Tuesday 17 September 2013

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 7 at Coronation Exhibition at Buckingham Palace

Block 7, Nearly Insane Quilt visits Buckingham Palace, London
Block 7, Nearly Insane Quilt visits Buckingham Palace, London

Here is Block 7 of the Nearly Insane Quilt on a trip to Buckingham Palace. 

We took a trip up to London at the weekend to visit the Coronation Exhibition, which was part of the annual Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace.  The main attraction for me was knowing that Queen Elizabeth II's  Norman Hartnell designed Coronation dress was going to be on display, along with some of the jewels.  The dress was absolutely breath-taking, and it was lovely to see the construction and embellishment on a couture dress from the 1950's. Most of the pictures from the time are in black and white, so it was lovely to see it in technicolour - there was also a colour cine film of the behind the scenes being shown. No photos allowed unfortunately, so use the links in this post to see the official photos.

As a young girl I used to pour over a book we had on the Queen's clothes, which included colour photographs of the embroidery samples that were used on her dresses.  As the Queen, I *assumed* that her dresses would be covered in diamonds and pearls.  It was only a few years ago, when I visited Buckingham Palace for the Dress For the Occasion exhibition that I realised that the dresses were not decorated in real diamonds and pearls, but in the same bugle beads and mother of pearl that we all can buy in the shops.  Some of the dresses from the 1960s even had plastic shapes for decoration! What an anti-climax.  Nevertheless, it is always a pleasure to see beautifully hand crafted couture gowns, and there was also a display of the real bling that she wore to accessorize the dress on the day.

The Coronation dress had plenty of fine embroidery on it, including beading and goldwork done by the Royal School of Embroidery.  The Royal School of Embroidery still exists and is based at Hampton Court Palace in London.  One of the Fabadashery Blog Followers, Emily, is lucky enough to live nearby and often shares the progress of the embroidery workshops she attends.

Block 7, Nearly Insane Quilt
Block 7, Nearly Insane Quilt
Back to Block 7.  I was lucky enough to be a passenger on the journey to London, so I managed to get the block stitched together, which is why I was able to take the photo in Buckingham Palace gardens.  Not a tricky block, only 36 pieces.

As always linking up with Connie at Freemotion By the River, where she hosts a lovely friendly Linky Party.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 36
DIFFICULTY:3 /10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle, 3" (76mm) x 2 1/8" (54mm) x 2 1/8" (54mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle, 1" (26mm) x 11/16" (18mm) x 11/16" (18mm)

TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 

Little Spots Red, Pierres Famous Travelling Circus, Michael Miller
Tangled Threads in Apple Red on Cream, Mama Said Sew, by Sweetwater for Moda
Spraytime (Scarlet) by Makower #2800-R06
White spots on cream

7 comments:

  1. I love that your blocks get to go on trips! Mine only get to go to lunch at work....

    ReplyDelete
  2. A very interesting post - and what a wonderful backdrop for your next block photo! You are so lucky to have all that history all around you.
    Hilda

    ReplyDelete
  3. How gorgeous! You definitely will remember this block.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a cool way to spend the weekend. I visited by brother while he lived in London about 6 years ago. We went to the Tower of London and it was so interesting to look at many of the Queen's jewels.The gown would have been fabulous to see in person.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love it! I think it is so much fun to photograph projects in a unique setting. How fun.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ha! Very fun that your block had a field day ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I understand why but I always feel sad that photographs are prohibited at exhibitions like the one you described. As I was reading your first paragraph I was hoping to scroll down and see the dress. Ah, well. I'll have to see if I can find some of the old black and white photos online.

    I continue to be amazed at the variety and quantity of red and white fabrics that you use. They are such fun. You haven't repeated any, have you?

    ReplyDelete