Festival of Quilts

Yes it was a fabulous day and my feet/ankles have almost recovered! I missed the black and white one Pat liked - just too many quilts to see everything - can I go back for another look!

We did see Pat's lovely miniature Linen Press though - its so pretty.

I only took a few photos - too overwhelmed, and haven't had time to do anything with them yet.

Its lovely to have meet ups - really enjoyed meeting Joan and seeing Pat again. There was so much chat there was hardly time to eat and drink!

Altogether a very good, if exhausting, day out.

Sounds WONDERFUL! Is there any place online to see the quilts? I can't imagine 1000 quilts in one place (I've never been to Houston... or Paducah... just local shows).

So glad you had a great time...and received such inspiration!

Thanks so much for the report, Pat! It does sound like a marvelous exhibit! The thread-painted one you described must have been jaw-dropping -- I know I certainly couldn't do something like that! Of course, I can't draw with a paper and pencil, either. LOL! I'm glad you're home safe and sound and that you had a wonderful time at the show. :)

Howdy!

Great, Patti! Thanks for the report.

As it often goes in these meet-ups at big quilt shows, there just isn't enough time! All there is to see and do and shop and meet and talk and eat and talk and visit and talk--well, you do the best you can. (Hi, Sally and Joan!)

they get the 2007 Highlights posted soon. Now, to the really important stuff: what'd we get? What did you bring home that you didn't own before the show? You know we wanna' see! C'mon, Pat, tell! ;-D

Cheers! R/Sandy

W e e e l l l l l l!

All I wanted when I got there was 1.2m of a Hoffman ombre to make into a shaded background wholecloth. I found the stand I bought some from before and found one that would be perfect. Satisfied, I went round the professional exhibitions and met some acquaintances along the way. However, on my second day, I did a few purposeful visits first (to folk I had missed the previous day!) and then set off to look at the Open class quilts. Going round a corner, on my way, I 'bumped into' a stand called Critter Patterns. Whew! I don't really 'do' patterns, as I love designing so much; but, there were cats, and there were rabbits, and elephants, horses, lions and more cats ... >g< I only bought 4, honest!!!! Then, still on my way, I passed a stand with the most amazing hand dyed fabric I have ever seen (it was the silkiest cotton sateen I have ever felt and the colours were out of this world). I later learned it was famous - Heidi Stoll. I did have a little splurge with two packets of graded fabrics: pink/blue pastel and deep turquoise/green. Just before going home I bought a replacement large cutting ruler. So, I really felt I had done the show justice by the time I crawled into the bus back to the guesthouse >g<

Thanks so much for finding the link Sandy. I came back to the computer just now to try to find something for Kate (I hadn't time before dinner). The show only finished on Sunday, so they might take a while to get them all sorted out.

Still have a couple of small shows before the end of the year. The season's expanding >g<

. In message , Sandy Ellison writes

Sandy has found a link for you Kate. I came back to find it for you - if they had one. I gather they don't have this year's up yet. I'll check it out myself in a little while.

Yes, I had felt a bit burned out before I went; and I went through the 'well I can't do anything like that' phase on the first day; but after the second day and a good sleep, I came home feeling more inclined to get going again. So, I'll just get my machine cleaned and serviced and I'll get going on a few things that have been on my mind for a while; *and* I'll get my photobucket site sorted out! . In message , Kate G. writes

Have you tried your turntable mat yet, Sally?

It was really good to see you and DH and SIL. Have you decided on next year's itinerary yet? >gg< Good to see you are home safe and sound.

I'm glad you liked my cupboard! I'll put it on photobucket, when I get it organised. Thanks for your (and DH's) encouraging words. . In message , Sally Swindells writes

I forgot to say - just for you >g< that two of the special exhibitions were by hand quilters. One lady is continuing the tradition of the north east of England, round Durham. The other lady is Sandie Lush whose work you might have seen at Paducah and/or Houston. Her exhibition was mostly the wall hangings she has made which mimic knitted garments. her cricket pullovers - with cable stitch, ribbing, and other fancy stitches were there - all done with quilting! . In message , Sandy Ellison writes

Have unwrapped the tuntable, but that is all. I am making myself finish the PDSA (charity to help with vet bills for people on benefits) quillow before I start anything else. Have just had two mad rushes, so want this to be finished well in advance of the raffle.

