Mid-Western Branch Irish Patchwork Society

January 2012 Meeting

2012-01-25T12:14:00.000Z

Loretta O'Brien brought a selection of quilts from the "EQA" Exhibition which is currently touring EQA member countries. For this exhibition, each EQA country was given a different colour and had to make a 12" square.

Claire Lynch brought in two finished quilts for show & tell. This quilt was started in a Lynn Edwards "Patchwork in Perspective" workshop last summer.

Maureen Talbot brought in a beautiful quilt that was hand quilted.

Demo's on the night were on the topic of mixed media. Tracy Watson did a demo on making sketchbook covers using interfacing, markal pens, etc.

An Grianan 2012

2012-01-17T16:23:00.000Z

Hello All,

We are getting close to An Grianan now and bookings are at a viable stage. We have had to drop four of the teachers as they were not booked but there are still five great teachers available and it is sizing up to be a great weekend.

We were hoping that at branch meetings over the next couple of weeks, members could be reminded of an Grianan at meetings. So, could you remind chairs of the branches to announce the details again (which are in the last newsletter and also on the website).

The tutors' workshops which still may be booked are:

Susan Briscoe,

Jenny Rolfe,

Joke Buursma,

Terri McNeill

Ann O'Rafferty.

It is important to send in the application form asap and to indicate 2nd preferences as some of these are almost full (most especially Jenny Rolfe). Application form was in the Autumn Newsletter and is also available on the Irish Patchwork Society blog (Irish Patchwork Blog)

Please as well remind people that they can come and do their own thing for €200 for bed and meals.

The shop will be the Limerick Quilt Centre (Maeve Meany).

January Meeting 15th January

2012-01-10T09:47:00.001Z

Don't forget the 1st Mid-West Branch meeting of the year takes place this Friday (13th January) at 8pm.

We're going to have a fat quarter fabric swap on the night - so bring along some of your unused fat quarters for swapping.

We all have some fabric in our stock-piles that we're never going to use, so bring it along on the night, you might end up swapping for some fabric is just right for your next project...

There's going to be some mixed-media demo's on the night - showing people how to make fabric paper, sketchbook covers out of unusual materials etc.

See you all on Friday night!

PART 4 of the Mystery Quilt

2011-12-20T11:59:00.000Z

Hi all,

Here is the link to Part 4 of the mystery quilt

Part 4 of the Mystery Quilt

And for anyone who wants to print off the steps so far, here's the link to parts 1 and 4.
Parts 1 to 4

Reminder: Christmas Party Friday 9th December

2011-11-29T11:29:00.000Z

Christmas Party

Don't forgot the Mid-West Branch December Meeting/Christmas Party will be taking place on Friday 9th December 2011

There is a table quiz organised for the night, which should be a lot of fun!

Also, we also having a Kris Kringle so don't forgot to bring your present (value of approx. €5) with you on the night.

The challenge for December is a Christmas item - which leaves plenty of scope for people to be creative.

And we're hoping to get our usual fantastic array of food brought in by members.

Hope to see you all on the 9th December!

November Meeting

2011-11-28T12:42:00.000Z

November Meeting

The November challenge was bags. Nora O'Connor won the challenge with this pieced bag.

Another bag entry from Claire Lynch

Phil Awylward entered this bag in the challenge

Demelza Palmer showed this quilt that she recently completed. Demelza has been collecting sea-themed fabrics for a while and used them to make this quilt. Her mother (Rebecca) did the quilting on the quilt, but all the piecing was done by Demelza - great job!

Some more completed Hand Blocks for the International Quilting Festival of Ireland 2011.

Tracy Watston showed her completed piece from the recent Philippa Naylor workshop. Philippa gave 2 workshops after the IPS AGM in Cork on curved machine piecing and machine quilting.

Theresa Riordan showed off some of her Christmas wreaths that she's been busy making.

Kate O'Donoghue made this lovely foundation pieced quilt top.

Carmel Creaner from the Cork Textile Network was the guest speaker at the November meeting.

Crafts Council of Ireland Proposed Name Change and Survey

2011-11-23T11:08:00.000Z

Dear All,

Could you forward this note to as many members as you have emails for? There is a poll to complete by the 25th November. The name change has been discussed at executive level and it was agreed that Design should not be introduced into the name. There are a number of reasons for this:

Is it to be called The Design and Craft Council of Ireland or The Craft and Design Council of Ireland? Many felt that if the name had to be changes that Design should not come first.

If Design is introduced then it will not be the Craft Council any longer, graphic design, engineering etc will have to be admitted and this increased the membership and dilutes the monies available to the guilds, networks and societies.

The Crafts Council of Ireland (CCOI) is a very well recognised logo and organisation and appears to be fit for purpose at the moment-does it need to be changed? in particular after a very successful Year of Craft.

Do we need to spend the money that will be involved in in changing?

These are just some of the arguments and there are many more.

Below is the email from the CEO

Please share your thoughts by doing the poll.

Regards,

Mary Hunter (CCoI Rep)

Dear GANS representative,

Further to the GANS meeting which took place in Kilkenny on 16th September 2011, an online poll has been created as part of the consultation process around the proposal to amend the name of the Crafts Council of Ireland (CCoI) to include the word 'Design'.

This online poll provides your members with an opportunity to share their thoughts and feedback on this proposal, and this feedback is very important to us. We would therefore ask you to encourage all of your members to take a few minutes to participate in the online poll. CCoI will also be inviting our registered clients to participate in the poll.

Please click on this link: http://bit.ly/ccoiganspna which directs to:
• a letter from the Board of Directors of the Crafts Council of Ireland inviting your members to participate in this poll
• an outline regarding the background and rationale for the proposal
• the online poll

As mentioned in the letter, any GANS member who has a query or would like to obtain additional information on the proposed name amendment can email survey@ccoi.ie
We would ask all GANS members to complete the poll by Friday 25th November 2011 in order to ensure all feedback can be incorporated as part of our consultation process.

What you need to do:
• Please forward this link http://bit.ly/ccoiganspna to all of your individual members by email which contains the letter from the Board of the Crafts Council of Ireland and includes the background document and the link to the online poll
• Please encourage your members to complete the online poll, highlighting the closing date of Friday 25th November 2011
• Please forward any queries you receive from individual members or let us know if there are any recurring questions or concerns around the proposal

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you in advance for participating in this consultation process.

Kind regards,
Karen Hennessy.

Chief Executive
Crafts Council of Ireland
Executive Assistant: 056 7796148

Mystery Quilt Instructions Part 1 to 3

2011-11-21T09:07:00.000Z

Here's the up-to-date Mystery Quilt Instructions. It's for the months of September to November, so 3 parts so far.

Mystery Quilt Instructions Part 1 to 3

November meeting reminder

2011-11-08T21:59:00.003Z

For the November meeting, on Friday 11th, don't forget to bring your bags to show for the challenge and we will have a board up to pin all the wonderful name badges that people have created. Part 3 of our mystery quilt instructions will be available. Look forward to seeing you there and hearing Carmel Creaner, our guest speaker. Cheers Tracy.

October Meeting

2011-10-31T17:51:00.001Z

At the October meeting we had demo's on various Christmas items:Theresa O'Riordan - Christmas Wreaths
Loretta O'Brien - Bottle covers
Tracy Watson - Braids
Claire Lynch - tags, tassels and Mug Rugs

Hopefully, these demo's inspired people to start getting their Christmas presents ready early and we might see some of them at the November meeting.

Rebecca Palmer recently made this quilt for a teenager in bright contemporary colours. Rebecca said that these weren't really her colours (i.e. not purple!) but everyone loved the quilt as it was so bright and cheery.

Rebecca has had a number of Woofers (people who volunteer help/time to work on organic farms wordwide for a few months) staying with her over the summer. In that time, she has managed to get them all into patchwork, each of her woofers have made a quilt of their own which is fantastic.
This quilt top was made by a young American girl who was staying with Rebecca and is her 1st ever quilt!

A number of our members have also made Hand Blocks for the upcoming International Quilting Festival of Ireland.

One of the Kerry quilters, Priscilla made this fantastic quilted jacket

EQA Exhibition at Festival of Quilts 2012 - Crossroads

2011-10-24T12:34:00.000+01:00

European Quilt Association

EQA Exhibition at FoQ in 2012

The theme of next exhibition is: Crossroads
Each country's quilts will be hung together in next year's gallery at FoQ

Some ideas about the "Crossroads" theme:
The roads are crossing our lives- people, events or things crossing your life unexpectedly, and make us enjoy life - meeting people in crossroads, some people stay in your life, some not, but all touch your life in some way. Life is not straightforward: you get sometimes lost or take sideways steps.
Crossroads can be a meeting place where people gather to exchange news about one and others lives. A place where we want to make a decision as to what direction we will follow.

Rules:
1. Size: 20 x 50cm (7 7/8 x 19 5/8). To be hung horizontally.
2. Edges: free choice of edging treatment (i.e. raw or bound).
3. Any technique may be used but the quilt may consist of three layers. No glass fronted or mounted exhibits will be accepted. Be warned that quilts which are delicate or stiff are difficult to transport safely.
4. The entire collection of "Crossroads" will be launched at the Festival of Quilts in 2012. Some countries may decide to display their quilts from neighbouring countries at their annual general meetings. In this case, these quilts will be returned later than September 2012.
5. All guild members may enter and there is no entry fee. The quilts are not for sale.
6. All quilts must have a 10cm (4 inch) hanging sleeve (with extra fullness to accomodate the rod) sewn 1cm below the top of the quilt and stopping 2cm from each side.
7. The quilts are insured for a nominal sum during the exhibition including transport to and from the FoQ 2012. (Information on transport and insurance for other exhibitions is available from the guild organising the event. Should a quilt be damaged or lost, the EQA member guilds is responsible for compensating the maker).
8. The entry form and photo should reach the International Representative by 31st May 2012.
9. 10 quilts will be selected by each country by 30th June 2012. Any quilts which do not comply with the rules, particularly in terms of size or hanging sleeve, can be rejected on submission.
10. Photos of the quilts may be used for publicity purposes.
11. Every member country of the EQA must provide TEN quilts for this exhibition. If too many quilts are submitted, 10 must be selected in whatever way the guild decides. If too few quilts are submitted, the IR/executive committee of the guild MUST organise the making of the missing quilts.

