This was my first visit  to the Malvern show which is a medium size quilt show here in the middle of England. It’s in an absolutely gorgeous setting just in the shadow of the Malvern Hills. There aren’t many conference and exhibition centres where you can sit out and enjoy this type of view.

Of course this should post should all be about quilts but there were many censorious signs up saying no photographs to be taken without permission of the quilt show organisers other than for personal use and not for websites. I guess a blog is a website so I’m going to be good and compliant. But just for the record, should I ever have a quilt in a show, which for the reasons below seems very unlikely, I am more than happy for worldwide coverage on any social media platform of your choosing!

I did do lots of shopping though…… The fabric purchases I will leave to one side but my biggest investment was in another extension table for my Pfaff, Skye having broken it by landing on it from a great height above but more excitingly these….

…Westalee quilt rulers.

Cotton Patch, my local quilt store, are now the UK distributors for these Australian rulers. I trust Cotton Patch in that I have bought both my machines there,  taken classes and I probably buy most of my quilting supplies from them. I have found them price competitive and the customer service exceptional. Now as I have spent for small fortune there I’m claiming Droit du Seigneur  and including a picture. Of course it is intentionally blurry to protect anonymity, not that I was rushing!

These rulers were demonstrated by Angela, who you can in the orange,  who is on the six month FMQ course I’m attending. She is something of an expert when it comes to machine embroidery stitching and teaches in this area is but wanted to broaden out into FMQ. She was demonstrating how to use these rulers and her easy going and perpetual smile meant she was very popular and was always surrounded by people. I think they did excellent trade….I wasn’t alone in my purchases.

Compared to the UK’s major quilt show the Festival of Quilts this was a more relaxed experience but fewer quilts to enjoy. Typical of the UK most were traditional or contemporary art quilts. One local quilter who bucked the trend was Abigail at Cut and Alter who submitted 4 beautiful modern quilts and picked up a couple of ribbons. Well done.

All the quilts whatever their style were beautiful and exquisite in execution and precision. And that’s why my quilts aren’t going to be hanging up with them anytime soon, that degree of precision isn’t my bag. But I will keep practicing.