Bell Quilt Goes to New Zealand!

I was very pleased to visit with Karen R and Guy on Wednesday - they are visiting the UK from Christchurch New Zealand for a few weeks. On their way from Kent to Yorkshire, they stopped over in Suffolk and took the Christchurch Bell Quilt away on the first leg of its journey to New Zealand!

We had a meal together at the Greyhound and then went for a ring at Pettistree Church before again retiring to the pub for our "Theory Session". It sounds as if it may be many years yet before the bells are ringing again and the cathedral rebuilt.

I would like to say once again how much I appreciate all the people who contributed blocks for this quilt - I very much enjoyed receiving them and was pleased to put the quilt together. Bellringing has a rich history and I am pleased to be part of its worldwide community.


Here is a photo of the Bell Quilt hanging at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in August. I know that many people enjoyed seeing the quilt and looking for "their" block. I thought the blocks worked well as a group quilt and it got good marks from the judges on their score sheet. Many thanks to all those who helped with this quilt.

On Saturday I taught machine quilting at Quilters Haven in Wickham Market, which went well. Talking to Karin Hellaby afterwards, I also agreed to make a small quilt, in Amish plain colours, for Karin's next book! Luckily, it seems an easy technique.

On Sunday, we took advantage of the fair weather for a walk - from Edwardstone to Groton and back. Edwardstone was the first major bell restoration project for the Suffolk Guild of Ringers. Its a church that sits outside the village in a lovely rural setting.

We walked on footpaths, field paths and quiet roads to Groton - you can see the church just peeking out behind one of the old farmhouses there. No bells here...

We walked as far as Groton Woods. I used to take my environmental science students to nearby Bradfield Woods every year on a field trip to see the coppicing techniques - but I had never visited this wood. It is known for containing good amounts of the small leaved lime - Tilia cordata. This was formerly very common in the early stages of woodland in prehistoric Britain but it is now unusual to find a lime woodland in Britain.

There were some lovely wild plums along the route, but the tree leaves are beginning to fall...