Two person quilts, double the skill

The two person quilts category was pretty self explanatory - it’s for quilts that have had two people work on them, that includes quilting whether that’s the result of pure collaboration or if the quilt has been professionally long armed (that’s when you send your quilt away to be quilted).

But the quilts were far from ordinary, like the other quilts on display they were full of imagination, inspiration and great work, and I really don’t think it matters that more than one person has worked on a quilt, but I guess in a competition it provides transparency.

As with the other categories the judges were looking for visual impact, the emotional response to the quilt, the composition and use of colour as well as its construction and accuracy of piecing, and no doubt much more. I’d be terrible as a judge as I liked pretty much every quilt, and as I walked around the show the ‘wows’ kept coming, in fact I think if I walked past the first quilts I saw I’d be even more wowed by them the second time I saw them!

But anyway, here’s my favourites in the two person quilts category.

GOLDEN WEDDING, EILEEN WING AND DEBBIE HOLLAND

I’m sure it will be a surprise to no one that this was one of my favourite quilts in the show - it uses yellows and oranges, is heart shaped and has a mix and match of blocks and an interesting background. Isn’t it lovely?

And as much as I love the ‘Golden Wedding’ quilt above, the winner in this category was entirely different and so intricate.

CATEGORY WINNER: TWO HALVES MAKE US WHOLE, CLAIRE WALLACE AND TELENE JEFFREY

It was one to stare and stare and admire the work, all of it.

As was this next one, just look at the detailed quilting on show. That alone boggles my mind, and that’s before you notice the design - this photo is just a quarter of the quilt, but the detail was lost in the whole quilt picture, and the detail needs to be seen.

DAISY, HELEN BROOKHAM AND SANDY CHANDLER

The final two quilts are a study in colour composition, both use more traditional quilt blocks and yet these appeal to me as much as the others I’ve included in this post.

JARDIN DES ETOILES, JAYNE TRUEMAN AND JO RIOUX

I loved the name of both of these, there’s a play on words for both of them. Above you have garden of the stars - and I can imagine each of those stars as flower beds with hedge borders around them as you see in so many French chateaus. And below, the name Time is so appropriate for the hourglass blocks.

TIME, JO MYHILL AND TEAMO QUILTING

I love the colours in this one two, and how my eye travels across the quilt tracing the shapes. And then looking more closely I see how the fabric is repeated, and how the backgrounds blend between a cream and a creamy white and to a light grey.

It’s an absolute dream, and as I said before I’d be no good judging any of the categories - all the quilts are just too lovely!

A quick look at miniature quilts

Unsurprisingly the miniature quilts category at Festival of Quilts was full of tiny quilts, and by tiny I mean small. The flying geese one below is the approximately a hand’s length, so considering the size of many of the quilts on display, it’s teeny tiny!

The category guidance says that any technique or combination of techniques can be used, and the maximum length of any side is 30cm. It also says that in a photo (without any indication of scale) it should look like a full size quilt or wall hanging.

And these definitely do. Though I can’t get over the sizes of the centre geese in this miniature quilt.

GEESE IN A SPIN, JENNY ANDERSON

Would you have known this one was the length of my SIL’s hand? (BTW she has a normal sized hand in case you were wondering!) I’m not sure I would, and I’m also pretty sure I don’t have the patience (or the skill) to create something so intricate and so small.

While there were many miniature quilts on display, I only seem to have captured three of them. I think I must have been so wowed I forgot all about capturing all but my very favourites, and I totally agree with the title of this next one - you can never have too many hearts. Especially stripey ones!

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY HEARTS, KAREN LLEWELLYN-PARSONS

This final teeny tiny quilt is my favourite. You know I love a rainbow and a Liberty fabric rainbow is even better.

THE RAINBOW QUILT TEENY TINY, FLOWER CHILD

Isn’t it gorgeous.

And I guess that I need to pay more attention to this category when I’m back at this show later in the year, though it’s also quite fitting that it’s a tiny post for a tiny subject matter!

Pictorial quilts to make you gasp

Last week I shared the Art quilts, which are designed as pieces of art and this week I’m sharing the relatively similar category of Pictorial quilts. The quilts in this category are quilts depicting a scene or a subject, such as people, animals, flowers etc as the main body of the quilt.

Knowing the boundaries of the category really helps, and once you see the quilts I’m sharing today I’m pretty sure you’re going to gasp. Each and every one of them are truly amazing and I don’t even want to start thinking about the number of hours that has gone into each one. Though I’m not sure I’d want a gorilla on my bed…

SHE MATTERS, SUE DE VANNY

SHE MATTERS, SUE DE VANNY

Though it’s amazing isn’t it? More so I think when you look closely at the quilting and its composition. I’ve actually seen this quilt twice now as it was also at the Harrogate Knit & Stitch show, and both times I’ve been wowed by it.

This second quilt is quite different in style and at first glance you could be mistaken to thinking that it’s a simple design, but look again and see the colours flow from pink to blue effortlessly, and the composition of the lower leaves and vases, and you realise it’s not quite as simple as you first thought.

FLORAL ABUNDANCE, JENNY BRADBURY

With a cyclist in the house (clue: it’s not me!) I had to include this one didn’t I? And the blocks of bold colours really work here I think.

POGI, AURORA CALVET

There were a few nature inspired quilts too, this ‘under the sea’ view had plenty to look at when you stepped back, but when you move closer there’s even more to see as it’s made from small hexagons pieced together.

MEERBEDECKT, RENATE KÄMMER

MEERBEDECKT, RENATE KÄMMER

I don’t even want to contemplate the number of hours spent making this one, let alone having the inspiration to even make it.

This bug was cute though with all its blues and slightly less overwhelming to my eyes.

LAURA’S BEETLE, LINDA SMITH

And then there were butterflies perched on flowers with the most beautifully quilted background.

MONARCH BUTTERFLY, INJA METZGER & MARIA SCHATEN

The final two quilts I’m sharing really do fit the pictorial brief, and are worthy of more than one gasp. As I approached the monochrome quilt below, I thought to myself it had a touch of Breakfast at Tiffany’s to it, as I got closer I saw it was titled ‘a beauty from the swinging 60s’ so I was just a decade out!

BEAUTY FROM THE SWINGING 60S, VICTORIA MILLER

But I hope you’ve saved some gasps, as you’ll need it for this one. It’s so good it doesn’t look as if it’s been sewn together, but painted - and just look at the detail on the frame alone.

A WIND FROM THE NORTH, ANDREA LEA MCVEY

It’s no surprise though that this quilt was voted the Visitor’s Choice Winner, and thoroughly deserved. It really is in a class of its own, and not something I’m ever likely to attempt!