I went to Festival of Quilts today and to nearly quote Bjork, it was oh so quiet.
The first sign that this year was going to different was that with the earlier opening time and staggered admissions, I wasn’t able to play the usual “spot the quilter” on the train or at the stations. My free ticket was valid for entry after 11am and train times meant I got to the NEC about 10.15am which gave me time to get a coffee beforehand. I’d finished my coffee by 10.45am and there was no problem in getting in early.
I’ve mentioned earlier that going by the list on the website, exhibitor numbers seemed reduced by about 50% and I think the number of competition quilts were reduced by a similar amount. With all the extra space it was difficult to gauge how visitor numbers compared to previous years, but one thing that was noticeable was the lack of a “hubbub” about the place.
It was much easier to move around the stands and many of the exhibitors had time to answer questions about their products and chat about the show in general. One of the smaller traders mentioned that the lack of some of the “big names” had been beneficial as people who would normally head to the names were buying from them instead.
I didn’t particularly “need” anything, but there were a few things that were on my ”would be useful or nice to have” list. Unfortunately with the reduced retail offering, I didn’t spot any of them. However, I didn’t come away empty handed, including getting some bargain (£5 for 2.5m!) John Kaldor jersey fabric for dress making from the Project Linus stand.
It was a different, but enjoyable experience this year, but I kept waiting for the crowds to appear - all day it had the feeling of being the last hour of the show when everyone starts heading home.