Three periods of history: Magna Carta, the Tudors, WW2

What a weekend, straddling Magna Carta, the Tudors and WW2.  I feel that I have been studying for GCSE history alongside the younger members of my family.

First of all, Magna Carta.  I gave a talk to Thameside Quilters on Friday night about my journal quilts.  This was a lovely experience, and I hope that I encouraged some of that productive group to have a go at journals.  Another part of the evening was a presentation by Paula Doyle about the Magna Carta Quilt.

This is a magnificent project, being stitched by 25 quilters, 23 of whom are from Thameside.  Paula brought along two small banners to give a flavour of the colours, fabrics and stitching that will be in the finished pieces.  The back of the quilts will be a mosaic of the Thames and individual blocks of the back are available for sponsorship to cover the costs of this superb piece of work.  I have sponsored a block for our family for posterity.

The next day, an immersion in aspects of Tudor history as the Gloriana made her way through Teddington Lock as part of the Tudor Pull.  Great swathes of flags, gilt and red made for memorable images.

Then, waiting to come through the lock, were the Dunkirk Little Ships

Although there are many of the ships still sailing, there were 18 involved in this flotilla.  All showed loving restoration and attention.

Inspiration for this journal challenge, perhaps.

Gifts from Norfolk

Big skies

Beach huts

Lifeboats

Sunsets

and bits of rusty pipe

perfect for trying out a bit of rust dyeing

Water back in its right place

The lurgy has gone, so I got out to Henley on Thames, usually associated with rowing, to see the Water, Water exhibition, curated by Kate Findlay, she of the series of quilts based on the Large Hadron Collider.    I did my helper stint with Kate and with Delia Salter, she of "The Shipping Forecast" fame, ( blog post by Margaret Cooter, here).  The venue was lovely, lots of natural light from roof windows, and a nifty front door that slides down the side of the building.  Not surprisingly given the theme, the overwhelming impression of this exhibition is blue, in all shades, with some taupes, greens and flashes of red and orange.  Photos below of my favourites ( and my own quilts in situ) not in any particular order.  I didn't get  a photo of the lovely piece based on Skye, by Delia Salter, as it was tricky to photograph and I didn't get every artists' name, so apologies.

Kate Findlay

Brenda Wroe

Mary Munday ( and me)

Amanda Wright

Penny Kurowski

Caroline Wilkinson

Annelize Littlefair

Joanna O'Neill

Sue Hotchkis

Alicia Merrett ( that's the radiator at the bottom, no matter how much it looks like two lines of stitching)

 

Jane Wheeler

Chris Dobson

Hilary Richardson

Artists' names not noted

Even after all of that inspiration, the quilter in me couldn't resist these pavement slabs round the corner.

Great River Race…. it must be nearly autumn

The Great River Race finishes close to where I live.  It is a great event in which to take part, and to watch.  So much textile inspiration from the colours and lines of these boats, all paddled or rowed 21 miles upstream on an incoming tide.  An added bonus was the appearance of Gloriana, built in Richmond.

A walk along the river to finish a beautiful, late summer afternoon, seeing some brave souls continuing to row home upriver.