Some Sights of London

 We really enjoyed our time in London and the weather was mostly quite warm. Although we'd both visited here before, it was many years ago and it was lovely to re-visit places as well as find some new sights. I'm still going through my photos and doing a little bit of hand stitching before I start back at work again in a day's time.

We also visited The Belfast which was used in the D Day landings and is now moored on the Thames.

 

The Tower of London still remains a focal point for tourists thanks to it's interesting and bloody historical past. The beefeaters take tours around the main places now and tell tales of beheadings etc which must bring a chill to the children who were on the tour. We also found Big Ben and Westminster Abbey as well as Tower Bridge and we were lucky that the sun was shining for the photos.
More soon.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Bath, UK- Not Just Quilts.

 Bath is a beautiful old city with lots of beautiful buildings and the surrounding hills and dales are very green and lush. There is a bridge in the town, similar to Venice, where the shops are built on the side of the bridge.

 The Roman Baths are built on thermal springs and well worth the visit. I was here in 1976 when there had been little excavation so I was very surprised to see how extensively they have been exposed now.

A model which shows the extent of the original Roman baths.

 Some of the tiled floors which have been excavated.
Some of the recovered pieces from the original Roman baths.

 They have a beautiful cathedral too, next to the Roman baths.

 We stayed at the guest house just near the corner, right in the heart of the city with lovely views over the park and river.

 The view from our hotel room. Unfortunately there was no lift and we were 3 floors up. We stayed an extra night in Bath as we needed the rest. Ray had been troubled with a kidney stone and the train's motion was aggravating his pain and symptoms. Unfortunately we had to cancel our planned trip to York where we were going to meet Margaret, one of my lovely blog readers, as well as a planned visit to the Quilt Museum where I had booked to see antique quilts up close. It was a shame to have to change our plans but the extra time resting ensured Ray made it home without more problems.
Hugs, Jan Mac

The American Museum at Bath, UK

 As well as Kaffe Fassett's "A World of Colour" exhibition at this museum they also have a wonderful range of antique quilts on display. They are hanging in display frames and covered by glass so it's not possible to get straight on views of them all as you have to swing open the quilt hangers to see each one. I was able to wait until most of the visitors have gone to get some better photos but the fan in front of the huge Baltimore Album quilt was impossible to mask. lol The quilts ranged from the mid to late 1800s and up to the 1950s and 1960s.

 Some of them were displayed on beds top their advantage.

 One of several of Kaffe Fassett's quilts which were hanging in the stairwell.

 A 1930s charmer with appliqued flowers.

Another of Kaffe's quilts hanging in the stairwell.

 This hexagon top was interesting as the quilter had pieced some of the hexagons in just 3 pieces by cutting the hexagons joined together and then quilting seam lines. I'm not sure you will understand what I mean and will try to find better photos when I have time. My photos have uploaded on my computer out of chronological order and I haven't had time to fix it yet.

Apart from the fan this was a stunning quilt in pristine condition. I was in quilter's heaven to be surrounded by so much quilty inspiration from the Kaffe Fassett as well as the antique quilts on display. I was disappointed to find that the Victoria and Albert Museum in London no longer have quilts on display as they are now stored at Blythe House and have to be requested for viewing, so I was very happy to have so much quilty loveliness at Bath.
 More to come soon.
Love, Jan Mac

More of Kaffe Fassett's Exhibition.

 The variety of work displayed was incredible and Kaffe Fassett has made so many needlework pieces that you wonder when he has time for anything else. The exhibition was beautifully presented and they had even laser printed (I think that's the process) and the floor was decorated with his designs. You felt you didn't want to walk on them as they were so beautiful.

 I loved this green and yellow room where his flowers and vegetable designs were featured.

A wonderful experience indeed and it gave me a new appreciation for the  use and beauty of vegetables in design.
Hugs, Jan Mac