Festival of Quilts 2018 – Part 1 – My Favourite Quilts

The Festival of Quilts is the highlight of my quilting year. It’s an annual event where I feed my mind with colour & pattern and catch up with Stitchery friends from across the UK.

This year’s show felt even bigger and better than in previous years – more quilts, more amazing exhibitions and way more visitors. In fact, there were so many quilters arriving at the opening of day one that the organisers had to open up three entrances in order to get us all in!

I find my tastes in quilts changes from year to year. I wander around and only photograph work which I love or pieces that ‘speak’ to me. After a quick browse through this year’s snaps I discovered a beautiful collection of traditional quilts and contemporary needlework which I will share with you over the next few posts.

My Favourite Quilts from The Festival of Quilts

These are my favourite quilts from the show – all are double or king size bed quilts apart from one very tiny, blue miniature quilt.

Some are competition quilts and some are exhibition quilts.

Festival of Quilts 2018 - Traditional Quilt - Ann Pill — Traditional Quilt – Ann Pill

Continue reading “Festival of Quilts 2018 – Part 1 – My Favourite Quilts”

21st September 201530th June 2018

The Festival of Quilts 2015 – Part Five – Winners in each Category

The Festival of Quilts has a section cordoned off, where the winning quilts are already hung, but are covered – draped with cloths – until 2pm on the first day. I stood in anticipation alongside the crowds of onlookers waiting to see the best quilts in each category. Having seen the rest of the quilts in show, I knew the winning pieces would have to be something very special to win a place under the cloths. I wasn’t disappointed, they were amazing. Every inch of every piece represented hours and hours of painstaking work. Stunning colours, textures and surface design. This year I especially liked the pieces made by the schools and the young quilters.
Here are the winners. Enjoy.

Art Quilts – My Lady by Susan Orchin

Schools (Primary 5-11) – Patchwork Magic by Belmont Grosvenor School

Traditional Quilts – Kaleidoscope by Janette Chilver

Miniature Quilts – Tempest by Kumiko Frydi

Schools (Secondary 12-16) – The Magic Circle by Watford Grammar School for Girls

Group Quilts – The Show Stoppers by The Exhibitionists

Young Quilter /Embroiderer 12-16 – Colores En Elvento by Sonsoles Ponti-Aguirre

Quilt Creations – The Chess Set by Mavis Walker

My First Quilt – Derelict by Catherine Groves

Two Person Quilt

The Quilters’ Guild Challenge – Log Cabin Crazyness! by Joy Salvage

Contemporary Quilts – Without Colour I Have No Voice by Lesley Brankin

Pictorial Quilts – Turtle Bay by Claudia Pfeil

Check out my other posts for more on the wonderful textile creations at the Festival of Quilts.

17th September 201530th June 2018

The Festival of Quilts 2015 – Part Four – Miniature Quilts

Every year I am drawn to the intricate beauty of these miniature quilts. Their detail and precision is mind blowing. The older I get the poorer my eyes sight is getting (yes I am past that wonderful age of 40). I aspire to have the ability to create a quilt of the caliber displayed at the Show, but for the time being I am happy to just look in awe at the skill of these stitchers. Each piece is a maximum of 30cm on its’ longest side (to be classified as a miniature), but many quilts shown below were much, much smaller.
Here are my favourite Miniature Quilts from the Show.