Q IS NOT ONLY FOR QUILTS

My First Piece Of Quimper
My Little CA Treasure from DH

Remember the song- It Started With A Kiss- Well mine started with a dish from a flea market in Paris over 20 years ago.

What was it about these little folk art people walking sideways off plates and dishes. I fell in love with them and started collecting QUIMPER a faience made in the small town of its name in Brittany where it is still made today and all entirely hand painted at the HB- Henriot factory

In the early years of collecting DH and I would spend weekends going to Antique Fairs, Flea Markets and anywhere we might find a little piece of treasure that I was hooked on. I have some lovely memories of he and I spotting pieces and buying it together. Also a lovely memory when he came home one day and asked if I had been good today- OF COURSE was the cry.He then put a lovely little piece of CA faience in my hand that he had found when he was on his lunch hour in the town where he worked.
In the early days of my collecting we had some wonderful finds at bargain prices but since the world of E-Bay that has long gone.

I am very envious this week as THE QUIMPER CLUB INTERNATIONAL are having the yearly Sojourn in Savannah . I wish I was there meeting up with like minds that I have meet at past meetings I have attended.
Next year might be my year to go to the meeting again as it is going to be in France where I will be totally immersed in the world of Quimper and meet with all the friends I have made through the club over the years and all because
" IT STARTED WITH A DISH"

Sue

Whats on the bed

I have had a little change of whats on the bed. This red and white is another find from Rennigers at Mount Dora, Florida.

It was January and the most awful grey day- raining so hard that DH and I had to wear our bright yellow plastic ponchos that you buy at the theme parks.(Got the picture) not a fashion item but keep you dry.

I was determined to go this day as you can always find something quilt related to buy and that day I found this red and white quilt.
Nothing fancy just plain and simple but I do love two colour quilts.

Puzzling thing about this quilt is it is a nine patch with interspersed snowball blocks - but as you can see the triangles on the corners have been sewn in the corner seams but whipped stitched on one edge. The whole quilt is like this and as first I wondered if the half square triangles were added to the corners as an after thought , but It couldn't have been because the blocks are sewn in to the rest of the quilt.
So their is another hidden story, Why did she do that?I have no real idea of age- probably 1930's but not really sure.
The dealer I bought it from was from Pennsylvania and that is where she said it was purchased .

Autumn Outings

Looking Across The Malverns to the Cotswold Escarpment
MERY enjoying herself



What sort of story could this Conestoga Wagon tell

Glorious Autumn Colour
Autumn has been wonderful this week and on Tuesday I meet a friend at the Malvern Hills for a lovely walk. It is a steep climb but once you get to the top their are marvelous views looking across Worcestershire to the Cotswold hills in the distance.

As usual Mery enjoyed every minute of it and spent a good deal of her time rubbing her face along the grass and just generally being a delinquent teenager.

So today we set off for Bath to visit the special quilt exhibition at the American Museum that has been on since May. I thought it was about time I got my skates on and visited before it closes next week.
As usual no photography allowed but all the quilts are in the book. CLASSIC QUILTS from The American Museum.
Their were several I could have bought home with me but my favourite was a Whigs Defeat with a white background and the Whigs Defeat block in red, yellow and green.It also has a applique flower border round the edge.

The museum is set within the most beautiful grounds looking over a valley and I wondered what story the Conestoga wagon could tell. Had it been used to go west, their begs a question.

On driving back I decided to stop off at WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM to see the autumn trees in all their glory and what a site it was . Absolutely breathtaking.

Toile Reel

 

I said in a previous post you would all have to wait and see what border I had for this quilt. Well as you can see I found a little bit of TOILE de JOUY. Oh how I love thee let me count the ways as Elizabeth Barrett Browning said.
Now the big debate. Does it need another half square triangle border round the outer edge? Answers please on a post card( NO in the comments section)

Barb from Fun with Barb and Mary asked me how big the block was. It is a 6 in cut block making it 5 1/2 inc finished- Don't ask me how I got this odd size I should have made it 6 1/2 . Thankfully the math worked out that I could use 1 1/2 finished triangles . If I add another border they will have to be 2inch finished to make it fit.

