This is a very unusual or strange strippy! It is rather tatty and worn, and was not expensive, but it had nice quilting, and, I was curious to see how it was constructed.  Although I have seen one or two wavy strippies, I have never seen anything like this. The green stripes are applied onto the pink fabric by machine with white piping and are not applique. Just to show the underside of the piping. The green stirpes have a running feather and a pattern in the bulges. The quilting is nicely done and the lines of quilting are very close, sometimes indication an older quilt ..read more

Oh, I just noticed that I am mentioned in this months Todays Quilter - I'd better post this now! I was very pleased to have my own gallery of Hawaiian quilts at FOQ 21, having applied several months before. I had been working for months, finishing the hand quilting of several quilts. As the quilts are very large, I had to request changes to the gallery layout to accommodate these. I also folded four unquilted tops into meter widths and sewed these, to fit into the leftover spaces. The end of August finally arrived - laborious packing of five suitcases, and hauling these to the hotel and ..read more

I thought that it might be good to show photos of a quilt being washed. Remember, washing is irreversible….you can’t “ unwet” a quilt! So assess it first, fragile quilts or fabrics liable to bleed should not be washed. Luckily, these Durham and Welsh wholecloths are very sturdy and have probably been washed many times before. First, lukewarm water in the bathtub with a small amount of a special detergent like Synthrapol or Metaplex. Agitate the quilt….leave to soak…. The first lot of water …..lots of dust, dirt and some degradation products…. Let the water drain out. You can gently pre ..read more

A cot quilt from South Shields, this is a true cot quilt and not cut down, as can be told from the quilting patterns and the edge treatment.  The back is rather faded, these items were often left folded on shelves! Probably made from fabric remnants, as both the back and front are pieced. The quilting patterns are fans  and a worm pattern ( I hope that is the right name!) I love these baby quilts, the small size requires a little bit of planning due to the small size, but here it looks as if the quilter just used templates for larger quilts that she had to hand.  ..read more

A mola from South America. This was bought in 1987 at the end of Operation Raleigh. This shows a man and a woman, with bow and bird, and shovel and plant, demonstrating their roles in society.   A detail showing  the applique, reverse applique and embroidery. A Welsh sampler, Hannah Oliver 1885, from Cardigan ..read more

My retirement house, bought with the money left to me by my mother. The small house is in a very convenient and quiet location in a thriving village. As the house had been empty for about two years, the garden was very overgrown. The previous owner was a keen gardener, and  I was attracted by the garden. As I plan to rent it out for the time being, I just hope that we can find tenants who also like to garden. The entire garden was overtaken by an aster and other rampant weeds, so nearly twenty bin liners of plant matter were pulled and taken away by me. I bought replacement curt ..read more

Here is a very nice hand quilted bed jacket, which comes with a history. It was made by Mrs Herbert, pub landlady from Todhills, Byers Green, Bishop Aukland in Co. Durham. This was given to the sellers grandmother  Ruth of Sleights House Farm as a wedding present by her mother in law Mrs Herbert.  In 1973 it was then given in turn to her daughter in law Jennie Wearmouth of Hunwich, Bishop Aukland when Jennie was pregnant with her first child.  Through all this time, the bed jacket was kept safely in a box, so has never been worn. The bed jacket is fully reversible. the f ..read more

I enjoy making Hawaiian quilts, but the appliqué is more enjoyable than the quilting! The background is easy to quilt, but the appliqué, where there is an extra layer of cloth, is more difficult. So I have quilt tops waiting to be hand quilted and some partially quilted. But with no quilt shows, I guess that I have plenty of time to do this! This is Ulu, an Elizabeth Akana design that I posterised. I like the combination of light grey and mid blue. I have started to quilt this, and am just waiting for blue thread to arrive in the post. This is Kuuipo, still waiting to be basted and then ..read more

As I have until recently worked full time, I never had time to tend the garden as I would have liked to. However, lockdown gave me the opportunity to devote significant time to clearing the garden in Melton. I spent part of each morning hand weeding and clearing. I had to have two enormous amounts of brush and plant matter taken away. My object is to eventually make a cheerful cottage garden. We will have to see what survives the winter. As it was so dry, watering was required for the new plants. Hydrangeas are a favourite. These plants should fill out soon. I am reserving some space ..read more

I have had a lot of time at home during lockdown, keeping safe and observing social distancing. Luckily, Suffolk has not been so badly affected as other areas. It is still a very unsettling time. Our holiday had to be postponed and I have not been able to go to the Guild in York to hand over the quilts that I am donating to them.  I have been working steadily on my Ulu quilt - working towards the centre, I really enjoy the applique in the evenings. This is a quilt called Gloria which still has to be sewn into a top...made with ombre fabrics I am still working mostly from home, bu ..read more