BLOG 9

LBQ

Always last minute and working to the deadline of exams, I did manage to scrape through on the academic side to gain 7 O levels and 3 A levels. I was the last head girl of Ulverston Grammar School, which became a comprehensive school the next academic year. I presented the aged head master, George Longbotham, with one of his many retirement gifts and skipped off happily to PE (physical education) college. This seemed a logical career choice for me, with my love of sport.

Anstey PE College was a very small college (approx 150 students) in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire and was one of only 6 women’s PE colleges in the UK. The college was sited on the A5122 at Erdington, a major road into Birmingham. The main building was a huge converted and adapted mansion, with enclosed grounds, lost behind, and protected by, surrounding residential estates where students were housed. Bicycles were an essential requirement to get between sports fields, swimming baths and parks.

MY QUILTING JOURNEY

It took us a while to find our next home, Llain Delyn (Welsh for "harp shaped piece of land"), in Sychdyn, Mold, Flintshire. It was right next door to the village school where the girls settled quickly and from where Roger made the arduous daily journey to Bootle through the Mersey tunnel.

Llain Delyn, Sychdyn, Flintshire, UK

I started to make reluctant noises about returning to teaching now that our daughters were 7 and 8 and duly went for a chat with the local headmaster. His first question of ‘Can you speak Welsh?’ put me firmly in my place. As a non-Welsh speaker I realised instantly that I would have need to travel into the neighbouring county of Cheshire to continue my teaching career. What to do next eh?

QUILTING 2010

I have just returned from my residential WE at Alston Hall where I was teaching two contrasting techniques. One involved the Log Cabin technique to make Sampler Quilt blocks. A paper foundation method was taught to produce accurate results of the precise blocks. Here are samples of work that was produced.

Log cabin sampler blocks

I just love the apparent chaos of workshops and the projects that blossoms from it. I don’t think that the words creative and tidy belong together so it was great to witness the shambles over the WE. Although plastic bags were strategically placed around the room, the floor took a real battering. I too work in a shambolic, free-flow sort of way and I don’t tidy up until the project is constructed and ready for the quilting process.

Paper foundation detritus

Carol in turmoil

Freda’s bits

Here are some of the creative backgrounds in progress for poppies or sunflowers.

Jan’s background

Susan and Thelma’s backgrounds

The technique is based on a 3” square constructed on the diagonal to give a sense of movement behind the added flower. Hopefully I will see pictures of finished work … eventually!