Lunch in Hay and Welsh quilts

 

One of my Romsey cousins and her husband have been for a few days' holiday in N. Wales so she suggested meeting up on their way back, and they would take us out for lunch.  Nowhere suitable is open in Builth on mid-week lunchtimes so I suggested we met in Hay-on-Wye.  Here's a quick view across by the Cheesemarket and market square.

Here is the screen printing from Llywn Celyn - don't think it was the one I actually DID as I would have noticed there was a small square out of one corner, but I couldn't exactly argue the toss, so accepted it anyway - there are no faults in it anyway.  I shall look out some appropriate border fabric and quilt it and make it up into a cushion.

We went to the Granary for lunch.  I chose a smoked mackerel pate with rye toast (yummy) and Tam had some spicy mixed beans on toast topped with a poached egg.  Sally & Ron had sarnies.  It was lovely to catch up on their news and so good to see them again.  They have kept in touch and visited ever since we've been in Builth, and Keith struggling with his health.  Incidentally Rosie has one of Sally's mum's Christian names, so there is a special link.

When they set off homewards, Tam, Rosie and I went into Booths and shot straight up to the Craft Corner end to peruse the books.  This time I concentrated on the Quilting books - though a couple of embroidery ones were tempting.  I nearly bought one called Stitch 50 Cats, which has some lovely designs in it, but thought on a practical level, how many cats am I ever likely to want to stitch?!

So instead, making Welsh Quilts came home with me.  The quilt with the Ohio Star centre on the top right on the top right would make up quickly (most of them would in fact) as it is less about the piecing, and more about the quilting with Welsh quilts. It is called Brecon Star and we live in the very top bit of Breconshire (Brycheiniog). If I ever get the time . . .

A lovely Pinwheel quilt (sorry about the flash). You can see more clearly here what I mean about the quilting is the important part.

A couple of pages showing the traditional Welsh quilting patterns. Somewhere in the book I read that it was the proximity of Welsh mining families in Pennsylvania who influenced the Amish quilt making and patterns. The Welsh strippy quilts are obviously very similar to the ones made in Durham (North-East Britain for followers overseas), the main difference being that in Durham the quilting patterns are confined to the margins of the quilting strips, but here in Wales, quilt patterns took no notice of the quilt top and designs went across the strips.

Anyway, a lovely from-me to-me treat and I felt I deserved it! Must stir my stumps now as Gabby is coming to lunch today, so I need to have a bit of a tidy-up and I want to go out for a walk now we have a dry morning.