The EQA entry form and rules are listed on the Patchwork Related Links section of this blog.

You can find a copy of EQA Crossroads Entry Form and Rules here

Future Planning of the Irish Patchwork Society

2011-09-26T09:54:00.000+01:00

Future Planning:

After a very successful year, the increased awareness of the Irish Patchwork Society and growing membership let us now continue to build on the success of the past 30 years.

We the members, now as a group, need to plan for our future and decide what each one of us would like from this society.

There will be an informal meeting at the AGM and to start the process we would like each branch to appoint two interested members, if possible one long term member and one newer member. This group will then meet around the time of Knitting and Stitching to further develop ideas.

Please discuss your ideas for our future at your branch. All members are welcome to submit their ideas or attend any of the meetings arranged.

Miriam Gogarty

Villers workday

2011-09-18T21:12:00.002+01:00

A good group people arrived at Villiers school today for a sewing day. Cecilia was working on a kit quilt in glorious bright colours, Loretta did her hand block for the IFOQI next year. Gillian Killick was continuing her work on a fine hexagon quilt and Gillian Sheehan was working on a paper pieced clock face. Nora brought her fabulous fabric flowers to show. I started cutting my fabrics for this years mystery quilt and started on the half square triangles.
The banter was great, with everyone being very willing to share information and help with advice on design or techniques. Villiers sewing days are open to all our members and I would love to see more people come along to share the camaraderie of the day.
I have got photos, but haven't been able to upload them, apologies.

September 2011 Meeting

2011-09-10T11:10:00.002+01:00

Tracy Watson's badge

The challenge for our September meeting was for people to make (and wear) their own ATC-sized name badges on the night. There were some fabulous badges on the night, all made using different techniques and showing everyone's each unique style. A few people forgot to bring their's but have promised to bring them next month.

Kate O'Donoghue's name badge

A number of people also brought in the 10 inch yellow blocks which Paula is going to make up into quilts for the Henry Bear Charity. This is an on-going project, so you can also give the blocks to Paula throughout the year.

Paula Rafferty was our guest speaker on the night. Paula brought a fabulous array of quilts and showed her progression as a quilter - from her first quilts and workshop pieces to series that she is now working on "Elementals". And Paula also brought in her outfits from the Fashion Sans Frontier show that took place in the Festival of Quilts. Paula explained how she came up with the concept of the Winter theme for her outfits and showed her design books with the initial designs. Paula also went through each outfit and explained how they were made e.g. digital printing of the lining of the day-wear coat, fabric painting of the velvet cape, using antlers and a bowler hat to make a feature headpiece etc. I think everyone at the meeting last night really enjoyed this talk.

September also saw the launch of the mystery quilt challenge for this year. Tracy Watson has designed the mystery quilt for this year. After the success of last year's mystery quilt, it was decided to try another one. This year's quilt is going to work out smaller than last year's one.

Many thanks also to Kilborra Quilt Shop, who came all the way up from Ferns, Co. Wexford to bring their shop. It was lovely to get a new shop at the meeting, and I think everyone enjoyed their choice of fabrics etc. The Kilbora Quilt Shop is located in Kilbora, Camolin, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. Tel. 087-6512109. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 3pm or ring ahead for other times. http://kilboraquiltshop.blogspot.com/

Meeting on Friday 9th September

2011-09-08T14:42:00.000+01:00

The 1st meeting of the year is on tomorrow night (Friday September 8th).

The meeting kicks off at 8pm so it would be great it people could arrive a bit early to get membership renewals etc. paid. The September meeting is always a busy night with people catching up with all the news from the summer, paying memberships etc.

Our own Mid-West Branch member Paula Rafferty is our guest speaker - she will have her fabulous outfits from the recent Fashion Sans Frontier fashion show at the meeting.

Our shop on the night is the Kilborra Quilt Shop from Ferns, in Co. Wexford.

Challenge on the night is the ATC-sized name badges. Don't forget to bring yours for the meeting!!

September meeting is nearly upon us!

2011-08-31T16:50:00.000+01:00

No long to go now, before the montly meetings start back up again:
Friday 8th September at 8pm.

Just a reminder to everyone about the September challenge: we're hoping that all Mid-West Branch members will have made their ATC-sized name badge and will be wearing them on the night.

Also, there is a block challenge as well, a 10" yellow block which will be donated to make a quilt for charity.

Fashion Sans Frontier Event at Festival of Quilts

2011-08-18T16:58:00.003+01:00

Last week at the Festival of Quilts, there was a fashion show "Fashion Sans Frontier". Ireland took on Russia and the UK in this event.
4 Irish quilters had to create 3 collections and 1 accessory.
Paula Rafferty from the Mid-West Branch was one of the designers and she also brave enough to move her outfits on the catwalk at the Hilton Hotel.

A slideshow of the fashion show has been set up on the IPS blog: Slideshow

Branching Out” Exhibition quilts heading to the Festival of Quilts

2011-08-05T09:18:00.003+01:00

Here is the link to see which quilts have been chosen for the shortlists to hang at the IPS stand at the Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, UK.

http://irishpatchwork.blogspot.com/p/branching-out-quilts-selected-for.html

It is hoped to hang all the quilts on the first list, and perhaps, most of the ones on the second. However, there is no guarantee that any particular quilt will hang.

But congratulations to the following Mid-Western Branch members who got shortlisted: Rachel Banting, Meg Kenny, Claire Lynch, the Genesis Group (Claire Lynch, Paula Rafferty, Meg Kenny, Tracy Watson and Ann Bradshaw).

Nora O’Connor is on the 2nd list so hopefully her quilt gets shown as well..

And remember as well as being at the Festival of Quilts, the "Branching Out" quilts will also be on display at the Knitting & Stitching Show, Dublin in November.

Advance Notice: National Exhibition 2012

2011-07-20T17:27:00.003+01:00

Advance Notice:
The theme for the 2012 IPS National Exhibition has been decided upon. The theme is going to be:
Buildings, Bricks and Blocks

So get your thinking caps on, and start coming up with ideas for your quilt entries.

Branching Out Official Opening 5th July

2011-07-08T19:50:00.001+01:00

The Official opening of the IPS National Exhibition "Branching Out" was held on 5th July in the Botanic Gardens.
5 quilts were selected from the Mid-West Branch to hang in the exhibit.

Here's Gillian Sheehan at the opening with her piece "Fossil with Branching Ornament"

"Swimming Free" by Rachel Banting:

Meg Kenny with her quilt "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Interior, Exterior Spaces"

Genesis group quilt "First Growth". The Genesis group has 5 mid-west members - Claire Lynch, Meg Kenny, Paula Rafferty, Tracy Watson and Ann Rafferty:

"Spring Growth" by Claire Lynch

Branching Out National Exhibition

2011-07-01T19:12:00.000+01:00

June Meeting

2011-06-30T20:28:00.004+01:00

Our June meeting was a summer party with plenty of food for everyone.

For most of the year, the branch has been running a mystery quilt challenge. There was a great turnout of finished mystery quilts on the night, which was brilliant - a lot of people were very interesting in trying out this quilt. The amazing thing was even though they were made using the same pattern, the different fabrics used made them all seem very different. Thanks to Rebecca Palmer who kindly organised the mystery quilt challenge for us.

Phil Alyward made this version of the mystery quilt. She used up the left-over pieces from the cutting of the quilt to make a piano-key type border.

More Mystery Quilts;

A very colourful baby quilt made by Chris Palmer.

Gillian Sheehan showed this great bag that she has made.

Ger Larkin brought in this quilt top that she's working on based on 9 churches in the Tuam area.

Isobel, more of our younger members, brought in this nine-patch block that she has hand-pieced!

Missing Keys

2011-06-21T09:29:00.000+01:00

One of our members lost a bunch of keys during the June meeting, which is hoping to find. The missing keys are a large bunch of keys, which have been described as a "jailor's bunch of keys"!

We're hoping that the keys got mixed up with someone's belongings or maybe somebody picked them up after the meeting.

If you remember seeing the keys could you please contact a committee member or leave a comment on the blog. Thanks.

Summer Get-together on 10th June

2011-06-08T11:40:00.000+01:00

Don't forget our summer get together is on at the Baptist hall on Friday 10th June.

This is a relaxed summer get together /party; we will have our summer challenge - the mystery quilt to show, so please bring yours along whatever stage it is at (mine isn't finished but it will be there), and whatever other wonderful pieces you have been working on. Also we are planning a small demo, raffle and a party, do please bring a plate of food to share (but not too much and no alcohol please).

I look forward to seeing you there. Also, remind your branch friends and colleagues to come along too.

All the best and see you there.
Tracy

Deferral of Bag Workshop

2011-05-18T09:42:00.001+01:00

Paula Rafferty's Bag workshop has now been postponed till the Autumn. Deposits for people who were attending the workhop will be refunded at the next meeting.

The Vilier's Sewing Day is still going ahead this Sunday (22nd May)

2011-05-16T11:01:00.001+01:00

Funky Bags and Totes Workshop by Paula Rafferty

Bag Three Requirements & Advance preparation List;

General requirements;
1. Sewing machine in good working order, cleaned, oiled with new needle.
2. Feet for machine to include, quarter inch, darning, zipper and walking.
3. Sewing kit; threads to match fabrics, spare needles (size 90), fabric and
paper scissors, pins, small safety pin, rotary cutter ruler and mat. Marking
pen or tailors chalk.
4. Iron and ironing pad.

Fabrics;
1. One and a half yrds patterned interior fabric (heavy cotton or
upholstery fabric)
2. One and a half yrds contrast cotton for backing/ lining
3. One yrd. of cotton batting/ wadding
4. Two and a half yrds of trim or ribbon approx. half inch wide
5. Heavyweight zips; two by 14in, one by 24in, one by 12in. (I have rolls
of zipper tape which can be cut to any size in black white and beige)
6. 2.5yrds of 2.5in wide bias binding (see notes on making bias
binding) approx. one yrd. of fabric.
7. Sewing threads to match fabrics
8. One and a half yrds of black webbing approx. 1.5in wide (will have
with me at workshop)
9. One black webbing shoulder strap with swivel hooks (will have with
me at workshop)

Advance Preparation;
All the main sections of this bag are quilted and to ensure that bag will
be completed during workshop please have following sections quilted
beforehand. Then you can concentrate on making the bag, otherwise
you’ll spend the whole day quilting panels. Alternatively you could buy
pre-quilted fabric.

Quilted panels;
Take main fabric, wadding and lining of pieces below and make quilt
sandwich, spray basting in place and quilt with desired pattern.

Pieces should be cut a little larger all round and then cut to required size.

One 24 by 31.5 inch piece (front and back)
Two 9 by 12 inch pieces (side panels)
One 5 by 24 inch piece (zipper panel)
One 8 by 14 inch piece (large flat side pocket)
One 8 by 10 inch piece (large 3-D panel)
One 6 by 8 inch piece (small 3-D panel)
Two 5 inch squares (shoulder strap tabs) use these two pieces
of fabric to make up one quilted piece, placing one piece on top,
wadding in centre and other piece of fabric on bottom.

Bias binding should also be made up before hand, cut bias 2.5 inches
wide and press in half. Instructions for making bias tape included.

May Meeting

2011-05-15T13:56:00.001+01:00

The May meeting was AGM time, so most of the meeting was taken up with various reports e.g. Treasurer's, Secretary etc.
After a little bit of coaxing, a new committee was finally elected. Tracy Watson is now the new Chairperson of the Mid-Western Branch.

Before the serious AGM business commenced, show & tell by members was done.

Cecilia O'Doherty and Rachel Banting some of the work made at the recent Children's Bag Workshop.

Cecilia O'Doherty and Therese O'Riordan showed two fabulous fabric clocks that they made at a recent Kerry Branch workshop.

Gillian Sheehan showed a bag that she made from a kit purchased at a quilt shop in Donegal.

Meg Kenny showed two quilt tops that she's currently finishing off. One of the quilts is for her new grand-baby. The 2nd quilt will be for the baby's older sister so she won't feel left out!

Claire Lynch showed off a messenger-style bag.

Claire also showed a "Tulip" Wall-hanging made in March's Ferret workshop.

Nora O'Connor made this beautiful Botannical inspired wall-hanging held here in the photo by Cecilia.

Cecilia showed a block that she has made for the Limerick MS Branch. The MS Society of Ireland are making a quilt with blocks made from all the branches in Ireland. Cecilia's block showed the Treaty Stone - a well known Limerick land-mark.

Ferret Workshop

2011-05-14T15:18:00.000+01:00

Ferret gave two 1-days workshops back in March for the Mid-West Branch. The workshop on the Saturday was "Tulips", while the Sunday workshop was a more advanced workshop using the same techniques from Saturdays's workshop.

Here are some photo's from the workshops.

Branching Out Opening Night Monday 18th April

2011-04-20T22:02:00.002+01:00

The opening night of the Mid-West Branch "Branching Out" Exhibition was on Monday 18th April. Local councillor Thomas Shortt opened the exhibition for the branch.

Here are some of the quilts on display in the exhibit;
"Breathe In, Breathe Out Interior, Exterior Spaces" by Meg Kenny

Thanks for the Lime Leaves by Jane Lloyd

Mid-West Branch "Branching Out" Exhibition

2011-04-12T11:51:00.001+01:00

The Mid-West Branch will be holding it's "Branching Out" Exhibition from Monday 18th April - Saturday 23rd April. Venue: Old Benetton Building, corner of Henry Street and Sarsfield Street, Limerick City Centre.

Official opening of the exhibition will be on Monday 18th April at 7pm.

March Meeting

2011-03-29T19:43:00.014+01:00

Our March meeting was an exciting event with our special guest - Ferret! At first glance visitors could have been forgiven for thinking they were going mad as Ferret appeared dress in a beautiful ‘Edwardian’ quilted evening dress, complete with bustle and train.

Ferret showed us an amazing selection of pieces – her ‘20lb flight baggage talk’ This explained why she was wearing the dress –as she usually travels with a mannequin to put the dress on – but due to Ryan Air luggage restrictions she had to model it herself! She also brought with her spectacular leather coat which was quilted and appliquéd with a phoenix and lined with hand dyed fabrics.

We also had another visit from Nikki Foley with her ever popular shop, Nikki brought her friend Romay Bulhes along with her and we were treated to a display of fabulous quilts.

The demonstration this month was 'piping' by Rebecca Palmer. This month’s challenge was to make a fabric bowl. The winner was Claire Lynch.

Show and tell this month:

Rose Little Exhibition

2011-03-11T10:30:00.001Z

Good Morning!

Ann Fleeton sent me information about an exhibition that Rose Little is holding.

She is having a solo exhibition of textiles opening in Mountmellick library on Tues
3rd May. Tell your friends and do come along!

Branching Out Exhibition Details

2011-03-04T11:14:00.004Z

The Mid-Western Branch will be holding its "Branching Out" Exhibition from Monday 18th April - Saturday 23rd April at the Old Benetton Building (on the corner of Henry Street and Sarsfield Street), Limerick City Centre.

The official opening of the exhibit will take place on the Monday night. Speaker details to be advised later on.

2011-02-15T21:21:00.006Z

So – let’s plan WAY ahead this month!!

Only another 24 days until our next meeting! SO what kind of bowl are YOU going to make for the challenge?

Chris and I have our thinking caps on, and we found loads of information on the internet and we thought we would share some with you.

http://cadouri-din-inima.blogspot.com/2009/03/tutorial-quilted-bowl.html

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/my-10-tips-for-making-a-fabric-bowl

We will be adding new links as we find them - or email me at Rebeccampalmer@hotmail.com and let me know of any bowl instructions you find.

Thanks R

IPS Retreat - Limerick Strand Hotel

2011-02-14T23:22:00.002Z

The annual IPS retreat is being held this weekend from Friday 18th through to Sunday the 20th of February in Limerick.

All members of Mid West IPS are invited to join the group after dinner at 9pm on Friday evening for the 'Show and Tell' - please let Loretta know if you will be going along.

February Meeting

2011-02-14T22:22:00.004Z

This month was a bit different as we had a visit from a group of our fellow IPS members from Galway. There was a great array of baking and lots of show and tell.

Theresa Riordan brought along her shop and Anita McMahon demonstrated her delightfully intricate ‘Artists Trading Cards’.

As our High planes quilt nears completion we started making arrangements for the raffle we will run to raise funds.

The IPS retreat is in Limerick this month (18 and 20th February) at the Limerick Strand Hotel. Loretta asked if any members would like to come along and help her with a ‘show and tell’. This is a social weekend – with no workshops or classes. It is an opportunity to catch up with IPS friends from around the country. We are hoping to have information about ‘day passes’ to this event and I will update the blog as soon as I have this.

Rachel reminded us all that it will soon be time to look for new committee members and I would urge people to think about what they may be able to do for the branch in the new year.

This month’s challenge was ‘A Lavender Bag’ and we had a good response. This month the winner was Rebecca Palmer with a paper pieced, Lavender filled cushion with a machine embroidered motif. Other entires were beautiful bags by Claire and Paula and Gillian.

Mystery Quilt - Part 6 posted

2011-02-13T23:06:00.001Z

Once again - I apologise to you all for forgetting the Mystery Quilt details for this months meeting - but - in an attempt to make it up to you all, its here posted on the blog WITH the pictures.

R

REMINDER!!!!

2011-01-31T00:49:00.001Z

Don't forget that this months challenge is 'A Lavender Bag' - open to any interpretation of that title!.

Lets have a good number of entries for this challenge please!

January Meeting

2011-01-25T21:20:00.011Z

We had a reasonably good turn out on a wet and windy night for the first meeting of the New Year.

Nikki Foley of The Sewing Shed, bought along her shop and a visitor! She was accompanied by Jim West of Sew Many Places – the quilting tour company from the US. Jim outlined some the activities of his company for the coming year and also told us about the online magazine he publishes – www.quiltposium.com.

Nikki also reminded us that the Sewing Shed offers free postage in Ireland for all orders.

The High Plains quilt along with its matching cushion cover was unveiled in all its glory. The next set of blocks was handed out for our own quilt and cushion, which we plan to raffle at some point in the future.

Our speaker was Rebecca Palmer who talked about the part our computer has to play in our quilting, from shopping to tutorials and friendship. She brought along a block swap quilt that she had made with people from the US, Canada and Australia. Her talk gave us the first opportunity to try out our much awaited new projector, which performed beautifully.

Meg demonstrated her technique for transforming an image into fabric, with a fabulous array of samples and images.

Last preparations were made for Tracy’s New York Beauty workshop and members were reminded about the Villier’s sewing day on Sunday 16th.

The challenge was won by Chris Palmer who made a delightful coffee cosy. This is good time to remind everyone that next month’s challenge is ‘a Lavender Bag’.

