Exhibition in St Marie aux Mines

first time of visiting here. Really interesting displays over four villages. My visit in pouring rain but still lovely with some extra beautiful quilts, especially in the 'other' villages.  The exhibition is spread over 4 villages in various venues, mostly churches, which always give a good showcase for quilts. Of particular note was the log cabin exhibition, both old and new; the Amish quilt collection; and a very modern art show that included large art quilts by a German lady – colourful beauties with insects on them.

            If you find the time to visit this exhibition next year, it is well worth it.

    

Biggles as you don't know him

iIfyou are into dogs, and a cute one at that, you ought to visit biggles-own.blogspot.com where my cousin's bichon frise lives and chats about his life with his two staff in Bath. He is adorable although I am a cat lover really!

Kaffe Fasset exhibition in quilters guild HQ in york

Managed to catch the very last day of this exhibition, and one of the last chances presumably before the museum closes. Very sad and we all hope that a new venue will be found soon.
The exhibition was very colourful and there were at least 16 pairs of quilts, one from the QG heritage collection and one from Kaffe interpreting the design in modern fabrics and design. It was quite exhilarating to see all the colour in one venue. I really enjoyed the modern ones where he had interpreted the old design quite closely. Photos to follow

Festival of Quilts, birmingham

Another packed programme as usual. I had only one day here but concentrated on the quilts because I do NOT need more fabric. They were a lovely lot! The overall winner was stunning but I do find it sad that not many winners were hand quilted. I can't imagine sleeping under a closely stitched quilt by machine. They are so not cuddly.
Spent an hour or so on the quilters guild tombola tote bag stand. This was being run by Region 7 this year and we hope to raise well over £400. Well done to Sheila our chair and her team for some superb organisational skills.

Some of the wonderful quilts on show!

Pashmina by Liz Jones

 Treasures of Urartu by Moni Hovsepyan

 Silence by Jean McLean (gained Judges' Choice)

 Magic Circle by Allegra Cook (in 12-16 age group) Won 3rd prize

Some of the magical Chess figures in the 3D section which won the section, by Mavis Walker

Retreat in suffolk

Just returned from four lovely pieceful days in Suffolk. We worked out that my friend and I have been going for 22 years and the last 7 years we have been in the same B&B in Kettlebaston. Lynne Edwards came in to see us and showed us her beautiful quilts she has been making over the last year, one a rather nice set of clucky chickens, and a quick cut and cut again method for Churndash.

I  started a honeymoon set of fabrics from Virginia in USA - all in autumnal greens and golds. I managed 64 blocks with the just the last round of logs to go for a Log Cabin with a star in the corners. Plus I started Liz Trenow's Maria's Quilt from The Last Seamstress, designed by Lynne Edwards. I bought some William Morris fabrics last year at the Cosy Cabin in Risby near Bury St Edmunds and I think this will fit Maria's Quilt rather well. If you haven't read the book, or visited this shop, do so! Both brilliant. Below are some of Lynne Edwards' and students work.

Near where we go, there is also a set of barns which includes Corncraft, a really good tea and gift shop, but new this year is a new quilt shop owned by a lovely Czech girl. Also has a vast workroom where she holds classes. I think I need to move to Suffolk!

Now looking forward to FoQ. Off to Birmingham tomorrow for a full day onThursday and a stint on the tote bag tombola for Region 7, and apparently there is a bag with my name on waiting for me on the Traditional Group stand! Not sure what it is!

Sandown exhibition

I like Sandown. Not too huge, nice areas on the bleachers for lunch, and great selection of quilter galleries. Especially impressed by Jacqueline Martin. Beautiful appliqué and hand quilting.mher art nouveau and Jacobean designs were particularly worth close inspection. The overall champion quilt, which also won a couple of prizes, was a postage stamp quilt of Michelangelo's David's head. Fabulous particularly from a distance.
  It is a much easier exhibition to get around than the NEC where the stalls are so close together that encountering a shopping trolley or wheelchair is positively hazardous. This year might be my last visit there as I shall be doing my stint on the Quilters Guild tote bag tombola stand.

 This was the best in show at Sandown. I'm annoyed I haven't got the maker on my camera shots. No doubt it will be every magazine soon.

This was by Penny Armitage and an absolute delight.

Log cabin quilters exhibition

Spent a very good hour at this exhibition despite the miserable weather! Lovely colourful display as usual at the church in Langford. A lot of effort goes into these one-off exhibition so it was greatly appreciated. Many interesting quilts on show. Will put a few photos up when I get them off my camera! Thanks Log Cabin Quilters.

Journal diary by Irene Thorn

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 Windmill of my Mind by Irene Thorn (also shown in FoQ)

 Detail of Haiku by Irene Thorn

Final frontiers by Mary Rawlins