Post Comment Love 19-21 January

Hello there, and welcome back to this week’s #PoCoLo - a friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked, comment and share some of that love. Please don’t link up posts which are older as they will be removed from the linky, and if older posts are linked then please don’t feel that it’s necessary to comment on those. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here this week we’re pleased you’ve joined us.

I hope you’re managing to keep warm - it’s been pretty chilly here with the ‘feel like’ temperatures reaching -6 and much lower than I’d like. I’ve not been out much, but of course the day that I needed to go out was the day with a frost on the car, typical hey? It was so cold though that the frost scrapings hadn’t cleared from around the rear window by the time I was heading back again after midday - I don’t think I’m built for cold-weather living!

The reason I went out was for the first of a course of classes I’ve signed up for to learn how to make something respectable using Gelli Plate printing. It’s much easier than I thought, and a bit peculiar too and you can see just some of my first attempt creations in the pile of artwork below - they’re not bad, but some refinement will make them better! It was good fun though, and I’m heading back next week and will share more about the craft, and how I get on here soon.

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Admiring Carolyn Forster's quilts at the Newark Quilt Show

Last Friday I went along to the Newark Quilt Show held at the Newark Showground which is just a short drive away - I think it’s probably the closest-to-me quilt show I’ve ever been to, closer even to those at London’s Excel and that alone was a treat. I’d also not been in to the Newark Showground, though have driven past it several times - it’s on our list to go as they look to have some great shows on there, and the Newark Air Museum, which is also on our list, is also close by.

But they’re for another today, this visit was all about the quilts. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect size-wise, but I knew there’d be some quilts on display and some suppliers also present. Thankfully the show was clearly signposted and I followed a slow trickle of cars into the ground and to the parking area.

I was pleasantly surprised, while the hall wasn’t huge it was plenty big enough and the central section was dedicated to the quilts on display - and there were many. Suppliers, around 60 or so, were positioned around the edge of the quilts on display, and like every other show I’ve been to (and not just craft shows) the aisles were full of people making their way through the plentiful stalls.

You’ll know that I’m a long time admirer of scrappy quilts, and have many plans to make my own - even if many of those plans don’t quite come to fruition every time! And so I was keen to see the ‘Stash Busting Scrappy Quilts’ by Carolyn Forster that were on display.

I took many pictures because they were so lovely, and as future inspiration for myself and while I took pictures of the whole quilts, it’s the details that really appeal to me and so I’m only sharing partial shots of Carolyn’s quilts here.

CAROLYN FORSTER: VINTAGE LINEN QUILTS

The Vintage Linens Quilt is a great way to reuse embroidered linens, especially those with a stain or two - though it needs some bravery to cut those up. I’ve acquired a few old tablecloths myself and I can see this being a good way to get them out of the cupboard and in use. Carolyn has used fabrics that compliment the embroidery to form a repeating block which I think works really well.

The Triplet Block Quilt is one that really caught my eye, I’m not sure I’ve really seen this block much before but spotted it in a couple of Carolyn’s quilts and it’s one that looks really effective repeated over a whole quilt too. I agree with Carolyn that the fabrics here give the quilt a summery feel, but hadn’t spotted that the block is set in alternating directions, until I read the card pinned alongside.

CAROLYN FORSTER: TRIPLET BLOCK QUILT

After that I did spend perhaps more time than actually necessary looking at how the blocks I liked were constructed, and without being mean or taking anything away from Carolyn’s work, they often are what appear to be quite simple shapes. I say what appear to be quite simple shapes, as we know that not everything is always what it appears to be, and there is real skill in not only the sewing but the fabric choices and layout.

Carolyn acknowledges that in the Beach Houses Quilt saying that ‘the simple shape belies the fact that the sewing can be quite challenging. All the rows need to be set0in with the often-dreaded Y-seam!’

CAROLYN FORSTER: BEACH HOUSES QUILT

Beautiful though isn’t it?

The Scrappy Crosses Quilt was another favourite of mine, this was inspired by a vintage quilt. Carolyn says that in this quilt she ran out of the original fabric for some of the centres of each block, but the good thing about scrappy quilts is that most of the time no one notices the substitutions. That’s so true, and a good lesson as I think often we’re so focussed on getting it right, when really a small deviation doesn’t really matter at all.

CAROLYN FORSTER: SCRAPPY CROSSES QUILT

The Hexagon Lozenges Quilt using big hexagons, which is great for stash busting! The quilting design suggests smaller pieces have been used, but look again and it looks like this would be one that would grow quickly, and be relatively simple to do.

CAROLYN FORSTER: HEXAGON LOZENGES QUILT

In the Diamonds and Stars Quilt for me it’s the plain fabric that becomes the star (quite literally) with the patterned fabric playing a supporting role - though the yellow floral fabric in the centre of the picture below looks pretty special. This quilt is based on a 60 degree diamond and an old fashioned block which is simple and effective.

CAROLYN FORSTER: DIAMONDS AND STARS QUILT

There was a good reminder alongside the Curtains Quilt that anything goes, and quilts don’t have to use dress-weight cotton. This one uses old curtains and curtain fabric off-cuts and I’ve no doubt that it would keep you just as cosy as any other quilt.

CAROLYN FORSTER: CURTAINS QUILT

Carolyn started, and finished, the Maple Leaves Quilt during the first Covid lockdown and was inspired by one in the book ‘Unconventional and Unexpected’ by Roderick Kiracofe which gave licence for unusual choices. I love its boldness and larger prints, and I know I’ve plenty of larger prints stashed away which I could use in a similar way (one day!)

CAROLYN FORSTER: MAPLE LEAVES QUILT

So much inspiration here for me, and hopefully for you too - my planned project list is perpetually growing! But if I get close to anywhere near through that list I know I’ll have some beautiful quilts - both fabric and yarn-based - and will have plenty to choose from!

There were plenty more quilts on display at the show and I’ll share my favourites in a separate post soon.

My garden in December

With a new garden it’s interesting to see what it brings each month, and this month I have more pictures than perhaps I would usually take in a normal December. Though building on last month’s update, they’re mostly of frosty leaves, frosty spider webs and the snow which arrived one Saturday night cloaking the garden in a white blanket.

The frosty cobwebs aren’t without charm though…

But if only they’d have been a month or two earlier I could have legitimately claimed them as Halloween decorations!

And yes, MOH was wrong when he suggested there’d be less spiders here than in our London home - luckily that wasn’t what sold me on the move!

The lone leaves on the acer were clinging on, and doing so in spectacular form.

They weren’t the only ones looking slightly frozen, and while the acer leaves are spectacular for their colour, I think the iced fuchsia flowers just take the iced plant prize for me.

Though somehow the mahonia still managed to look quite majestic with snow trying its best to dull its crown.

But despite the snow I did get some bulbs potted up (later than I’d like and I’ve still some more to do), hang my Christmas/Winter wreath and repurpose my autumn wreath - I’m grateful for being able to take advantage of the days with the better weather, and in daylight too, it makes such a difference.