Pictures to follow as soon as I work out how to do it!!!! RP

New York Beauty workshop materials list

2011-01-06T16:36:00.001Z

For the workshop you will need to bring the following:

Fabrics - a couple of fat quarters in the colour you want as background, plus a variety of scraps from which you can get long strips of at least 3.5 inches wide. Include complimentary and contrast colours.
Piecing thread
Sewing machine - if you have a knee lift please bring it as it can be quite useful, don't worry if you don't have one.
Normal sewing kit, including fabric scissors, pins, rotary cutter, small rotary ruler and cutting mat
Iron and ironing pad.
Thin paper or tissue paper for piecing foundation.
Sticky paper tape / drafting tape.
Fabric and paper scissors.
Soft pencil

Optional items:

Extension lead
Template plastic
Freezer paper.

Christmas Meeting 2010

2011-01-05T21:56:00.003Z

A very pleasant evening was had at the December ‘Christmas Party’ Meeting on Friday 8th December. Our numbers were low, but the recent bad weather may have been the reason for that!

Everyone very generously supplied an impressive spread, while the hall was decorated with – what else? Patchwork decorations of course!

This month the challenge was to use the fabric square handed out a few months ago to produce something festive. We had a good response to this and the winner was Cecilia with a lovely set of festive hangings.

Loretta gathered in the groups submissions for the ‘Dream Catcher’ exhibition and we had a chance for a sneak preview of some of the finished (and unfinished!!) pieces – good luck to all those who will be finishing off as I write!

The High Plains quilt was on display too – a lucky change of date by the group in Colorado means that the quilt will not be required until the spring – giving us all a chance to see how beautifully it is coming together under Meg’s expert hands.

Theresa provided us with a shop, Chris wore his Santa Hat – all in all – a very festive evening!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Quilting!!!

Rebecca

The first of the High Plains Quilts is completed

2010-12-09T19:29:00.003Z

Here are the pictures of the first of the High Plains Quilts to be completed. Many thanks to everyone involved.

October Meeting

2010-11-04T14:13:00.010Z

Meg with the first completed panel for the High Plains Quilters. Volunteers took away the other 5 panels to be completed for the November meeting with the first quilt to be ready for December for a charity auction. An evening's sewing bee should see each panel completed in time. Thanks to the volunteers for donating thier time and we look forwards to seeing the completed panels and quilt.

October's meeting had an array of quilts for show and tell.

Loretta and Meg gave an interesting talk about designing quilts for the ‘Branching Out’ exhibition. They explained how to take a thought about what could be a design and transfer it through paper and enlarge to make either a contemporary or traditional quilt for this exhibition. With 2 upcoming workshops to extend these design concepts into quilting the hope is that the branch will have a few quilts for the exhibition.

Tracey Watson was the winner of the challenge this month with a ‘witch ornament’ which she hasn't taken a photo of but was wonderful rg doll. Those shown are Chris's picture and Rachel's table runner.

The workshop was by Moya Goherty on how to produce a quilt top in a day using 9 fat quarters. A fun day out.

September 10th 2010 meeting

2010-09-28T11:35:00.007+01:00

The first meeting of the year was very busy with our summer challenge showing that lots of us were busy stitching while we enjoyed the break!

This month we had a great collection of fabulous entries and the winner was Rita Kelly.

Rebecca demonstrated a spider web scrap quilt.

As well as all the usual attractions, Moya from Patchwork Plus brought us her usual, extensive collection of fabrics and other exciting things.

This quilt top will be the October workshop.

Tracey Watson demonstrated a sample of the potential that the quilt designing
software ‘EQ6’ has to offer. The program offers quite dazzling opportunities to the computer-minded quilter and Tracey certainly bought it to life.

We will be getting together to design the items that we will make with the ‘High Planes’ painted panels from Colorado. We will be looking for groups that are prepared to organize their own small ‘quilting bees’ (or Stitch and Bitch sessions!!!) We need to have at least the pieces for the American’s completed before Christmas – so please do volunteer to host a group.

September was the time for membership, renewals and we were busy at the door taking forms and payment – please do remember to get your membership in to Lynda Broderick as soon as possible.

Rose Little offering classes in Limerick

2010-09-10T12:54:00.002+01:00

Rose Little is offering two evening classes this autumn, 'Design for quilting and embroidery' at Villiers School, starting 23 September and 'Surface decoration and embellishment for patchwork and quilting' at Limerick School of Art and Design, Clare Street Campus, starting 21 September. They are both aimed at quilters attracted by the challenge of creative design rather than projects from a book. The Villiers class covers creative design, including colour, line, texture and cultural influence together with basic quilting and embroidery techniques. The LSAD class includes printing, dyeing, bleaching, resist techniques and transfer of digital images onto fabric. More information is available at http://www.lit.ie > LIFELONG LEARNING.

Rose was Chairperson of the Mid-Western Branch of the IPS from 1988 to 1990.

She has a City and Guilds in Embroidery (Part 1), a Postgraduate Diploma in Textiles and an MA in Art Practice.

If you would like to know more about these classes, or have any queries, please contact Rose at roseslittle@gmail.com,or 086 1909737

Irish Patchwork Society National Exhibition 2010

2010-09-05T13:08:00.004+01:00

Reminder: The National Exhibition is taking place in the Cork Insitute of Technology until the 11th September.
It's a lovely exhibition and well worth a visit!

Limerick Show

2010-09-03T10:46:00.006+01:00

Many thanks to all those who helped at the show.

Quits required for Limerick show

2010-08-11T18:48:00.002+01:00

We are looking for quilts that you would like to show at the Limerick show 21st and 22nd August in the IPS stand. If you have a quilt or a smaller item to show please drop them at Anita's house from Friday 13th (please call before dropping) or at Maeve's Limerick Quilt Centre on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays after 2pm or all day Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Quilts can be picked up between 4pm and 6pm on the Sunday 22nd at the show or at the September 10th IPS meeting.

A Quilt for Andy Lee

2010-08-01T12:48:00.003+01:00

Congratulations to Maria Hibbard who has completed a quilt for the boxer Andy Lee.

Golden Thread Gallery Exhibition

2010-07-21T18:29:00.001+01:00

Changing Art & Minds
Exhibition by Supports For Women, Leitrim
22nd – 31st July 2010

Golden Thread Gallery Project Space
Changing Art & Minds is an exploration of the creative journey of the Supports for Women project.
Supports for Women is a creative learning experiment for women living in Leitrim and the project was set
up to encourage women to share their personal stories by using the arts, crafts, creative journaling and
conflict resolution tools.

http://www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk/

June 11th 2010 Meeting

2010-06-17T10:17:00.008+01:00

The last meeting of the year went out with a bang – or should I say – a party!

As well as all the usual attractions of the shop, library and challenge (more later) there was an amazing feast laid on by members. Lots of people bought friends so there was a very big crowd in attendance.

The challenge was ‘picnic accessories’ and this was won by Rebecca Palmer with her picnic basket although there were very few entires – MORE PLEASE FOR SEPTEMBER!

The Milford Hospice Quilt was on display and many thanks to everyone who has helped in donating the blocks and time in bringing together this gift. The quilt will now be displayed at the Hospice whilst raffle tickets are sold. This will bring valuable funds to the hospice and some lucky person will own this treasure. Linda has done a wonderful job of organising this quilt. Thank you.

Three ladies from Cork Anne Moloney, Ailbhe O’Callaghan and Frances Gamble came along with an enormous array of quilts, ranging from antique, through ‘first quilts’ and into the realms of award winning ones – all were beautiful. There humour and enthusiasm were certainly catching.

The detail on the label and back of this round robin star quilt was amazing.

Apologies that there are not more of these photos I have had some problems uploading them.

The fabric squares for the September challenge were handed out with a simple brief to complete a small square block or cushion cover, embellish as you like.

The demonstration for the night by Meg and ‘Ruth’ was a simple flower rosette and this proved hugely popular, with many people having a go on the night.

"Tread Softly" Crafts Council of Ireland Textile Competition Details

2010-06-03T15:04:00.005+01:00

Tread Softly - an exhibition of textile work by members of the Crafts Council of Ireland. This exhibition will be on show at the Knitting & Stitching Show RDS, Dublin 28th to 31st October 2010.

The exhibition is open to all registered members, associate and full, of the Crafts Council of Ireland. All original work must have been made in the past 2 years, and cannot have won a major prize.

The theme for the exhibition is the poem by Yeats, entrants may interpret the poem as they wish.

Had I the Heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with the golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet
But I, being poor, have only my dreams:
I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;
Tread Softly because you tread on my dreams.....
William Butler Yeats

4th August - Entry Date for Images
22nd August - Submission of work

Further details on this competition will be available next week

EQA Report from Mary Hunter

2010-05-31T08:47:00.003+01:00

Hello everyone, I hope that you have been busy quilting and that your quilt for the National Exhibition is well on the way to being completed or at least like myself started.

So far this year we have had one exhibition under the European Quilt Association banner. Twelve quilts were sent to the Open European Quilt Championships (OEQC) in Veldhoven Holland. There will be a full report on this in the Autumn IPS newsletter along with photographs.

Do you remember the banner quilts that hung at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham last year and at the AGM? Well, we have another opportunity to hang these wonderful quilts again. This time they are all to be hung at the Minerva Art Centre by the Quilt Association. This group was originally formed in 1996 when a group of friends with an interest in patchwork and quilting decided to investigate the possibility of setting up a quilting centre in Mid Wales. The Quilt Association is best known for its annual summer exhibition, which takes place every year from mid July to mid September. This exhibition has gained a reputation for showcasing excellent contemporary works alongside a selection of antique quilts – drawn from collections around the country. Each summer there is a programme of related workshops. The Quilt Association also owns and manages The Minerva Arts Centre in Llanidloes where it is based. So if any of you are travelling near Llanidloes it would be worth calling in to have a look.

