Holiday time, French Quilting and Malvern Quilt Show 2016

I have been away on holiday in France for the past few weeks enjoying the simple pleasures of life, which they do so well over there.  We went off in our campervan and managed to travel from Brittany down to the South of France and back again.  Plenty of time for Dear Jane stitching which I will update you on in due course.

French patisserie in Puy en Velay

We take in the sites and enjoy driving on the quiet French roads.  The most challenging part of each day is choosing which cake to have for tea.  You will find the delights of French patisserie in every town and village, which in the UK you would be hard pushed to find in all but the top London restaurants.  So I made the most of it. 
 

Fabric purchases - May 2016

On the other hand quilt shops in France are less prolific. On this trip I found two really good ones.  'Martine Tissus' in Issoire - this little shop in the middle of France has probably been going many years as it had a really good selection of old and new prints.  If you were looking for something special, it would be there somewhere.  The other was Tissus Amethyste in Valance.  This is a huge shop selling all type of fabrics, but at the back there was a very large and pleasing selection of patchwork fabric.  How do I find these shops?  I have downloaded the Satnav app from the Cosman website which will 'take me to the nearest quilt shop!'

Tips for patchwork fabric shopping in France. 
- Check the shop exists, they tend to come and go a bit in France
- Check the opening times before you make a special trip
- Many shops do not accept credit cards, so have plenty of Euros in your purse.


Magic Patch Quilts Japan

I also take time to seek out French quilt magazines.  My favourite is 'Magic Patch Quilts Japan', which I have never seen sold anywhere besides France.  Each time the magazine focusses on one type of quilt, this time it was Drunkard's Path (le chemin de l'ivrogne') and usually the quality of the work and the projects are better than any I see in any other magazine.  Truly inspirational.



'Dear Jenny' by Jenny Williams, Pembrokeshire

So after a pleasant trip across the channel, I got home just in time to visit the Quilts UK Malvern 2016 show where I managed to seek out a few Dear Jane quilt variations. Firstly this red, black and white quilt made by Jenny Williams which is a combination of 'Dear Jane' and personal blocks set in an Irish Chain design.  Jenny had quilted it beautifully on her domestic machine and deservedly won a few rosettes.

'Nearly But Not Quite' by Patricia Storey, Shropshire

The next one is 'Nearly But Not Quite' by Patricia Storey.  Patricia managed 100 blocks to make her Dear Jane wall hanging in blues, purples, reds and greens.  Once you are on the Dear Jane journey it is lovely to see other quilts and spot the blocks you have done.

I also found out that if you are interested in starting the Dear Jane quilt as part of a group in the UK, The Patchwork Basket in Newent has just started their second Dear Jane Club on Saturdays twice a month.

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 76, visits Giverny, France

Monet's Garden, Giverny, France
Nearly Insane Quilt, Block 76

On the journey back through France to the UK we stopped off at the village of Giverny, the former home of the impressionist artist, Claude Monet.  Behind the block you can see the water lilies, the inspiration for many of his most famous paintings. All I can say is that it was extremely busy.  The poor block had been folded up in my pocket for quite a while and is looking a little the worse for wear in the photo. It was a great relief to get it home and give it a good press.

Nearly Insane Quilt, Block 76

Most of the strips are are just 1/4 inch wide. To make my life easier I should have foundation pieced the quilt block, but EPP is a hard habit to break, especially if you are travelling whilst you sew.

This is the last of the blocks which I completed whilst on holiday. Thinking about it, these photos were taken four week ago.  I am catching up on the posts slowly!

NUMBER OF PIECES:  37
DIFFICULTY: 4/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Strip, 1/4"  (6mm) x 1" (25mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Strip, 1/4"  (6mm) x  6" (152mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:
Cherry Sketch Basic Collection by Timeless Treasures #C8224
Red Garden Pindot by Michael Miller Fabrics
Wishes Red on Vanilla Doilies SKU# 5531-14  by Sweetwater, Moda
Tangled Threads in Apple Red on Cream, Mama Said Sew, by Sweetwater for ModaSSS-Silly Safari, Red by Cheri Strole for Moda
Prairie Paisley by Polly Minick and Lauri Simpson for Moda