BLOG 112

What a difference a week makes!

On Thursday and Friday this week, I was at the Festival of Quilts and what a fabulous time I had. I am pleased to report that my Dual Image Jacobean hung beautifully and was well received. It didn’t win any prizes but it looked good in its hanging space and I was very proud of my achievement.

 I was even more proud, nay ecstatic, when I learned that our group quilt won its section again. This year, in a change from normal procedure, they rang round the winners to let them know the evening before the show. So we knew before we set off that we had won the group section. This heightened our anticipation as we travelled down in ones and twos, by car and by train. When we all met up in front of our quilt, you can just imagine the explosion of excitement that 8 happy quilters produced. Also for the first time this year, all the winning quilts were put on the Winners’ Wall, another good move.

And now I am at liberty to tell you what it was all about. Last year when suggesting ideas for a 2012 quilt, we were aware that the Olympic Games would just have finished at the time of the FOQ. So we decided to do the ‘Quilters Games’ calling ourselves the ‘Dumbelles’. We chose an ample and mature Sunbonnet Sue and put her in a glitzy green leotard. (Her name has been synonymous with quilts for almost 100 years and she often makes an appearance on quilts. You either love her or hate her!!) We opted to put our chosen games in a setting that looked like monitors and we gave them a viewing audience.  

Here I am, flatteringly a bit blurred, with the whole quilt. I am pointing to my block which is called ‘TOSSING THE IRON’. The speech bubble says ‘Now I know why they call it a travel iron’. My hairy-legged Sue (each hair individually hand sewn and knotted!), is wearing Marigold gloves and has a warning sign saying ‘Warning Domestic goddess at work’.

                                          Dilys

 Here’s Liz with her block ‘QUILTERS’ BOLT’. They are lined up with their empty shopping bags at the start of the race, with one much keener than others. The caption reads ‘It’s all fat quarters round here’. Can you see the winner’s podium in the background made up of bronze, silver and gold thimbles?

                               Liz

 Jenny’s block is called ‘SYNCHRONISED SEWING’. Her ladies are sitting on a lovely mini-quilt made of crossed dumbbells and they are saying ‘1 2 3 stitch’, ‘Darn I missed that stitch’ and ‘1 2 3 stitch’. They each hold identical pieces of sewing. Jenny is hiding her bits with the bouquet we were given.

                                Jenny

 Barbara has done BALANCE BARS and her caption reads ‘I could have sworn it said Balance Bras on the application form’. You may be able to pick out her exquisitely made bras hanging everywhere.

 

                                       
                                  Barbara

 Marion chose to do ‘QUILTERS’ TEAM PURSUIT’, with the colour wheel as part of her bicycle. Her caption reads ‘I don’t seem to be moving, my tyres must be covered with Bondaweb’. On her rucksack, stuffed with fabric, is a label reading ‘I stop for quilts’.

                                   Marion

 Sue can be seen with Bonnie McCaffrey who was interviewing us as a group. Her block is called ‘QUILT SHOW JUMPING’ and her horse can be seen clearing a jump called Festival of Quilts. She is pointing to what the frightened horse left behind prior to jumping (she spent ages researching it too!)

                          Sue

 Jackie’s block ‘ROTARY RELAY’ shows a quilter on her knees handing over the rotary cutter to the next runner. Her caption is ‘We could be a cut above the rest if it wasn’t for my running stitch’. Notice the banner in the background, full of patchwork blocks.

                                          Jackie

 And finally, here’s Jennifer with her block ‘TACKING ROUND THE NEEDLES’. Her yacht with ‘storm at sea’ sails is tacking towards the Isle of Wight darning needles in the distance. She needed a number to go on her sails and so put her bra size!!!

                      Jennifer

 And did you notice on that final block that an extra sign has appeared beside our quilt? We were astounded and delighted to be awarded the BEST IN SHOW.

We have enormous fun, with wall-to-all laughter, when doing our group quilt and I hope you too get a sense of our humour when viewing this quilt.

 PS Bonnie McCaffrey interviews quilters about their quilts or their techniques and posts them as vidcasts. Her site  bonniemccaffrey.com  is well worth a visit and I will let you know when our interview is featured.