Carol,

The quilt cruise itinerary is as follows.
Geiranger, Norway
Alesund,Norway
Bergen, Norway
Ivergordon, Scotland
S Queensferry, (Edinburgh)

Teachers are listed here....... http://Www.quilt cruises.com
Norwegian Fjords & Scotland cruise. I get to take a class with Elly Sienkiewicz! In 2008 I got to take a class with Alex. She is so nice!

Barbara

Dear Lorchen,

I hope to go to the National Portrait Gallery and to Harrods. Yikes. There are so many places on my list. Tommorow I hope to get the Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. And I want to get to the third floor of the V&A to see the fabrics on file. I saw a TV show where Fons and Porter (I think) were at the Smithsonian in a similarly textile preservation area and they were shown an unfinished quilt by Martha Washington.

I have brought a hand sewing project of grandmother's flower garden to keep me busy at the hotel. I find English paper piecing relaxing -- and very portable.

Carol

Dear Bar7700,

I purchased a ticket for the matinee show of Macbeth at the Globe Theater on May 16th. Will you be there? If so, I will be the lady in the Upper Level waiving a set of Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks in the air before the show starts. It would be fun to meet you. Please let me know.

Thanks,

Carol

And don't forget to go to Harrod's. Even if you don't buy anything, the place is an experience, especially the food hall, and the centre staircase.

If you are interested in people, then the National Portrait Gallery is well worth a visit.

Have fun! I'll be in London from the 19th to the 21st.

Lorchen

Dear Friends,

The sun was shining between the clouds this morning and I immediately headed for a cruise on the Thames. It comes as part of a bus package for the day of London. I took the boat from the Westminster pier to Greenwich and back. And then I got on the tour bus for a tour of the city. I had taken another tour yesterday and so I am getting oriented at last. On the tours, you learn about the origin of a number of turns of phrase. I won’t spoil your fun, but you will get to learn where the following come from:

He’s taking one for the road
He’s staying on the wagon
We are not amused
He’s got Dutch courage

I was so confident that I decided to walk home from Oxford street. Of course, I soon was lost. I went to a bookstore, found a good tour book with a map and went to a coffee shop to study. No problem, just four blocks away I was back on the street with the British Museum. The sun was going down and I went into a very friendly pub. I sat at the counter while waiting for a table and ordered fish and chips and a pint, moving to a table before the food was served. Lucky me, a couple asked to share the table. They were from Paris and we had a wonderful conversation that lasted through a second pint. Having just retired, I must say I don’t particularly envy a man my age with a 5 year old daughter. His second wife was wonderful and we had a lot of fun. But that’s a lot of more years of work. I just want to party and am looking forward to, God willing, the safe delivery of a grandchild in October.

Carol

Dear Carol

Ali may know of some shops that I don't. However I have googled and found that there is a quilt shop at Cheltenham, http://www.goosechasequilting.co.uk

Also I think the nearest one to central London is http://www.tikkilondon.com at Kew Gardens. You could visit a quilt shop and Kew Gardens in the same day. I couldn't find any in Maidstone.

Libertys deparment store is an amazing place to visit. Liberty prints cotton fabrics are famous worldwide, but expensive. http://www.liberty.co.uk

Do check their websites as some of the quilt shops have limited opening hours.

I hope that you have a great trip. Pam

Dear Alibeoly,

I am taking the Exploritas England's Great Garden Heritage: From Sissinghurst to Chelsea. We will be staying in Maidstone for three days, Cheltenham for three days, and London for three days. The tour ends with the Chelsea Flower Show. If you know of any quilt shops in Maidstone or Cheltenham, please let me know. I would love to visit. I will try to get to the quilt shop near the Warwick Castle that you mentioned as I would like to get some British fabric while I am here.

Carol

Dear Barbara,

A European quilt cruise. Wow. What is your itinerary? Are their guest teachers?

Carol

Dear Amoret,

Thanks for the tip about the 3rd floor at the V&A. I will be sure to go there tomorrow. It sounds like a dream place to visit-- and revist.

