Festival of Quilts 2011

I have just had two wonderful days at the Festival of Quilts.Well worth the long trek, and the feeling of complete exhaustion from trying to get round everything, and take it all in. Nearly 1200 exhibits. I'm sure there are things I missed. What inspirational work!  From exquisite work using traditional skills, through fabulous and amazing art quilts, to group projects, contemporary quilts which explore new boundaries, work by children and young people. Some with a message, others just invoking the joy of working in fabric and thread. Magic.

Here are some photographs...... firstly some I was interested in because of their local (Cumbria) connections.

 Autumn Fairy      Rosalind Pollock , Cockermouth    (Look at her blog, Down by the River)

Passion(flowers) for Patchwork       Gill Reid   Workington

The Fun of the Fair        Eve Westwood, of Cockermouth won first prize in the Young Quilter/Young Embroiderer 9-11 years for this........ well done!

Now, some of the other quilts that made an impression on me.... Not all expertly photographed, and not always the winners. 

Tiny hexagons and applique flowers

Click on the two above, to see the detailed stitching better.

Thursday Evening was the fashion show, which was great fun, and designers competed for the audience's vote for their patchwork and quilted creations. they were superb, witty, clever. The photos of them, static, the next day, don't have quite the same power, but they still look impressive.

And some 'quilt creations'  ......

Sweet undoing    Greta Fitchett

There are lots more, which I will post another time. Last for now, though, the 'Bell Quilt', a group project to commemorate the victims of the earthquake in New Zealand, symbolised by the bells of Christchurch Cathedral. Pippa Moss, of Welsh Quilts, designed this quilt  and put it together with the contributions of readers of her blog. One of the blocks is mine!

A wonderful show. 

'In the Garden' Exhibition in Kendal..

Marilyn went to the 'In the Garden' Exhibition in Kendal...........

IFA Felting Exhibition at Signature Gallery - Kendal – August.

This small gallery is getting a reputation for its Textile Exhibitions. These are usually displayed in the upstairs gallery and those of you that are interested in felt are in for a treat if you visit this month.  Region 10 of The International Felt makers Association have their Exhibition ‘A Walk in the Garden’ on at the moment, which shows the versatility of felt. The items on display range from fine silky scarves through to thick hardwearing rugs with lots more items in between.  Waistcoats, hats, scarves and the most exquisite jacket, clocks, flowers, pictures and vessels are just a few of the items showing a variety of felting techniques. You will be amazed at the variety of work on display. One of my favourites was the reversible circular rug based on a Peacock feather. I came away inspired.

www.signature-gallery.co.uk/

www.feltmakers.com/static/InTheGarden3.pdf

The Gallery is on the opposite side of the road to the Abbots Hall Car Park. Best approached from the South of Kendal.

Abbots Hall Art Gallery and Museum of Lakeland life and also the Kendal Museum are all worth a visit if you want to make a day of it, not to mention shopping!

Can recommend the Abbots Hall Cafe.

Marilyn

Retail Therapy........

If you are in the Knutsford Area, and in need of some retail therapy, this little shop, Fibre and Clay might be the answer. Situated in Minshull Street, it is full of the most beautiful and unusual ceramics, and inspired textile pieces, including work by Jackie Cardy, Jackie Lunn, and many others.  Bags, jewellery, scarves and more, feature  alongside lovely wools and buttons. 

I only manage one visit a year, and am always impressed by the variety and quality of work on sale.

A wet weekend in July

Pat's report on this year's Summer School.....

I went along to the Regional Residential Summer School at Alston Hall for the first time this year and I’ve had such a good time. 

I chose to do the Pictorial Collages workshop with Liliane Taylor, and we dyed fabrics and papers, did fast sketching exercises getting to know our plant/container subjects, did Batik dying, wet ink on wet sketches, etc, and then launched into our ‘masterpieces’ with non-stop advice from our tutor.  We worked till 10.30pm on Friday and Saturday nights and started Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9am, only stopping briefly for coffee and meal breaks (excellent food!) and sleep.  It was exhausting!  But lovely to be so engrossed in the subject for two-and-a-half days. 

The whole atmosphere was friendly and cheerful, I’ve met some lovely people, and the staff at Alston Hall were magnificent.  The other workshops were Modern 3-D Crewelwork and Books to Cherish, and we all had beautiful results to ‘show and tell’ by Sunday afternoon.  However, I’m pleased I chose a course which was new to me, which allowed me to learn many techniques I had never tried before, and I ended up with a real feeling of achievement. 

Thank you North West Region for putting on such an excellent opportunity for fun and instruction!

Pat Knifton 

No wonder you were pleased, Pat.  This is lovely.  (Lesley)

Out and about... in Ireland

Marilyn sent this after a visit to Enniskillen.....

Sheelin Vintage Lace Museum, Enniskillen

During a recent trip to Enniskillen, Ireland I came across one of the most incredible little museums I have ever visited. The Vintage Lace Museum and shop is housed in two rooms and I have never seen so much exquisite lace.  Everything in the first room was for sale, dresses, tablecloths, christening gowns, bags, lampshade and many other items, it seemed like every inch (sorry 2.5cm) was covered with stunning pieces of Vintage Lace.

In the second room was the Museum (£2.50) where beautiful dresses were displayed around the room with further lace samples on the walls and in cabinets.  There was also a small display of lace making equipment and an unusual glass globe shape, which was used to magnify the work.  Information boards explained the history of making the different types of lace and there were many. Some of the lace was stitched with thread finer than a human, but my favourite was the Carrickmacross, which was embroidery onto a net & muslin background, which was then trimmed away leaving only the delicate embroidered lace.

For anyone that is interested in textiles, not just lace, it is well worth a look.

The website below has an enormous amount of excellent photos, close ups too.

http://rosemarycathcarttextiletreasures.blogspot.com/2011/03/sheelin-irish-lace-museum.html    

 

Also next door is an excellent tea shop with a fabulous selection of unusual cakes! 

No photographs, please......Woolfest 2011.

Woolfest 2011

Of course, I understand why artists don't allow their work to be photographed at shows, but I would have loved to share some of the highlights of 'Woolfest' here.  We are lucky to have this show in Cumbria, attracting as it does exhibitors from all over the country with exciting products and equipment, and inspiring work from  artists in all sorts of media, the main one being, of course, wool.....

....in all its forms; spinning and weaving, dyeing, knitting and crochet, felting, and more. Lots of demonstrations, and also live music all day if you needed to go and sit down and have a rest. 

There's a good friendly atmosphere at this show, too, in spite of the huge numbers that were there yesterday.

My favourites?  Jackie Lunn and Jenny Pepper's stalls showcasing their fantastic talent in felt-making,  Jan Beadle's beautiful weaving, being able to buy gorgeous bits for embroidery from Oliver Twists, and finally buying Ruth Lee's book on three-dimensional embroidery.

The only picture, shown with encouragement from the organisers, features 'flock', "a public art project which aims to encourage creativity and collaboration while  supporting and celebrating the sheep farming and wool industry". 

It involves groups and individuals in making thousands of pompom sheep for a large installation in Spring 2012, with a smaller one in Penrith during September this year.   Further details are available at   www.jointheflock.co.uk 

I came home with the usual stock of threads, fabrics, books and good intentions! 

'In the Garden' exhibition , Kendal, Cumbria

News of an up-coming exhibition in Kendal..............

I'm looking forward to seeing these pieces of work.

Also, remember Woolfest next weekend!