Patchwork done! Quilting next.....

Wow, three years ago I started a big project, a super king patchwork quilt!

Well last week I stitched the last square, so that is the first part done.

To make the quilt wide enough (to hide all my rubbish under the bed!), I edged both sides with two rows of plain squares - rather than squares made up of three rectangles - quicker that way.

Second part is to now to attach the wading and the backing, But I think I will wait till the summer, as its a large beast and none of my rooms are big enough to spreed it out flat in.  

So I think the garden will be my best option

Really pleased how it has turned out, but now thinking plain curtains would be better......

a taste of the Great Gatsby!

The Tapestry is closed over the winter (except for Thursdays) 

so I have time to crack on with other projects like my quilt.

Last winter I took on the volunteer role of
costume curator at The Folk and Costume Museum

It has so interesting, I have been like a small child in a sweety shop,
we really have some amazing pieces in the collection going back to the 1750's. 

Think my favorite so far is a pair of nubuck coachman's breaches from Government House.
The nubuck feels more like shammy leather, he would have been wearing them while

 sitting on top of the Coach and we all know what a shammy feels like when wet!!!!  

 But dry, they feel amazing, the problem it is their feel that makes them so special, 

so I have know idea how we will ever put them on display?

But this year the Museum is celebrating its 50th Anniversary,
 so our theme is Celebration. 

Upstairs we have a large display of evening/party dresses and a small display of wedding dresses.

But its down stairs I am most excited about,
entering the room is like entering The Great Gatsby

We are doing the 1920's, the ultimate celebration decade,

 the Bright Young Things partied and celebrated life after the horrors of World War 1. 

So I just wanted to show you some snippets of the amazing pieces on display, 

to see everything, you need to come to the Museum!
They re-open for the season on March 20th.

The twenties have a powerful draw for us all,
I think its because it really is the first decade we can look at
and think 'yes I would wear that today'  ten years 
before that you definitely could not say that!

When you look at the fashions from 1910 and then look at the 

dresses in the exhibition it really is one the most monumental jumps we have in fashion history, 

from massive hats, s-bend corsets and hobble skirts

 to calf length sack dress, bobbed hair and bras!!!!! 

I do hope all this brocade, feathers, lace, gold and beading temps you.

and I hope you enjoy it as much as Christian, Arne and I have enjoyed putting it together.

Amazing what you can find in the attics of a small island!