Module 4 of the C&G course is all about texture. The first activity as always was to collect images and other resources to illustrate texture. Being on holiday for 3 weeks gave me an opportunity to collect images from more than just the home and garden. I enjoyed being on the look out for good texture everywhere.

This must be the first holiday where the typical holiday snap shot images are in the minority. Sqeze has always said that the best photographs are of the details and he has always practised what he preaches. Details certainly add a lot of interest. Looking out for the details or in my case the texture certainly opened my eyes and made me take much more notice.

I’ve uploaded the best texture images to Picasa.

I was browsing around the Quilt University website, having just received my monthly newsletter to jog my memory. There are some new forums up there. Well not so new now, but new to me. One is for book reviews and another covers product reviews. It was in the latter that I found a post about treadle machines.

They are still being made, at least in the US, for use by the Amish community. It seems they are becoming more popular for places where electricity can be a problem too. I had to do a quick google to see what more information I could find. Here’s the link to the information from the Janome website. I was amazed to read that you get 10 utility stitches including a buttonhole stitch. All you need is to find a cabinet with the treadle to attach it to.

And here’s another link to Lehman’s site where you can see the whole set-up.

As promised here are some photos of the Plaza Redonda in Valencia. It is a circular space created in the mid-19th Century on the site of the former slaughterhouse for the Mercado Central. There are stalls selling all kinds of bits and bobs and locally made crafts. We were lucky to find some craft going on in the central space as we were actually there on the wrong day. The day to see the bobbin lace makers is Thursday apparently between 10:00 and 13:00.

And this one is me buying my fan.

Secret Garden patchwork is a variation on the Cathedral Windows pattern. It wasn’t one I’d heard of before taking this C&G course. The only reason for the name that I can think of is that the finished effect looks like four petalled flowers.

This piece has also been made in the evenings in the hotel bedroom. We are currently staying for a week just outside Valencia, near enough to drive into the town each day, but far enough out to be a quiet hotel. We also have a large balcony to sit out on and as the weather has greatly improved it is being put to good use.

Today we went into the centre of Valencia to look around. Near to the Central Market we discovered a small round area like a mini market with stalls selling haberdashery and needlework supplies. It was thanks to Sqeze, because he took a detour down an interesting little side street. I was so busy looking at all the things on sale that I didn’t have time to take photos. Luckily Sqeze was not so enthusiastic about what was on sale so he concentrated on taking the photos. Unfortunately we can’t get them to download from the card to this PowerBook so I can’t post any of those photos yet. I’ll put some up when we get back home.

In the centre of these stalls were a couple of tables where Spanish ladies of various ages were sitting together and getting on with their needlework. One lady was making bobbin lace, some were crocheting and one was designing what liked like needlepoint. And all this going on right in the centre of town!

I was quite restrained and only picked up some white embroidery thread, which I think will be ideal for sashiko. It was an incredible bargain at only 1.90 €. I also treated myself to a fan with a little bag to keep it in, 10 € for both. Here are my purchases:

As you can see the fan is made from lace and the little bag has some embroidery on it. The skein of thread should keep me in supplies for a bit.

Here I am posting from our hotel in Girona in Spain. Although I did see some brightly coloured stained glass windows in the church in Pals today that’s not what I’m going to be posting about. I have just finished a sample piece of Cathedral Windows Patchwork for my C&G’s course. I brought all the materials away with me as we are travelling by car, so there was room for my small knitting bag. It has needlepoint and fabric in it this time though

So this is what I’ve been doing in the hotel bedrooms in the evenings. We’ve been unable to get out and do much walking around the towns because Sqeze has a bad right ankle, which flared up the day before we left. He is hobbling around and moving very slowly. I have to keep waiting for him to catch up, which is an entirely new experience. It’s usually me running to keep up.

Anyway here unpressed and taken with the last daylight coming in through our window: