May = busy month!

I've been working flat out on finishing items for "Fabulous Fat Quarter Bags", my next book with David & Charles, but still managed to fit in a major quilt show.

Quilts UK is one of the most popular quilt shows in the season and always has a great atmosphere - friendly and fun, with everyone out to enjoy themselves. It is a good time to catch up on things like completed kit projects - here is the Asanoha sashiko book bag in use -

- and projects started in workshops, like these bag panels begun at Denman College last month -


My "Kyoto Dreams" quilt won "The Land of the Rising Sun" quilt challenge, sponsored by Step by Step Patchwork Centre! There's a better photo of it back in the February 2008 section of the blog.

I also won the sampler quilt award for my Kamon sampler (below) - I don't think I took a photo of it at Malvern, so here it is before quilting -
Quilts UK is one of the several shows where I attend as a trader, rather than a demonstrator, with a large range of kimono fabrics and vintage kimono as well as my books, patterns etc. Because it is difficult to find vintage kimono that are long enough for western men, I look out for women's kimono with more masculine patterns - unlined, so it is easy to alter the sleeves for a man's kimono. This geometric design has an Op Art feeling to it.

Shows are a good time to catch up with bags made from "21 Terrific Patchwork Bags" and "21 Sensational Patchwork Bags" - this rucksack is from the latter -

And finally, a view of the Malvern hills from our digs!

I'll post some more Malvern pictures later. Now handing you over to Fluff...