The National Quilt Championships at Sandown 2023

This week I went to the National Quilt Championships show which takes place at Sandown Race Course, Surrey. This was my first visit. Here is a personal selection of the quilts that I particularly enjoyed seeing at the show. There were competition quilts (complete with their rosettes) plus a number of special collections of quilts by either an individual or by a group, which were on display for the interest of the visitors. There was lots to enjoy.

Let’s begin with a spectacular miniature quilt by Jackie Benstead, which won second prize in the Miniature category. This is called ‘In Remembrance of Queen Elizabeth’ because it was finished in the week the Queen died. The precision of these tiny pieces of fabric was astonishing!

Another quilt prize-winning quilt executed with great skill, was ‘It Had to be Red’ by Lynda Jackson.  It won first prize in the ‘Custom/hand-guided longarm machine quilting’ category, plus a Judge’s Merit award. This was an intensely quilted whole-cloth quilt, where all the colour was provided by the quilting thread.

This close-up of one edge of the quilt shows you how densely it was quilted.

An interesting three-dimensional quilt by Frida Oxenham, entitled ‘Flower of Darkness’ received a lot of attention from the judges (with awards for Embellishment, Applique, Hand-quilting and a Judge’s Merit).

It’s joyous, multi-coloured appearance belied the fact that it was made during lockdown, the dark background representing the dark times of the pandemic.  You can see the three-dimensional nature of the work and the exuberant embellishment in this close-up:

An entry in the ‘Twiddling and Fiddling Challenge’, sponsored by Jennie Rayment, caught my eye. It is called ‘Gardenim’ by Barbara Bradley.  It deservedly won third prize it its category, as the many pieces of denim included in the quilt must have been so demanding to manipulate!

Cathy Corbishley-Michel’s quilt ‘Green Man, Threads of Green’ won an award for ‘Hand Painting/Hand Dyeing’. This dramatic piece was created using cyanotype printing with green-dyed fabric.

Finally, I appreciated the painterly qualities of ‘Treescape II’ by Jane Wheeler. The quilt was inspired by a workshop with Kate Findlay.

Among the special exhibits in the Show was a collection of work by Ferret. This quilt ‘A round for Lisa’ was my favourite. Impeccably pieced and beautifully quilted, the quilt was made from fabrics inherited from a friend, after the friend’s death.

A stunning tribute, as you can see from this close-up.

Another collection of quilts demonstrated the highly-renowned hand-quilting skills of Sandie Lush. Of those on show, I liked ‘Dwy Galon (Two Hearts)’ the best. It is machine-piece, with appliqué and entirely hand-quilted.

This quilt was very moving. It is entitled ‘The Long Path Home’ by JoAnne Clymo  and it depicts her mother’s slow walk down the path back to the house, which is interrupted by the sight of beautiful autumn leaves which just have to be picked up.

And finally, a quilt which prompted a smile – ‘A well-knitted relationship’ made by Doreen Dames Caldwell. The piece was made for an exhibition in Warrington and celebrates ‘Sunlight’ soap – one of the town’s industries.

The pretty quilt at the top of the page, seen at the opening of the display of quilts, is by Hazel Morton, made from a pattern by Di Ford (with some changes) and quilted by the maker (photo by Amanda Jane Ogden).

The Sandown Quilt Show is run by Grosvenor Shows. It takes place at Sandown Exhibition Centre, Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth road, KT10 9AJ. For information about shows see: www.grosvenorshows.co.uk

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The weather continues hot and sunny in Kent just now, so here is a summery sunflower pincushion to make, complete with pieced brown centre and three-dimensional leaves. Buy the pattern here.