A trip to the Festival of Quilts.

On the 1st August, John and I visited the festival of Quilt along with John's sister Hazel and her friend Sharon. The trip from our house is 120 miles but we dropped younger daughter at work and picked up Hazel and Sharon on the way. 

The London end of the journey was rather cluttered with work day traffic but once on the M40 the traffic thinned out and we had a good drive in sunny weather. The NEC is massive with a range of exhibition spaces and the Festival of Quilts occupies 3 extremely large areas since it is now the biggest quilt show in Europe. We started with coffee and worked out our plan for the day, that is, what time to meet up for lunch and time to go home. Having refuelled, John and I decided to start with the retail areas as there were some items I needed.  

After a very tasty lunch of fish and chips we started our tour of the quilts and displays. This year I didn't take as many photos as usual but I got most of the prizewinners.

This crazy quilt dressing gown was part of one of the displays and I really liked it. It was made some time between 1940 and 1950 but the makers name is unknown. It is made of a variety of fabrics including cotton, silk and rayon with embroidery over the seams. The lining is thought to be parachute silk. Parachutes were quite often made of nylon not silk. If the lining is made from a parachute then it could have been made after the war. There were a lot of restrictions about using a resource that was considered vital for the war effort. I like this dressing gown because it's so bright and cheerful even after all these years and the maker was so resourceful.

This quilt won Best in Show 2025. It was designed and made by Simone Steuxner from Sweden and was titled Twisted. Simone states her design inspiration came from nature and the twists and turns of daily life. The rainbow colours represent the versatility and uniqueness of people and life itself.

This collection of 12 inch quilts were made by course members as part of an assessment. I took the photo as all of them together made a really joyful display.

This quilt wasn't a winner but it was beautiful and it must have taken hours of work especially the quilting. This quilt was in the Sustainable Quilt group. To be eligible to enter this class 75% of the fabric used within the quilt must be re-purposed from materials including functional textiles e.g. curtains, clothing. The remaining 25% would ideally be organic fabrics or taken from the makers stash rather than bought.

'One off the bucket list' was designed and made by Victoria Miller from Rugeley UK using the cathedral windows pattern which had been on her bucket list for some time. She repurposed three bedsheets and two duvets for the biggest part of the quilt.

This quilt was designed and made by Andrea Lea McVey from North Lanarkshire, Scotland using foundation paper piecing construction, longarm quilting and a pantograph design.  The title is 'A wind from the North'. I love the way the clothing is moving in the wind. This quilt was shortlisted for the Pictorial prize 

This quilt was catching everyone's eye due to the bright colours. Another pictorial quilt titled Kubota's Dream designed and made by Luana Rubin from Boulder CO, USA using painted background, fused applique and machine freemotion stitching.

Another pictorial quilt called Rusty Rocky River designed and made by Elly Prins from Zoetermeer, Netherlands using the one block wonder technique. I couldn't get a photo of this one without someone standing in front of it! 

Also a pictorial quilt, this time designed and made by Janice Gunner from Shefford UK titled, 'After the rain - Osu no ayki'. Machine applique/quilting/embroidery using African wax print and batik cotton.

This quilt 'Springtime in Somerset' was the third prize winner in the Pictorial quilt category. Designed and made by Sarah Mcclean from Highbridge UK who was inspired by her garden in the spring. She wanted to show the vibrancy of the abundant spring flowers.

This quilt was entered in the contemporary category by the designer and maker Vendulka Battais from Suffolk UK and titled 'Open to Interpretation'. Vendulka said she is challenging herself with abstract design. This quilt won first prize in the category.

The next quilt won 1st prize in the modern category. The quilt is designed and made by Olesa Bitsch from Steckborn, Switzerland and is titled 'Orbit'.

This quilt, 'Rust Collective', was entered to the group category. To be a group there had to be more than two makers. The quilt was designed by Ruth Axson and made by a group called Beartown Patchworkers and Quilters from Staffordshire UK. The group had 35 members. It was inspired by some gifted silk factory overruns.

This was the winner of the group category. It is titled 'Under the sea' and was made by Belmont Grosvenor School, Harrogate UK (year 5/6) There were 15 children in the group and the design was a collaboration by the children. Each child has learned to use a sewing machine to make a fish which has been appliqued onto the backing. This school uses the Festival of Quilts as inspiration for the DT project of the summer term.

This is another pictorial quilt. Designed and made by Antonia Hering from NoordHolland, Netherlands it is titled 'The Gathering'.

I still have a few more quilts to share but I have some chores I have to do, including cooking dinner. I'll share the rest tomorrow.

Take care

Lyndsey