Festival of Quilts 2007 Birmingham

Its always so hard to decide what to do first when you arrive at a show like this. I only go for the day, so have to have some sort of game plan. As my husband accompanied me this year, I thought I would visit the traders in the morning and then meet a few of my internet chums at lunchtime and then have a look at the exhibits in the afternoon.

So first stop is many of the traders I know well, so does dearly beloved.. so it was a moment to say hello - if they were not too busy on their stands. Bailey Curtis was busy so I waited a little while, and then we chatted about a new group/meeting of local textile artists I am in the process of orgainising - click here for more initial information. Bailey was creating some beautiful felt at the stand.

Then moved on to see Myfanwy who has just become a granny... so we looked at photos. Lovely. Also bought some Evolon from her... so will be experimenting with it, as I have never used it before.

If anyone has any helpful hints .. please leave them in the comments... thanks in anticipation.

Then, on to see Maggie and Clive, where we had a really good chat, Maggie was playing with her embellisher machine ( no surprise there) and Carol ( from Quilt WOW) also joined us. Thanks for the really sound and helpful advice about my future ... most grateful, and yes Carol, I did get to speak to Margaret from C & G. Really exciting.

So I have purposely kept you waiting for a photo.... here is my haul of purchases and leaflets. Interestingly Coats have created some new threads, one of which is Seta Reale, available as a very fine silk thread in 100... I want to try some of this thread on my treasured Wilcox and Gibbs Machine. So exciting!

I was very restrained... and so proud of myself. My game plan was to only buy products I could colour myself, and with only one small exception I achieved this. I also bought no books.. that is a first! Sorely tempted ...but stuck to my plan.

Met up with my internet chums Lynn and Helen, and then went round the exhibitions... The one which really shone for me, was Australian Artist Gloria Loughman-- fantastic work.

I also really enjoyed the 3rd European Quilt Triennial from Heidelberg Musuem- link here ( in German, but has pictures).

Recognised many names from the blogworld in amongst the quilts, and was so pleased to see work in the flesh... alas lots of notices saying "no photography", which always makes it so hard to share excitements of what we have seen with the blogs. I have tried to give you lots of links, so you can pursue the artists I have featured if you wish. Also heard a lot of German and Dutch being spoken as I went round.. such a wonderful European flavour to the event.

A good day out, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Seems to be a bit of an anti-climax to show you some of my workings in the sketchbook, but as I use my blog as an aide memoire for myself... it is useful to me.

This is a double spread, each page larger than A4.... here I have been playing with ideas related to Cubism and tone.

You may well recognise some of the imagery of this page.... but it is the tones and subtle colours that interst me in this page ( which is unfinished) - the imagery is unresolved and patchy, and I am not at all happy with that aspect. The colours really excite me though.