On a rather dreary Friday morning, we set off to Lullingstone, the new home of the Region 2 Quilt Show. There are some narrow and windy roads to go along before arriving at the beautiful setting in the Kent countryside. A wonderful welcome, the owner of the property, Tom Hart-Dyke was out in the drizzle advising the drivers where to park the cars and telling of the “must see” lovely quilt “Butterflies and Moths” which was hanging in the Castle.

There were three marquees situated quite close to the entrance of the grounds, one of which contained just quilts. A lovely selection of colours and designs greeted you as you walked around. A few of the quilts I had seen just recently at the Heffle Quilters’ Show. This marquee was quite small and crowded added to which, the way some of the quilts were hung did not allow for easy viewing.

The larger quilts had been hung in the Castle and this obviously allowed a lot more space, looking down from the staircase to some of the exhibits gave a totally different aspect than anything I had seen previously. This is where the “Butterflies and Moths” quilt was hanging, as you entered the castle, its position allowed for a good view and a closer look.

The layout was different from Hever, in that the “patchwork” traders were located in the same marquee as the “Crafters”. Several of the shops we know in Kent and Sussex were represented. Jennie Rayment was busy sitting and sewing and Mary Gamester was there with her dying collection, both of whom have attended Shirley Quilters both as speakers and to run workshops. Andy from Crafty UK was there with his wonderful collection of acrylic templates – yes I was tempted and purchased! Such a great and funny person to stop and have a chat with. He told me he has now also moved into teaching workshops – something to think about for a future programme.

The rather damp weather did not seem to deter people from turning out. Lots of husbands/men in attendance as well, there was plenty to keep them occupied from looking at the World Garden, generally walking the grounds or looking in the lovely old Church which has some of the oldest stained glass windows in the country.

No show would be complete without the refreshments! They certainly were doing a brisk trade and the cakes were very good. Only comment here – they could have done with more tables and chairs, this would have required a bigger “tent” but it was very busy and difficult to find somewhere to sit once you had purchased your food and drink.

To sum up, a lovely visit. I hope it has been successful for all concerned at Lullingstone and that Region 2 will be back in 2020 with another great show.

Note: Provisional dates for 2020 are 10th-12th July