HERON

FISHING ON THE TAY, BY MORAG AITKEN

Anglers have fished on the River Tay for centuries, competing for the catch with all the bird life that inhabits its banks. I like to inject a bit of fun into my blocks, hence the name and content.

The block was machine pierced and hand quilted. Heat “n” Bond was used to attach the heron and plants.

THE POW BURN AND TOWN LADE, BY ESTHER AITKEN

The Pow Burn was made in the 14th Century to feed the Lade which in turn powered the mills in Perth. The Lade also formed a defensive moat around the town before going into the Tay.

My quilt shows the Burn in the Middle Ages with Perth and the Tay in the background. The lade runs across the left hand side of the picture which also includes the Huntingtower.

I have tried to make my quilt look like a medieval picture. The background fabric resembles old parchment. I have hand appliquéd and quilted the piece and finished off the small details with embroidery.

DUTCH DYKE BUILDERS ON THE RIVER TAY, BY NORMA HILL

Dutch dykers were employed in the Carse of Gowrie in the 1800s to reclaim land from the flood plains of the River Tay. They used straw, ropes and wooden poles in their work. The reclaimed land proved to be very fertile and is idea for growing a variety of fruits, especially apples and raspberries which are used nowadays in local wine making and jam production.

• Landscape quilt with both machine and hand quilting
• Bondaweb used for the men and the boat, edged with blanket stitch
• Wool used to represent straw used in the land reclamation work
• String used to represent rope
• Textured ribbon used to represent wooden poles

THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE IN COTTOWN, BY JANE SHELDON

The Old Schoolhouse in Cottown is thought to have ben constructed between 1745 and 1770, the rubble plinth possibly being the remains of an earlier sandstone building destroyed by fire in 1766. The Cottown Schoolhouse is constructed out of traditional wattle and daub walls and thatched with reeds from the nearby and extensive reed beds on the River Tay. The Old Schoolhouse is now owned by the National Trust of Scotland.

• Landscape Quilt of three layers
• Cotton batik pieces appliquéd onto calico backing
• Inktense colouring on roof and chimneys
• Wool couching to represent thatching
• Free motion machine quilted

FRIARTON BRIDGE, RIVER TAY, BY HILARY KIRK

The panoramic local view along the north stretch of the River Tay shows, with a little artistic licence, Kinnoull Hill and Elcho Castle. This piece of work was created as a contribution to the Tay Landscape and Piece Partners point project and was based on a painting of the area by my husband.

• Landscape quilt with machine appliqué
• Fabric stabilised with Bondaweb
• Fly tying silver thread used in the river

THE SILVERY TAY, BY JEAN BEATTIE

Inspired by (a misquote of) the poem by the 19th Century poet William McGonnagall:

The Tay, the Tay, the silvery Tay, it flows from Perth to Dundee each day.

My favourite view of the river is from the Kinnoull Hill tower, looking east towards Dundee.

• A fabric collage created from a photograph
• Bonderwebbed to a background
• Raw edge appliquéd by machine
• Machine and hand quilted

VIEW OF KINNOULL HILL AND THE RIVER TAY, BY LESLEY MCCLINTOCK

THE TOWER, KINNOULL HILL, “THE TOP OF THE WORLD”, BY SHONA BURTON

The inspiration for this Landscape was childhood memories of looking down at the Carse of Gowrie from the tower on Kinnoull Hill. I used to think it was the top of the world!

I used brusho paints in crystal form, by spraying them with water the colour spreads out. I also machine quilted- free motion style.

This Landscape quilt is a representation of the tower on Kinnoull Hill and the Carse of Gowrie.

KINNOULL HILL, BY DOROTHY EWEN

On an outcrop a few hundred yards to the east of the summit of Kinnoull Hill is Kinnoull Tower, built in 1829 by Lord Grey of Kinfauns. Grey saw a great similarity between the River Tay and parts of the Rhine. Inspired by the castle on the Rhine, he built the tower asa romantic folly and also used it as an observatory.

The part to the tower is close to the edge of a high and dangerous cliff, though this is partly hidden by the trees. There are occasional gaps which allow dramatic views down to the Tay and the A90 far below, with the Lomond Hills and Fife beyond.

• Tower centre is foundation pierced with embroidery and random quilting
• Branches are strands of wool couched on the sky
• Felt is used to represent the tree, shrub and lichen on the walls of the tower

ABERNETHY STONE, BY LORNA SCOTT

COBBLE BOAT FERRY, BY LESLEY MCCLINTOCK

The cobble boat ferry was used on the River Tay at Jamesfield and at Cairnie Pier.

My interpretation of the cobble boat ferry was machine pierced and hand quilted.