The Grey Quilt in the Grey Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always think I have a finish when I finish the quilt top. Going by those rules, I have another finish. I have finished the top of the broken mill wheel block, using cotton and steel fat quarters and a variety of grey kona fabrics. I have also finished the backing. That's two finishes isn't it? I have the wadding now, but it will be a while before I get around to putting it all together. With our gentle out and about we seemed to be on a Normans in Ireland trail, so we took the quilt with us.

 

The Normans were what we imagine medieval knights to be. They were really Anglo Normans. The Normans were descended from the Vikings. They founded the duchy of Normandy in France and then entered treaties with the English. The Anglo Normans were the people descended from the intermarriages of these English and French as opposed to the Anglo Saxons who were the original British people. The Normans then came to Ireland in the 1100s and these settlers in turn became knows as the Norman Irish or Hiberno Normans. Throughout all this, they kept their many of their French names and customs. I apologise for all the historical errors and simplifications. It makes me think, that life has always been a mish mash of people coming together and taking the best and worst of each others traditions.

 

The Grey Abbey is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1193 by Affreca, wife of John de Courcy who built many strongholds along the east coast of Ireland. In an early strike out for women, this was the only monastery in Ireland to be founded by a woman. In 1315 the Abbey was attached by Edward, brother of  the more famous Robert the Bruce. In 1572 the Abbey was burnt to prevent Queen Elizabeth 1 taking the monastery for the Crown. It was repaired and given to the Montgomery family and used as a church right up to 1778.

 

And now, 827 years later, I used it as a site to photograph my quilt

 

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The Abbey is very atmospheric. The Montgomery home, Rosemount is just visible through the trees. The trees are home to rooks, they fly and soar above the Abbey, shrieking in the grey skies. A lot of people don't even realise the Abbey is there. Greyabbey is on our main coastal route, but the Abbey itself is just tucked behind.

 

 

My quilt is as yet unfinished. The quilt needs to be sandwiched but the opportunity to take some photos was too great. The quilt top measures 80" square. The backing measures up at about 90" square. The backing is a backing fabric, that I borrowed from on a previous occasion, bulked out this a way and that a way.

 

And I still have a ton of Cotton & Steel fat quarters left. Those two boxes I bought from Craftsy really were good value.

 

Helen x