Isle of Skye

Last week, I was vacationing in Scotland.

We stayed in quaint Bed and Breakfasts like this one:

We were on the remote Isle of Skye, northwest of the mainland, no travelers or tourists in site, where the roads are one lane like this one:



. . . only 1 vehicle fits, and there are pull outs every so often for cars to pass each other like this:




Oh, and did I mention that you drive on the LEFT side of the road???

Along the west coast of Skye, there is lovely scenery like this to the right:

and this to the left:

and majestic views of the sea like this one:

 and aged buildings like this one:

The family living in this three hundred plus year old building, would have occupied the top (front door on the right), with the animals lodging in the bottom level.

If you happen to live on this enchanting island, it is usually because your home has belonged to your ancestors, and has been passed down for centuries from one generation to the next.

We were driving along on these quiet, quaint roads, when all of a sudden . . .

we see this  . . .

Now, I have to admit, I'm a quilt addict.  But the last thing on my mind was quilting.  And boy did I get some eye-rolls from the other passengers in the car (obviously non-believers).

The funny thing was that even though the car I was driving was a rental,  it against my will just turned towards this house.  

Inside, we found this:

Skye Quilt Studio with owner Jennifer Lewis, textile artist, website here (check it out to see her luscious art quilts, they are brilliant in design and exquisite in color)

. . . walls lined with bolts and a full display of her beautiful, intensely pieced quilts, such as this one:

(I love how the batiks make everything look so real)

and this one:

and does it look familiar?  .  .  .   It's the stunning view as the sun is setting over the horizon . . .  from HER SEWING CHAIR !!! 

She and her husband moved here to live by the sea with all it's charm.

(I love this picture, it's reality on Skye)

and did I mention that she has a castle across the inlet?

yip . . . Dunvegan Castle.

I thought this classy blue would be a fun fabric to purchase, reminding me of the color of the water . . . actually, it might be a great fabric for the boat quilt I want to make:

So, the next time you're on the Isle of Skye, be sure to stop by her place!

Have you been to a remote place this summer, or ever, and there, all of a sudden is a quilt shop? . . . and  you can't just walk past it . . . you may never be there again.   I'd love to hear about your experience!

Thank you, Jennifer for a lovely visit.

the UK . . . all I could see were shapes

I've been in England and Scotland this week.  All I could see were shapes 

Chevrons?

Does this one look familiar? sooooo cool.

Gates are my weakness. . .

gates and ironware . . . totally addicted.

everywhere there was a big lawn, croquet was set up.

The Cotwolds. . . the bricks on their homes looked like gold.

Do you see a beautiful house? 

 I see a wall with a patch work of rectangles with a nice design for the border.  I see sashing around the windows, triangles, squares, shadows, straight lines, long lines, thin lines and circular lines for contrast.  Oh!  AND there IS a beautiful house :)

the slate roofs are "boss", as my nephew would say . . .

and color?  just look at the color!!!  It all looks good together.  

Isn't this old wood desk the coolest ever?  It's actually from the school that William Woodsworth attended several hundred years ago.

load up on hexagons

This week I finished my first hexigon quilt.

It's made with Sweetwater's Noteworthy.  You can read a little tutorial on it here.

all linked up:

finish it friday (thanks AJ)

wip: binding this week

This is a big week for finishes.  Whoop!

I have 2 quilts I'm binding this week:

I'll tell you about this finish on Friday :)

This one is the kingsize I've been working on for decades, well, 8 months or so.

It's named Skyfall, after the island of Skye in Scotland.  Coincidentally, I'll be going there again this next week for a visit.  I'll post a finish product for it soon, it turned out much nicer than I thought it would.

all linked up: