Jennie: Am still in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA at World Quilt show. Nice show with good range of classes, vendors and quilts to die for. As I was on the judging team, I had a chance for a real good look at the quilts. Lots of fabric painting and raw edged applique often covered in a fine net. Hand work is almost nonexistent although there were one or two whole cloth quilts beautifully done. Liz Jones from UK won a big prize – great quilt. Other bods from UK also sent quilts over including Gwenfai Rees Griffiths, Sally Bramald, Susan Briscoe, Sandy Lush and many other well known British artists. As a judge, you do not know who made the quilt but it was amusing to turn a corner and think ‘I know who made that quilt’, but the other judges didn’t so I just kept quiet and let them make the coments. At this USA show, a team of judges goes round with a scribe – they make comments and the scribe frantically takes notes then there is much conferring, walking miles back and forth from quilt to quilt and eventually after a certain amount of arguing – a winner is chosen. It is a somewhat knackering and long winded way of achieving the end result and one does not need any more exercise that day!
Anyway – have finished teaching, am now going to demo near my quilt display and then I can pack up and start going home – arrive home Tuesday and straight off on Wednesday to Festival Of Quilts – Hey ho – no chance for a rest or get up to any mischief!