The end of the IPS year is with us again, so until September have a great summer and don’t forget to finish the quilt for the national.
Mary Hunter,
International Representative.

May meeting and AGM

2010-05-17T14:08:00.003+01:00

The AGM was a success with the outgoing Chair and Secretay and Treasurer successfully making their reports. Many thanks to Meg, Grania and Holly and the rest of the committee for the hard work that they have put in this year.

The Challenge for UFO's was again well represented and congratulations to Nora O'Connor for her beautiful hexagon quilt. Rita and Rebecca also showed their quilts, Gillian brought in a bag that had material brought in America and was being returned to America as a gift. Phil Dwyer brought to show us a ring pillow for a wedding due to be performed the following week.

Four bonnets for Christina Henri's Hearts and Roses exhbition commemorating female convicts transported to Tasmania were collected at the meeting. Please see Christina's blog www.christinahenri.com.au for more information on this very touching work.

April meeting

2010-05-17T13:54:00.004+01:00

The April meeting challenge was weel subscribed to with this fabulous chicken Easter wall hanging being the winner. Congratulations!

There were plenty of bags on display, both from Paula Rafferty's workshop from the previous mo nth and that had been made at home. Claire Lynch's bag has hand dyed fabrics, Rita's was very colourful and beautifully sewn whilst Maureen Talbots beautifullt patched hand bag was smart. Jan from Kerry brought her quilt to show us.

April Meeting - Caroline Schofield

2010-05-17T13:44:00.001+01:00

The April meeting had a fascinating talk by textile artist Caroline Schofield who described the making and installation as well as the upkeeping of the felted hanging heads for her latest work of art. The hanging heads in this picture are a model of the completed work which has the twelve life sized heads with many meters of trailing fibres in the 'Courthouse exhibition' please see her fascinating blog http://carolineschofield.blogspot.com/ for more pictures and up to date information on this work.

The Four Winds Textile Group Cork Exhibition

2010-05-14T08:39:00.001+01:00

Quilts 1990-2010
Bishopstown Library, Cork.
September 1st to 30th 2010
The Four Winds Textile Group Cork

The Four Winds Group have been together since 1990, making both traditional and art quilts for exhibitions at home and abroard.

Their exhibition will include quilts from the past 20 years as well as new work.

It will be a celebration of quilting, friendship and great memories. See you there!

National Exhibition 2010 "Q FOR QUILTS"

2010-04-30T15:42:00.006+01:00

IRISH PATCHWORK SOCIETY

The IPS, Southern Branch invites all IPS members to submit quilts for the
National Exhibition

10am-4pm daily, 4th-11th September 2010,
CIT, Bishopstown, Cork

The title of the exhibition is
Q is for Quilts

* To encourage the widest entry there will be no size restriction but no kits or glass/picture frames will be allowed.
* The work must have been completed in the last two years.
* Every effort will be made to display all entered quilts but if restricted by space we reserve the right to make appropriate hanging decisions.
* By entering your quilt you agree to have it photographed for publicity and the catalogue.
* From the time we receive your quilt it is covered by IPS insurance.
* The usual 10 cm. sleeve is required.
IMPORTANT DATES
Entry form to Southern Branch by 29th June
Quilt delivered by 6th August
Address – IPS-Southern Branch, C/O Gamble, Coolfree, The Orchard, Farranlea Park, Model Farm Road, Cork.

Entry forms will be available in the Summer Issue of the Newsletter, on the IPS website and Corkquilts.com

Western Branch Exhibition

2010-04-30T11:02:00.008+01:00

The Western Branch exhibition will run from 1st to 31st May, 2010 at the Galway City Museum. Although the poster attached says it is open daily, the Museum have since advised that for May they are open from Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm.

The Mayor will officially open the exhibition at 6.30pm on Tuesday 4th May and of course all IPS members nationwide are invited! See the attached invitation for details.

For more information on Western Branch activities see
www.westernips.blogspot.com

Limerick Show

2010-04-29T10:36:00.002+01:00

Limerick Show will be with us in August and our IPS group will be having an area to display quilts, bags, pillows and everything beautiful. This display will be seperate from any competition that is judged at the show.

We would like to know what you will be displaying with our stand?

We are looking for volunteers to ensure that no one person is inflicted with a large amount of work. Please think about making yourself available to set-up, man a few hours at the show and take down the display.

This is a great opportunity to advertise our group and skills. At the May meeting we will be asking for your support.

May meeting and Villiers Day

2010-04-29T10:32:00.002+01:00

A reminder that the Villiers sewing day is on the 9th May. The IPS meeting is on the second Friday of the month which this month will be the 14th May. An unusual time-tabling but hope that everyone will come along to help complete the Milford Hospice Quilt.

Children's Workshop

2010-04-27T15:18:00.009+01:00

I think these pictures speak for themselves.

Many thanks to all the people that helped organise, thread needles, brought machines, thread, fabric, skills and the children that made this such a delightful afternoon.

Congratulations to the kids who made such fabulous pictures and cushions. Great sewing, we look forwrds to seeing your skills in the future.

Last Chance to register your quilts for the Festival of Quilts Show

2010-04-21T08:41:00.004+01:00

The deadline for entering quilts into one of the competitions at the Festival of Quilts is coming up fast.

Remember you have to register your intention to take part by the end of this month (30th April)!!

Once you've registered the organisers will send you an Entry Form specific to the categories you choose) in May.

Click here to go to the relevant page on the Festival of Quilts website where you can download full rules and regulations along with the registration form:

http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/viewExhibition.aspx?id=25&view=review

Step 1: Register by completing the entry form. Do this before the 30th April. Registering doesnt commit you to entering, but it provides the organisers with an idea of the category you may enter. The fee for EQA members is €9. The fee is payable per entrant, not per quilt - it costs the same regardless of how many quilts you enter (only 1 quilt can be entered per category though).

Step 2: Entry forms. Once you register the organisers will send you an entry form in May, which will have detailed information plus an entry form for each category you wish to enter. Send this form back by the 28th May.

Step 3: Submit your work. The entry forms etc. will have detailed information on where & how to send your quilts, but quilts must be at the designated collection points by Friday 30th July.

Paula Rafferty's Bag Workshop

2010-03-28T18:38:00.004+01:00

Paula's workshop was on Mothering sunday, it was a fun day and very busy as there is a large amount of work in each bag.

At the end of the workshop the bags were nearly complete and had all turned out very differently but with great success.

We look forwards to another workshop to learn how to make some of the other fab bags that Paula has.

March Meeting

2010-03-19T19:08:00.005Z

The March meeting was well attended and started with a show and tell. Paula showed some quilts with the red and black double sided.

Tracey Watson had brought along her daughters birthday bag made form scraps of material left over from quilting and an old pair of jeans.

Rita and Nora showed book covers that had been made during a workshop.

Fran's apron made from ticking was much admired and won the challenge. Ideas for a theme for the challenge would be welcomed.

Beryl Cadman gave and enlightening talk on the Judging and Jurying process. The talk was extremely interesting and gave an insite into how the quilts and judged.

Top tips include;

Ensure you have an excellent photo of the quilt.
Get the quilt hanging straight.
Check machine tension on a scrap before starting quilting each time.
Make sure straight lines are straight and curved lines are curved.
Quilting stitches should be smooth and consistant.
Ensure that there is enough quilting.
Binding should be smooth and full.
Corners should be exact and consistant.

Also read the entry form and enter into the correct category and remember that it is the quilt that is being judged not the quilter.

Beryl was extremely helpful and gave many more tips.

February 2010

2010-02-12T17:15:00.015Z

The meeting for February started with an apology for Meg not being here with Grania chairing the meeting. The members decided that to fund raise for a multi-media projector that a weekly raffle would be preferable to the proposed auction. Tickets for the raffle will start to be sold at the March meeting and will continue until the projector can be purchased. This projector has become a necessity as most talkers now do not have slides and although we have managed to borrow one this is not guaranteed.

Paula gave a demonstration on foundation peiced hearts. She also had some fabulous bags that she will be giving a workshop on at an Grainan.

Rose Little talked about the course she is currently running (see below posting) and also showed her silk dupion quilt that has been qppliqued with hand died cotton and represtents the fossil coral to be found on Clare's coast.

Show and tell started with three of the four children that came on the evening, sewing with binka and emmbroidery thread to make needle cases. Demelza Palmer, Keeva Banting and Orla Banting had all brought bags to show.

Show and tell continued with Claire Lynch with a peice from her City and Guilds Course, the minature quilt by Maureen Talbt and Rebecca Palmer with the embroidery from Ann Fleeton's workshop that had been framed.

Rebecca Palmer gave a very interesting talk on Ecclesiastical embroidery. She had brought with her some repair work that she is currently working on.

She also had photos of work on the Bishop of Milwaukee's mitre and a stole that she designed and made on commission.

Rebecca explained that the Bishop of Milwaukee's Mitre was very special to the diocese as it had been with them since the 1950's (which too Americans is a long time!) but more importantly it had appeared in several of the portraits of recent Bishops and was therefore a 'historical' piece to them. When it arrived with Rebecca it was in a bad state, all the lining was shredded and the leather sweatband inside was hanging off, but most importantly the gold couching was in a bad state, the 'gold' leaf was falling off and much of the actual stitching had disintegrated. Unfortunately some member of the vestry at the Cathedral had decided to take a pot of superglue to the edges in an attempt to hold the thing together.

She dismantled the Mitre and carefully scrapped off the dried superglue - which left a hard, brittle fabric, in places, this was reinforced with calico. Rebecca then reworked the gold couching and repaired the stitching on the Lappets (the things that hang down at the back!) relined the whole thing and replaced the leather sweat strip - taking care to stitch the original manufacturers label back onto the new leather.

