West Country Quilt and Textile Show 2019 - Customer Quilts

I had a lovely day at the 2019 West Country Quilt and Textile Show in Bristol this weekend. I was lucky enough to win a prize for one of my own quilts, but it was perhaps even more wonderful to see so many of my longarm customers entering their quilts into the show.  It seemed that every corner I turned there was a quilt which I had had the pleasure of quilting. Enjoy

'Funky Dresdens' made by Christine Porter,
quilted by Frances Meredith at Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

Made by Natalie Taylor,
quilted by Frances Meredith at Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

'Happy's Quilt' made by Lorna Henshaw,
quilted by Frances Meredith at Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

Quilt by Ann Boyce,
quilted by Frances Meredith at Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

Shipton Quilters Charity Quilt,
quilted by Frances Meredith at Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

Dear Jane Quilt - West Country Quilt and Textile Show 2019 - Best Piecing

'Dear Jane' quilt made by Frances Meredith

My Dear Jane quilt has been out and about again, this time to the West Country Quilt and Textile Show 2019.  I am pleased to say that it won a rosette for 'Best Piecing'.  It was lovely to chat to those of you who are in the middle of your Dear Jane journey - keep going, it will be worth it!

'Dear Jane' quilt made by Frances Meredith

Lone Star Quilt in French General fabrics, made by Paula, quilted by Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

Lone Star quilt made by Paula in French General Fabrics

Following on from my last post, the Blazing Star quilt made by Ruth, Paula brought me another  lovely Lone Star quilt made out of French General fabrics. The Lone Star is a stunning quilt to make and if you are interested in making one of your own, Chris Williams is running a Lone Star workshop at Busy Bees Patchwork in Newport this September.

Lone Star quilt made by Paula in French General Fabrics

Whenever I receive a quilt with large white spaces like this one, I know the quilting is going to show up well and inspired by the quilting of Ruth's quilt, Paula decided to go with the same Bird's Eye View quilting pattern for her quilt.  Another great tip, Paula had chosen a good quality Dorma sheet for her backing, no joins necessary and it had a lovely soft touch, especially if you were going to use it on a bed.  

'Birds Eye View' digital quilt pattern
designed by Barbara Becker

Blazing Star Quilt made by Ruth (Craftsy 2017 Block of the Month)

'Blazing Star' quilt made by Ruth
Craftsy 2017 Block of the Month

It is hard to believe it was a week ago that the 2019 Festival of Quilts was in full swing.  One of the exhibits reminded me of this quilt which Fabadashery Longarm Quilting did for Ruth - Blazing Star, the 2017 Block of the Month quilt on Craftsy / Bluprint.  This little internet picture belies the true size of this quilt which was 96" x 96" and Ruth was wise enough to ask me to add the binding which saved her a battle on her sewing machine once it had been quilted.

The digital quilt pattern we chose was 'Birds Eye View' designed by Barbara Becker and we used a Glide Warm Grey 6 thread which matched the beige background fabric and carried well across the quilt on the front and the back, which you can see in the picture below.

'Birds Eye View' digital quilt pattern
designed by Barbara Becker

This is one of my go-to patterns, especially if you don't want fancy flowers and swirls on a quilt.  I like its regular irregularity!

'Birds Eye View' digital quilt pattern
designed by Barbara Becker

Beautiful Irish Chain with Stars quilt made by Val

Purple Star quilt made by Val, quilted by Frances Meredith

This beautiful quilt has been made by Val for a family member, living abroad.  She made a lovely choice of fabrics, which made the stars shine in their Irish chain setting - what a delightful gift to receive.  Val is a very talented quilter, but this is the first quilt she has had professionally longarm quilted.  She was so delighted, she said she will be back for more.   

Purple Star quilt made by Val, quilted by Frances Meredith

When you are sending off a quilt to someone you love, somehow a heart quilting pattern seems the most appropriate, and Val went with the ever populr 'Ginger Hearts' pantograph.  This pattern always comes out beautifully and always has a lovely result.

'Ginger Hearts' designed by Apricot Moon

Festival of Quilts, NEC Birmingham 2019 - Choosing a Longarm Quilter?

So you have finished you quilt top. What next? How to quilt it?  Sometimes when piecing is our favourite part of the quilt making process and we have taken many hours over it, it can be intimidating to know how to quilt it. If you are a loss of what to do, a longarm quilter may be able to help out.  But how do you know which longarm quilting services to choose?

This week at the Festival of Quilts there is a great opportunity to see a wide selection of longarm quilted quilts in the Two Person Category (J), which this year is located in the hall to the far left of the main entrance, next to the Quick and Easy Workshops.  Take a look at the different styles and skills and you will probably have a personal preference for the style which you would prefer on your quilt.

I am pleased to say that a few of my talented customers have entered their quilts in the Two Person Category this year, so do go and have look

JO19 "Stonefields" by Jenny Otto and Frances Meredith

JO43 "Jody's Birthday Quilt" by Natalie Taylor and Frances Meredith

JO53  "Birds of a Feather block together" by Barbara Gillespie and Frances Meredith

And if you want to see what I have been up to  (and how I quilt my own quilts), you can see my entry in the Traditional Quilt section

FO66 "Jane's Pinwheel" by Frances Meredith

I pre-ordered my Festival of Quilts Official Show Guide and Competition Catalogue, so I am spending the weekend, planning what I need to see. I will be up there for a few days, so if you see me, say 'hello' !

#festivalofquilts #foq2019 #festivalofquilts2019

Liberty Tana Lawn Quilt, made by Sue, quilted by Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

Liberty Quilt made by Sue, quilted by Fabadashery Longarm Quilting

Here's a lovely, light, summer quilt made by Sue. It is made from Liberty Tana lawn fabric and to quilt it just a light quilting pattern, Dragon Wings. What a delightful little quilt.

'Dragon Wings' quilting pattern by Apricot Moon