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It's not quite ready for the grand opening, but the books have been unpacked and fabrics and kits sorted out. It's been 3 long weeks since I last used my Bernina, due to ill health, and I've had no energy or inclination for sewing, and even the thought of being in my new sewing studio couldn't tempt me to wield my rotary cutter or enthuse me to start a new project. My Bernina 570QE is set up on in my studio patiently waiting for my sewing mojo to return. 
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Drum roll please - Mr F has been very busy over the past couple of days putting together the furniture for my sewing studio. This has been awaited for so long - we first submitted the plans for our extension to our local council back in August 2015 - which they subsequently lost (the official word was "mis-placed"!!) and were finally returned to us along with the go ahead to start the building work in July 2016. And finally my studio is ready for me to start being creative in! It's going to take a long time to find a home for everything in this 5x5 Kallax storage unit from IKEA!! I'm feeling quite overwhelmed by the amount of work I still need to do sorting through everything that has been boxed up for the past few months, and I might have to get a few of my local quilting friends to help me have a de-stash!! Oh and as you can see, there is a little splash of colour in my new studio - I bought a beautiful wrought iron coat stand a few weeks ago from a local charity shop, and it's perfect for hanging my homemade tote bags on!  Although the main reason for attending the Festival of Quilts is to admire all the wonderful quilts on display, there is a wonderful assortment of stalls selling all sorts of tempting goodies. However this year I really was very restrained, and onlly purchased a few goodies to add to my ever growing collection of patterns and kits! Mr F is always reminding me that I haven't made the projects that I bought last year yet! Anyway, Cross Patch was my first visit of the day on Sunday and while I was admiring the fabulous array of goodies on Julia's fabulous stall, I just couldn't resist this gorgeous Red Robin Runner kit. As you know, hexies haven't always been my friend, and I really am determined to master them!...  ...then I just had to pay a visit to Lynette's lovely stand, which looked amazing as always, and of course I just had to do a little bit of retail therapy! I bought a couple of patterns and a kit - Hollyberry House, Frosty the Postman and the Konnichiwa Sewing Basket. Oh AND a Lapp App but I haven't unpacked that yet!  Well look who's sitting in the world's most comfortable chair! Pleeeease Mr F ...I'd love one of these for my sewing studio!! This is the chair Kelly Swallow showed for the first time at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC and this is what Gplan say about it - "In 1962 we created an iconic swivel chair. It was aptly known as ‘The World’s Most Comfortable Chair’. And now, renamed as The Sixty Two, it’s distinctive winged design, soft foam cushioning and deeply buttoned back, provide the ultimate in comfort. For added luxury it rocks and swivels too. It’s a chair that merits its original title" Various people tried it at the NEC and most agreed that whilst it was a bold statement in the 1960 by the famous chair maker still to this day it lives up to its title. It was also the chair Blofeld stroked the cat in 007.  Well just look who I bumped into at the Festival of Quilts! It's always great fun to meet up with Kim and Debbie, of Six Penny Memories. I first met Kim several years ago at the FOQ on The Fat Quarters stand - I had been one of her online customers for a while and it was great to finally meet her. Fast forward a few years, and every year I look forward to catching up with her...  ...this year they introduced me to Ross, from Hochanda - the TV channel that host some amazing craft shows (Six Penny Memories, Cross Patch and Daisy Chain Designs are just a few of the shows). After a very friendly introduction, and a quick photoshoot with them, it was time to move on to admire a few more of the gorgeous quilts on display.  The Partnership Quilt. This Quilt may look like any other quilt, however it is not. Women who have previously worked as sex workers, or who have experience of sexual exploitation, have created an interactive piece of art to document their stories. Kim Suleman and Debbie Garland from Six Penny Memories were proud to have been involved with this project. This was on display on The Vliesline Stand M8 at the Festival of Quilts...  ...The Partnership Quilt was made in collaboration between Changing Lives staff, volunteers, and Open Lab at Newcastle University. It started out as an activity for sex workers and women who have been sexually exploited to work on during drop-in sessions in Northumberland, and from these humble beginnings, has turned into an interactive piece of art that functions as a living archive of sex workers' stories and experiences of Changing Lives service delivery in the North East of England. I was able to hear one of the stories at FOQ and it really was very humbling. For more information see: tinyurl.com/partnershipquilt  As you know, I am very fond of Aurifil threads - they are my favourite threads for piecing (50wt thread really is perfect for machine piecing) and since I've discovered Aurifil 80wt thread for hand applique I haven't used anything else. When I was at The Festival of Quilts on Sunday I spotted Alex Veronelli, Mr Aurifil Threads himself - it was the highlight of my day! This has now become an annual occurrence - I do hope he'll be there again next year, ready for another photo shoot!  Another reason for going to The Festival Of Quilts is to meet up with my good friend Lynette Anderson, who designs wonderful patterns for quilts, wall hangings, bags, table runners and an assortment of wonderful goodies, as well as being a fabric designer for RJR fabrics. This year was even more exciting as she was accompanied by her husband Vince...  ...this year two quilts that I had made that had been designed by Lynette and were made using fabrics from Lynette's collections were on display on her stand - Stitched by Me (made with fabrics from the My Hearts at Home collection) and Scandinavian Christmas (made with her newest fabric collection, Scandinavian Christmas). I was so excited when Lynette asked to have them on display. Did you meet Lynette at the show? And were you tempted to buy any goodies from her wonderful stand? As you might have guessed, I was very tempted, I'll share some pictures of my purchases later in the week! Oh and yes, as you might have spotted, I was wearing my Beehive Bag (designed by Lynette and available as a pattern and a kit from her online shop Little Quilt Store) which was really useful, as it was just the right size for my phone and my purse, and I received lots of lovely comments about it during my day at the show!  These are the amazing quilts that won first place in each of the categories of the competition at the Festival of Quilts. Scroll down and you will see pictures of each quilt, along with the information from the competition catalogue. This includes the name of the maker(s), the title of the piece, the technique(s) used, the material(s) used and a statement from the artist about what inspired them. These pictures really don't do justice to these wonderful exhibits - they really do have to be seen in person to appreciate them fully. If you're heading off to any of the Knitting and Stitching shows later in the year you'll see these on display there too.  Winner of the Miniature Quilts - 471 "Measure for Measure" by Philippa Naylor. This category stated the maximum size was 30cm on the longest size. Use of any technique or combination of techniques. In a photograph of the finished piece (with no indication of scale) the miniature should look like a full size quilt or wall hanging. Made with machine and hand applique, free motion quilting on a domestic machine (hand guided). Hand embroidery. 100% cotton fabrics, 100% silk thread. Cotton wadding. Philippa stated: Small is beautiful - hopefully! This AMAZING Miniature Quilt also won the Best in Show award, and was so very well deserved. The detail is amazing, and as always Philippa's quilt is perfection itself.  Winner of the Contemporary Quilts - 697 "Beezlebub" by Linzi Upton. This category is for quilts that draw on the traditions of quilt making, through piecing, applique or wholecloth but have an original approach. Linzi stated that this was a hand drawn wholecloth quilt, inspired by Lilian Hedley motifs. Made with shot cottons, silk, lame, and hand dyed cotton. Beezlebub is an antiestablishment whole cloth quilt with a pieced side, quilted free-hand in a non-traditional way and enhanced with freehand longarm embroidery using wool thread. I was so excited to see this quilt (and to meet Linzi on the Bernina stand) as I follow her blog religiously, and have enjoyed reading about all the highs and lows of her making this quilt. This picture really doesn't do it justice, as it really shimmered under the lights. Personally, my only disappointment was there were no stewards around to show the reverse of this beautiful quilt, so I had to be content with just seeing this side!  