A Visit to New England Quilt Museum and more...

A Visit to the New England Quilt Museum and more...

This little museum is located in Lowell, MA.  It's location is very near Boston.

  As usual, my family was reluctant to go inside but once they saw all of these amazing quilts they quickly got interested.  I hope the photos below inspire you.  I wish I had more time to be creative because I came away with so many great ideas for projects!

Below are some of my favorite quilts.

I think these Victorian dresses were the March exhibit.  Imagine wearing these while you quilt!

Or go out for the evening,

or a special occasion.  

Upstairs there are two small rooms with quilts displayed on the beds and walls.  

The textured quilts below are awesome.  I'd like to spend more time there to try to figure out how they're made.

Now we're getting to my favorite quilts.  I love crazy quilts.  These are exceptional.  

This was my favorite until...

I saw this!!  These owls must be machine embroidered.  I want this!

My other great love is houses.  I will make a house quilt or a couple of blocks at some point in my life I HOPE!

The texture of this quilt is more like a rug.  These houses look like the free house pattern that's all over the internet.  I have it.  

Get ready...

My favorite is below!  I love this denium quilt.  I can't imagine anyone having so much patience to make this.  It's machine done so maybe it wasn't as complicated as it looks.  This quilt inspired me to buy a complicated book on quilting houses.  I'll keep you posted if I do anything with it!

 

If you're thinking of taking a trip to New England Quilt Museum I strongly recommend you stop at The Quilted Crow in Boxborough, MA.  Here's the website: www.thequiltedcrow.com/  It's about 15 minutes on 495 from the museum and it's amazing.  I have been to many many quilt shops since I began quilting and this by far is up to about a ten on my scale.  If you love Prims, reproduction, French General fabric, etc. etc. this is the shop to visit.  There are loads of wool and felting patterns and kits, bolts and bolts of fabric of every kind, fat quarters, charms, jelly rolls etc. Books and quilts are everywhere in this very old big yellow house.  As soon as you walk in you will get lost in all the little nooks full of all kinds of neat quilt notions.  I'm going back as soon as possible.  AND I'm going to start researching what kind of patterns use French General fabric.  I am totally in love with it!

SO...

If you're staying over, I suggest going to the Taj Boston for a drink.  It's located on

15 Arlington St, Boston, MA 02116

It's beautiful inside.  We've been going there for years and it always reminds me of the pubs we stopped at in England. It overlooks Boston Commons so if you get there early enough and snag a table in the window you can people watch too.

They make the best martini's!

The Taj is located just across the street from Boston Commons.  When you leave the Taj and walk across the park you will find Charles Street.  There is a fabulous restaurant there called Toscano which is located on 47 Charles Street.

Here's the website if you'd like to take a look.

www.toscanoboston.com/‎

I'm looking forward to strolling through Boston Commons in the warmer weather!  Two weeks ago it looke and felt like we were in Syberia!  Happy Spring!