Osh

Osh, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

While the colours aren't what you'd call true to life in this photo, you get the idea. I bought 4.5 metres (1.5m of each of three fabrics) in Birmingham - all ikat fabrics from Kaffe Fasset. I loved them, but had no idea what to do with them. So I cut 6.5" strips, and started sewing. 5 blocks down and this was going to be a 60"x60" quilt. 8 blocks in and this was going to be a queen size quilt sashed in white, with a slightly larger, mitred white border. Then I thought about a biscuit coloured linen for sashing.

10 blocks in and I am reconsidering. These are all 18" square, and I kind of like them separate. So now I'm thinking I make a couple more, sandwich them and do some machine quilting, some hand quilting and I'll have a delicious stack of ikat goodness to fill up a wall (as shown), go around a doorway in an inverted U shape, or march down a hallway in single file. It's a twist on the doll quilt wall I guess. But it's all mine.

And by that last statement I don't mean to suggest that I invented the concept - just that I claimed ownership of these blocks over the more traditional options!

Buckingham Palace

Mum at Buckingham Palace, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

And what else did Gai get up to during her 3 weeks in England? Why, she went to see the Queen of course!

Sadly her maj was away 'summering', but the Buckingham Palace State Rooms, and the huuuuge dining room set up for a state banquet was probably best enjoyed without all of the distractions that curtseying can cause.

Here's Gai enjoying the afternoon in the Royal Backyard....

Festival of Quilts 2008

Festival of Quilts, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

And another show down. This time we brought the Just Patchwork brand of colour to the NEC, Birmingham for the Festival of Quilts.

We had a lot of fun shopping for the stand fittings for this one. And the colours of the furniture show off the stained glass patterns really well, don't you think?

We also had a blast looking at the quilts in the galleries and buying lots of bits and pieces from the other vendors (well, I did anyway - Mum's luggage was already fit to burst so she was a tad more restrained).

Going for glam

If you're a girl, especially one in her 30's, you know that the Sex and the City movie has been released. A group of 9 of us (some old friends, some new friends, up above is one of my old uni friends) went to Leicester Square to see the movie on Saturday and joined the throng of glammed up girls.

Before and after we enjoyed the mm mm cocktails of the very glam Refuel Bar at the Soho Hotel. We'd been there a couple of weeks before for Sunday lunch and a movie in their oh too glam screening room - love it! And if you're not sensing a theme yet, then you're not reading carefully enough.

Well worth breaking out some tulle in the skirt (yes, that is a proper prom dress you can see the top of). And courtesy of my lovely neighbour I was accessorised further with some feathers and veil. I need to get me one of those.

Bauhaus

Bauhaus 281, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

I have a wishlist that stretches for miles, and so many of the items (furniture, lighting, textiles) have something in common - they were designed by Bauhaus Masters.

Last December I visited the Bauhaus building in Dessau, (former East) Germany, lived there in the Atelierhaus for three days, roamed the building staring at radiators, lights, wall treatments, and studied in their library.

The products of the 'Weberei' (weaving) workshop are incredible. These styles seem so fresh and current - but the students were working on this stuff in the 1920's. Everything old is new again.

Wanted: borders

This (Kaffe Fasset Planets) quilt was started a long time ago. It still needs pieced borders. I brought it back to England with me, and am waiting for inspiration to strike. In the meantime the fabric possibles pile can keep growing, being decorative on the floor. (Sorry about the yellow photo. I get the urge to photograph fabric at the strangest times).

Steps 1 and 2 and some shopping...

Hi there!

Thought I would pop back in to say hello... now that the gorgeous sunshine has disappeared again I got back to the sewing machine today, to continue piecing with Amy Butler's new Midwest Modern fabrics.

For once I remembered to take a couple of photos during the day, and I wanted to share. Not too sure what these are going to be - I've abandoned the original plan of 16 patch posies, so it's back to the makeshift drawing (design) board.

I find it really difficult to buy the Hobbs 100% cotton batting here in London, so although I have a large frame all ready to go, I have no batting - and you'll agree, I'm sure, that that is the most important part of the design wall structure! So with a cotton scrap I popped into my suitcase when I was back in Oz in April I have improvised as you'll see above. I'm a little bit further along on the quilt now, but that's for another day's post.

And this here is my new shopping bag. i LOVE it - saving the environment, but doing it in style....

Tallinn

Tallinn, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

Christmas arrived, along with a package of lovely spots and stripes all the way from Australia. I have a bigger quilt in planning to use them, but in the meantime I got sewing one night.

Inspired by my pencil drawing, inspired by a photograph I took in Tallin, inspired by the gorgeous setting and good coffee. Long story, small quilt.

East Dulwich

Lounge room, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

We have a big, tall, white wall in our lounge room and there was nothing to fill it.

Out came the PFAFF 2124, the amy butler and the kaffe fassett fabric, and suddenly there is some colour in the room.

Not the best photo - not the best light to take a photo in - but it gives you an idea.

My biggest regret? Being lazy and buying the only batting that John Lewis had in stock - awful polyester stuff. Next time I'll bite the bullet and go to the quilt shop in Dorking for some nice cotton stuff. This one's a bit too puffy for me...

Malmaison...

Malmaison..., originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

I'm feeling inspired by checkerboards.

Excited

Three posts in one night. Unheard of, I know. But the previous two only count as one, really.

And I just had to share with someone. (My excitement).

I'm watching the british version of Thank God You're Here. Hamish Blake is back again for another week. So, while I'm really, really missing the daily happy pill of the Hamish and Andy podcast, this is some small consolation.

But come back on the radio soon! I need those podcasts for my daily laugh....

And if you've never listened to them before, go straight to iTunes, do not pass go, and do not collect $200 and download them all now. You won't regret it.

More from Edinburgh

Tartan weaving, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

I had a change of heart, and decided I would share this after all. The colours of the tartans are amazing, but on a coooold and snowy day outside the woollen rugs looked more tempting than the cottons...

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, originally uploaded by alisoninlondon.

I could show you a lot of pictures of tartan weaving from Edinburgh - I took plenty of them. But instead, I'll show you a view from just down the road.