Friday 21 February 2014

Stonestead Outdoor Quilt Festival

This Sunday I went to the Stonestead Outdoor Quilt Festival, an annual event held at Sawmiller's Quiltery just north of Upper Hutt.  It had been scheduled for the weekend before but the weather wasn't good so it was postponed.  In the end I think it worked out for the best, because last Sunday was a bright and sunny beautiful day.

Stonestead Outdoor Quilt Festival

The quilts were all hung on lines under the pine trees.  I wasn't organised enough to enter a quilt this year, but I will make an effort to do so next year because it was such a nice day out.

The Snow Queen

There was a real range of quilting styles on show, from this utterly gorgeous ultra modern quilt (The Snow Queen) by Cherie Gurney (that background is white velvet people - so lush!)…

Purrfect Cats

…to this charmingly kitsch cat quilt (Purrfect Cats) by Wanda Borowicz.

Purrfect Cats

Seriously, how could anyone resist all those cross-stitched cats.

Valencia Orange

This quilt (Valencia Orange) by Debra De Lorenzo is just full of the most gorgeous Japanese fabrics and is quite light and carefree with its improvisational piecing.

Pickled by Rose

This quilt (Pickled by Rose) by Sheryl Anicich is such an interesting play on the traditional pickle dish block.  I really love how she took the fairly subtle aqua accents in that big print which features heavily and used it really effectively with the red/maroon fabrics in the pickle dishes.

Stonestead Outdoor Quilt Festival

I visited the quilt festival with my friend Anne and as we walked around, we took turns describing something positive about every quilt (her idea, but it's such a good one that I have to share it).  It might sound obvious, but it was a really great exercise in picking out the features we liked about all the quilts, even those which weren't to our particular tastes.  It doesn't mean you can't look at the quilts with a critical eye, it just means that you look for the positives as well. 

Next time you go to a quilt show, I challenge you to try it.  I think you'll find it surprisingly enjoyable!

10 comments:

Kitchener Quilter said...

Wow, an outdoor quilt show. All those quilts are really amazing. What a treat to see them outside on such a nice sunny day. I'm so glad you posted about it. Thank you.

Anne said...

What a gorgeous setting for a quilt show! I *adore* the idea of picking out something positive from each quilt!!
I'm going to a quilt show this weekend, and I think I am going to try that. :D

Karyn said...

Looks like a great show.

Megan said...

What a fantastic looking setting for those quilts which are all gorgeous in their own way.

Mary Huey said...

Great quilts!! Thanks for sharing pics of them and the green and the sunshine -- looking at a lovely blend of snow and mud here!!

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

So jealous xxx

Quilting Tangent said...

Looks wonderful, your not in my part of the world we are buried in snow. Where is this show?
24Tangent@gmail.com

Sarah @ Berry Barn Designs said...

Ooh an open air quilt show - double enjoyable! I've never seen a quilt with velvet for the background - that is really neat!

jeifner said...

My mom and sisters and I do that at quilt shows. It may also be prefaced by a,"now why would anyone pick that fabric!" Then we talk about how prettily it's been pieced or quilted :)

Geta Grama said...

Thank you for sharing pictures of these lovely quilts, Adrianne. My favorite is the cat quilt but that kokeshi doll quilt on pink I think it is gorgeous too.