Festival of Quilts 2013
On Thursday, 8th August a car-full of us attended the NEC
Quilt Show in Birmingham. An early start
ensured we were there by 10am to join the really long queue of women waiting to
get in and investigate the show. I had
booked for a workshop with Pat Archibald at 10.30, and it was brilliant! We had an hour to use Markal sticks,
silhouettes and cut-outs to create a lovely pattern of leaves which could then
be stitched and finished off. Pat also
demonstrated other ways to use Markal sticks, and demonstrated glue and
transfer foil techniques which give lots of scope for a lovely background.
There were
many beautiful quilts on display and we all had favourites. Competition winners seemed a little hard to
find at times, but overall the layout was good, and there seemed to be better
provision of refreshments and rest places (seems to be essential for my
advancing years). The trade stands had their
usual goodies to tempt and inspire us and we all appreciated the chance to add
some essential items to the stash.
I
particularly loved the ‘scenic’ wall hangings and the subtle shading and
colouring of some of the more geometric patterns. I’ve also resolved to have a go at more
applique, and try to do something artistic.
Back in the real world, I can’t believe how quickly the day went; we left the hall at about 4pm, and there was
still a lot to savour. Perhaps next
time, a longer visit?
