As you can see, there was a fabulous variety of foods, and lots of choice for everyone. 
There was a free raffle with lots of beautifully wrapped parcels, 
and the Christmas theme was continued by Gill, who demonstrated how to make some lovely Christmas decorations. Lots of people made them on the day, and others took the pattern home to make at their leisure. 
The show and tell was varied. Beth showed this brightly coloured quilt made from strips. 
Gill had made this ball for a new baby. 
Di had been on a Mary Mayne workshop and made this winter scene inside a churn dash block. 
Ruth had also been on a workshop about making coiled fabric bowls. She had really enjoyed it, and made some lovely items.
Do you remember the Half Square Challenge we had earlier this year? The resultant HSTs have been used to make Linus quilts, of which this is one. The blocks are Dutchman's Puzzle, and Di put it together and quilted it beautifully. This is a clever arrangement for just 5 blocks. 
Another way of making a small piece of fabric go further is to frame the blocks. Ruth has made a piece of fabric with cars on it into this wonderful quilt. How clever is that!
Here is another example of clever framing of motifs Only six little blocks plus frames have made a cute little quilt.
Sometimes a fabric combination calls to you, but when you've made the quilt, you wonder what you're going to do with it? Well, this was true for Chris's quilt. It's stunning, but not a very useful size. It would be perfect for Linus, but the colours aren't very child-friendly. 
Chris quilted traffic images on the back, and hey presto! it's perfect for Linus. In fact it's already gone to a child in one of the Leicestershire refuges. I'm sure it will be treasured. 
Another quilt to treasure is this Twisted Log Cabin. What fabulous colours! 
These aren't items from the buffet, but little embroidered truffles made by Gaynor. They're so realistic that one of her grandaughters tried to eat one! 
And finally, the Birds Raffle Quilt. It was won by Betty, who, as a talented quilter, really didn't feel she could appreciate it as it deserved. She had heard Nik's Nan saying how gorgeous it was, and generously decided to offer it to her instead. As you can see, Nan is delighted to have the quilt on her bed. A great outcome for all!
If your fabric is a bit more traditional than this fabulous Alexander Henry print, don't worry! It will be fine. 
And most importantly, a dish of nibbles, sweet or savoury, to share with everyone.
At the meeting all the details of the exhibition will be shared, the finances and the Visitors' Choice results. Don't forget your show and tell, and I'll see you there!
We had over 200 visitors over the two days, and all the comments I heard were very positive. One man said that coming into the hall felt like 'a breath of fresh air' compared to the entrance to the Festival of Quilts. I'm not quite sure what he meant, but it must be a compliment!
The hall is spacious, and the lovely wooden floors set off the quilts to perfection.
On the right you can see Stephanie's king size quilt - our hangers were amazed at how big it was.
The variety of different quilt styles was very pleasing. There were applique, abstract, scrap piecing, curves, traditional blocks, strippies, blocks of the month and original designs. Something for everyone.
Some quilts repaid careful close scrutiny, while others looked their best at arm's length. 
No British quilt show would be complete without a few hexagons, and Ann's blue and white quilt is simple yet perfect.
The refreshments area gave visitors and stewards a chance for a sit down and a restoring cuppa! 
Another big draw was the sales table, featuring everything from fabric, kits books and patterns, through home-made items of all descriptions to the unwanted Bads and Uglies from the AGM! 
And of course, since quilters are such generous people here is our charity corner, showing Quilts for Injured Servicemen, donated to our brave boys and girls at Headley Court, and Project Linus Quilts, for children in need of a hug. 
Philippa Naylor was our speaker, and I was very disappointed to miss her talk, and look at her lovely quilts. Jane and Jenny seem to be having a lovely chat with her though.
Here is some of her work - fabulous colours!
It was obviously worth a close examination!
The group quilt is now a top! Ruth, Paula and I have arranged and appliqued all the birds ready for a layering and quilting session.
Three lucky grandaughters had a quilt each. One is here and 
This quilt was inspired by New Zealand - you could have guessed that!
This design is simple, but so effective.
This quilt looks like one made at a Ferret 'quilt in a day' workshop. What gorgeous bright colours!
This one was made from little pictures, and the off-set frames make it fun and quirky!
Another clever quilt from Muriel. These blocks have dark fabrics behind then which make them look 3D. Very effective.
Here is Ann peeping over the top of a charming scrappy Irish Chain quilt. I bet she's hand pieced and quilted this beauty!
And last but not least, Liz is holding a quilt she made for her son. She says it was quite taxing to draft, but the results are well worth the head scratching! Keep sewing and I'll hope to make the next meeting myself!