The Festival of Quilts 2026

I have just returned home from a very enjoyable visit to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham. I arrived on Saturday afternoon and had the whole of Sunday at the Festival. Here are some assorted highlights, items of note that caught my attention during my visit. First of all, I’d like to share with you the two quilts that I entered into the competition. This is ‘On the Beach’ which was on show in the ‘Miniature’ category. I live by the seaside in Kent and spend time every day on the beach or walking next to it, so I enjoyed choosing suitably coloured Liberty Lawn prints to make this little piece. It measures seven and a half inches. ‘On the Beach’ miniature quilt by Amanda Jane Ogden Second, I entered ‘Lapwings at Pegwell Bay’. A late autumn walk in Pegwell Bay Nature Reserve, Kent was interrupted by the sight of a cloud of wheeling birds which turned out to be lapwings. The quilt captured this moment. The birds are produced with lino-cut prints and the top section of the…