recent travels

From the date of the last one a post is long overdue. I had 5 wonderful weeks travelling in Europe so it is time to share some photos. Apparently I've been back 3 weeks now, though it doesn't feel like it.

Before that, here is one of a wall hanging I made before the trip to showcase a piece of Italian lace. Friend Dawn gave several of us a piece of antique lace cut from a larger piece she found in Italy last year. It was interesting to see how differently the pieces were used when we revealed them on Tuesday. Sorry, I didn't photograph the others.

 

This has a confetti style workshop sample, remnants and part of a graduation silk as well as the given lace (the one with the tassles) and a little bit of beading. I am calling it 'Last pieces'.

I have been embellishing my crazy quilt started about 25 years ago. There are only 25 blocks being hand worked, and I have been slowly working on it in between other things (including a queen size crazy one by hand and machine for daughter Rachel). I think it is time to finish it now.

 

I am working on another couple of small challenges/projects too, but more of them later.

Now for an instalment on my travels, a five week trip taken with my friend Bronnie. Firstly we flew to Riga, Latvia to be met by friend and quilt artist Maryte Collard from Lithuania, whom I met at the European Patchworkk Festival in 2016. You can find her work here.   http://marytequilts.eu/   After one night in Riga and a tour through the city next morning we spent 4 nights in Lithuania. It was wonderful having our own 'local guide' - we saw and learnt much more than we would have otherwise. It was lovely seeing Maryte's work too.
After that we had a 2 week tour of Poland and 2 weeks visiting family before returning home.

So, to Riga, with firstly a visit to the Dome Cathedral

Of course we noticed the plaited rag rug in the area for children

The cloister had interesting museum pieces, lovely flowers and a pretty, laden crabapple tree in the courtyard

Then we took a tour throught the narrow streets of the Old Town

 

 

 

 A contingent of police or security officers marched into the square for some instruction or a briefing(?)

 

 One of several large bronze sculptures in a children's play area - big enough to sit on

 

 A street market 

 

The Lida, a  huge cafeteria style restaurant on the edge of the city with  gardens and playgrounds. Not sure of the significance oif the windmill

 

 

 Evidence of the international drink near the car park

 

 On the road to Lithuania

 In Lithuania, the Hill of Crosses - site of memorial crosses raised initially to the memory of young men fighting against the Russians around 1948, but re- erected and added to over the years.

 

 At the base of a large cross

 

 Maryte, and two quilts made from African fabric for a school in Ghana (which she has just delivered)

 

Maryte with an amazing scrap quilt made by hand. The scraps come from her from her other pieced quilts (some in the backgroungd of the top photo) made from her own dyed fabrics.

This is getting lengthy (and it is past lunch time!) - I think I'll continue with Lithuania in another post.