My weekend at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham was lots of fun. I’m sure you’re not surprised! But, truly, I had more fun than I expected thanks to a warm welcome by friends new and old.

This event it is the largest quilt show in Europe. It’s attended by some 25,000 quilters and takes up three huge halls at the exhibition center. I was there for two days, but did not manage to take it all in. It’s overwhelming, but lovely!

One thing I really liked about the festival was the relaxed atmosphere about the quilts on exhibition. Everyone who enters is welcome to have their quilts hung, and quilts of all styles are appreciated. Yes, there were modern quilts, but also so many traditional ones (and every combo in between). There were art quilts, youth quilts, mini quilts. As with any show, not all quilts will appeal to you, but that sense of inclusivity is nice to see. I had sworn off entering my quilts into shows, but this one may change my mind.

Here are some that made me stop and snap a photograph:

Snow Wonky by Edinburgh Modern Quilt Guild

Modern Movement by Rachelle Denneny (cropped)

A Modern Dahlia Quilt by Deborah McGuire (cropped)

Carmine Bee-Eater Eidos by Araba McMillan and Joē Bennison

I did find several of opportunities to introduce myself to fabric shops that I would love to work with. There were shops that had fabrics I knew and loved, and several that offered new discoveries. Hopefully I’ll have some new advertisers soon that cater to European quilters.

Naturally, I went home with a few goodies for myself. Here are my finds from Purple Stitches, as well as a shot of the promo cards I took along. Fingers crossed for new longarm quilting service orders!