The 2026 Bourne Quilters show is now over and what a success it was! Over the weekend of 25th – 26th July 2026, hundreds of people streamed through Emsworth Community Centre to view and admire the offerings on display. Here are some photos from the weekend.
Young Quilters
One of the highlights of the weekend has to be the amazing Wonky Houses quilt by our young quilters. After its first showing here it made its way to Festival of Quilts where it won the Group Quilts (Schools and Under 18’s) category. Well done to all involved
Block of the Month
Last year Bourne Quilters ran a ‘Block of the Month’ programme to encourage new quilters especially, to make a quilt. This proved to be a success as shown by the variety of quilts registered for the show. They came in all shapes, sizes and colours.
Wearables
Over the past couple of years there has been an increase in the number of quilted clothing items around. BQ members have also embraced this and produced a number of items including a very fetching kimono/dressing gown as well as beautiful jackets. You might also spot another BOM quilt
These are just a few of the photos that were taken at the show.
Chair’s Challenge
There was a lot of head scratching as visitors studied the displayed ‘records’ and tried to work out what they represented. Some of them were easier than others and a list of the titles was pinned up next to the display for those that needed to check.
Christmas in July
You might think that Christmas is in December, but here you can see that it can be enjoyed in July as well.
Workshops
Since our last quilt show, we have run a number of different workshops for our members on a wide range of techniques. These include screen printing, rag quilts, Kawandi, mini log cabins, confetti pictures to name but a few. Members can also attend workshops elsewhere and a very popular one this year was ribbon pictures. Here are a few examples the finished pieces.
Bags of Inspiration
Lots of BQ members are enthusiastic bag makers and earlier this year we decided to share the love and run a bag workshop. As you can see from the bags on display at the show, this was very successful. Our Young Quilters also had a successful bag making session.
Demonstrations
We are very fortunate to have a number of talented members who demonstrated various techniques and projects over the weekend. There was Jelly roll bags, free motion embroidery, ideas fir denim, appliqué and paper beads
Master Quilters
There are so many different ways to quilt and the Master Quilter qualification recognises competence and skills in these. We are very fortunate to have two of our members achieving the status of Master Quilter and they showed us some of the work that they had undertaken to achieve this status.
Raffle Quilts
We can’t forget our Raffle Quilts. These are raffled off to support local charities and the draw will take place at our AGM in December. This year, the committee completed a couple of unfinished projects that had been started by members and friends that are no longer with us. We are sure that the recipients of these will enjoy using them
Wall Hangings, Small and Medium Quilts
Not all quilts are large enough to completely cover a bed. Some are baby quilts for cots, or cosy quilts to snuggle up with on the sofa. Others are designed to be admired or displayed as art instead of the more traditional photos or paintings. We had plenty of these on display at the show.
Don’t forget the cushions ……….
They are a good way to try out a new technique or use up leftover blocks so that they don’t lurk at the back of a cupboard. They also look great.
Animal Magic
This year it was really interesting to see the range of animal related pieces that were displayed. I’m not talking about those on quilts, but the wide range of lovely toys, figures, cards and embroideries that our members have been busy sewing.
Challenge Group
The members of the challenge group, as the name suggests, set themselves a number of challenges throughout the year. Their imagination knows no bounds as you can see from the items displayed.
Large Quilts
As always, the large quilts on display at this year’s show were amazing. There was a wide range of designs, colours and patterns.
Tea and Cake Anyone?
Tea and cake are an important part of our quilt show. As well as sewers, our members are prolific cake makers and there was plenty to go round. This year, we offered visitors a chance to ‘have a go’ at patchwork whilst they sat down and many took the opportunity to sew a couple of hexagons together. Others simply sat and enjoyed themselves chatting with friends.
Photobook
We have put together a photobook to provide us with a permanent record of the show. This contains more images from the show and will be available at BQ meetings once it has been printed.
