What else are picnic tables for?

So what are you likely to find many dedicated quilters doing a month before the Festival of Quilts? Despite it being hot enough to melt tungsten (at least that is how it feels) you will find us sitting under large bed quilts. Not because we all have masochistic tendencies (but hey, each to their own, I don't judge), it is because we need to hand-stitch down our binding. That's where the picnic tables come in - a cunning plan

You can't quite see him, but my little helper (large Chesapeake Bay Retriever) is also under the picnic tables (yes both) since he soon found this was the coolest place in the garden - as indeed it is!

I love Indigo!

Now, I never took a liking to hand dyeing - either product or process - but I have fallen in love with indigo. It's a quite magical and much more immediate process where you never know exactly what results you are going to get. The final colour/pattern depends on the basic fabric - silk, cotton or linen (wool works too), how you scrunch or tie it up, how long it is in the dye-bath and how many times you dip it.

Over-dyeing coloured or printed fabrics produced some interesting results too. I have an idea for a Modern indigo quilt floating about in my head using this severely limited palette. Must go and finish my stuff for Festival of Quilts so I can start on this!

As Promised...

...some images from the Duxford Autumn Quilt Show (I will reveal my follies later)
Mostly Blue to Begin With - quilts shown with the labels, as this is easier than typing it all out
Possibly my favourite (and I had to wait ages to get a photo, as it was much crowded-around)



Also by Janet Stevens, this delicious miniature



Pat Hann's delightful banner, and the details of the same..






And this detailed and textural Door Curtain by Maureen Rhodes



Not least, this delightful stitchery..




More hand-stitch tomorrow..