Any piece that leaves Rebecca always has its own calico, cotton lined drawstring bag and is wrapped in white acid free tissue. She also write up notes explaining what she had done and giving care instructions.

I was commissioned by a female priest (in San Diego) to make her an Advent stole. My brief was that she wanted something that would appeal to the children. I explained that I had a 'Little Town of Bethlehem' Idea milling around in my head and that I thought this would be ideal, so via emails we threw back and forth design ideas and fabric samples! The biggest concern we had was the placement of 'THE STAR' as we didn't want it to look like a 'Vegas dancers tassle' as she described it!!

I strip pieced the main ground fabric of raw silk, including a basic 'village' along the bottom edge. Then I applied shapes in voile with hand stitching, lots of beads and gold threads.

Apparently the Children Love it!

Rebecca's workshop at Villers was well attended and productive. Embroidery was explored using different mediums.

Annual Christmas Party

2009-12-09T18:38:00.033Z

The Annual Christmas party was a great success even though Miriam Gogarty wasn't able to make the party as she had rcently broken her leg. We'd like to send 'speedy recovery wishes' to Miriam.

Moya Geraghty from Patchwork Plus showed us all some of her colourful and (according to her) easy quilts.

Show and tell saw these quilts and Chrismas decorations.

Alison Bingham and Paula Refferty and her Rhapsody quilt (started)

Please let me know who this belongs to.

Phil Aylward and Paula Rafferty

A wonderful array of food was brought (and consumed) many thanks for all of those who took the trouble to delight us with their culinary skill. If you have the recipe for the banoffee pie or the guiness chocolate cake please tell!

Thankyou to everyone for the gifts for the Christingle, I know mine is a treat and am sure that everyone was pleased with the treat of a special parcel.

Grania Preston organising the Christingle exchange.

Rachel Banting and Fran O'Donoghue volunteered to do a demonstration for some Christmas decorations. Fran's Christmas baubles were both speedy and colourful.

Rachel had a Christmas Tree wall hanging and some pixie shoes.

The Challenge of table runners was won by Claire Lynch her runner is the third shown here. Thanks for everyone who participated, they were all jolly.

It is great that so many people are enjoying the Viliers sewing days which are becoming a huge success with a good number attending to sew and share experiences.

A quick reminder - if anyone knows an auctioneer for the fundraiser in May that we could approach to help out please contact one of the committee members.

It was nice to see both Nikky Foley who told us about her new class by post and Maeve Meany who had her beautiful 1930's block of the month to show us. For details contact Nikky foley on info@thesewingshed.ie and Maeve Meany on maevemeany@eircom.net.

Meg talked breifly on the 'open' pricing for the library basket. We wold like to ensure that everyone feels free to both donate and give to this basket which should be a great way of raising funds for the library. As everything has been donated any offering would be welcome to help ensure that are resource books are up to date and modern. We would like to thank everyone who has donated and contributed to this.

Thanks also to everyone who took the time to help in preparing for and cleaning up of the hall for the party. I know some people were there until 11.30 to make sure everything was back in order. Thanks to Dan Kenny for putting up the Christmas lights.

A very Happy Christmas and good sewing wishes for the New Year!

November Meeting 2009

2009-12-09T09:34:00.009Z

Ann Fleeeton was the guest speaker at the November meeting. Anne is a textile artist from Dublin. Her training as a geologist and her study of art history influence both the colour and texture of her work.

Anne's talk demonstrated how the Meditereanean and the artists enspired by the Meditereanean have influenced her work. She talked in depth and with great ability on a variety of artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet and how the lighting and colours of the surroundings had influenced them and her. She had an excelent slide show that helped visualise the theories that she was talking about and also bought a huge number of quilts that demonstrated the techniques that she talked about.

Anne teaches dyeing, fabric painting, machine embroidery and patchwork. She lectures regularly including several times at Quilt Expo. Her work has been exhibited in Europe, USA and Japan and published in books and magazines.

In 2002 and 2000 she won the Overall Award of Excellence and California Gold Medal in the Royal Dublin Society Annual Crafts Competition. She was the overall winner of the "New Materials for the New Millennium" exhibition at the Carrefour Européen du Patchwork, Alsace, France in 2001.

Her website www.annflee ton-quiltartist.com shows more pictures of her work and gives details of other talks and demonstrations that she may be able to give.

If anyone has any photos of the quilts please forward to me to be included, apologies. Please see Anne's website which has photos of her work.

Pictures from November show and tell

Mareen Talbot and Rachel Banting with the quilts returned form exhibiting in Cananda.

Meg and her Halloween costume 'Mother Earth'.

Demelaza Plamer with her beautiful doll. Congratulations to Rebecca who also won the challenge. Well done!

Rebecca Palmer with an embroidery from the October workshop by Lynne Kenny.

Reminders for November meeting

2009-11-10T12:16:00.001Z

A gentle reminder that blocks for the Milford Hospice quilt in cream, green and brown can be given in to the members at the door.

Also that the 'Harvest Basket' to raise funds for the library will gladly accept donation.

Lastly that photos of quilts for the scrap book would be welcomed.

thank you!

Crafts Council of Ireland Registration

2009-10-20T07:42:00.002+01:00

http://www.ccoi.ie/content/view/143/250/ is the link to the Crafts Council of Ireland Registration form. Registration only takes a few minutes, the more people that register the stronger the Council's voice will be.

Registration is currently free and the benefits are;
• Receive notification on participation on CCoI projects and
programmes, eg. Enterprise Development & Training, Retail,
Collector and Gallery Programmes
• Receive discounts and special rates for events, publications etc.
• Receive the CCoI Newsletter and e-bulletins

Lynn Kenny Workshop

2009-10-16T20:45:00.011+01:00

After giving the guest lecture at the October meeting, Lynn Kenny also gave a workshop the next day on stitching with paper and paint.

At the start of the workshop Lynn prepared some background pieces for people to work on by applying coloured tissue paper to magazine pages. In order to get the pieces dry enough to start stitching on, some heat was needed - hence the use of the hairdryers in the picture below!

Once the backgrounds were ready, Lynn showed how she stitches her pieces by transferring her designs onto greaseproof paper.

After this, everyone spent some time choosing and tracing their designs, before getting starting on the stitching.

Once the stitching was done, Lynn showed how paint can be added to enchance the design. She also showed how to apply fabric to create the designs using her method.

This was a very enjoyable workshop, and everyone made a few samples on the day. This is the kind of workshop which provided a very useful method of creating applique pictures and one that I'm sure will be put to good use in the future by the workshop participants.

Samples made by Claire Lynch:

Sample made by Nora O'Connor:

Sample made by Rebecca Palmer:

October Meeting

2009-10-16T20:15:00.009+01:00

Lynn Kenny was the guest speaker at the meeting. Lynn is a full-time fabric artist who has a gallery/studio in Killaloe. She uses stitch to draw imagery in combination with paint, fabric and paper. You can view her work at http://www.lynnkenny.com

At the meeting Lynn gave a slide show about her work. She also showed a number of samples of her work which she passed around during the meeting.

The challenge for October was to make a Halloween cushion. Rebecca Palmer & Tracey Watson were voted the joint winners on the night. Rebecca made the orange stitched cushion, while Tracey made a witch cushion. Below are Rebecca Palmer's, Fran O'Donoghue's and Meg Kenny's halloween cushions.

Gillian Sheehan brought in her piece from the recent Yvonne Brown workshop in Tralee.

The Thurles ladies brought in 2 charm quilts which they have made.

National Exhibition 2010

2009-10-04T21:33:00.002+01:00

The Irish Patchwork Society's National Exhibition 2010 will be held in Cork. The exact date hasn't been set yet but it will be on sometime in late Spring or early Summer.
The venue location is still in the process of being decided, because of this size restrictions for the quilts havent been yet been finalised.

However, the theme for the exhbition has been decided:
"Q FOR QUILTS"

IPS AGM

2009-10-04T20:04:00.010+01:00

The IPS AGM took place on the 3rd October at the Manor West Hotel, Tralee, Co. Kerry.

On display at the AGM was the Hungarian-Irish Quilt made with appliqued flowers. A number of the flowers were made by Mid-West Branch members. The quilt took a lot of work to make but looked amazing now that its finished! This quilt (along with it's Hungarian compatriot) will be on display in Hungary next month as part of the celebrations for the Hungarian Patchwork Society's 20th Anniversary. See below for a close-up picture of the appliqued flowers.

Meg Kenny's Chakra quilt was also on display at the AGM.

Gillian Killick entered the "Rose Window" themed competition and was highly commended by the judge (guest speaker Yvonne Brown).

Yvonne Brown (from the UK) gave the lecture after lunch - and after all the official AGM business was over and done with. Yvonne gave a slide show of her work and explained how she got interested in sewing & quilting. Yvonne also sent around the audience samples & quilts so that everyone could see close-up how work is created.

Meeting 11th September 2009

2009-09-21T21:02:00.003+01:00

Meg as the new Mid-Western IPS branch chairperson gave very warm welcome to everyone after the summer break. Meg als0 thanked the outgoing committee members; Gwen Cottiss, Claire Lynch,and Cecelia O’Doherty as well as welcoming the present committee members; Grania Preston, Holly Hogan, Maria Hibbard, Paula Rafferty, Lynda Broderick, Rachel Banting, Anita Mahon, Alison Bingham, Fran O’Donahue and Meg Kenny. Claire Lynch is our newly appointed national editorial rep.

SHOW AND TELL - (apologies I have embarrassingly lost my notes, anyone who would like to add to these very short descriptions please let me know)

Tracy Watson and her much envied bag.

Tracy also completed this child's quilt during the summer inspired by the mermaid panel.

Gillian explaining the 'Hebrides' fabric on her quilt

Anita Mahon with her two quilts with similar fabric but different piecing techniques, the one on the right having frayed edging.

