Monday, August 23, 2010

Festival of Quilts

So Rachel and I braved the quilt show this year. Considering I didn't actually need anything apart from a few pencil leads, I still managed to buy one of everything. But it's so hard when there is just stall after stall packed with things stretching in front of you.

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And of course there is the exhibition itself. I always feel good after I've seen an exhibition as I realise that although people have a huge amount of skill, they often create things which make my eyeballs sore. I think I am just a bit too 'Little House on The Prairie' for all these ground-breaking, exciting designs. Below are a few details of things I did like.

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I think I gravitated to all the hexagon ones this year because you have to do them by hand. More and more I see Gamel quilting which is where you send off your quilt and a big machine quilts a huge perfect design over it... which is great, but I have started to really appreciate the ones done by hand. They just seem a little more human.

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I was much more interested in applique this year after my botch-job attempt. I felt like a real show pro as I had to get right up to them and eyeball them whilst muttering 'how the hell did they do that?' which is what I see a lot of people doing. I think I just thought they were short-sighted before.

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It looked like people had printed their own material which I thought looked really good.

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There was a lot of experimental stuff which I think bordered on embroidery really. I am not sure how they decide what it patchwork, but I sometimes felt things had veered off into a new realm. Some of them were amazing though.

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They had a clothes section which seemed rather like a wizard's wardrobe. Some of them were amazing. This christening dress was so long. The hem was amazing. Of course I didn't photograph that because I am an idiot.

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This is my sort of thing. A bit frayed, a bit wonky. When did I become so traditional? I really don't know.

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Here is am example of 'close quilting'. It's amazing, but you come out with something so stiff, you could never imagine wrapping it round you on the sofa. Although, I have a feeling none of the quilts will go very near human touch.

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Some things were very tastful. This is a miniature quilt, they are always my favourites as they must all be made by people who are bonkers... with really tiny fingers.

I took a whole load more pictures which you can see here if it's your thing.

2 comments:

One Crafty Mumma said...

That's a really nice stash! I love your crochet too :)

Claire Vincent said...

The girl who screen prints her own material (and made the porthole quilt) is here: http://blu-shed.blogspot.com/ I follow her blog too.