Winner of the Traditional Quilts - 508 "The Trouble With Magenta - Hot or Not" by Annelize Littlefair. This category is for quilts using a traditional design or pattern. Quilts may be wholecloth, pieced and quilted, applique and quilted, or a combination of piecing, applique and quilting. Quilting may be hand, machine or a combination. Annelize stated that this quilt was longarm quilted by hand, using rulers and freemotion quilting. It is Annelize's own original design, made with radiance silk, Wonderfil invisifal and glide threads. Annelize stated "When having a discussion with my family, I realised that everyone had a different opion of what colour magenta was, so I used different colours of threads on different colours of fabric to show the colours everyone thought magenta should be"  Winner of the Quilters' Guild Challenge - 191 "The Sprinter" by Birgit Schuller. This category is open to all members of the Quilters' Guild of the british Isles and all European Guilds which are part of the European Quilt Association. The theme can be interpreted literally, metaphorically, poetically... as widely as the maker wishes. Quilts should reflect the theme for 2017:Free Raw edge fusible appliqued long arm machine quilting, computerised, ruler work, free motion. Cotton fabrics, wool and cotton batting, polyester/rayon threads. Birgit states: I am not a sprinter, but I'm a runner. I run for different reasons - out of habit, to sort my thoughts, to elaborate on ideas, to tackle problems, to calm down, to experience physical exhaustion. I leave a lot of things behind, I find a new perspective on things, I can determine goals more clearly. To me running is a freedom, running allows me to break free from the stress and restrictions of everyday life!  Winner of the Two Person Quilts - 409 "Tidings" by Mary Palmer and Anne Kiely. (Two Makers). This category is for quilts made by two makers using any technique, to include quilting (hand, machine, longarm or a combination). participants must declare whether their quilt is the result of pure collaboration or was professionally long arm quilted. The services of the same professional quilter may be used by more than one entrant in this category. Screen printing, hand dying, patchwork piecing, machine and hand quilting. vintage linen, wool wadding cotton ticking, cotton and linen. Their statement was "Inspired by a common garden bird which is often vilified, but the lead character in a well-known nursery rhyme. This quilt features all the characters and items in the nursery rhyme, some of these are very subtle, others more clear. Try to find them all!"  Winner of the Art Quilts - 363 "Big Brother" by Lesley Brankin. This category is for quilts with a strong visual impact and a high quality of execution designed to be displayed as artwork and communicating an idea, emotion or concept through the medium of textile and stitch. Applique with hand and machine quilting. Printed lettering, computer manipulated imagery. Hand dyed fabrics, fibre mesh, t-shirt transfer paper. Lesley states: How many of our everyday movements and actions are being monitored and recorded without our knowledge?  Winner of the Modern Quilts - 91 "Sticks and Stones 1" by Judith Lynch. This category is for quilts that are functional, minimalist and inspired by modern designs. Bold colours and modern prints may be used, as well as areas of neutral colour to provide "negative space". Modern quilts often use asymmetry in design, improvisational piecing, the re-interpretation of traditional blocks or the lack of a visible block structure. They are generally simply quilted with lines of stitching or grid patterns. Improvisational piecing and free motion quilting with a domestic machine. Cotton fabric and cotton thread. Judith stated: Just playing with fabric after seeing improvisational piecing demonstrated on the quiltshow.com  Winner of the "My First Quilt" category - 827 "Peter and Amina's Quilt" by Anita O'Brien. This category is for complete beginners to patchwork and quilting who wish to enter their very first quilt. Pieces entered into this category should have been completed within the last 2 years and must not have been previously exhibited as part of any event, exhibition or gallery. Entrants for this category should not hold a formal qualification in textiles or related subject. Anita stated that this quilt was created to mark the 83rd and 90th birthdays of her partner's parents, Amina and peter. Inspired by the Giggleswick Mill quilt by Di Ford-Hall but different. Anita worked may personal details from their lives into the quilt, including Peter's proposal in Morse Code on Waterloo bridge. It really was an absolutely amazing quilt!  Winner of the Group Quilts - 729 "The Four Seasons" by The Friday Frolics. Members - 5. This category is for a single quilt made by more than two makers. Dyeing, hand/machine applique, hand/machine embroidery, stumpwork, felt, fabric paint, needle lace, stencilling, beading. Lino/screen printing batik. Cotton fabric, mixed media threads, wool work, dyes, paints, beads. The group stated: The these was chosen to enable us to explore all the seasonal elements of the year. The dresden plate block was our inspiration, using twelve segments to illustrate culture, festivals, flora. fauna and our heritage.  