Blown Away....

I'm going to issue a very serious warning.....For Those Of You Who Read My Blog, But Don't Quilt, LOG OUT NOW!!!
Still here? Well don't say I didn't try......
So Saturday saw me heading off to Birmingham,all bright eyed and bushy tailed. I'd not been to a quilt festival before, but I had a vague idea of what to expect, from various other shows and exhibitions I'd been to at the NEC.
Let me tell you, NOTHING prepared me for the sheer volume of sheer, unadulterated talent. I started taking photos......

....each quilt taking my breath away, as I wondered at the hours and hours and HOURS of painstaking work involved. I got a bit trigger happy.....

Unfortunately, I didn't buy a programme, so I can't credit any of the artists that had lovingly slaved over these fabulous exhibits.
This one.......

....was big enough to cover a small double bed, and had been hand stitched. Each hexagon was no bigger than a penny. Can you IMAGINE??
This is the BACK of another quilt.....

...the FRONT of mine don't ever look this good!!
By now, both Linda and I were beginning to feel a little overwhelmed and decided it was time to re-fuel. Back down to earth with a loud, resounding bump. A chicken sandwich and drink cost £7!!!! Good job CAVIAR wasn't on the menu! House re-mortgages would have to have happened!!
All refreshed, we went straight back to it, and we saw this...

.....they were patched on both sides, and stuffed, before being colour graded and sewn together at the corners, to create this....

.....truly amazing. Then there was this.....

...TWO quilts making up the bigger picture.
OK. By now, I'll admit, I was beginning to feel a little despondent. If I live to be 274 (not particularly likely), I'm never going to achieve anything LIKE these masterpieces. My quilts had now been relegated to Betty's Bargain Basement level. But you just couldn't stay down for long. Everyone was so chatty and friendly. Everyone was happy to share. The place was HEAVING, mostly with ladies of all sorts of ages, and there wasn't a cross or rude word to be heard ANYWHERE. Not once. (Lesson to be learnt there, gents?)
I met Janet Clare-www.janetclare.co.uk- and bought her new book, which she very kindly signed, as I wittered on, starstruck. (I'm usually quite a normal, levelheaded sort of person. Promise!)
I met Trudi Wood -http://trudi-quiltingprolifically.blogspot.com-who gave some sound advice, and started me thinking......but that's for a whole other day!
The day, if you haven't twigged yet, was fantastic. Tiring. Inspiring. Humbling. I shall stop now, as several of you have glazed over, and are in serious danger of self-harming, as you fall off your chairs.
As we left the building, we walked by the Winner's Wall, and for me,  the quilt that won the section for Miniature Quilts, was the final cherry on a very glorious cake. Of the 5-tier, lashings of chocolate variety. It measured maybe 4"x10", and certainly would't keep you warm at night.....but, boy, could it's creator sew....

See you soon. xx