The annual Festival of Quilts in Birmingham is the largest quilt event outside America. I went for the first time last year, mainly to try out the Grace Queen Quilting Frame. To be honest, I was a little disappointed last year, as I felt the festival was mainly geared towards more traditional quilters, and it seemed to confirm some of the prejudices I think people have, i.e., that quilting is a hobby for sweet old ladies who love traditional, floral prints, wear wooly cardigans and probably have several pet cats. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not how I regard quilting.

This year, however, I was pleasantly surprised. The London Modern Quilt Guild, which was only founded two years ago, had a stand (very friendly people, indeed!) and there seemed to be greater selection of modern fabrics available. One of my favourite UK shops, the Eternal Maker, was there, too, complete with a huge selection of the highly coveted Cotton + Steel collection.

Needless to say, I took the opportunity to stock up on some lovely new fabric. Here are some of my highlights:

Oakshott solids - unfortunately the photo does not do this beautiful fabric justice

The new Oakshott Colourshott colours - charm packs

Yesterday, I left S and the kids with granny and hopped on a train to Birmingham for some very special "me time", namely a visit to the Festival of Quilts.

I had a great time and will post more about it in the next few days, but the biggest highlight was meeting Amy Butler.

Amy was there with the fabric company, Rowan, promoting her new collection, Glow. She took the time to answer my questions and talk a little about quilting.

I have to admit, I actually avoided her fabrics for some time, as a kind of minor act of rebellion ("I am NOT using the fabric just because everyone else raves about it!!"), but I found myself choosing more and more of her fabrics when ordering online, often without knowing they were actually Amy Butler designs until I had put them in my virtual shopping basket. And they seem to sneak into my quilts on a regular basis, too. I love some of the earlier collections, such as Gypsy Caravan and Midwest Modern, especially the geometrical prints. I was not too keen on Hapi, but her latest line, Glow, is amazing. She said it was inspired by Japanese folk art, which probably explains why I was so taken by it, being such a big Japan fan.

I know these appearances are all part of her job, but she was really pleasant, and had a kind word for everyone who came to talk to her. That little bit of friendliness and courtesy towards her fans certainly left a lasting impression.

Festival of Quilts 2014 - my Fabric Highlights

The Queen of Fabric Design...in Person

mukiyo modern quilting