Quilt exhibition
Showing posts with label Quilt exhibition. Show all posts
festival frolics!
My Festival of Quilts 2017 experience was filled with so much good stuff! I'm going to start with people, then goodies and then the quilts! So jump through this post as you like :)
Of course I wanted to attend the festival but I knew I had to when Clare - Selfsewn told me she was going because we have been online friends for years. I love meeting people in real life and Festival is the best place to meet quilty friends (Nat and I did a few years ago!).
I'm sure I squealed when I saw her, gave her a big hug and I might have even held her face because I was so happy to see her! We went in the festival together (having both failed to fill in our details on the back of the ticket!) and on the way to meet Collette, we stopped to exchange gifts. Clare gave me the most magnificent mini quilt and I will share what I made for her tomorrow.
Absolutely, perfectly Clare. Beautiful stitching and quilting. My very own 'quilt label' - she knows I've always loved her labels (so much so that I naughtily looked at the back of her quilt hanging at festival last year to see the label she made!). And can we talk about the pink ribbon and heart so prettily appliqued?! LOVE! Also striped binding ♡♡♡
We met up with Collette - Poppy and Poochie, another long time friend and inspiration to me! We had a good chat and all met Victoria Findlay Wolfe as we admired her quilts. I failed to get pictures of that. Then we wandered through the exhibition, chatting and taking silly selfies.
We met lovely Irina - Zepher Skies, who is so sweet and her joyfulness is contagious! And the superwoman Catrin @patshyncatrin, who totally amazes me with all she does and her huge heart. Also she's hilarious and speaks Welsh so beautifully I could listen to her all day and wouldn't care that I don't understand. Lucky she speaks English too though ;) Then I got to chat more to Anna Maria Horner after meeting her when we did Sewing Quarter the day before - she was so funny and genuinely lovely, I think everyone I spoke to that met her fell in love!
I was lucky to chat to so many other lovely friends I saw as we walked around. It's so cool to see familiar faces and meet new people! I end up in a bit of a daze so sorry if you saw me looking blankly, I do get overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place and slight anxiety that I can't find the exit!! I also didn't take that many pictures this year, I did put quite a few on my Instagram story but the quality of those pics isn't so great and then I just got tired of holding my phone.
So on to my haul... well this time it's quality not quantity. I'm not lacking in fabric but I can't resist Liberty, especially good sized scraps that are £1! These are from Alice Caroline - who had a beautiful stand and the ladies there were really lovely. And thank you Clare for treating me and buying the bright one on the left for me! (I forget what that print is called - leave a comment if you know!) The one on the right is Pepper - I love this print and have a couple of other colourways. It's a great stash print.
I also got what I wanted! A wooden seam roller from Purple Stitches. I can't wait to try this out, I will let you know how I get on with it. Purple Stitches also had an amazing selection of fabric, gorgeous florals and a great mix of modern prints from different designers - do check them out, they also have a crazy good sale section!
I realised that Simply Solids is always a 'base' at festival - because Justine and Lisa, as well as Katy and Kelly who were there on Saturday are the most fun, the shop is awesome and they always know where to go and where people are somehow!!
The Aurifil stand was fun too, I watched Anna Maria Horner do a hand quilting demo!
There were so many great demos and things going on, I couldn't see everything and I just can't mention it all because I'd be here forever but it was all so good.
So let's get on to some quilts shall we... I am just going to show a few here, ones that I would like to remember because they caught my eye (and perhaps I hadn't seen them on social media - so if you don't see your quilt here please don't take offence, it may just mean that I already know where to find it!). Do go and see all the pictures people took at #FOQ2017!
Penny Chattey
Pippa Moss
Victoria Findlay Wolfe
Julia Attwater
Vivian Fox
Jenny Ladbrooke
Alison Mayall
Did you have a favourite quilt from Festival of Quilts this year?
Grateful
I have so many reasons to be thankful. Despite feeling a bit poorly at the moment (my throat is red raw!) I had a lovely email from the Fat Quarter Shop to tell me I'd won Kim Kight's gorgeous Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle from the giveaway at The Jolly Jabber:
I have also had an amazing couple of days experiencing the kindness of blogging friends. I can't really say much because (if you don't know by now) I'm a total sap. I will cry and get way too mushy.
Firstly the talented and wonderful Nathalie at Noas' Libellule sent me this beautiful thank you for my guest post. I love the tape on the packaging and then I honestly sat stroking these for probably a bit too long!
My picture doesn't do justice to the colours, the green is deeper and so soft and yummy, I have to find a special place to put these mats but for now I've hung them up so I can admire them! I can't crochet so I'm in awe! She also makes divine shawls, scarves, blankets and has a great tutorial for a lace pouch - it's gorgeous! Thank you my creative friend! (just to point out I've not actually met her... yet! Trying to persuade her to get a ticket!!).
I also spent some time stroking the contents of another incredible package (I don't have a fetish or anything I just like texture ok?!!). This was from Deborah at Simply Miss Luella, her blog is so nicely designed and her projects are beautiful! I think we have very similar taste and all her makes are so bright and colourful. She sent this out of the kindness of her heart and well just look...
