Let the fun begin!

Day one of Festival is always a very early start because all the show workshop tutors get together and network ( ahem, eat croissant and drink coffee and chat....) then the countdown to the 10am opening starts, stand by your stalls..and we're off! Four whole days of quilts, quilts, shopping, chatting, more shopping, meeting old friends and making new ones.  Exhausting, but SO much fun!

Terry and I are on the stand for much of the time, but we had half an hour before the show opened to make a start on looking at the 1000 or so quilts on offer. Our first section:

The Guild Challenge

Open to all members of The Quilters' Guild and European Quilters' Guild, this year the theme was 'On the beach'. Over 40 quilts were entered and here a few which caught our eye:

First prize was awarded to 52 32'N 04 03W by Laura Kemshall.  It was huge and beautifully displayed on a specially built curved wall, which accentuated the panoramic view,

You could almost smell the sea, have your hair ruffled by the breeze and feel the sand between your toes.

Over 200 hours of quilting and embroidery went into its making before she printed a digital copy of her photograph over the entire surface.  A very modern whole cloth and so beautifully executed.

 

Walking on the beach is the title of Terry's quilt.  Inspired by a brisk beach walk on a clear day and the collection of interesting finds picked up along the way:

Rust from Lyme lands lips and Eastbourne's fishermen's beach, holed oyster shells and tatty feathers.

On the beach with Alice was my offering, using the silk and linen fabrics created on a recent workshop with Alice Fox inEastbourne.

 

Jane Appelbee's quilt Starry, starry night featured hand and sibori fabrics to great effect to portray a calm, bright, full-moonlit walk along the beach in north west Scotland.

Whilst Bob Dylan's 'Mr Tambourine Man' was the inspiration for Sandra Newton's Out to the windy beach. The text was beautifully done in fused appliqué, so neat, so effective.

Julia Gahagan's I love beach huts made us smile.  We love them, and if you do too then keep a look out for Julia's workshop for us next year.

Ebb and flow by Robbie Le Poidevin is a personal favourite.  I'd like to take it home!

Ann Beare was inspired by fond childhood memories of summer holidays playing amongst the grass covered sand dunes in Lancashire for her Memories of past times.

Kathy Unwin's On the beach used a different colour palette from most of the other enteries, as it explored the survival in a damaged environment.

Beached 1 was designed and sewn by Kate Dowty

Whilst Washed up was made by Shena Norquay.  Both explore the debris, natural or ma made, washed up on the shoreline.

Sarah White celebrated all things seaside with her On the beach quilt.

Elements, slices of the beach as a place of sanctuary and healing, allow Hilary Beattie to 'be there' when she can't actually visit.

The attention to detail is a joy.

We'll be off to explore more galleries and competition quilts again tomorrow as time permits, so don't forget to check back with us tomorrow.  Or even better, come and take a look for yourself, and drop by QIA14 to say hello to us!