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Anglesey – Island of Quilts ‘Falling into Place’ Exhibition

The Isle of Anglesey is renowned for many things: beautiful beaches, water-sports, lovely walks, stunning views, wide range of specialist produce, history, golf – the list goes on and on.

However one thing you may not be aware of is the strength of Art/Crafts on the Island and one area in particular has a large following: Textile Art, especially in the form of Patchwork and Quilting. In case the only image which just popped into your mind was an old fashioned quilt on a Victorian bed, you will be in for a surprise. Bed quilts are wonderful, of course, but there is so much more, and it’s all happening here on Anglesey.

Anglesey - Island of Quilts 'Falling into Place' Exhibition

Take, for example, ‘Falling into Place’ currently on show at Canolfan Ucheldre, Holyhead. This is an exhibition of work by people of all ages who have attended my Courses and Individual Workshops and I am so very proud of all of them and what they have achieved.

‘Falling into Place’ runs from 7th January to 5th February 2012 at:-
  • Canolfan Ucheldre, Millbank, Holyhead, Anglesey LL65 1TE
  • 01407 763361
  • Open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm. Sunday 2pm – 5pm.

If you can visit, I’m sure you’ll enjoy seeing the work.

There are many groups working in textiles on Anglesey and we are very well supported by specialist shops: Tan Lan, Copperfield, Kit ‘n Kaboodle, Siop Eleni,The Sewing Machine Shop. Contacts for all of these are available on my site, www.dotrussell.co.uk. Envious visitors can’t believe we pack so much into one island: they think we’re spoilt – yes we are, and we love it. Anglesey really is the Island of Quilts.

Don’t forget that you can join the fun by having a one to one, or small group, tailored workshop with me while you are holidaying on Anglesey/North Wales. You can even stay at Cottage at Coed y Berclas.

Dorothy Russell

8th January 2012

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Private Quilt Workshops at Coed y Berclas

Private Quilt Workshops at Coed y Berclas

At the moment, we have Julie and Anthony staying at the Cottage, along with members of their family who have dropped in for a few days, one or two at a time. Julie, already a skilled needlewoman, has been having quilting lessons with me and is enjoying herself, adding new skills to her repertoire.

She hit a good time to holiday here as she caught the last of my current series of Individual Workshops and was able to join the group doing Reverse Applique (contemporary style!). She was pushed well outside her comfort zone and had fun escaping her usual symmetrical approach to produce a really lovely piece of work which you can see for yourself in the photograph taken at my group’s ‘end of term’ Pot Luck Lunch, on Sunday 4th July.

While Julie has been doing patchwork and quilting with me, the other members of her family have been discovering Anglesey and North Wales before being guided gently towards one or two of the quilt shops we have on the Island. They have climbed Snowdon, visited Bodnant Gardens and Beaumaris Castle, watched nesting seabirds at South Stack, been body boarding at Cable Bay on the north coast, enjoyed ice cream at Red Boat and a lot more beside.

While at Cable Bay Julie sat quietly quilting a piece of wholecloth work she had designed, layered and begun stitching in a private workshop with me. You can also see how that’s developing in one of the Show and Tell photos from our lunch party on the 4th. The section you can see is only part of a bed quilt Julie is planning to make – the drawing is done and at the rate she’s working, it won’t be too long before it’s finished.

Having come to grips with Machine Quilting, at our next session together she tackled a version of Magic Tile; so keep an eye on the blog to see how that looks later on. I must ask her to let me have photos of all her finished work.

I have to add that I too have really enjoyed myself: Julie has been very good company, always open to new approaches, fun to spend time with and at the Pot Luck Lunch she blended in with my regular quilt groups as though they’d all been friends for ages.

Private Quilt workshops at Coed y Berclas

Dorothy

July 9th 2010

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Quilt Workshops Anglesey

Dorothy Russell Quilting workshop on Anglesey

I’m now half way through the twelve session quilting course I’m teaching to a group of new quilters and I’m enjoying it hugely. They are all lovely; they’re getting on really well both with their work and with each other – and they want to carry on after this course – which is brilliant.

I hope lots of the quilts will be ready for the Llandygai Patchers’ Exhibition in Menai Bridge in August this year.

I also offer patchwork/quilting lessons to guests staying at Coed y Berclas Holiday Cottage but recently I had a request to teach a lady staying elsewhere on Anglesey – I hadn’t previously thought of offering quilt days to visitors other than those staying with us, but why not – so if you live on Anglesey or in North Wales or are visiting the area – wherever you’re staying – and you would like to enjoy a few hours of Patchwork and Quilting tuition, beginner or improver, give me a call or send an email.

In September I will be starting another twelve session Beginners Quilting Course too – Contact me for information and to put your name down.

Dorothy