Festival of Quilts and sewing

I visited the Festival of Quilts on two separate days and enjoyed both days as I do every year. This is the first year I haven't been a Quilt Angel ( still receiving treatment so not up for all that physical hard work) so it was strange not to have seen behind the scenes before the Show opened.
Saw lots of lovely quilts, loads of hexagons including one which had zillions of tiny tiny hexagons ( less than 1" I would think!).

Hard to pick out a few favourites, but I'll try!

Loved the Group winner, "The Quilters' Games" which was a very amusing quilt reflecting the idea of quilters as synchronised swimmers!

This quilt was beautifully done, made from boxer shorts and socks! I have seen it chosen on another blog too so you may have seen this quilt before.

Also enjoyed the exhibition of Quilts created out of a British/German exchange of fabrics.  All really different and so clever with their use of the fabrics sent to them and combining those with fabrics from their own stash.

Two fabulous Pictorial quilts which caught my eye:

One of the competition quilts which was a wonderful representation of a little view of a Venice canal, all beautifully embellished so it was 3D.

And this was in a Gallery within the Festival of Quilts which was like looking a photograph of Darling Harbour in Sydney!

And my all-time favourite which I chose for my Visitors' Choice was this fabulous quilt showing a marvellous variety of faces, all created from snippets of fabric.  Absolutely stunning!

Entitled: This Many faces, This Many Cultures by Rita Dijkstra-Hesselink, Hengelo, Holland

As always, loads of traders and I enjoyed saying hello to Katy aka I'magingermonkey, busy working and doing demos.  Tried not to buy too much as I am still trying to use up fabrics from my stash.  But I did need more batting, and some Kona cotton in yellow and aqua, Aurifil thread and I couldn't resist a lovely turquoise fabric with a lemon spot which I know will be great for bindings and perhaps a border or two.

On the sewing front I have now completed my Siblings Together Top and I am pleased with it. It is now ready for pin basting and like most of the quilters I know, this is the part I dislike, so it is sitting there looking at me! But I do have the batting now and I have cut the backing to size so I just have to bite the bullet!

I have also been putting together a few little Premature Baby/ Doll quilts with some of the Crumb blocks I have been making.  I have finished two, another is ready for binding, another being hand quilted and two more ready to be sandwiched. I gave one to my daughter for a little gift from our Granddaughter to another 2 year old girl and just posted another to accompany a storybook for our neighbour's little granddaughter who is one tomorrow.  When I have a few more completed quilts I'll pop them round to our local hospital.

So a busy few weeks and lots of sewing to do and hundreds of ideas whizzing round my head!