Open Studio and Garden Stitching

                                      Open Studios, Quilter's Cottage, Marham, Norfolk.

I was out and about yesterday, visiting an Open Studio and re-acquainting myself with a quilting buddy from way back. Jane and I were both members of Samphire Quilters, one of the earliest and largest West Norfolk quilting groups, during the 90's and early 2000's. (Founder Member is...ta dah: our very own Pam from Stitch and Bitch!) We probably haven't seen each other for more than ten years, and in that time Jane has re-invented herself as a polymath! Anyway, I drove across county and spent an hour at her log cabin studio, amazed at the colour and texture and simple.... ABUNDANCE all around me. I decided there and then to ask Jane to let me 'interview' her at a later date for the blog, and just pop a few photos up for you in this post.

The header photo is an action shot of Jane on the deck - sorry, Jane, but I liked this one so much better than the posed one we did seconds later! It was a bit difficult to get a full width picture of the cabin as it is REALLY big.

                                                             Long shot of interior.
Imagine stepping out of your house each day to come here to work! That is, when Jane isn't whizzing about the county teaching at various other venues.

                                 Some of Jane's hand-made stamps, and her litho-prints.

         In the interests of honest blogging I  reveal - the Glory Hole !(tidier than my sewing room!)

I'll have lots to show and tell you about Jane and her work in a later post. I came away buzzing with her energy and motivation - and mentally exhausted by the visual overload!

I spent a lot of the glorious weekend out in the garden, quilting - yes, quilting! As long as the quilt was spread out on the table it wasn't getting me overheated and I could just stitch away in the shade - blissful! I have 20 days to finish this.....

I'd been thinking about the Boro I wrote about the other week, and remembered this quilt I made using some of my hand-dyed indigo fabric, and others from my 'blues' collection. I hand quilted it in varying weights of yarn and threads, altering the stitch length accordingly. It quilted itself, it was so soothing to stitch. You can see a bit along the bottom hem which I haven't quite finished...how did that happen??

     Sorry, awful photo, but it's difficult to get the whole quilt in shot. Apols re orange fence - it's new!

               Ahem. (Arrrrrgggghhhh, NO PUN was intended, just pointing out the unfinished bit.)

                                            My nod to boro patching and overstitching.

I did get on the sewing machine briefly, to make a start on the Naive Baskets and Squares quilt (working title). All I managed to do was surround each appliqued block with a row of squares, but it means I have the blocks out in front of me now, and it is now a work-in-progress rather than an unfinished symphony!

              Bad light, crumpled fabric, sorry, but had to do this fast as it started to rain!

The blocks won't be put together quite like that - there will be much more 'squareage' between each block. Took this today, dull skies and showers. So to brighten things up to finish here is a shot of the 'patio herb garden' ! I can't bear to waste those lovely olive oil tins so I thought I'd pop the basil in - doesn't it look nice, nestling among the mints?

                                                                 Poshed - up basil !

So I'll leave you, hoping we haven't seen the last of the lovely weather. Are you getting geared up for the Jubilee, or, like us, will it just be taking place in the background? Catch you next time.

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