Carol

Dear Friends,

I may be delayed in returning to California at the end of the month due to volcanic activity. I have day-dreamed of being snowed in while on a ski trip. Maybe I will forced to spend a few more days in London instead. I hope so. The Victorian and Albert Museum is having a Members’ week at the end of the month which includes “Fashion Show: A Musical Revue” celebrating the V&A exhibit Grace Kelly, as well as a Liberty of London lecture on Contemporary Quilting.

Today I went to the Quilts 1700-2010 Exhibit. There were many quilts worth looking at close up. Many interesting details are lost in the photographs in the accompanying book. What struck me was that, due to English paper piecing, the quilters used many shapes that would be easy to hand sew, but not so easy to construct with a sewing machine. The 18th century quilters were especially fond of a curved shaped that looks a bit like a shield. They would sew the shapes together in the manner of a hexagonal quilt, using many silks and velvets and creating a very pleasing pattern. Additionally, their quilting design lines were spaced much farther apart. The designs would be intricate -- but writ large. As the batting was higher in these particular quilts, the design lines really showed up. There would be a scant half inch between two parallel lines, for example, creating an almost braided or corded effect. Many of the quilts were shinny and it turns out they used metal thread. I was also surprised by the size of many blocks. Studying quilts from another time gives me perspective on how many preconceptions about how a quilt should look are based on the taste of our current times. I find I like many looks that I wouldn’t have considered before. There is a definite tradition of very detailed quilting on pieces with a backing, but not batting. I hope this exhibit eventually travels to the US.

Oh -- fabric. I had picked up three fat quarter packs. I then picked up a sample copy of the book to determine if I wanted to purchase it. I stacked the fat quarter packs on a table just outside the exhibit to look through the book. A lady came out of the exhibit and paused to look at the queue of people around the books. She sees the fat quarter packs, picks up and examines each one in turn and then puts them down. Another lady and then another lady did the very same thing. I reached out to restack the packs and a lady jumps back as she was reaching towards them and she apologizes. I laughed and told her what had just happened. We just can’t keep our hands off the fabric. I bought the book too. Tomorrow I will go back and take the new member tour and visit the Grace Kelly exhibit. The book store is filled up with jewelry and high fashion books and the museum is jammed with visitors for that exhibit. Monday will be a good day to visit Grace.

Carol

Hi Carol, it sounds like you're having fun in London, I'm sure you'll be safe there, I certainly have no qualms about going there by myself . Where else are you travelling to in the UK? Do you need advice on finding quilt shops? Sadly you will find them very expensive compared to the ones in the US and most of the fabric is from there anyway, but I know the shop in Warwick, near the castle, makes a point of trying to stock english fabric and english-themed fabric as they get a lot of overseas visitors.

Most hotels have wireless internet now, I'm glad you found that out so we can enjoy your trip with you . The weather's pretty good at the moment, May is my favourite month here, everything is so pretty.

Floor 3 in the V&A Carol. There is a gallery with upright cases that hold slide out panels and each panel has fabric samples on them. They are from quite morden printing techniques on the right back 2000 years. (I managed back to about the 14th century). It's amazing to see lace, embroidery, tapestry and weaving all less than a few millimetres under your finger that was made by hand hundreds of years ago.

Don't forget the bulk of the V&A is free, including this part, and it wouldn't take long to go and see. It sent tingles down my spine some of it!

Oh, there are no cameras alowed in the Quilt exhibition sadly, not sure about elsewhere though. (And the Jewellery is in the gallery next door to the Textiles. That's worth a look too!!!)

Keep sharing Carol! I love hearing what others are doing on their travels. I am going solo on an 8 day quilt cruise in June and then staying on for another ten days. A back to back cruise they call it. I will start in Dover and end up in Copenhagen. Fly to Frankfurt and then home to NC. My very nice quilt cruise coordinator's are taking me with them in London to the Globe Theater to see MacBeth. Then they are going to introduce me to Greek food.

Barbara

Dear Ritzy,

Thanks for your interest. It is so much fun to share. I am hoping that I will be able to take pictures in the exhibit. If I can, I will be sure to post them online.

Carol