You may remember that I have a lovely collection of Jennys over here. There is Quilting Jenny, then, from our hotel days there is Upstairs Jenny and Downstairs Jenny. Yesterday I was invited for tea at Upstairs Jenny's.
When Dwight and I used to take our walks around Portland, we would often pass by a house that had several cobalt blue planters across the front; the one I remember most had an orange tree growing in it, laden with small fruit. When I reached Jenny's address yesterday, I found that this is her house!
Jenny's mother-in-law, Win, who is a quilter, was visiting from Suffolk. I was invited so that Win and I could talk quilts...always a pleasure. What I didn't know was that Jenny is also an accomplished needlewoman. Turns out she has made wedding dresses and other fancy clothes for her daughters as they were growing up. Granddaughter Neave, who stopped by while I was there, is making a quilt of her own out of the leftover satins and other fabrics that Jenny had in her stash.
Win's current project is a whole cloth quilt that she is hand quilting for another of her granddaughters. The granddaughter is drawing the motifs (very complicated ones by the sound) and Win is quilting away. It's a large quilt, and Win's comment was that she hoped to have it done before she popped her clogs. I had to ask what it means to pop one's clogs and learned that it's the same as buying the farm or pushing up daisies. Win is an extremely fit octogenarian (who had walked up the hill to Easton!), so I feel sure her clogs will be occupied for a long time to come!
Other things I want to remember from this visit are that Jenny's daughter Jo was there with her one-year-old son Will. Precious Will is the baby who had the naming ceremony about which I had previously written. I also met Malcolm, Jenny's husband, who is a very proud Granddad. Neave's birthday is just one day after mine, and she is almost the exact same age as Izzy, my Florida quilting friend and student. Also want to remember Jenny's frosted ginger cake, which was dense and delicious.
Today I am going back up to Portland to the Country Market. I want to see Mimi Walker, the Dorset Feather Stitchery lady, and show her my practice piece. If I get there in time to buy one of Claire Youngman's Tangy Lemon Cakes, I'll invite Jenny to come for tea!
When Dwight and I used to take our walks around Portland, we would often pass by a house that had several cobalt blue planters across the front; the one I remember most had an orange tree growing in it, laden with small fruit. When I reached Jenny's address yesterday, I found that this is her house!
Jenny's mother-in-law, Win, who is a quilter, was visiting from Suffolk. I was invited so that Win and I could talk quilts...always a pleasure. What I didn't know was that Jenny is also an accomplished needlewoman. Turns out she has made wedding dresses and other fancy clothes for her daughters as they were growing up. Granddaughter Neave, who stopped by while I was there, is making a quilt of her own out of the leftover satins and other fabrics that Jenny had in her stash.
Win's current project is a whole cloth quilt that she is hand quilting for another of her granddaughters. The granddaughter is drawing the motifs (very complicated ones by the sound) and Win is quilting away. It's a large quilt, and Win's comment was that she hoped to have it done before she popped her clogs. I had to ask what it means to pop one's clogs and learned that it's the same as buying the farm or pushing up daisies. Win is an extremely fit octogenarian (who had walked up the hill to Easton!), so I feel sure her clogs will be occupied for a long time to come!
Other things I want to remember from this visit are that Jenny's daughter Jo was there with her one-year-old son Will. Precious Will is the baby who had the naming ceremony about which I had previously written. I also met Malcolm, Jenny's husband, who is a very proud Granddad. Neave's birthday is just one day after mine, and she is almost the exact same age as Izzy, my Florida quilting friend and student. Also want to remember Jenny's frosted ginger cake, which was dense and delicious.
Today I am going back up to Portland to the Country Market. I want to see Mimi Walker, the Dorset Feather Stitchery lady, and show her my practice piece. If I get there in time to buy one of Claire Youngman's Tangy Lemon Cakes, I'll invite Jenny to come for tea!
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