There's more!  And I haven't even got out of the Art Quilts section.

This quilt is Lichen by Janine Visser from the Netherlands.  In the catalogue it is described as hand dyed cotton screen printed, discharged and painted fusible web with three panels of wool felt in mixed techniques.

 Detail from the above.


This quilt, Vikings Beware, is by Jane Appelbee and is a machine and handquilted wholecloth, hand dyed with snow (that's what it says) and coloured using markal paint sticks.

 And here is a close up of those lovely thistle heads.

One of the marshals.

The quilt below won 2nd prize and is by Barbara Lynn Tubbe from Georgetown USA.  The is raw-edged and fused applique using commercial fabrics and hand-dyed cheesecloth.  The quilt is a talisman to ward off forest fires.

Elsewhere there was a lovely gallery of the work of the late Marie Roper, who sadly died earlier this year.

You can see her blog here  (it is still live) or see a lovely review of her stand at the show here.

Here are my own photo of her stand. (Art dolls are definately growing on me)

Well, as far as quilts are concerned for 4 days in August.

And to be truthful, not the centre of Birmingham - but the NEC, near the Airport.

I am fired up and exhausted!  But what a day!

Let's start with the Art Quilts.  And these are just some of my favourites.  (Which begs the question, how on earth do you judge the entries?  And I did not agree with all the judging.)



And I loved this lovely quilt, but I am sorry - my photo cataloging went astray so I don't know who you are.


And I also don't know who did this quilt, but that is because it is not in the catalogue (174 - you know who you are.  Get in touch and I will credit you!)


Oh dear, and I don't know who did this one either.  It's a good job I am not the official photographer.


But I do know who did this quilt.  This is another international one - Angela Schenz from Austria.   This quilt is 220 small rectangular tablets with 260 organza leaves.


This is a detail of the above.


There's more, there's more -  but that is going to have to wait for another day.

Oh, and although I was very restrained I have put down a deposit for one of these. (having considered it very carefully against one of these).  My excuse - it should make the paper quilting easier!

I am finding delaying tactics, as you do!!

I have got lots of boring paper work to do, but instead I have been stitching.


Stitched (that is the organza laid over the top of the bleached, printed and painted velvet.


The organza snipped and burned away, using a heat gun.

But I don't like the open patch in the middle, so I do a bit more stitching.


And now I think it is finished.  But I might add some beads.  I will leave it for now and return to it later and give it a view with a fresh eye.

And while I am at it, just to show you have a fab picture deserves a lovely frame.

It also deserves a lovely photo!  But, despite being in the shade, it is still too bright.  The background is supposed to be black!

By the way, this is a lovely little icon by Angie Hughes.

Some how, and I don't quite know how, life and other stuff has got in the way!

I don't quite know how that happened, but I have managed to grab back a bit of control.

So last weekend we discovered a fabulous garden - Coton Manor, with a fabulous pelagonum collection and   not a million miles away from The Bramble Patch. 




It had stunning flower borders



wonderful views



and an exotic little menagerie.




including Rodney the Blue and Gold Macaw, who lords it over the cafe courtyard (but would not pose for the camera!)


And it has a great little on site plant nursery where you can buy plants you see growing in the garden.

And I managed to get the sewing machine out and have started the embroidery on the latest pieces (at last!)

Despite my time being a bit 'borrowed' I have managed to move the latest pieces forward - just a wee bit.  I have added more paint detail (stamped and painted - using acrylic paints and the home made stamps I made at Angie Hughes workshop) plus shiny foiled papers to add additional leaf and stem detail.