On Sunday I made the journey to Birmingham (UK) for the Festival of Quilts. It was almost overwhelming seeing so many gorgeous quilts on display (not to mention the shopping opportunities – but more on that at another time). Rather than give an overview of the show, I thought I would share some of my favourite quilts. They may not have been THE prize-winning quilts however they were all winners in my book.
I loved the calm serenity of this quilt from the pictorial quilts section.
Quilt 67 – Marshwood Vale by Kate Dowty
The sunny outlook and bright colours of this pictorial quilt I found very appealing. You could find something new in this quilt each time you looked at it.
Quilt 60 – Good Morning Gorran by Brenda Thomas
This close-up shows the amazing detail – all done a small domestic sewing machine. Respect!
Quilt 60 – Good Morning Gorran (detail) by Brenda Thomas
Here is one of my favourites from the contemporary quilt section. A quilt covered in little dresses. So cute! And I loved the hats and shoes quilted in the background. Can never have enough of those.
Quilt 718 – Nostalgia by Jannie Bloemers
Quilt 718 – Nostalgia (detail) by Jannie Bloemers
This quilt by Andy Brunhammer from the Art Quilt Category looked fairly nondescript until you looked at it through a camera. Suddenly, the image revealed itself as the face of a sleeping woman (Bette Davis, no less). How is this effect achieved? I have no idea although it has “something to do with pixels”.
Quilt 563 – Sleep Jezebel by Andy Brunhammer
I loved this tiny quilt by Joanna O’Neill. It reminded me of the seven basic plot outlines – wo/man against something/someone, rags to riches, a quest and so on. It is now difficult to think of a book that would not be improved by the addition of at least one cat.
Quilt 8 – A Tale Worth Telling by Joanna O’Neill
As lovely as these quilts were, I still prefer a quilt that can be used as more than a decorative piece. I like quilts that keep you warm at night, share your picnic and that you can hide under during the scary bits in Dr Who (I still have nightmares about those statues!).
This scrappy quilt, in which “no yardage was harmed in the making” was a delight. Such a glorious collection of colours.
Quilt 327 – No Yardage was Harmed in the Making of this Quilt by Alison Robins and Krista Withers
I also loved the blues and metallic gold fabrics used in this traditional sampler quilt. Can you believe it was her first quilt?
Quilt 474 – Learning Curve by Janet Ann Bowden
And this one with a simple but very effective design of squares and half-square triangles.
Quilt 721 – Bank Holiday by Ruth Burdett
Any of you who follow my Facebook page will have seen that I also entered a quilt in this year’s show. Here it is on display.
Quilt 328 – Pot Luck Coins by Jen Kelson and Jenny Otto
And I received some very nice comments from the judges too. All in all, a great day out.
cakecardcloth 
Oh my goodness, I wish I’d gone to this now, those quilts look amazing. I love the landscape and seashore ones and the one with the tree full of dresses reminds me of one of my favourite Tim Walker photographs. Stunning!
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Thanks, Sam. The exhibition was certainly a feast for the eyes and my photos don’t do the quilts justice. I didn’t know of Tim Walker’s work and have just spent a happy half hour looking through his portfolio.
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