Claire Lynch and 2 quilts made over the summer.

A detail of Meg Kenny's celebration banner.

Gillian McGuiness demonstrating some of the stretching techniques that she explained can help to prevent the aches and pains that sitting in one position for a long time can induce. Gillian was most helpful in demonstrating the correct way to sit, ensuring that you regularly move about and take rests and practise the stretches that release the tension. Gillian showed us (and made us practise) holding the stretches for longer than we normally would to help the muscles relax.

After the talk Gillan gave neck and back massages and was available for booking the full massage the next day.

Thanks to Maeve Meany for bringing her shop with her to this meeting.

River of Dreams Exhibition June 2009

2009-06-26T16:40:00.001+01:00

2009-06-20T11:46:00.014+01:00

SHOW AND TELL JUNE 12TH 2009

Nora O'Conner and her fabulous pixie shoes

Theresa Riordaon and Holly with their stained glass windows from Paula Rafferty's workshop.

Anita Mahon showing her embellished t-shirts.

Hexagon first quilts from Johanna Canti and Rebecca Palmer.

Francis Nugent's farm animals quilt made by Clockjordan quilters for a charity raffle.

Meeting 12th June 2009

2009-06-20T10:08:00.014+01:00

IRFU QUILT RAFFLE
.
Congratulations to Alice Quaid on the incredible 6200euro that was raised by the raffle of quilts for the IRFU Charitable trust. The IRFU Charitable Trust helps rugby players that are disabled through accidents on the field and provide for 34 Irish disabled players with help in adjustments to houses and transport and for medical care. Alice explained that the idea for the fundraiser was seeing the dress shirts worn by the players which had the RFU badge embroidered on the pockets. Being a quilter she saw that the material could be used in a quilt and the idea took root. One of the quilts sewn by her sister, Julie Crosby, was made from donated dress shirts that had been given from the wives to be sewn. The first prize quilt was sewn by Alice and shows the signatures of some of the Munster players including; Brian O'Driscoll Denis Hickey Shane Holgan Peter Stringer Denis Leamy Luke Fitzgerald Malcolm O'Kelly John Hayes Paddy Wallace.

It was a pleasure to welcome Declan Madden who drew the numbers in the raffle. Good luck to all the players currently with the Lions in South Africa.

Many thanks to all those who donated their quilts for prizes.

TALK AND SHOP 12TH JUNE 2009

Nikki Foley was the guest speaker and shop for the evening. Nikki's interesting and illuminating talk was on some of the gadgets that are available and her thoughts on the gadgets on how useful or on the interesting effects that you can achieve using them. There was a lot in her talk but the pointers that I found most interesting were;

1 portable ironing boards made from the inners of the fabric rolls covered in wadding and fabric with a handle on one end, perfect with a small travel iron for sitting next to your machine in classes.

2 Rotary blade sharpeners extend the life of the blade as each blade can be re-sharpened twice. The cost of the sharpener would be gained back over time. Unfortunately the sharpener will not take out nicks caused by rolling over pins etc.

3 Bias binding tool, the hint was given to buy the next size up and to experiment on which way up you find easier to get the correct result.

4 Two ways of getting a home PC to print out designs onto material were shown, firstly an A4 sized treated paper that after printing can be ironed onto material, secondly a paint that can be painted onto the fabric then placed into the printer. For the paint there is a choice of matt or transparent so that you can choose between the material showing through the printing or not.

5 Fabric effects with water soluble paper and angelina wool.

6 Fabric bondings including a description of bondaweb, steam and seam and a glue pen.

I think that all of us who listened to Nikki's talk learnt something, thanks Nikki.

European Quilting Day 20th June (EU-QUiP Day)

2009-05-15T16:39:00.005+01:00

For the past few years there has been a Worldwide "Knit in Public Day" - day meant to encourage knitters to go out and knit in public.

Following on from this, the European Quilting Association (EQA) is trying to start a similar event for quilters:

The European-wide quilting in public day

This will take place on the 3rd Saturday in June - that's the 20th of June in 2009.
http://www.e-q-a.eu/Events/events.html

The 20th June is also the longest Saturday of the year - so there's plenty of daylight hours with which to quilt and sew in the open air (weather permitting of course!).

It's quite simple - all you need to do is to arrange to meet up with some other quilters in a public place and take something convenient to work on.

May Meeting

2009-05-13T22:57:00.019+01:00

May meant that it was time again for the annual AGM. Various reports were given by members of the committee i.e. treasurers, membership reports etc. Nomination were taken for new committee members - the positions they will take up will be announced at the June meeting. A presentation of flowers was made to Gwen Cottiss for her hard work as chairperson throughout the year.

The challenge for May was to make something using the A4-sized piece of the large-scale floral fabric that was given out to members a few months ago.

Tracey Waton made this bag using the challenge fabric.

Meg Kenny's samples made using the challenge fabric.

Anita Mahon used the fabric to make this needlework organiser - most of the challenge fabric was used on the outside of the organiser of which I didnt get a picture.

Claire Lynch was voted the winner with her pin-cushion organiser - photo to follow.

A number of items were brought in for Show & Tell:

Anne-Marie Nugent brought in her newborn baby son on the night.

A member of the Kerry Branch brought in this fabulous picnic blanket with matching bag which was made in a Nikki Foley workshop. The quilt was beautiful and was way too nice to use as a picnic blanket!

Alison Bingham brought in two very cute baby quilts that she recently finished. The 2nd quilt shown made for baby Cillian was the first log cabin quilt that Alison has made.

Wallhanging made using small nine-patch blocks made by Claire Lynch.
This quilt was made by Maria Hibbard.

This seaside themed quilt was made by Gillian Sheehan - made using the quilt-as-you-go method.

Theresa Riordan showed some table mats that she made. She also brought in an appliqued cushion that she made on a quilting holiday in Bordeaux.

Meg Kenny gave a talk on a number of her quilts and she brought two of them in for display. She also discussed how the quilts were made, the inspiration behind them and construction method. The 2nd quilt shown is based on the chakra's and has been commissioned for an office space in the USA.

As well as giving a talk, Meg also gave a demo on turning patchwork blocks into small bags.

Moya Doherty "Quilt-as-you-go" Workshop

2009-04-23T12:56:00.004+01:00

April 2009 meeting

2009-04-19T19:38:00.005+01:00

Mary Palmer was the guest speaker at the April meeting. She brought a large collection of quilts that showed how her quilting style has changed from when she first started quilting to her more recent creations.

The quilt shown below is one of Mary Palmer's newest quilt.

Gillian Killick brought in 2 antique quilts for show & tell. This quilt was shown on the "Antiques Roadshow" when it was filmed in Dromoland Castle a few years ago. During the filming of the series, the experts got more excited by the back of the quilt - turns out that the yellow flowery fabric used was much older than the rest of the quilt.

Nora O'Connor brought in two bags that she recently made. The colourful bag was made from a Ricky Tims hand-dyed piece of fabric which was really eye-catching. Kate O'Donoghue made this beautiful Star Quilt.

Phil Awylward brought in this wall-hanging that she started making on a quilt tour to Bordeaux last year. Fran O'Donoghue brought in 3 very detailed dolls that she had made. The picture below shows Fran with a ballerina doll that she created.

And here are two more of her dolls...

Fran also made an appliqued teddy bear wall-hanging.

Rachel Banting brought in this denim quilt made from old jeans - some of the squares are even made using pockets from the jeans.The quilt squares were then added to with the addition of buttons and simple stitching.

March 2009 Meeting

2009-03-29T12:23:00.010+01:00

Linda McMulkin was the guest speaker at the March meeeting. Linda brought a number of quilts and quilted items with her for a show & telll. She also brought her shop "Rags for Linda" with her on the night.

Here's a picture of Linda with a brightly coloured log cabin quilt.

Linda with a quirky cat wall-hanging.

This is Linda with a celtic banner quilt that she made.Linda with 2 chicken-themed wall-hangings which are always popular.

Anita McMahon brought in a folder of her completed ATC's. Anita has been on a roll making ATC's since the Frieda Oxenham workshop last November. She has been very creative with the use of materials e.g. bits from computer circuit boards, bog cotton, pages from puzzle books etc.

Committee members also brought in Star Blocks to encourage all branch members to bring in a Star Block for the April Challenge. Don't forgot to bring your star blocks with you for the next meeting on Good Friday.

February 2009 Meeting

2009-02-15T14:03:00.014Z

Moya Geraghty was the speaker at the February meeting. Moya was giving a talk on "Small Projects" - small items to work on in between making larger quilts. She brought a large variety of items to show i.e. wine bottle gift-bags, table runners, fabric baskets, pin-cushions etc.

Moya also brought in a number of simple quilts which are fast to make up. The quilt shown below is a rail-fence quilt.

This centre of this quilt was made from a Christmas themed panel. Borders were then added to make a Christmas wall-hanging.

This eye-catching quilt was made using a theme fabric which had large colourful flowers. Black & white fabrics really added to the vibrancy of this quilt which was constructed using the quilt-as-you-go method. This rag quilt was also made using the quilt-as-you-go method.
This Christmas quilt was made from simple blocks in bright colours. The trees were then embellished with gold ribbons etc.
Nora O'Connor brought a number of bags for show & tell. One of the bags was made with bright pink silk. She also brought in a bag for donation to the Suzie Long Hospice.

Paula Rafferty also showed 3 bags that she has made - 2 which were made for her daughter Isabelle.

There was also a show & tell of the EQA "Hot & Cold" Exhibition.

Hands Across the Border Exhibition

2009-01-28T09:29:00.003Z

Just a reminder to members about the "Hands Across the Border" Exhibition.

All entries to be handed up by the 6th February to the two Branch Representatives as the next executive meeting is on the 10th February.

