Ardington School of Craft
September 14, 2012
Two lovely days at Ardington School of Craft in Oxfordshire – the School has only been open since April this year but looks to be well on the way to a very successful venture. It really is a school too – formerly the village school, resplendent with the original panelling and partitions and other vintage details.
classroom, Ardington
detail, Ardington
Essentials of Handquilting was the class I was teaching, and the fabulous natural light made it really easy both for the quilting itself and also inspecting the samples and old quilts I had taken along.
quilting in progress
Border detail, Welsh quilt 1930s
We all made the most of the good weather and our surroundings during lunch breaks -
taking a break
High Street, Ardington
view from High Street, Ardington
It was a particular treat for me to be in this part of Oxfordshire – my grandfather’s family actually lived and worked on the Lockinge estate which surrounds Ardington and probably even went to this school, Very much a case of following in family footsteps!
Next week I’ll be teaching Essentials of Hand Quilting II at Threads & Patches near Milton Keynes and then over to Gwent Quilters in south Wales for a day of Tentmaker Applique – more packing to do!
September 14, 2012 at 3:17 pm
What a lovely place for a quilting workshop! I wish I could have been there. The Welsh Quilt is more than beautiful! Do you know the provenance, maybe it’s made under the RIB scheme?
September 15, 2012 at 9:00 pm
The Welsh quilt was bought from our friend Jen Jones 20 years ago. It is probably 1930s, sateen fabric front and back, wool batting, stitched with green thread. I have used it extensively in classes and it is now rather more worn than when I first owned it. The design and stitching are good, but not as sharp or complex as the RIB quilts were – I think it was made for personal/private use rather than for sale.
September 14, 2012 at 3:34 pm
It looks a very pretty place to be.and the fabric sampler being stitched is such a pretty colour too.
September 14, 2012 at 3:41 pm
It certainly looks like a lovely place to teach and to learn.
September 15, 2012 at 10:58 am
What a great classroom, Quilt and location.
Geoff Sewell
September 16, 2012 at 7:03 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed the class on hand quilting at Ardington – thank you, Barbara, for passing on your valuable insights and expertise. Plenty for me to think about and put into practice. Thank you too for teaching me to use a thimble (at last!) and for finding me such a lovely example that fits – I will treasure it! I can recommend classes at the Ardington School of Traditional and Contemporary Crafts to anyone else reading this – lovely venue and a great forward programme of courses!
September 19, 2012 at 8:01 am
A big thank you to Barbara for such an enjoyable 2 days at Ardington last week. I learnt so much about hand quilting and it was fun. I am full of enthusiasm to start a new project and I am looking for the right fabrics. The difference and handling feel between the various makes of needle and threads was a revelation. The venue was ideal for the course and thanks also to Karen and Andrea for their good company.