I love blue and white quilts, but I had never found a design I really wanted to make. Until now.
Oma's Blues is a new free BOM, which Ester Aliu released on her blog this month.
If you click on the link above, you will see what I mean.
It is incredibly generous of her to share her design with us free, and typically of Esther, it is so beautiful.
The minute I saw it on her blog, I knew I want to make this quilt, although mine will be somewhat smaller, because I want to display it on our dining room wall and the original size would be too large.
The minute I saw it on her blog, I knew I want to make this quilt, although mine will be somewhat smaller, because I want to display it on our dining room wall and the original size would be too large.
I must admit that I am rather excited about it.
It is based on Delftware, but of course there is so much other blue and white china around.
Most of my pieces are decorated in "Onion" pattern and come from Central Europe.
Esther releases her BOM patterns via her free Yahoo BOM group .
Esther releases her BOM patterns via her free Yahoo BOM group .
I started pulling blue fabrics from my stash, but that is never quite enough, is it?
Last week I happened to be down in Dorset, so trip to Hansons Fabrics in Sturminster Newton was a must, specially with the January sale on. You just never walk out of there empty handed.
A visit to "The Hive" on the high street, here in Shepton Mallet, produced another addition to my blue collection.
The shop has recently moved from much smaller premises up the road; they now have so much more room to display not only their fabrics, knitting and crochet yarns, but also anything else you might need in the haberdashery department.
Do pop in if you are this way.
The new shop now has it's own cafe, with cakes and snacks, so there is no need to rush away.
Take a tour of their new website (link above), which also includes a list of their new workshops.
And being a rather grey Sunday, what better place to visit then Midsomer Quilting, where I could park DH in a comfy chair, with a cup of coffee, while I indulge.
But there is another kind of fabric I want to share with you.
Central Europe has a long tradition of production of printed fabrics on indigo background, following the arrival of indigo from the East.
The production was widespread throughout small towns and villages, and the fabric was used mainly for clothing. In my country of origin, "modrotisk" (blueprint) was produced mainly in the area of Southern Moravia (part of what is now Czech republic), but just across the border, in Hungary, is also a rich tradition of printing on blue fabric.
After the second world war, during the communist era, these cottage industries declined, and the only place you could buy modrotisk was in shops aimed at tourists. I myself have bought several large pieces and I hope to make a quilt from them one day. I would not dare to use them in this project as my fabrics are not colourfast.
Czech modrotisk is hard to get in UK, BUT there is a lady who brings into UK "Kekfesto cotton fabric" from Hungary.

website, which has a large selection of designs to buy.
You can also read more about the history and watch a video from Huston, showing quilts made from Kekfesto fabric by Hungarian quilters.
Do pop over, I dare you to resist!
Well done, Gilly!
My order arrived by return. It wasn't easy to choose, so many pretty designs. And Gilly tells me that they are colourfast.
I think I have enough blue fabric to choose from!
The last thing I want share with you today, is this book about Indigo.
I have found the story of indigo fascinating, and if you are interested in the history of textiles, you will too.
©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2015