Looking forward to your answers.

Sue

Just To Tease

 

I mentioned in my last post that the Cheltenham Literature Festival was on in town and one of the people I was seeing was Sir Michael Parkinson - Well Yes I went to his talk but didn't stay for the book signing as it was quite late in the evening- However he was at the festival a couple of years ago and I stood patiently in line to get my book signed and my friend Margie snapped this picture of us- Their was great debate among my friends as to whether he and I had spoken before the event as we were so well coordinated with what we were wearing. Look at the grin- I look like the cat the got the cream. LOL

Sue

Remember These

Do you remember these- I went off at steam making these block when the fabric arrived. They got put away when I was going off to Paducah and have remained put away until last week when I decided that I really must crack on finish them.

I am going to sew all the blocks together then put a sawtooth border round the edge and then a nice border fabric which I have but you will have to wait and see what it is.

5 Klosjes this week total now 117.

I have been really busy this week as The Cheltenham Literature Festival has been on since last weekend and runs right through to this coming Sunday.
The literature festival is said to now be the biggest in Europe - The events run all day from 9am through to 10pm at various venues around the town.
On Sunday I went to see Sir Michael Caine talk about his latest autobiography- He was wonderful no heirs and graces -what you see is what you get.
Tonight I am off to see Fiona Phillips who has written a book on her parents both having Alzheimer's and then on to hear one of my favourite men -Sir Michael Parkinson. I managed to have my photo with him a couple of years ago, He is so charismatic -My son is worried that I am becoming his stalker (HA) In my dreams.

Till Next Time

DIAMONDS

HOPE THE DIAMOND LOOKS LIKE THIS
12 Klosjes


Diamonds well just one. I am such a very happy bunny today. My son and girlfriend of 6 1/2 years got engaged last night.
They went to Padstow to Rick Steins seafood restaurant and hotel yesterday and son and heir rang last night with an ecstatic Em in the background to say he had popped the question and put a diamond ring on Em's finger. I am sure I could here her whopping for joy from Padstow which is 200 miles away from here. I love her as if she were my own daughter I never had so am thrilled for them both.
One thing that is weird is that it was 47 years to the day that DH and I started dating- That has got to be a good omen.

So now back to the Klosjes, I haven't posted on how many for a couple of weeks now as I have been away, However I wasn't resting on my laurels and managed to sew 12 whilst I was away, bring my total to 112.
You might remember I was looking for something to pull them together , well I found this old tea dyed looking soft floral. I tried lots of different combinations when I was at Cowslip but this one gave it an old dutch feel I thought.
Till next time
Sue

More Toile Medallions

GREAT JOB LADIES
Where have I been you might ask?. I have been to Cornwall this past week. Two days I took a Toile Medallion Workshop at Cowslip Workshops for Jo and I spent the remainder of the week - By The Seaside Beside The Sea as the song goes.
The ladies worked extremely hard to get as much of the quilt done in the two days and some carried on at home in the evening to get ahead of the game.
This pattern is from Patchalot Patterns and Marcie kindly has given me permission to teach it. We have made a few adaptations along the way and some of the ladies go on to make the quilt much bigger and all in all they have done a great job and I can't wait to see them finished when I go back to Cornwall next.

Mery and I enjoyed long walks on the beach and she really enjoyed laying around in the the small pools that form in the sand as it was quite warm.

We had marvelous fish and chips from Rick Stein's fish and chip shop in Padstow and I meet up with Jo and Stephen on Bodmin Moor at a lovely pub where we enjoyed Moules.

I should feel bright eyes and bushy tailed after a week away but the drive back in pouring rain was horrible and has left me feeling shattered I will sleep like a log tonight

I must now catch up with what you have all been up to over the past week and I will post more later.
Till next time.