I am writing to you from the historic medieval town of Canterbury in SE England. I am visiting old friends and also visiting a few quilt artist friends. Today I visited the home and studio of Cas Holmes, who is quite well known in the UK and Europe. I met her many years ago in Tokyo, and then would see her again in Birmingham at the UK Festival of Quilts. She has written several beautiful books, with lovely tactile cloth-bound covers. We have one title arriving soon, and a couple more in the near future we hope. I had tea in her lovely garden under a sprawling knotted wisteria in full bloom. Then I toured her 2 studio spaces and saw old and new work. I brought her some fabric and a chocolate bar, and then she gave me a couple of her art books, and another chocolate bar. Great minds think alike!
Yesterday we visited historic Canterbury Cathedral, and attended a beautiful Evensong choral service. Today we visited Leeds castle, and learned about the 8 queens who lived there over the centuries. My friends are avid birders, so we also were identifying the myriad of birds who populate the grounds. The huge ancient trees really capture my imagination. There were many beautiful tapestries and embroidered pieces from previous eras. It is a bank holiday weekend here, so lots of families were out to enjoy the sunny mild weather. This part of the country is about a month ahead of our Spring in Colorado, so I was also loving the fragrance and colors of all the blooming plants, including Bluebells and Rhododendrons. I am told that Kent is called The Garden of Britain because of all the lush blooming plants!
I’ll be sharing photos from this trip when I return home. Paul and I are big fans of the show ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, and I love the rolling green hills dotted with sheep on the back roads here. I don’t think many Americans visit this part of the UK, but it is full of history … UNESCO has granted world heritage status to Canterbury, but locals still have stories about the Battle of Britain here from WWII. When I visited Cas for instance, she said there are neighbors who still remember houses being bombed there during the war.
This last week I launched registration for my Textile & Costume Tour in Italy, in early December. You can learn more about this tour on this page. Make a deposit now to hold your place, and you can set up a payment plan.
sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul
Travel/Quilt Dates:
May 1-8 – London & Canterbury, UK
June 19-22 – Quilt Canada, Edmonton
August – World Wilderness Congress, Rapid City SD
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Tour – Italy. Christmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.
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