Saturday at Quilts in the Garden

Yesterday was so busy at the show, I didn't get a chance to take any photos or update my blog later (I went to the private view of Rozanne Hawksley's solo exhibtion at Ruthin Craft Centre - amazing work). Here are a few views of my demo stand and exhibition space. Click any of the photos to see them at a larger size (more details of the quilts!)

Moving right from the quilts behind me, there's a selection of pieces from my two sashiko books.

The bags from "Fabulous Fat Quarter Bags" are mostly displayed on the end wall, although the larger Quilter's Suitcase and the Pick and Mix Backpack had to be hung from the quilt stand. The Eclipse Bag also looks better hung up.

Jane Rae, Popular Patchwork's editor, helped me pop the cork on a celebratory Buck's Fizz (well, everyone was driving later!) She will be featuring the Strippy Handbag in their special Bags issue (in May, I think).

Val Shields, well known in quilting circles, helped me by being our waitress! My friends Debbie & Charlotte have been taking turns on the sales. Thanks for everyone's help!

Have I found any new shopping goodies? Well, Lawrence Dawe (The Man from Rio), had some ready to print fabric sheets I haven't tried yet, EQ Printables - the Ink Jet Fabric Sheets. I was very impressed with the samples he showed me. For several years I've used Miracle Fabric sheets for printing my own images and, if I start with a good, colourful, sharp and well defined photo, and increase the colour saturation by about 25%, I've had very good results with my Epson D88 Plus printer (Durabrite inks). Simply being able to print any image I like, including text, onto fabric with minimum fuss was something I could only dream of in my student days and I've often used photo prints in my recent work - the first three quilts in my gallery include Miracle Fabric Sheet prints and I think you'll agree the images can be very bright. The EQ Printables definitely score even higher in terms of colour saturation and, more importantly, the image is much sharper - as I'd like to print some fabrics for miniature work, this is a big plus point.

I also got a fantastic Shwe Shwe ("Three Cats" brand) striped indigo fabric - Patchwork Code: FSH009 - perfect for a remake of the Super Strips quilt top centre, showing what you can do with a pre-printed stripe.

This is a very enjoyable show. The venue is good, with easy access, and the organisers really look after their exhibitors. Thank you very much to Margaret McQuillan, the driving force behind Quilts in the Garden, for inviting me to participate this year. I can see for myself why everyone has spoken so highly about this show and I'm happy that for once I've managed to keep this weekend free for it!