Quilts have to be in Dublin by the 10th February - no late entries will be accepted, due to time needed to catalogue and photograph the quilts.

The exhibition opens in the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin on Wednesday February 25th at 11.30am. The exhibition then runs until the 14-15th March, and the Botanic Gardens are open every day.

January 2009 Meeting

2009-01-12T08:58:00.004Z

The theme of January's meeting was "BAGS".

Nearly all quilters end up making at least 1 bag, so there were plenty of bags to view at the January meeting!

Gwen brought a number of bags to show and also had a number of hand-outs on how to make some of the bags. The picture below is of Gwen showing someone the inside of one of her bags.

Meg Kenny brought in this beautifully embroidered green bag.

Anita brought in her blue bag for show & tell. This bag was made over 20 years and still looks perfect.

Regeneration Exhibition Pictures

2008-12-08T14:22:00.003Z

Christmas Meeting 6th December

2008-12-08T12:31:00.010Z

The Christmas meeting was a very jolly affair this year with plenty of food!

For a change it was decided to operate a "Secret Santa" this year. Great fun was had during the meeting as numbers were drawn for your chance to go up and collect a present.

A jumble rumble was held on the night to raise funds for the library. Books and fabric were sold off and it seems to be have a great success.

Theresa Riordan showed her quillows that she makes for local craft fairs. She demonstrated how they are constructed. Sheila Allen was the lucky winner of one of the quillows during the Christmas raffle.

Another member brought in a Mola quilt that she purchased on her travels abroad.

Frances Nugent showed a puff-ball quilt that she made. This quilt was recently raffled off for charity.

Gillian Sheehan showed a tractor quilt she has made for her grandson featuring the clever use of a tractor panel & other related fabrics.

A quick demo on how to make fabric baskets was shown by Claire Lynch.

The Frieda Oxenham ATC workshop took place in November, so most of the workshop attendees brought their finished ATC's for display. Anita Mahon has made loads of ATC's since the workshop incorporating some unique materials e.g. circuit boards from timers.
Gillian Sheehan also brought in her Icelandic themed ATC's & Claire Lynch brought her completed ATC's. Some ATC swapping was done on the night, with the promise of more to come in the New Year.

Regeneration Exhibition

2008-12-08T12:20:00.005Z

The Mid-West Branch held their "Regeneration" Exhibition in Limerick City Hall recently. The exhibit ran from the 24-28th November 2008.

It was the first quilt exhibit by the Branch in over 6 years.

Paula Rafferty's quilt "Elementals 1" was voted the Viewer's Choice. Margaret Talbot's piece came a close second.

Some pictures of the exhibit will be put up later but until then, some photo's have been uploaded to this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lynch.claire/RegenerationExhibition?feat=email#

Frieda Oxenham ATC Workshop

2008-12-07T21:45:00.010Z

Frieda Oxenham recently gave two 1-day workshops on Artist Trading Cards (ATC's). Great fun was had by all who attended the workshops.

Frieda was very generous with her knowledge and the workshop was well prepared and organised.

Ann-Marie at work making her ATC's.
And below her ATC's.

Loretta at work.....
As was Nora....

ATC's have turned out to be very addictive and most of the workshop attendees have been well and truly bitten by the ATC bug! The workshop seems to have been very popular judging from the amount of ATC's displayed at the Christmas meeting.

Seen below are the finished ATC's from the Saturday workshop.

November 2008 Meeting - Talk by Frieda Oxenham

2008-11-21T20:18:00.008Z

Our guest speaker on the night was the lovely Frieda Oxenham who travelled over from Scotland on Friday to give a talk on "Artist's Trading Cards" at the meeting.

Frieda explained all about Artist's Trading Cards (ATC's) which some people weren't familiar with. To accompany her informative talk Frieda had a slideshow on her ATC work. She also brought folders of ATC's which had to be seen to appreciate the detail and work that had gone into them.

There was a very good turn-out for the talk on the night and after the talk, people were even more looking forward to the ATC's workshops which which were on the Saturday & Sunday.

Niikki Foley brought a Christmas wall-hanging that she had recently made.

A gorgeous stip-pieced quilt was displayed at the Show & Tell.

The November challenge was the English Paper Piecing Block. Gwen Cottiss was voted the winner on the night with her gorgeous paper pieced star cushion.

Other entries for this hand-piecing challenge included this block.

Another entry was this pastel hexagon pieced cushion constructed with velvet fabrics.

2008-11-10T11:06:00.004Z

The November meeting is on this Friday 14th.

Don't forgot to bring your finished quilts with you on the night for the Exhibition! The "Regeneration" exhbition will be on in Istrabaq Hall, Limerick City Hall from the 24-28th November 2008. Hopefully there'll be loads of entries and at least 1 piece from every Mid-West Branch member.

The November challenge is the "English Piecing Block".

Also, International quilter Frieda Oxenham is flying over from Scotland on Friday morning. Frieda will be giving the talk on Friday night about her work and Artist's Trading Cards.

Artist Trading Cards

2008-11-10T09:03:00.002Z

Artist Trading Cards are miniature arts of work made to a specific size - 2.5" x 3.5" (64 x 89mm).

These cards are never sold but are instead swapped.

There are a number of book about ATC's (specifically fabric ones) on the market e.g.:
Artist Trading Cards Workshop: Create, Collect, Swap by Bernie Berlin
1,000 Artist Trading Cards: Innovative and Inspired Mixed Media ATC's by Patricia Bolton.

Frieda Oxenham is giving two 1-day workshops this weekend on making ATC's, which should be extremely interesting.

Knitting & Stitching Show

2008-10-29T20:20:00.001Z

Just a reminder that the Knitting and Stitching Show is taking place this week in the RDS from Thursday 30th - Sunday 2nd November.

October Meeting

2008-10-29T20:07:00.007Z

The challenge for October was the log cabin block. This challenge was won by Fran O'Donoghue.

The theme of the October meeting was mini-demonstrations on finishing quilts for the November exhibition:

Gillian Sheehan gave a demonstration on hand quilting.

Claire Lynch showed how to put on a hanging sleeve.

Paula Rafferty showed to do machine quilting.

Holly Hogan showed how to attach binding.

Hopefully all mid-west branch members are hard at work finishing off their masterpieces for the November exhibition. Don't forget to bring your quilts to the November meeting for collection for the exhibit.

September Meeting

2008-09-20T13:24:00.007+01:00

The September meeting was the first meeting back after the summer break.

The Fainne Quilters group were the guest speakers at the September meeting. They brought a large and varied number of quilts for Show & Tell.

Made with the same pattern, Paula Rafferty made this larger version. The chicken wall-hanging was made by Catherine Kirby. This piece won 1st prize at the wallhanging section at the Tinnahealy quilt show.

The log cabin quilt was made by Linda Broderick. This is only Linda's fifth quilt and it is all hand-quilted.

New IPS Kerry Branch

2008-09-19T12:24:00.003+01:00

A new IPS branch has just been started - the Kerry branch! This group will be having it's 1st ever meeting on the 26th September.
Meetings will be held in the Keel Community Centre, Keel, Castlemaine, Co. Kerry at 7.30pm.

List of events for the Kerry Branch:
Sept 26th - there will be a talk by Executive Member and a free pattern. Challenge - Autumn Leaves. Shop to be confirmed.
Oct 24th - Moya Geraghty Talk & Workshop. Challenge - Pumpkins. Shop by Moya Geraghty.
Nov 28th - Talk by Julie Shanahan on "The poetry of patchwork. Challenge - Fireworks. Shop by Nikki Foley.
Dec 12th - Demo - Fun - Party. Challenge - Christmas Fairy.
Jan 23rd - Invite Cork Branch to attend and show quilts. Challenge - Snowman. Shop by Moya Geraghty.
Feb 27th - Mary Palmer Workshop. Challenge - Jack Frost. Shop by Nikki Foley.
Mar 27th - Speaker to be confirmed. Challenge - Daffodils. Shop by Maeve Meany.

Starting a Soul Journal/Starting to use a sketchbook

2008-07-31T16:28:00.002+01:00

I came across this great blog recently where a great project on making a "Soul Journal" has recently started. To learn more about it visit http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com

I thought this could be a great link for people who want to start using sketchbooks and don't know where to start. It Could be used as a follow-on for those who attended the Sandra Meech "Creative Sketchbook" workshop, and for those who missed it!

This is the link to the start of the project:
http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com/2008/07/s-journaling.html

BRANCH EXHBITION "REGENERATION"

2008-07-01T21:41:00.004+01:00

BRANCH EXHBITION IN CITY HALL 24-28TH NOVEMBER:

THE THEME OF THE EXHBITION IS "REGENERATION".

So get your thinking caps on and get working on your quilts!!

A Statement of Intent for the exhbition is to be handed in at the September meeting. The form was handed out at the June meeting.

The completed quilts need to be at the November Branch Meeting (Friday 14th).

Late entries will not be accepted.

Sandra Meech Workshop

2008-07-01T21:33:00.004+01:00

As well as giving the lecture on the Friday night for the June meeting, Sandra then gave a two-day workshop in Villiers on "Creative Sketchbooks".

There was a good turn-out for this workshop and some people came a long distance for it (i.e. Cork and Dublin).

For this workshop, everyone was working with the idea of using sketchbooks to provides ideas for future quilts etc. Everyone had to prepare some "homework" beforehand on their own theme - which was basically to bring black & white and colour copies of images/personal photos on your own image.

Everyone had different themes that they wanted to work with., they varied from Africa, shoes, The Skellies, France etc.
The start of the workshop was mainly working on painting the blank pages of the sketchbooks and b & w images. It's always a lot easier to work with a sketchbook that has been painted than a blank white page.

Then Sandra worked through a number of exercises with the images based on collage work etc.
At the end of the 2 days it was great to see the variation in everyone's books.