It's my own DS collection! I just love all her lines. After the gift from my friend the other day and this beautiful lot I'm entirely in fabric heaven. Deborah you are gracious and kind, thank you!
The next package was from a generous linker of the Fugly fabric party - Lisa at In The Boon Docks, she had a couple of sets of her fugly fabric left and sweetly offered to send them to me since I didn't actually participate! I have so many projects I want to make but I will be using these bundles to make another quilt to donate to our local children's centre. Thank you so much Lisa! I know the kids will love it and use it, the fabric is so soft!
And then as if those lovely gifts weren't enough I received such a wonderful email from another amazing blogger, the marvellous Jodi at Tickle and Hide, thanking me for the linky party. As a direct result of her giveaway she actually met up with another sewer in her area! It's an incredible story and I welled up reading her email. It was my intention for people to visit other blogs and hopefully make new blogging friends, to have had a hand in a 'real life' one too just blows my mind! When I think of how wonderful this community really is, you know what I do, *blubbing*!!
I have a little something to share with you all, not as exciting as actual fabric I know but it might prove helpful to somebody.
I got totally sick of the scrappy piece of paper stuck above my sewing machine with my list of projects on. It wasn't very inspiring and there was scribbles all over it. In the hopes of being a bit more organised I spent some time on picnik and created this:
It's a pretty 'To Sew List' so I can clearly see what I'm making, I can write the pattern or title. There's space to write what fabric I'm going to use and also a column titled 'for', which could either be who I'm making it for or a date if there's a deadline.
If you fancy one of your own you can easily download and print it out for yourself using the link below. I have seen some clever bloggers who put lists like this in frames so you can write on it with wipeable marker and don't need to print more copies! I'm just not that organised so bluetak and paper it is!
And if that doesn't really excite you (which is fine!) on Monday I'll be announcing plans for a new linky fabric swap so watch out :)
Oh and if your stuck with nothing to do this weekend and happen to live anywhere near Bletchley Park - unfortunately I don't :( - go and visit this exhibition. My Auntie has a wall hanging there!! I've not even seen it yet but I know I will when it's finished it's tour!
I have also had an amazing couple of days experiencing the kindness of blogging friends. I can't really say much because (if you don't know by now) I'm a total sap. I will cry and get way too mushy.
Firstly the talented and wonderful Nathalie at Noas' Libellule sent me this beautiful thank you for my guest post. I love the tape on the packaging and then I honestly sat stroking these for probably a bit too long!
My picture doesn't do justice to the colours, the green is deeper and so soft and yummy, I have to find a special place to put these mats but for now I've hung them up so I can admire them! I can't crochet so I'm in awe! She also makes divine shawls, scarves, blankets and has a great tutorial for a lace pouch - it's gorgeous! Thank you my creative friend! (just to point out I've not actually met her... yet! Trying to persuade her to get a ticket!!).
I also spent some time stroking the contents of another incredible package (I don't have a fetish or anything I just like texture ok?!!). This was from Deborah at Simply Miss Luella, her blog is so nicely designed and her projects are beautiful! I think we have very similar taste and all her makes are so bright and colourful. She sent this out of the kindness of her heart and well just look...
It's my own DS collection! I just love all her lines. After the gift from my friend the other day and this beautiful lot I'm entirely in fabric heaven. Deborah you are gracious and kind, thank you!
The next package was from a generous linker of the Fugly fabric party - Lisa at In The Boon Docks, she had a couple of sets of her fugly fabric left and sweetly offered to send them to me since I didn't actually participate! I have so many projects I want to make but I will be using these bundles to make another quilt to donate to our local children's centre. Thank you so much Lisa! I know the kids will love it and use it, the fabric is so soft!
And then as if those lovely gifts weren't enough I received such a wonderful email from another amazing blogger, the marvellous Jodi at Tickle and Hide, thanking me for the linky party. As a direct result of her giveaway she actually met up with another sewer in her area! It's an incredible story and I welled up reading her email. It was my intention for people to visit other blogs and hopefully make new blogging friends, to have had a hand in a 'real life' one too just blows my mind! When I think of how wonderful this community really is, you know what I do, *blubbing*!!
I have a little something to share with you all, not as exciting as actual fabric I know but it might prove helpful to somebody.
I got totally sick of the scrappy piece of paper stuck above my sewing machine with my list of projects on. It wasn't very inspiring and there was scribbles all over it. In the hopes of being a bit more organised I spent some time on picnik and created this:
If you fancy one of your own you can easily download and print it out for yourself using the link below. I have seen some clever bloggers who put lists like this in frames so you can write on it with wipeable marker and don't need to print more copies! I'm just not that organised so bluetak and paper it is!
And if that doesn't really excite you (which is fine!) on Monday I'll be announcing plans for a new linky fabric swap so watch out :)
Oh and if your stuck with nothing to do this weekend and happen to live anywhere near Bletchley Park - unfortunately I don't :( - go and visit this exhibition. My Auntie has a wall hanging there!! I've not even seen it yet but I know I will when it's finished it's tour!
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