Winner of the Schools and Groups of Young Quilters (Primary 5-10) - 950 "Free as a Bird" Belmont Grosvenor School. This category is for quilts of any size, using any technique, made by school children or groups of children. Quilts should reflect the theme for 2017: Free. Woodblocks have been used to print the individual background and birds appliqued on them which they have pieced together. Adult involvement: The children were helped to piece their pieces together and finish the quilt. Cotton, feathers, sequins and other embellishments. The children have worked on designing and making the quilt as their textile topic in art. The children fulfilled their learning habit of the term "co-operation".  Winner of the Schools and Groups of Young Quilters (Secondary 12-16) 968 "Free range Chickens" by Burgess Hill School for Girls. This category is for quilts of any size, using any technique, made by school children or groups of children. Quilts should reflect the theme for 2017: Free. Toy making, felting, transfer printing, machine embroidery. Adult involvement: Advice on the techniques, supervision on the sewing machines, and lots of encouragement. Various fabrics chosen from the "bit box". The project was made during a lunchtime club and the girls were inspired by free range chickens!  Winner of the Young Quilter/Embroiderer 5-8 903 "Gold at the End of the Rainbow Wave" by Fiona Pilcher. This category is for quilts of any size, using any technique, made by individual young quilters/embroiderers. Quilts should reflect the theme for 2017: Free. Machine piecing and machine quilting. Adult involvement: None Cotton with polyester wadding. Fiona stated: I designed and machine quilted this quilt myself on a Sweet Sixteen machine.  Winner of the Young Quilter/Embroiderer 9-11 - 916 "I Don't Know" by Leif Sinclair. This category is for quilts of any size, using any technique, made by individual young quilters/embroiderers. Quilts should reflect the theme for 2017: Free. Machine sewing. Adult involvement: None Cloth, sewing thread. Leif stated: My idea is that this quilt is a free landscape where I can do what I like. That's why it's called "I don't know".  Winner of the Young Quilter/Embroiderer 12-16 931 "Freedom Bound" by Hannah Goldsmith. This category is for quilts of any size, using any technique, made by individual young quilters/embroiderers. Quilts should reflect the theme for 2017: Free. Applique, hand and machine quilting. Cotton, batiks, wadding, thread, the usual. Hannah stated: For my last "Young Quilter" entry I wanted to create a piece of artwork to convey a message that no matter how free we believe we are, we are still chained and bound. We are free to travel the world, but we are still bound to people and places we love.  Winner of the Quilt Creations - 808 "Silvery Threads" by Jacqueline Harvey. All entries in this category must qualify as clothing, wearable art or three dimentional pieces and should include quilting in some way. 3D items (this does not includedouble sided quilts) must hane length, breadth and depth. Entries can be made by an individual or a group. Hand quilted with painting and beading. Silk Dupion and Liberty tana lawn. Jacqueline stated: A boy's silk waistcoat inspired by those of the 18th century. The grey silk border has been appliqued to a white background and hand quilted using backstitch and running stitches. The border and pocket flap is enhanced with water soluble crayon and stitched with rayon and metallic threads to give a silvery thread.  Winner of the Pictorial Quilts - 213 "African Village" by Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga This category is for quilts depicting a scene or subject eg people, animal, flowers etc sd the main body of the quilt. A figurative or representational piece. Machine piecing and applique, machine quilting and machine embroidery. Hand dyed fabrics - silk, cotton, glitter and metallic threads. Janneke states: the inspiration was from a holiday in Africa.  Well I finally bit the bullet, and after much deliberating, I decided to enter the Festival of Quilts competition 2017. This is the quilt that I entered in the Two Person category - it's Bluebird Lane, which was bought as a BOM back in 2015 from Patchwork Chicks here in the UK, and was made with a selection of fabrics from the Autumn Lily collection by Blackbird designs for Moda. This gorgeous pattern is by an Australian designer, Natalie Bird, from The Birdhouse Patchwork Designs. The amazing freehand custom quilting was completed by Janette Chilver J-Quilts. This should be returned to me tomorrow, and I'm rather anxious about reading the judges comments. I've been contacted by a few ladies who follow my FB page Nicola Foreman Quilts, who had seen it and photographed it, and reading their lovely remarks really made my day. I was able to go the FOQ on Sunday and seeing my quilt hanging alongside so many other beautiful quilts was really exciting! Many thanks to my friend Lynne who kindly took a picture of the quilt with the maker!  |
 About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! 
 
 
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