FOQ 2026 - the aftermath
It’s one week since I flew from the Isle of Man to Birmingham for my first Festival of Quilts. A long overdue trip that I was determined to make time for this year. Funnily enough, I didn’t wish I had done it sooner - I know that the time was just right this year. I went across on the Thursday - had a half day Thursday, all day Friday and Saturday and flew home again on the Sunday morning without attending anything that day. For me, it was a great amount of time, not least because there is so much to see, it’s hard not to get spun around and turn yourself inside out with the sheer volume of stalls and quilts in the NEC, but because I had time for everything and every one. I didn’t want to feel like spending time with people was at the cost of not seeing the quilts on show, or seeing the stalls, and equally I was not about to miss out on the real reason I went - the connections with people in real life - for any bolt of fabric or notion out there.
Recommendations - I was going to put these were for first timers, but on reflection I think these are good for any-timers:
BUSINESS CARDS- If you are in the business of quilting, whether a quilt pattern designer, long armer, tech editor, fabric designer or anything in between, get yourself a stack of business cards and take them. Do not be shy about handing them out. Ensure they are mat finish so they can be written on in biro easily. It may sound old fashioned in a digital age, but a business card back at the hotel room, or when you return home sparks a memory of an encounter, a conversation, a connection, and intention - and it is worth its weight in gold. I designed mine in Canva, and used PrintWorks in the UK, and thought their service and final product was fantastic!
STAY CLOSE - The NEC in Birmingham is a brilliant venue, and well appointed with the free AirTrack monorail serving the train station, airport and NEC. Around all of it are countless hotels. There are plenty more hotels the further out you go, served during the NEC by a free shuttle bus, however my top tip would be to stay at one of the hotels closest to the NEC (often branded ‘Hotel Brand - NEC or Airport’ for ease! It really made my stay far less stressful. No figuring out where the shuttle did or didn’t stop at, no travel time or waiting on transport, no worry about what time I got back and whether it would be deserted, and most importantly no extra cost. From door-to-door of my hotel room to the NEC was under 15 minutes and I was on the move the whole time.
TAKE ALL THE PHOTOS - When you are in the NEC itself take all the photos you need - don’t feel daft! Whether it’s selfies with people you’ve met, or those you’ve wanted to meet for years that inspire you, of fabrics you have an idea for, of fabric you have absolutely no idea for, quilting techniques, colour combinations that inspire you, and most importantly, the entry plaques of competition quilts. They each hold the name of both the quilter and quilt itself - together with the social media handle (if available) to help you connect with them after the show.
CASH IS KING - Whilst the NEC hails itself as a cashless venue I would absolutely recommend you take some cold hard cash. Firstly, because there were a few vendors machines that didn’t play ball all the time, and a few items, like the Quilters Guild annual FOQ pin badge that was cash only. It’s important to remember there are a lot of stallholders exhibiting who will be charged for every single cashless transaction made, so many will happily take cash, and welcome it in order to avoid fees where at all possible.
SAY THE THING - This one makes me emotional even thinking about adding it, but I think it’s important to encourage people to say the thing. If you feel it, say it. If you’ve looked at an entry, an outfit, a stall, or a gallery of quilts that has taken someone months if not years to put together to showcase in order to make the Festival of Quilts, and the industry, what it is today - and you’ve loved it, or it brought you to tears, or you were inspired in any way SAY IT. If you get the opportunity to approach the maker or business owner (or general outfit wearer!) take it because I genuinely believe it is what makes the world go round. It is that exact type of connection, kindness and sharing that means a rising tide lifts all ships. I saw so much of it going on throughout the event, and I would have paid my ticket price just to witness that alone. It is absolutely my jam to know others have left there just a little bit taller, and re-fuelled to tackle their next creation.
CONNECT AFTERWARDS - I would really encourage everyone to keep some time aside when you get back to your hotel room each night to make the online connections. Convert the human into the digital. Search out the names of the exhibitors from the photos you took of their plaques and follow them, heck - scroll through and like or comment on their posts. Find the stalls you loved and shoped at, and the ones you couldn’t on the day but want to remember for later, follow and drop them a message. It all helps raise the profile of these awesome creators and businesses that we want to see come back year after year. They can’t do that as easily (or in some cases at all) if they don’t keep reaching people online, making sales, boosting profiles and being found by new people. It really does make a difference - and often means those on the day connections start to grow a real relationship and community spirit.
SHARE ON SOCIALS - Similar to the point above, if you are on social media, whatever your platform of choice, share your photos, your take homes from the day, the artists that inspired you. There are so many quilters and creatives who either couldn’t attend, or don’t yet know about it - your posts might just be the one they see and realise there’s a whole community waiting to embrace them! That was how it was for me. I saw all the QuiltCon posts earlier in 2026, and whilst I couldn’t have gone to QuiltCon I vowed not to miss another Festival of Quilts that I could reasonably get to.