Last Friday I went along to the Newark Quilt Show held at the Newark Showground which is just a short drive away - I think it’s probably the closest-to-me quilt show I’ve ever been to, closer even to those at London’s Excel and that alone was a treat. I’d also not been in to the Newark Showground, though have driven past it several times - it’s on our list to go as they look to have some great shows on there, and the Newark Air Museum, which is also on our list, is also close by.

But they’re for another today, this visit was all about the quilts. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect size-wise, but I knew there’d be some quilts on display and some suppliers also present. Thankfully the show was clearly signposted and I followed a slow trickle of cars into the ground and to the parking area.

I was pleasantly surprised, while the hall wasn’t huge it was plenty big enough and the central section was dedicated to the quilts on display - and there were many. Suppliers, around 60 or so, were positioned around the edge of the quilts on display, and like every other show I’ve been to (and not just craft shows) the aisles were full of people making their way through the plentiful stalls.

You’ll know that I’m a long time admirer of scrappy quilts, and have many plans to make my own - even if many of those plans don’t quite come to fruition every time! And so I was keen to see the ‘Stash Busting Scrappy Quilts’ by Carolyn Forster that were on display.

I took many pictures because they were so lovely, and as future inspiration for myself and while I took pictures of the whole quilts, it’s the details that really appeal to me and so I’m only sharing partial shots of Carolyn’s quilts here.

The Vintage Linens Quilt is a great way to reuse embroidered linens, especially those with a stain or two - though it needs some bravery to cut those up. I’ve acquired a few old tablecloths myself and I can see this being a good way to get them out of the cupboard and in use. Carolyn has used fabrics that compliment the embroidery to form a repeating block which I think works really well.

The Triplet Block Quilt is one that really caught my eye, I’m not sure I’ve really seen this block much before but spotted it in a couple of Carolyn’s quilts and it’s one that looks really effective repeated over a whole quilt too. I agree with Carolyn that the fabrics here give the quilt a summery feel, but hadn’t spotted that the block is set in alternating directions, until I read the card pinned alongside.

After that I did spend perhaps more time than actually necessary looking at how the blocks I liked were constructed, and without being mean or taking anything away from Carolyn’s work, they often are what appear to be quite simple shapes. I say what appear to be quite simple shapes, as we know that not everything is always what it appears to be, and there is real skill in not only the sewing but the fabric choices and layout.

Carolyn acknowledges that in the Beach Houses Quilt saying that ‘the simple shape belies the fact that the sewing can be quite challenging. All the rows need to be set0in with the often-dreaded Y-seam!’

Beautiful though isn’t it?

The Scrappy Crosses Quilt was another favourite of mine, this was inspired by a vintage quilt. Carolyn says that in this quilt she ran out of the original fabric for some of the centres of each block, but the good thing about scrappy quilts is that most of the time no one notices the substitutions. That’s so true, and a good lesson as I think often we’re so focussed on getting it right, when really a small deviation doesn’t really matter at all.

PART OF THE SCRAPPY CROSSES QUILT USING MULTIPLE FLORAL FABRICS — CAROLYN FORSTER: SCRAPPY CROSSES QUILT

The Hexagon Lozenges Quilt using big hexagons, which is great for stash busting! The quilting design suggests smaller pieces have been used, but look again and it looks like this would be one that would grow quickly, and be relatively simple to do.

In the Diamonds and Stars Quilt for me it’s the plain fabric that becomes the star (quite literally) with the patterned fabric playing a supporting role - though the yellow floral fabric in the centre of the picture below looks pretty special. This quilt is based on a 60 degree diamond and an old fashioned block which is simple and effective.

CAROLYN FORSTER: DIAMONDS AND STARS QUILT

There was a good reminder alongside the Curtains Quilt that anything goes, and quilts don’t have to use dress-weight cotton. This one uses old curtains and curtain fabric off-cuts and I’ve no doubt that it would keep you just as cosy as any other quilt.

Carolyn started, and finished, the Maple Leaves Quilt during the first Covid lockdown and was inspired by one in the book ‘Unconventional and Unexpected’ by Roderick Kiracofe which gave licence for unusual choices. I love its boldness and larger prints, and I know I’ve plenty of larger prints stashed away which I could use in a similar way (one day!)

So much inspiration here for me, and hopefully for you too - my planned project list is perpetually growing! But if I get close to anywhere near through that list I know I’ll have some beautiful quilts - both fabric and yarn-based - and will have plenty to choose from!

There were plenty more quilts on display at the show and I’ll share my favourites in a separate post soon.