Festival of Quilts

I've had a fantabulous day in Birmingham with a great friend, admiring both professional and amateur workmanship and browsing stalls full of an unbelievable range of associated goodies. The jewel in the crown was a 200 yr old quilt from 1718 from The Quilters Guild collection. What a treat! The Guild set a challenge to modern quilters to created their own versions and this is my blip. I loved the different colourways, the way some substituted their own special appliqued or embroidered animals in the same way that the original maker(s) chose theirs. The research behind the quilt was amazing; who was the original maker 'EH'?; the range of age of the various fabrics used (some from the 17thC); the sub-joining of smaller bits of fabric to give a piece big enough for purpose; use of local linen for the back; the analysis of the papers it was pieced over (still in the quilt - they obviously never anticipated washing it!) ...

No wonder we ran out of time!