Since launching nearly 20 years ago, the Festival of Quilts has emerged as the biggest and best show dedicated to quilting in Europe. Over the years, it has collaborated with some of the most prestigious names in quilting including Nancy Crow, Jane Dunnewold and Diana Harrison, and drawn thousands of visitors from around the world who share a passion for textile crafts.

Fast forward to 2022 and the festival is now home to the largest open quilt competition in the world, a wide range of curated galleries showcasing work by talented textile artists and a programme of over 350 workshops and talks. Then there’s the shopping: over 300 companies will be selling patchwork and quilting supplies, fabrics, threads, wadding, sewing machines and more all under one roof.

Highlights of the 2022 edition include the curated series of daily lectures and workshops by contemporary quilter Jo Avery and the range of special exhibits, including the Liberty Fabrics Collection and the Kaffe Fassett Inspiration Gallery. Not to be missed is the first UK exhibition by leading African-American quilter Michael A.Cummings. Found in private and public collections around the world, his narrative quilts explore subjects including the slave trade, jazz, Harlem history and cultural and political icons.

If you have an eye for textiles, there’s nowhere else to be this weekend.