Thank You for Coming to My Quilt Exhibition

My first solo exhibition is over, and my heart is full of gratitude.

On the weekend of 17–18 July, the Kashima quilt exhibition was held right at home, in our garden at Hólabraut 4 in Hrísey, as part of Listasumar á Akureyri (Akureyri's Summer of Arts). It was my first exhibiton and therefore it was a huge step for me, inviting people into our little bird paradise and showing my quilts as a form of art in their own right.

And would you believe it, 75 guests made their way out to Hrísey! I'm still amazed at how many people took the time to come, some travelling especially to see the exhibition.

The first day was quite windy, and the second was calm but rainy, so I put up a tent over our deck to shelter both guests and the artwork from the weather. We had chairs, tables, and something hot and sweet on hand, coffee, water, and chocolate-covered raisins, and it was such a joy to watch people sit down, relax, and chat with each other and with me.

I'd also planned a workshop where visitors could help sew a piece together as a group. That part didn't go quite as planned, the piece never got finished, but it turned out to be more than enough for people to get a close look at the sewing machine, the tools, and the process itself. It sparked curiosity and left people with a better understanding of quilting as an art form, even without anyone needing to pick up a needle themselves.

The opening party out in the garden was a huge success and one of the highlights of the whole weekend.

A lovely surprise: a radio host from RÚV's Rás 1, who happened to be in Hrísey by chance, interviewed me on the spot. Media outlets in North Iceland had also covered the exhibition ahead of time, and every bit of coverage made a point of mentioning that the exhibition was part of Listasumar á Akureyri, thank you for the support.

I also want to point out how proud I am for bringing people to Hrísey, the guests who came to see my exhibition also went to Hríseyjarbúðin and Gallerí Perla and bought something there as well as dining out a Verbúð 66, it makes such a difference to our small community.

And last but not least: thank you to my wonderful family, my children, my husband, my mother, and my sisters, for all the invaluable work that went into preparing for and running the exhibition. None of this would have been possible without you.

For those of you who couldn't make it, or if you'd just like to relive the atmosphere if you did, I put together a short walk-through video of the exhibition. Do take a look:

Thank you so much for making this first exhibition of mine so memorable. I'll certainly keep quilting, and I hope to see you again soon, whether at the next exhibition or in our online shop.

With gratitude, Dröfn