Then have a baby quilt to do for the end of October. Mother-to-be is an RSPB (birds)warden, so baby is having a wildlife quilt to assist with its identification skills! I found some lovely cartoony farm animals, but was told it had to be real looking animals. (I am, however, told that they have human eyes, but as it is human eyes or cartoons, the eyes won!). The pattern I'm doing has plenty of scope for using the turntable.

I have a week on my own coming up - the bird watchers are going to Bardsey Island for a week of roughing it. I have more sense and am staying at home with a decent bed, good food and three needy cats. Hopefully I will be able to blitz the baby quilt, and then will be able to play again instead of feeling I'm a quilt factory!

Next year's itinerary? Possibly Malvern - I liked Malvern - little less overwhelming.

Ah me. I would love to see the quilting that does knitting stitches. Brilliantly creative. And, since 'people watching' is just one of my favorite things, it would have been such fun to be watching as they shoveled all of you worn and happy quilters into a bus. Yes. That must have been a sight. Polly

Okay -- which turntable mat did you get, Sally?

Pat, I've used their patterns! This quilt: is almost entirely theirs, except for the Doberman in the center. The patterns are really easy to use. Which four did you buy?

Sounds like you have waaaaay too much fun! Good for you! I think I would have been a little overwhelmed by a thousand quilts - but, I'd like to try it sometime!

Patti in Seattle

Ah Polly - I'll try to find a picture somewhere. I'm sure I have at least one in a magazine - I'll just have to find it. The marvellous thing about Sandie is that 'the other side of her coin' is most wonderful traditional, hand quilted bed quilts (wholecloth again).

If you enjoy people-watching, you'd have loved the sight of a steward, on duty at the end of one of the long sitting down benches, who called to people waiting to sit down 'come along ladies there's a vacancy at this end' >g<

In message , Polly Esther writes

I was, the first year, my eyes actually went 'all funny'.

I, in fact, wouldn't have had time to examine each one in detail; just not possibly in one day. So, what I did was: at the end of the first day (in which I checked out all the special exhibitions) I took the catalogue home and went through the little blurbs for each one to check for friends and acquaintances, putting an asterisk beside them. Then, at the show, I went up and down the hanging lines, looking at each but only closely if I liked it, and really looked closely at friends' work. Mind you, there were a great many I really did like this year - it varies. It is *not a juried show. . In message , Patti S writes

Thanks very much, Sandy. It was a really good show. There was one innovation this year that was really helpful: In the catalogue, at the head of each category/class there was a miniature diagram of the plan of the hanging area, with the position of the particular class shaded - so that you knew exactly where to go to look for that class. Great idea! And, with the quilts all numbered in situ and in the catalogue, it was quite easy to find one specific one. . In message , Sandy writes

Oh, that's reassuring. Thanks Sandy. I bought: rabbits and hares, big cats (lions, tigers etc), dolphins and cat faces (just head and shoulder cats). I have a plan for the dolphins; but the others will just hang around until I have finished some of my list >gg< But - I just couldn't pass them by, and I'm not usually like that!!

Your doggie quilt is just beautiful. Thanks for thinking of it! I'm glad you said you adapted some of the patterns - I will have to make some of the bunnies have lop ears!!! . In message , Sandy writes

Ooh, Heidi Stoll! Now that's something I CAN get at the LQS! Not a cheap thrill though. Confession: bought a piece about 4 years ago and it's still too pretty to cut! Roberta in D

"Patti" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@quik.clara.co.uk...

He-he! No, mine wasn't a cheap impulse buy, either! It is so lovely, though, isn't it? I bought collections of 8" strips (16 of them); so that might be less difficult to cut; and mine were the gently graded ones, not the magnificent multi-coloured, large patterned ones - I knew I would never cut one of those!! . In message , Roberta Zollner writes