Festival of Quilts

I was lucky to be able to be there for 2 days this year. What a fantastic collection of work, materials and inspiration. I am always blown away by the variety of the work on show and the quite exquisite workmanship that is apparent on so may pieces. This year I thought that there were fewer beautifully made quilts that left me cold - more contemporary pieces and certainly more experimental works.
The retail opportunities were legion and I certainly made my purse lighter! I actually think the hall is now too small for the number of exhibitors/traders not enough room to get a good look at the work and the scrummage round the stalls was too much.
I enjoyed two excellent lectures: Sandra Meech on the process of turning drawings and observations into textiles and Sara Impey on her wonderful textural quilts, especially on the importance of the message in each of her pieces.
Contemporary Quilt put on an excellent Saturday Coffee Morning with 6 demonstrators sharing the secrets of their beautiful work, which was very well received.
I admired Uta Lenk's "Play of Lines" quilt, as I'm interested in exploring the use of curves in my work. I'd have chosen to use more colour, but the technique was interesting.
My favourite piece this year was "February Catkins - February light" by Catherine Brierley - images of the patterns made by twigs against the sky, beautifully thought out and executed. I also likes Ineke Berlyn's piece on the theme "Summer in the City" - bright, graphic images appealed to me alot.
I must try to complete a piece for next year's show.