Spring Quilt Festival 2013 - The Quilts

My day out at the Spring Quilt Festival wasn't just about browsing through fabrics and threads and notions (although of course that was how we spent most of the morning!!) - it was also about the quilts, and we spent the afternoon ohhing and ahhing and here are my favourites. The display of quilts this year was excellent, and there were several that made me think "oh if only i were that talented"! Anyway, here are my favourites - I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did. And if you click on each picture, it will enlarge so you can see it better!

First of all, there was a spectacular display of quilts by Gwenfai Rees Griffiths, of Abergele, Conwy. She had a variety of quilts on display, in every style and colour pallet imaginable. 

Shades of the Sargasso Sea - the storm at sea block was used as a background to her applique, shading the blocks to create a soft medallion style quilt. This was beautifully hand quilted.
Houston Stars - a star sampler, where blocks were made using a variety of methods, machine quilted and joined using the quilt-as-you-go method.

Cwlwm Lafant - using Japanese fabrics, the floral inspiration is from the Rose of Sharon block, which is hand appliqued using both freezer paper and the needle turn method. The hand stitched Celtic pattern is used to divide the two floral areas, and this is hand quilted.
Harlequin - a contemporary version of an Amish quilt, using the traditional Amish on-point layout. Free-cut curved borders were added to echo the curves in the central border. Again, this was beautifully hand quilted.

Another collection that I was in awe of was "Beautiful Things" by Hilary Beattie, Lincolnshire. The information that Hilary provided said that she had started working in textiles and embroidery, but had been totally converted to patchwork and quilting when she took the City and Guilds course, finishing in 2010. She has won several awards and I can see why! Hilary says she has made work inspired by all the things she finds beautiful and life-enhancing. She hopes viewers will find her collection beautiful too - well yes I did Hilary - your work is stunning! Here are just a few pictures of her beautiful work. 

Asters 2 - fabrics were pained and printed using acrylic paints, and both machine embroidery and machine quilting make this a fabulous piece to admire.
Echinacea 1 - uses a mixture of both commercial fabrics and ones that Hilary has printed, dyed, monoprinted and stamped herself. Free machine quilting using Echinacea imagery and script were used as part of the patterning. Painted fabrics were used for the appliqued flowers and leaves and these were machine stitched and embroidered. A painted, bonded binding was attached with a lace insert. The second picture of Echinacea 1 shows this work in detail.

Echinacea 2 and Echinacea 3 - these were both inspired by small journal quilts. 
Fritilleria - a wholecloth quilt, painted in a checkerboard of pink and green. Grey and black silhouettes were cut and bonded over stencilled flowers, then machined down to complete the meadow.

Bullrushes - fabrics painted and printed with acrylic paints. Bullrushes and leaves appliqued on top, hand stitching with rayon and metallic threads to add shimmer. 
Gravey Jug - these fabrics were all hand dyed and printed using a variety of techniques, using rubbings, stamps, rollar printing, monoprints and fabric markers. Machine quilted and embroidered, then hand stitching added. 
Deco Jug - Machine quilted then applique added. Machine embroidered and hand stitching.

and here are my remaining favourites - oh if ONLY I was this talented!!

Sine Nomine - Linda Turner, Downham Market, Norfolk
Fire and Stone 1 - Jean Boath, Fife
Mother O'Mine - Lesley Brankin, Malvern, Worcestershire

Moonshadow - Bonnie Kerracher
Inspired - Fusion
In Russet Mantle Clad - Catherine Millar, Somerset