Last Loch Lomond show and winning at Malvern

Last Loch Lomond Show
I have known about the Loch Lomond show since it started, but it is a long way to travel and with young children at school, it has not been possible for me to attend, but when I found out that this is to be the last year that it is being held, I wanted to go. And what a spectacular show it is. Held in different churches in and around Dunbarton, Balloch and Alexandria, there were so many quilts to see. One of the displays was of the Chinese Whispers that I have heard so much about and I was intrigued to see how they were interpreted, never expecting there to be so many entries.

There were several participating groups, each with at least 8 members. Only the first person in the group was shown the picture and they made a quilt to represent that picture. Once they have finished their quilt, it was passed on to the next member in the group, with no other clues. They then make a quilt using the first quilt as guidance and so it goes on. All the quilts were displayed with an explanation of how each one interpreted the quilt that they have been given. Lots of excitement and confused faces and even hilarity, it was almost more fun watching the spectators as it was looking at the quilts. I am just showing the entries from one group, to illustrate what can happen

Original picture

Number 1by Lorna Hunter

Number 2 by Joanna Simpson

Number 3 by Catherine Edgar

Number 4 by Janette Fairer

Number 5 by Nicola Howell

Number 6 by Wendy Bland

Number 7 by Janet Chisholm

Number 8 by Hilary Hale

 It is not possible to post pictures of all the quilts I liked, but some of my favourites were:

Seapinks at Sandwick, by Sheena Norquay

Chinese Whispers entry by Delia Jarvis

The magic of Skye II by Hanne Asbey

Detail of The magic of Skye II

"Callanish stones" by Mary Wilson

"Big tree country" by Nancy Smith

"Flying high" by Megan Barley, winner of Stretching the limits competition

The Commonwealth remembers by Senga Bain

and just look at these super cute little Red Hot Pokers, don't you just love them?

On this occasion my husband was with me and had his own favourites too:

Shipyards of the river Clyde by Gillian Johnston

 and Floral emblems of Commonwealth, Teamwork winner

Winning at Malvern 
I had problems with my mobile phone while staying in Scotland for the Loch Lomond show, so when my husband got a text from my son, asking him to get me to phone home asap, I was worried that I was going to get some bad news. So, I sat down on our room balcony, mentally preparing myself before phoning home. Son reassured me that everyone was okay but that Malvern show had been cancelled but that my quilt will be posted back, so I don't have to worry. For a split second, I believed him, then thought he must be joking, then worried why he asked me to phone him so urgently, then wondered if he was teasing me because I did maybe get a merit. He laughed and told me I actually won an award. When he said it was for "Use of colour", I was really pleased that I was sitting down. He congratulated me and then just as I was about to say goodbye, announced that actually I have won another award, this one for "Striking design". I just shrieked, so husband came outside to see what was going on. I repeated to him what son had told me, then heard my son say that there was another award, for "Longarm quilting".
By now I was speechless, my husband grinning from ear to ear in front of me, my son enjoying this conversation enormously, and I could hear my daughter giggling loudly over the phone. I am not often speechless, but when he then told me that I also won a sewing machine as the "Theme category" winner, I was ready to burst into tears. Lots of congratulations, and about to put phone down, when the cheeky monkey said "And by the way, you are also the Overall winner", now I was convinced he was just teasing me so passed the phone to my husband who had the sense to get the phone number to confirm all this. And then followed several sleepless nights trying to come to terms with all this. Kutch diamonds has also been awarded a judge's choice by Karen Milne.

We travelled to Malvern on Saturday and arrived at the show on Sunday. What an exciting day! I met so many lovely ladies, talked to so many about my quilt and answered so many questions about it.  Met up with one of my quilting buddies and her mum, had a lovely natter over coffee and managed to get some shopping done too and walked around all the lovely quilts on display. I feel enormously privileged that I have a lovely group of quilting buddies that offer so much support and advise and is there for me when things go a bit wrong, they are all very special to me and I am so looking forward to meeting up with all of them at the Festival of Quilts. I also need to say that this quilting life I live is possible because of the support I have from my family, they don't always get fed and has to make do with meals thrown together last minute, (I am very lucky that they can all cook !) but they get that this means a lot to me. How lucky am I ?

My ribbons

My trophies

Kutch diamonds - Champion at Quilts UK, Malvern 2014