British Quilt and Stitch Village

Yesterday was spent at Uttoxeter Racecourse, but instead of looking at the runners and riders and checking the starting prices, I was looking at quilts and embroidery and checking the fabric prices.  I had been fortunate to win tickets for the British Quilt and Stitch Village from Traplet Exhibitions and so I went with a sewing friend from Liverpool Sewing Club to see what this new show had to offer.

The first pleasant surprise was the free parking, definitely a bonus compared to the prices charged by the NEC. Then we found that instead of the cavernous halls of shows in the NEC or Event City, the British Quilt and Stitch Village was spread out amongst various buildings around the parade ring and in the main grandstand of the racecourse. Moving between the different locations caused us to get slightly windswept and had the weather been wet we could have ended up slightly soggy, but it was nice to be able to get some fresh air and see daylight, unlike at the larger shows.

We had booked a workshop to make a patchwork block and this was held in one of the Paddock boxes (a hospitality box not a horse box!). It made a welcome change not to be on public view when doing a workshop and not to have people peering over your shoulder as often occurs at the bigger shows. The workshop was run by Juliet Simpson of Manor Cottage Quilts and showed us how to get different effects depending on how you cut a block. It was great fun and would be a great way of using up scraps, plus it gave me chance to try out a Pfaff sewing machine (which I rather liked).

The competition quilts on display were amazing and there were so many different types which made me wonder how on earth you judge such a variety of techniques and styles against each other.  Unfortunately I was so busy wondering about the judging and being in awe of the skill that goes into the stitching that I forgot to take any photos of the quilts. Full of inspiration from the quilts, it was then time to look round the trade stalls and it was so nice not to have to battle through crowds to get to see the fabric or to get served. I was specifically looking for dinosaur fabric for a baby quilt and found three suitable fabrics. As usual, I was on the lookout for any show bargains and got a several remnants and scrap bags and a couple of fabrics at £5/m or less, as well as a little treat of a Morris Apprentice charm pack.

This show was such a contrast to the larger shows I have been to this year and I really liked the smaller scale of it. I don’t know if the lack of crowds was due to it being a new show or due to us going on the last day, but it made for a very pleasant day out.