Visit to The Festival of Quilts

On 2 August John and I, plus John's sister and her friend headed to the NEC for the Festival of Quilts. The weather was perfect for a trip along the motorway and I enjoyed the drive. We didn't need to stop on the way, the road was running very nicely and so we made good time. The NEC is a massive complex and you have to stay alert to end up in the correct car park. There is a shuttle bus that then ferries you to the exhibition halls. The Festival of Quilts was spread over three exhibition halls, 7, 8 and 9, all interlinked so you didn't realise which hall you were in. Having visited last year I knew there was a lot of walking and so had worn my comfy shoes. We decided to have coffee and a pastry first to build our strength and it gave us time to check the exhibition map to see how it was laid out. The biggest question is where do you start? Check out the quilts or the vendors first? There were a lot of people viewing the quilts so John and I decided to browse some of the vendors first. John wanted to find a 3 x small magnifier and light for use with his stamp collection and I wanted to find some hand stitching and to stroke some lovely fabric. To avoid having bags to carry all day we noted the stands where we wanted to buy something and went back later in the day.

So lets look at some quilts. I didn't try to photograph every quilt there for several reasons. Some I just didn't like, some were very popular and getting close to take a photo was a problem, some were very large and I couldn't fit the whole quilt in however far back I stood and some were very tiny. The information I have given about the quilts is taken from the competition catalogue.

As you can see in the photo this quilt 'Shining Rose' was the winner in the tradition quilt section. It was designed and made by Yoshimi Suzuki from Kasushika Ku Japan and included piecing, embroidery and applique.

This one is Satsuma by Kate Sandford from Reading UK. In the information Kate writes that she was gifted a bin bag full of yellow scraps. She was inspired by other peoples fabric and the fabulous satsuma orange donated at her MQG.  She improvised a quilt top and quilted it on her tiny domestic Bernina 330.

Above is the winner of the miniature category. Naomi Iida designed and made this piece. |She is from Itabashi-Ku Japan. It is titled 'Gardenia in a small garden' and the techniques used include shadow trapunto, freemotion quilting, machine embroidery, hand dye

This quilt, 'Fragmentation' is designed and made by Kathy Unwin from Poynton UK and was the winner in the Art Quilt category. The fragmented images reflect a world stressed by environmental change and the developing economic and social circumstances.

This was the winner in the Quilt creation category and certainly created a lot of interest. The piece 'Metamorphosis' is the work of Penny Evans from Attleborough UK. It was inspired by the Eri silk moth. It incorporates the elements of the life cycle of the moth.

This quilt was in the sustainable category. For the purposes of the competition a sustainable quilt is defined as a quilt which has been made with minimal negative impact on the environment. At least 75% of the fabric used within the piece must be re-purposed from materials including functional textiles (eg curtains, clothing or bedding) and discarded items (eg packaging).  The remaining 25% would ideally be organic fabrics and / or taken from stash rather than bought new. 

Andrea Ashwell from Westbury UK made the quilt which was designed by Rhonda Cox Dort and titled Tales of cloth. Andrea said she created a new quilt from pieces of vintage linen that would otherwise live in a chest of drawers.

I loved the vibrancy of the colours in this quilt 'Blooming Mandala' designed and made by Helen Creasey from Surbiton UK. Helen states this was a self imposed challenge that pushed her to develop her skills.  I'm so pleased she did and it is fabulous and won 3rd prize in the contemporary quilt category. I didn't take a photo of the winner of this group. I'm not sure why I didn't.

People spent a lot of time looking at the hand quilting on this quilt. Autumn Pride was designed and made by Sandie Lush from Bristol UK. This quilt was inspired by, and based around variations of the traditional Pride of Iowa applique block. Sandie re-drafted the pattern to create another version.

'The beginning' is the work of Genesis Hall aged 14 from the United States. It was designed by Genesis Hall and Dee Bushrod. The pixel size is 1.25 x1.25 and there are 2284 pieces in the design. Adult involvement in this Youth Quilt was minimal

Another Youth quilt. 'The threads of me.....stitch by stitch' is designed and made by Jonty Sloan aged 9 from Reading UK. She shares the following about herself and her quilt. This sensory quilt is made with love. It shows things I adore including my family, my dog, nature, textures and cute things. I have autism and ADHD. I am learning that being unique is very important. I know my quilt is one of a kind, just like me! Adult involvement was minimal.

This quilt wasn't part of the competition. 'My own little chair' by Sidnee Snell. I love the textures in this quilt. You can find out more about her HERE

I have more  photos to share tomorrow. I hope you have enjoyed what I have shared so far.

Take care

Lyndsey