Tuesday 30 September 2014

Catch-up time, and patchwork


We have had a very busy few weeks here.  What with setting up the Unit at the Antiques Centre, and also car boot sales, jam, chutney and cake making, and then the Fleamarket on Sunday, not to mention the monthly trip over to Malvern for the huge Fleamarket there, blogging time has been limited.

Above is a gorgeous applique wall hanging which I bought from the Fleamarket at the weekend.  A lady was selling her late mother's beautiful wallhangings, bags and left over material.  I bought £12 worth of material - some of it in half yard or more remnants - and this wallhanging for £25.  I thought that all the beautiful pieces would have flown out but at the end of the day all that had sold were the material remnants.  The poor woman must have felt like it was a personal insult to have her mother's work ignored.  I was happy to pay £25 for this and if I had made more money, I would have bought a darker hanging for £45, which was black with turquoise, green and blue prints in the centre.  I forgot my camera!, but I am hoping the lady will try again in November, when people might buy these for Christmas presents.  Her mother had been so talented and with such a good eye for colour.  She has truly inspired me.


Here is a close-up of the centre.  All hand worked and with neat quilting stitches and tiny piecing stitches.


I loved this tiny "log cabin" style border.


Margaret W Lewis, up in Heaven, take a bow.


The bundles of oddments.  I am thrilled to bits with them, especially the pretty Hollyhocks print one just below the roll of brown print.  This has to be one of my favourite  prints.  Sharon - you probably recognize it as you sent me some in that wonderful parcel of material which I think is finally going to become a quilt this winter!


Sorry, the  flash has leached out the colours.


I think the bottom right marbled style prints (small pieces!) are Kaffe Fassett designs.



You may noticed that these are all laid out on a sad old beautifully-quilted Welsh quilt.  One I bought at auction for the design on it.  (£10).  Sadly both sides have discolouration from sunlight, but folded up across the foot of a bed it still has style, even though the colours are . . . drab! but doubtless practical at the time!



Meanwhile, inspired by the pretty yellow background quilt I coveted at Malvern last week, I got my husband to make me some small hexagon templates and have been making a cushion cover.  Except that I have got carried away now I have new material and it could end up as a lap quilt . . .

I have just bought a couple of Australian patchwork magazines from Ebay and am heading off to the patchwork shop at Mumbles near Swansea when we meet up with Middle Daughter G today.  It must be autumn as I have picked up my needle again . . .

Addition:  the patchwork mags arrived today (Weds) and one has a lovely hexie runner, with granny's flower garden "flowers" in it, so that is now what I am going to be making.  Only to put on the table when we have guests or it will swiftly be viewed by the cats as a Good Bed!  I'll do a fresh post with yesterday's fabrics in.

11 comments:

  1. I was immediately drawn to the hollyhock fabric--mine was in the green colorway--and it appears in a number of my quilts. Moving my fabric stash has me realizing afresh how much I have accumulated. [Sigh]
    The appliqued piece is a treasure--neat work and, as you noted, a great sense of color.
    I agree that older, shabby quilts still have their place--my grand daughter has the one I made when she was a baby--faded, frayed, mended, but still treasured.

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  2. There is nothing like an Autumn chill in the air to make a patchworker get back into the swim of things!

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  3. Gorgeous odments and I love that border too. By the way - I read on Frugal in Suffolk that you're renting space for your stuff. IS that right? Things are getting serious over there!

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  4. Em - Yup, we have a Unit at one of the Antiques Centres in town, and the initial response has been good. The way we look at it, best to "pay for storage" and try selling it than free storage and not a snowball's chance in hell of a buyer seeing it there! Fleamarket last weekend and an Antiques fair this . . . Busy, busy we is. . .

    Pat - you're right there. I got inspired by a pretty quilt I had to leave behind at Malvern . . .

    Sharon - it is such a pretty pattern and I would like some more to incorporate in a bigger quilt pattern . . . in the fullness of time! I struck gold today as I found a shop in Swansea which sells 100s of bolts of cotton prints for patchwork and at half the price of those (some are the same ones I think!) offered at the Patchwork Shop nearer me. I shall be back down to Swansea pronto - on my own, so Keith isn't asking if I have finished chosing yet . . .

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    1. When I worked at the quilt shop I marveled at the number of women who towed husbands along to wait while they selected fabric. I wouldn't suggest such a notion to Jim--nor would I have wanted in those days for him to know just how much I had 'invested' in my stash!

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    2. our local quilt supplies shop has a creche for husbands. The owners husband entertains them in comfy chairs, with coffee, biscuits and conversations about man-stuff :-)

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  5. That appliqué is inspirational, where is your shop, next time I am in Carmarthen I would love to have a browse. The Hollyhock fabric is lovely, I found some pillowcases in it but have not been lucky enough to find sheets, one day maybe. I do like to sew with vintage linen, it is so soft. That shop in Swansea is just too tempting, last time I went there I walked in and staggered out. good job that I had parked at the Quadrant and only had a few yard to get to the car. You are so right we do have lots in common, I seem to have dropped into a corner of heaven here in Wales.

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  6. Greetings Pam. Our Unit is in the Carmarthen Antiques Centre (on the left as you go in from Abergwili roundabout, past Jewsons heading into town). I hope you enjoy your browse - we're straight ahead of you at the top of the stairs. The Centre has about 40 different traders, of which we are the newest one.

    Our middle daughter G has just requested all sorts of "lovely sewn things" which I have made in the past - I put that Hollyhock border on towels for Christmas presents one year. G wants cushions with a pretty border, in the teal colourway she has in her kitchen/sitting room. "But no florals, mum!"

    I see you have discovered the shop in Swansea, such choice and at VERY tempting prices.

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  7. Absolutely gorgeous that applique wall hanging, seems we are all turning to patchwork at this time of the year! X

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  8. It's lovely to have something like that quilt to inspire you, and the nice thing is, it has gone to someone like you who will love it.

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  9. Oh no, hexie fever....save yourself while you still can :-D

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