I was very excited about visiting this fair but overall I was a little disappointed as the emphasis seemed to be on shopping for sewing supplies and exhibits of more traditional quilts rather than anything contemporary.  It was Craft-orientated rather than Art-orientated.  Having said that, I was drawn to several framed pieces, which really caught my eye and I also was interested in a number of hand-sewn quilts made of antique kimono fabric.  I came away with a stash of natural fabrics, buttons and yarns which I can’t wait to use!

Below are a selection of quilts that appealed to me, with close up shots.  In my next post I will show the three textile pieces I have chosen to study in more detail, with my reflections on them.

I loved the colours in this quilt and the range of stitches used.

I loved the use of calligraphy which is a special interest of mine. as well as the use of beads in this wall-hanging

I love these blue and white fabrics and am always on the look-out for old remnants for my own quilting projects

I was interested in the range of stitches, particularly the french-knot and also the printed fabric

This framed piece was simple, yet striking

I love the use of colour and the rough, uneven stitching on the mix of fabrics

A range of materials were used in this wall-hanging.  Although I wasn’t particularly enamoured by the overall effect, I loved the detail

I was amazed by this piece which looked just like a painting.  I loved the detail and the way the netting was used to give the snowy effect

This framed piece did nothing for me from a distance but I loved the stitching and fabrics used when viewed close-up.

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Some of my ‘booty’!  I bought a lovely collection of buttons, hemp and bags of mixed fabrics – now I can’t wait to try them out in various projects!

I can’t wait to use these balls of hemp when I come to the sewing exercises!