It has been several months since I wrote anything. That time has been a mixture of pleasure and excitement, and then deep sadness. I had trouble trying to post while I was travelling in Europe and since then life has been turned upside down with the passing of my husband soon after my return. After 45 years with the last few spent as carer, it will take a while to get used to the change. Thank you to family and friends, especially my quilting friends, who have been very supportive.
Now to begin to tell something of my travels which took me to Portugal, Spain, France (and the European Patchwork Meeting) and then to visit family in Munich, Groningen and Stockholm.
I travelled on a tour from Lisbon to Madrid including a cruise on the River Duoro from Porto to the Spanish border. In Portugal I wanted to see the famous tiles, and I wasn't disappointed. I'll cover them in another post, as with some fabulous old tapestries. Along the way I was looking out for textiles. The traditional crafts are hard to find now, the finished product generally being too expensive. Portugal has experienced economic depression in recent years and has been basing its recovery primarily on wine/port, cork and newly manufactured quality table and bedroom linens - very nice, but not cheap either (and heavy in the luggage)
Here are a few things that caught my eye.
A shop in Lisbon - the window display and bolts of fabric for sale inside (displayed like it was when I was growing up)
I saw this hanging in the distance in Lisbon and zoomed in on it. Don't know its purpose. Textile of some sort by the edges of each piece (and tiles would be too heavy)
An interesting modern tapestry in the hotel
A tapestry I spotted through a doorway
Items for sale in tourist shops in a narrow street in Sintra
An old tapestry in a winery in Porto
Samples at the door to entice you. The back piece is quite heavy - not sure what it was for.
The hand embroidered sign from a shop which did have some hand worked pieces
Table napkin from a dinner at a winery.
Hand worked pieces for sale at an antique shop
And nearby this fabric hanging on the door - not sure if it was decorative, or washed and drying
That is fairly short. I'll try to write about tiles soon.
Now to begin to tell something of my travels which took me to Portugal, Spain, France (and the European Patchwork Meeting) and then to visit family in Munich, Groningen and Stockholm.
I travelled on a tour from Lisbon to Madrid including a cruise on the River Duoro from Porto to the Spanish border. In Portugal I wanted to see the famous tiles, and I wasn't disappointed. I'll cover them in another post, as with some fabulous old tapestries. Along the way I was looking out for textiles. The traditional crafts are hard to find now, the finished product generally being too expensive. Portugal has experienced economic depression in recent years and has been basing its recovery primarily on wine/port, cork and newly manufactured quality table and bedroom linens - very nice, but not cheap either (and heavy in the luggage)
Here are a few things that caught my eye.
A shop in Lisbon - the window display and bolts of fabric for sale inside (displayed like it was when I was growing up)
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