Two jugs, blue and gold

Tuesday is Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday, which is a cause for celebration in my hearth and home.  So, in homage to one of his greatest songs here are some photos of three blue and gold quilts that I made in a series after going to a Linda Kemshall workshop (http://www.lindakemshall.com/DesignMattersNews.html).  I really liked several of the techniques we tried such as quilting through foiling:

Stitching through foiling

This is the same technique but with added beads:

Blue and gold vase detail

And particularly stitching quilt edges with blanket stitch and slipping a bead on to give a firm beaded edge:

Beaded edge

It’s a technique that also works over bindings, and I used it a great deal on the edges of my Body Shop quilt.  I think it makes a very serious edge to a piece, although I can’t explain why.

The other two quilts in this mini series are:

Abstract Linda Kemshall-stye piece

Blue and gold vase

I made these pieces several years ago, and exhibited them in Bristol Quilters’ last exhibition, which was two years ago, but they are a bit of a favourite because they represent a step up in my embellished quilts for me.  It was also a lovely workshop which I went to with great friends and had a lovely time.  And Linda Kemshall is a very good teacher.  But, also, I think I still like them, and I rarely like anything I make for more than about six months, because there is something about blue and gold.  I have been trying to find my copy of Derek Jarman’s Chroma to find the part where he talks about the special power of blue and gold, but I can’t find it anywhere.  He’s right, I think, though, there is something mystical about it, possibly because it is often associated with stars and the heavens.  I love the combination.

On a more pedestrian note to finish, I continue with the Laura Ashley hexagons, and last night encountered a really old piece of the fabric which is hard to distinguish from an Indian woodblock (which influenced her in her design).   It’s a very simple repeat design, but the softness of the cloth is quite extraordinary, and made me very nostalgic for a big frock made of it, which I never had!  Perhaps I should make some pieces for the patchwork out of it on Bob’s birthday to celebrate:

Laura Ashley blue cotton print