Festival of Quilts

I have had a lovely day today at The Festival of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham!  I went with the lovely Paula, and we had a great time.  It's such a big show that it's impossible to see it all in one day - well, I suppose it would be if you didn't get distracted by the shopping, but we did!  Apart from admiring all the goodies and notions on sale, we spent the bulk of our time in the traditional aisles, and were very impressed with what we saw.  Here are just a Few of the pieces which caught my eye.

 

 

The use of colour and the different border fabrics made this one a joy. 

 

Sampler quilts are a fantastic way to learn lots of techniques, but (sorry!) they can look a bit boring.  This one showcases various techniques and still manages to look interesting.

 

I was attracted to this quilt because of its Mile a Minute borders, but then, the longer we looked at it, the more we loved it.  It's made from African fabrics, and each ray of the star has diamonds of a certain colour, and then is edged with the same colour.  The quilting is simple to complement the shapes, but with variegated threads which really add something.  Gorgeous.

 

Split 9-patch with applique in the middle, rather than as a border.  Clever.

 

This was another quilt which repaid study.  The multi-coloured circles are such fun, and the way the background fabrics are light in the middle and dark round the edge add depth to the design.  And the border fabric!  Anyone else would have said it was busy enough, but the maker decided to add some applique, and quite right too.  This quilt may not be a prize-winner, but it fills my heart with joy!    

 

This was a winner in the junior section.  It was called something like flowers in the snow.  I love it, and spent a while trying to work out how it was made.  (We failed!)

 

Then the 3D section.  Or is this wearable art?  The coat looks good, but I'm not sure about the hat!

 

I've seen cars covered in patchwork, but never a garden seat.  Back view,

 

and front view.  Amazing.

 

This quilt was a testament to women.  Hooray for us!

 

And last but not least, a working grandfather clock!  How on earth did they ship it?!

Overall we loved the show, and were pleased to see such variety.  As usual, we mainly disagreed with the judges choices of winners (two layers of chiffon don't make a quilt, in our opinion) but then, that's normal!