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| Bitter Harvest by Clare Smith |
I spent Friday to Sunday
at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham last week. As usual it was fantastic and there was a
ridiculous amount to see and do. It was
lovely to see so many of my C&G students down there and one thing I’m going
to ask them to do at the next class (this is a ‘heads up’ if you reading!) is
share what their highlights were as everyone finds something different which
really enthuses them. So this is my
version for the 2015 Show
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| Portrait of a Memory by Christine Chester |
1.
Amazing galleries
of work by individual artists and groups
This year’s highlight was Quilt Art (unfortunately no photos allowed) as well as Christine Chester’s thought provoking pieces about dementia. Though Our Hands also had some interesting works and unusual techniques. I loved the piece by Clare Smith with the dye dripping through it, running where it wished.
This year’s highlight was Quilt Art (unfortunately no photos allowed) as well as Christine Chester’s thought provoking pieces about dementia. Though Our Hands also had some interesting works and unusual techniques. I loved the piece by Clare Smith with the dye dripping through it, running where it wished.
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| Mahri Prince's work |
2.
Student work
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat as part of my reason for concentrating on the student work was because two of my students, Janet Lindsay and Mahri Prince, had been selected to display their work. It was a bit like a proud parent moment seeing how well their work fitted into the show. They are both very talented ladies (as well as being a pleasure to teach – obviously as all my students are!)
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat as part of my reason for concentrating on the student work was because two of my students, Janet Lindsay and Mahri Prince, had been selected to display their work. It was a bit like a proud parent moment seeing how well their work fitted into the show. They are both very talented ladies (as well as being a pleasure to teach – obviously as all my students are!)
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| Janet and her work |
3.
Friends
No photos of these (I tend to do photos of ‘things’ rather than people) but meeting up with so many lovely quilters I know is one of the main highlights of the Show. Quilters are such a friendly and supportive group of people, so each year, my group of friends expands, which is fantastic – meeting old friends and making new ones.
No photos of these (I tend to do photos of ‘things’ rather than people) but meeting up with so many lovely quilters I know is one of the main highlights of the Show. Quilters are such a friendly and supportive group of people, so each year, my group of friends expands, which is fantastic – meeting old friends and making new ones.
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| Terry Donaldson - Sussex Coast |
4.
Shopping
This is probably further up the list for most people, but I’m not great shopper. However, there are always lots of tempting goodies at the Show. This year, I justified my purchases because I need to ‘try things out’ for my students. Well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
This is probably further up the list for most people, but I’m not great shopper. However, there are always lots of tempting goodies at the Show. This year, I justified my purchases because I need to ‘try things out’ for my students. Well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
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| Philippa Naylor's Miniature |
5.
Disagreeing with
the judges on the competition quilts
Yes, I know the judges have a thankless task, but it is always fun to see quilts which to my mind seem better than the winners. A wise person once told me that as the judging has to follow a tick box format, often it is more informative to look at the judges’ choices instead, as they are the quilts the judges appreciated, but which didn’t ‘fit the boxes’. It is also incredibly difficult as there are just so many beautiful quilts and there can only be one winner per category.
Yes, I know the judges have a thankless task, but it is always fun to see quilts which to my mind seem better than the winners. A wise person once told me that as the judging has to follow a tick box format, often it is more informative to look at the judges’ choices instead, as they are the quilts the judges appreciated, but which didn’t ‘fit the boxes’. It is also incredibly difficult as there are just so many beautiful quilts and there can only be one winner per category.
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| Robbie le Poidevin - Secret Cove |
So that’s it all over with
for another year. Can’t wait until next
time.
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| Mavis Walker - The Chess Set |
3 comments:
Thanks so much for this post.
I missed FOQ this year - could not be helped but I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms!
Hilary
I love to visit FOQ vicariously...and will not see what Clare Smith is all about! Thank you!
Thanks Hilary and Margaret. I love going to the FoQ as there is always such variety. I also enjoy reading what other have spotted as it is so often different to what I have seen or how I have perceived the quilts.
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