awarded 1st place in the Cot Quilt catgory at Quilts UK, (and a special award for piecing).

The design was inspired by a Hakone Yosegi-Zaiku marquetry box I bought many years ago whilst on holiday in Japan. The different wood grains and colours which characterise the intricate geometric designs being replicated by Oakshott shot cottons. Unlike many of my recent quilts this one is traditionally pieced using both hand and machine methods. Yosegi is quite heavily quilted and incorporates the use of machine embroidery as a quilting 'stitch'. I hope that you like it!