Living at Oyster Bay

By Barbara Alston

A celebration of craft in the Highlands and Islands and to a new-found home at Oyster Bay, Benderloch, Argyll and the Isles.
Image provided by Barbara Alston

My husband and I spent forty years moving around the world, to exciting places, as he moved up the ladder in his company. We acquired wonderful memories, and three children, now grown. Two of them live far away with their own families. We settled here in a quiet place facing sea and hills. We are both Scots, so it was a homecoming, into a community we didn’t know, to make new friends and connections. I make quilts, and take part in the various activities of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles, so the Tapestry of the Isles was another way to express our pride in ancient craft, and it’s continuation.

Many thanks to Barbara Alston for sharing with us the story behind her journey stone, created as part of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands.

WHAT IS A JOURNEY STONE?

Prior to the beginning of the stitching of each tapestry panel, each stitcher of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands was tasked with telling their interpretation of the 'Spirit of the Highlands and Islands' within a blank outline of a stone. The possibilities were truly endless - is it represented in the land? The people? A historical site? A favourite memory?

In any case, each journey stone represents the connection between each individual stitcher, their story, and their own sense, or 'spirit', of place. Discover more of the stories behind the journey stones of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands here.