Quilters' Guild AGM, Torquay

Lots of Quilts.. Loads of interest..

West Country Quilt Show with the Modern Quilt Group

 So far, so good.. The Challenge Quilts look fantastic, and so many different  takes on a simple idea (the Equilateral Triangle and its offspring, the Diamond and the Hexagon.)
 Heather, Lucy Poloniecka and I had a deal of fun sorting these into groups of three... Kate Percival, our Exhibitions Officer, joins us tomorrow

 ..and hanging them with the help of two stalwart standers-on-ladders-with-screwdrivers...

 We have more quilts than walls, of course, even though we seem to have an awful lot of wall

 Heather arranges her table - note the Old Black Singer - we have brought two, so no fighting

 Nearly there...

 Tired

I wish my camera did Panoramic - this is not all of it

More tomorrow, and please do come
We're at the University of Western England, Bristol till Saturday evening...
Details here

Quilters' Haven Modern Quilt days

And we played with Trees, and Tigers

Do come, 9 till 5 tomorrow (Friday 21st August 2015) and 9 till 4:30 on Saturday 22nd.. Free have-a-goes and try-it-outs all round.. And cups of tea

International Quilt Day

A good time (and much good food) was had by all

Off to the Festival of Quilts

Hello all,
It's nearly time for Festival of Quilts. I am launching the Modern Group there for the Quilters' Guild of Great Britain

I have made a hand-out leaflet, run around madly finishing quilts, am writing patterns, and I'm trying to get everything together while simultaneously trying not to melt and to run my business.

I am fond of The Quilters' Guild, in spite of its funny little ways.. because I respect the work of so many of its supporters; because I was made welcome at my first AGM; because I am a teacher and a quilter and I want there to be a national organisation that will support quilting and patchwork and all the related stuff..

On the other hand, it can be bureaucratic, stolid, and a bit inclined to form-not-function..

And I worry about the demographic - the members are on the whole older than the people I teach, and the younger students do not join "because it's a bit stuffy" or because they don't want to be asked to volunteer too much - they have lives after all.. Many of the older ones are beginning to drop out because they see that travelling and attending events is almost beyond them.

At every AGM I have attended, I have asked "What is the Guild doing to attract younger people, to reach out to the young mums who are just beginning to sew, to appeal to a newer audience?"  And every time I have had no answer.

So, I see the Modern Quilting movement coming into being, and my heart sings - here is something to bring in the next generation, to ensure that there will be people sewing in a year or ten years or twenty or thirty years time, and possibly wanting to be part of an organisation that seems to care, that has skills, and that holds things together.. Teach their children, perhaps, too
Perhaps..

Now, the Modern group technically does not exist until this coming weekend, and no-one has a membership (not even me!), but I'm expected to make a Rota of helpers for my little table on the Guild stand, and provide names, times, pack drill.. Oh, I don't mind sitting on the stand myself, and Heather will be with me, and lots of you have already offered to "drop by" and allow a tea-break or whatever is needed.  And I'm grateful.. But I have to provide a few more names..

So,  if you're going to be at FOQ, let me know.. I wantto meet you, say hello, explain, show what we're on about.
Please..
If you've already offered you're in, much obliged..
There will be a joiners' prize, and free stuff online, and nice things  to look at
Helen Howes

Co-ordinator, Modern Quilt Group

Quilt is Broken Heart - a class sample for my new class on Disconnected Log Cabin blocks..