Friday 14 August 2015

World Quilt Show 2015

I am just so excited right now that I just want to listen to some happy music, really loudly, and then dance to my hearts content.
"The trouble with Magenta, hot or not" has been entered into the World Quilt Show and I have just heard that it has won 'Best in UK'. It is currently on display at the show in Manchester, New Hampshire, but will then go on to be on show in Pennsylvania, Palm Springs, CA and then at Pacific show. I am unfortunately not able to go to any of the shows. Here are a few photos of the quilt:

First sketch, using rulers and a add-a-quarter- wheel

Adding in feathered hearts
Deciding background fill

Decided too many marking lines required for central curved crosshatching

Marking with pen the curved crosshatch that I would like to keep 

Using Radiance fabric (Robert Kaufman), double layer of batting and plenty of ruler work, marking done with Bohin chalk pencil in white 

Stitching out feather spines with a ruler and feathers freehand over marked lines

Piano key border stitched out, now adding feathers

Adding the continuous curve grid work freehand in red thread

Starting filler work around the feathers 

Outline of feathers stitched in darker thread to create shading and contrast, background stitched in same colour as fabric 

Difficult to capture the true colour of the fabric on a photo

Marking lines for creating the curved crosshatching 

Background in aubergine colour Radiance, overstitched with red, lilac and pink threads, beaded trim hand stitched over piping, blue water erasable pen marks still visible 

Back of quilt before facing all stitched down

Centre of quilt
"The trouble with magenta, hot or not" 

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Festival of Quilts 2015


I have just had four incredible days at the NEC in Birmingham with so many adventures! Lots of coffee breaks and lunches and dinners every day with lots of different friends, as well as some very interesting night time escapades, with friends car's locked up behind barriers in the NEC carpark, boy racers and crashes on the road around the NEC and very little sleep! Coming to the festival is not just about seeing all the lovely quilts and shopping, but also a big social event, and as I have discovered, unexpected adventures too!
As there will be lots of photos of the category winners on the internet, I thought I would just post a few photos of my absolute favourite quilts. If you do not see your quilt here, it is not that I did not like it, there were many more that were absolutely stunning, but I cannot possibly post them all here.  In no particular order....

"Subtle Differences" by Kay Bell




"Juno" by Sandie Chandler







"Cappuccino - Perfect Bliss" by Lynda Jackson






""Jacobean Wonder" by Margaret Ede

"Slow Growing Hybrids" by Ellen Seward and Sandie Chandler

"Mandala" by Anna Williams
"Purple Nights" by Marleen Jonkers



"Fireglow" by Gillian Arkley - I loved her use of colour

Philippa Naylor - The difference between 12" and 30cm meant this one was disqualified




I have not been able to get a decent photo of the whole quilt, but here are some close ups of "Turtle Bay" by Claudia Pfeil:










"Cordoba" by Claudia Pfeil




"Celestial Fireworks" by Hilde van Schaardenburg and Sandra Marcum



"Time" by Sue de Vanny

"Dream Catcher" by Adriana Briones Calleja

"Taking a new path" by Jane Falls - wonderful use of pattern in fabric

"Harley" by Adrienne Quinlan - such a jolly fellow

"Beyond the black hole" by Natalia Manley 






"Flight" by Margaret Fetterhoff


"That scent!" (Que aroma!)" by Angelines Artero



"Silence" by Jean McLean
"Spring" by Zsofia Atkins


"Blue Spring" by Zsofia Atkins

 


"Eclipsed" by Brenda Wroe

"Gold and silver waltz" by Nancy Smith

"Zipped Zingy Blocks" by Sheena Norquay



"Spin" by Diane  Dixon




"Alice Dreams" by Angelines Artero 


"Swift Moons" by Maggie Barber



"Time waits for no onee" by Sue Reid

"Merrill Hall, Asilomar, California" by Gloria Loughman

"The Opera House, Vivid Festival" by Gloria Loughman


"Australia My Way" by Cathy Jack Coupland





"City by the sea" by Pauline Barnes






"Ptolemy's Challenge" by Raita Sawyer



"My lady of the grapes" by Laura Di Cera 



And this was my quilt for FoQ 2015:


"The Awakening" by Annelize Littlefair





The back of "The Awakening" by Annelize Littlefair





British Patchwork and Quilting Magazine September issue

Off course I knew that I will be featured in the "Meet a Quilter" feature of the magazine,  Judi Mendelssohn came to do the interview in my studio and we had a lovely day. It just went by too quickly and we could have chatted for a lot longer. I was not expecting the September issue to be out yet, so was pleasantly surprised when it was on the stand at Traplet's booth. Then when I got home, another copy was waiting for me. This is the front cover and the page featuring me:




It has been a very exciting week this week, I now have a few days at home to organise all my shopping from Festival, maybe even get a bit of sewing done, then, I am booked in to do a class with Angela Walters in Birmingham next week, but I should have a little bit longer to do some quilting before I go to Houston.