Festival of Quilts is finished for another year.

It does feel a bit odd to work so hard towards something and then have it go by in a blur… it seems as if I have just arrived in the UK and yet I’ve been here 10 days already. Festival was great fun, it’s a terrific time to catch up with old friends, make  new ones and see what the entire quilting world has been up to. OK, maybe not the entire quilting world but certainly a big part of it. The event is huge, there are new products introduced , a quilt show of staggering proportions and one of the best shopping opportunities of the year!

This year I was teaching an hour-long workshop each day which doesn’t sound much if you say it fast but it certainly took some time! I met lots of wonderful students, new and old.

Here’s a few images from around the Mettler stand…

I showed a “before” version of the stand in the last post and here’s what it looked like just before we opened.

some were more keen than others to get going!

one of the workshops…

and the amazing machine I was lucky enough to be demonstrating for the run of the show… thanks Bernina!

 

There were some amazing quilts at the show, far too many to show here but here’s a few favorites and I’ll post a few more in a day or two.

This lovely quilt was made by Hilary Beattie and took 3rd place in the Contemporary category. Hilary is a wonderful textile artist and a fellow member of SiX and Friends, congratulations Hilary!

This quilt was also in the contemporary category and was made by Rita Dijkstra-Hesselink from Holland, I felt like I was being watched every time I went by.

This lovely piece was made by Robbie LePoidevin and not only took second place in the Pictorial Quilts category but was also her final assessment piece for her City and Guilds qualification, congratulations on all fronts Robbie, its brilliant!

This absolutely stunning traditional quilt was the winner in that category. It is hand embroidered, hand applique and hand quilted. And best of all made by Canadian! Deborah Kemball of Quebec.

The workmanship is amazing!

This dramatic piece was made by Barbara Lynn Tubbe from the US and collected a second prize in the Art Quilt category.The quilt makes a really dramatic statement about the forest fires consuming the California Sierra.

One of the highlights for me was meeting Lis from Lancashire, she attended one of my workshops and then dropped by the stand the next day for a chat. It turns out she had made a bag using one of my designs! It was published about 2005 in British Patchwork and Quilting magazine. Here’s Lis with her version of Leap Frog and her wonderful bag.

Great to meet you Lis!

The organizers of  Festival very kindly donated  a gallery space to acknowledge the life and work of Marie Roper… Laura Kemshall has posted images on the SiX and Friends blog and her images say it all.

Edwina and I are off to the Bramble Patch for open studio days tomorrow and Friday. Drop by if you are in the neighborhood and see what we are up to!

Bye for now, Catherine