Been a very long time since I posted anything so having to relearn how it works.
I was very happy to visit Festival of Quilts finally this year. I had planned to visit in 2020, but that went online. Last year, with added space for social distancing, I decided that it was possibly just too much walking involved. This year, that wasn’t such an issue and the extra space was a delight! Birmingham is about a 3-4 hr drive from us so husband and I drove up the day before, visited Calke Abbey and Ashby de la Zouch, then stayed overnight in a b&b 10 minutes away.
Tickets this year had a timed entry but very flexible and no queuing for entry, just straight in and oh, my goodness, the competition quilts were straight in front of us! All displayed as beautifully as usual, with lovely big spaces so I was able to stand back for viewing as well as getting up close to inspect details. I met several members of Oast Quilters within minutes, with Tracey Alpin actually on duty as a Quilt Angel near one of her own entries. Several members had entries this year and it was fun looking for them, plus seeing lots which I recognised from IG.
As I was on my own this year and had no plans to meet up, I felt very relaxed about viewing and took a few hours to wander the aisles of entries. That isn’t to say that I had no conversation all day – quilters tend to be quite chatty while looking at quilts!
entry CT70 – Butterfly Blocks by Louise Bell Quilts,Burwash UK £1,700
CT71 – Piecing Together Louise Gold’s Career – Emma D Shane, Richmond UK
CT72 – Wisteria by night – Masami Shige Lee, Japan Judge’s Choice by Paula RaffertyCT73 – Repurposed ii – Sixty Four, by Sandra Newton, Kenninton, UK – Judge’s Choice by Marian CaspersCT76 – We have more in common, Than sets us apart – Esther Pollard, Brandside, UKCT61- Dystopia Rouge – A Series of Crewel Jokes – Alison Bowers, Corwall + Isles of Scilly, UK
CT63 – I See Strong Women, by Jane Varnall, Arlesford, UKCT65 – Johnson out now – @fullenglish, Huddersfield, UKCT 67 – Don’t Ask! – Mary Mayne, Dunstable, UK, Judge’s Choice by Andrea AshwellCT48- Gaja – sylviaquiltartist, Poland,£1,000CT49- Find a Memory – SU JIN KIM, South KoreaCT50- Avant-garde by Lena Meszaros, FranceCT51 – Reclaimed Blue Log Cabin by Hannah Thompson, Brackley, UKCT55 – Circles of Discovery, by Greta Fitchett, Derby, UKCT56 – Quarantine Quilt, by Joanna Weavering, St Leonards On Sea, UKCT40 -Golden Threads of Life, by Lynda Jones, Droitwich Spa, UkCT39 – The Seekers, by Samantha Boot, King’s Somborne, UkCT35 – Dragonfly Summer, by Janice Gunner, Clifton, UKCT33 – Bee Quilt, by Anne Varley, Wellington, UkCT32 – Tigers and Tulips, by Penelope Jeffries, Ashford, UKCT29- The opposite of hope is not despair , by Sarah Humpreys, Leeds, UK
That’s part one of Contemporary Quilts, which was sponsored by Janome.
Mum of 4, I live on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. I've always sewn but the quilting bug snagged me a couple of years ago and now, with the encouragement of my artist husband, I'm spreading my wings into textile art.
Fiona's Fabric Fancies 