ABOVE Carol Munro, the featured speaker at the Glasgow Gathering of Quilters | May 2026.
By Patricia Belyea
GLASGOW UK — Serendipity was the word of the day. By chance, Victoria and I arrived in Glasgow on the third Tuesday of the month — meeting night for The Glasgow Gathering of Quilters.
Guest speaker Carol Munro wowed us with stories from her quilting journey. Her final reveal was Star Struck — an English paper pieced quilt made from 12,256 half-inch hexagons. The quilt was a grand finale to an inspiring evening.
BELOW Carol Munro’s impressive EPP quilt, Star Struck.
The day began with a three-hour ride aboard the historic Settle–Carlisle Railway. Winding through the Yorkshire Dales, we passed white sheep scattered across emerald fields and storybook train stations with names like Ribblehead.
BELOW 1 Settle, the originating station for our legendary route. 2 The picturesque Yorkshire Dales.
The end of the line was Carlisle, home to Linton Tweeds. On our walk to the mill, we stopped at Carlisle Cathedral to admire its curvilinear East Window and its magnificent Victorian celestial ceiling.
BELOW 1 Carlisle Catherdral. 2 Victoria looking heavenward, with the East Window in the background. 3 The iconic blue-and-gold pattern on the barrel-vaulted ceiling, created by Owen Jones during a major restoration in 1856.
We arrived at The Bobbin Coffee Shop, the on-site café at the Linton Tweeds mill. After lunch, we pressed an intercom button on the back wall. Soon Janice appeared and guided us through an outdoor space and into the Showroom.
BELOW 1 The Bobbin Coffee Shop. 2 Amazing! A gluten-free scone with clotted cream and jam that tasted like my wildest dreams. 3 A fabulous likeness of Victoria and me dining on a Linton Tweeds table.
Linton Tweeds weaves luxury fabrics that often incorporate unexpected materials — ribbons, sequins, and specialty yarns. The House of Chanel has featured a Linton tweed in every Chanel collection since 1928.
A wall of cubbies displayed tweed samples available by the yard. A small selection of products — including Linton Tweeds purses — was also for sale.
BELOW Linton Tweeds Showroom.
As we spoke with Janice about our textile tour research, more team members joined our conversation. Before long, Victoria and I found ourselves invited into the Linton Tweeds Archive. We felt incredibly special to gain access to this inner sanctuary of textile history.
BELOW Memo samples from past Linton Tweeds collections.
Our afternoon ended with a walk back to Carlisle Station and a ride aboard an Avanti West Coast train across the Scottish border to Glasgow — just in time for our wonderful connection with The Glasgow Gathering of Quilters.
BELOW 1 A warm welcome. 2 Detail of a appliqué quilt by Carol Munro.
To visit the Linton Tweeds website +click here
Patricia and Victoria are currently in the UK scouting exciting people and places for their inaugural Great UK Quilt & Textile Journey. To be on the Interested List for this Summer 2027 tour, email Victoria +here.
