Glossop Bodhran Case Sept 12

This bodhran case was needed for a beautiful wide bodhran that was given to my son by a very generous soul in Glossop in the summer. We decided to go for a patchwork theme. It has a front pocket for his beaters and a smaller pocket for his allan key. It looks very autumnal and hopefully will protect the bodhran for many more seasons to come. 

Summer heather cushion Aug 12

This six-pieced cushion was inspired by the flowering heather on our most recent Munro-bagging trip ( Benn A Chroinn and Ann- Casteil , near Crianlarich). It measures 18" x18" and  has a rich purple tweed backing with a duck feather filling. You can find an example at the Blue Pig Studio, Carloway, Isle of Lewis or contact me if you would like to order one.  

Tolsta chaolais quilt August 12

This is the first Harris Tweed quilt I made for our good friends on the Isle of Lewis using a bag of patchwork pieces from the Harris Tweed Mill at Tarbet, Harris. It is edged with teal tweed from Norman Mackenzie's weaving shed in Carloway. We displayed it on the new  elegant stone wall hand-built by Keith from stones he found on his croft. It was whilst sewing this quilt that I fell in love with working with Harris Tweed.

Uig beach quilt August '12

This new quilt  was inspired by the blues of the sea waters on the Isle of Lewis.  This beautiful pieced quilt was completed in our new flat in Glasgow in early August and then we took it up to Lewis and photographed it on the beach at Uig on a windy day. This is the same beach where the charmingly detailed Lewis chessmen were found. The Harris tweed comes either from Norman Mackenzie's weaving shed in Carloway or from the Harris Tweed mill at Tarbet.
 It measures 42" x 50" and has 100% cotton wadding and a pale blue cotton backing. It is the start of my collection of items for sale to the public.

Sky,loch and sea quilt May 2012

This quilt was inspired  by a holiday to Oban, Easter 2012. I wanted to express the journey of water from the mountain loch down through  the high hills, then the heather and the green fertile fields into the blue river and then the deep,dark sea. It meant that I could use a greater range of colours. To express the flow of the water, each layer of fabric had a curved edge like a wave which gave a softer appearance. The quilt was commissioned as a  birthday present  to a dear friend's daughter who is studying in St Andrew's. Hopefully, it will brighten up the dark winter days and gave her comfort through her years of study there.

Doreen's beautiful hand sewing machine

I borrowed my dear friend Doreen Elliott's sewing machine to take this picture with one of my quilts. Its been in her family forever. It has the original spools, the long thin ones which remind me of my Mum's sewing machine. Doreen still sews with it and it's in perfect condition.She says that it doesn't go too fast so you get a nice stitch.It's a real treasure.

Bucket Bag

March 2012. I made this lovely purple tweed  bag for my sister's recent visit to the North -East. It has a lining of shot green silk recycled from a long evening skirt that I picked up in Oxfam.The purple tweed came from the Harris Tweed shop in Tarbet. The wooden handles contrast well with tweed.