Villiers Sewing Nights

The weekly Villiers sewing nights are starting up again this week (Wednesday 14th January).

To all our members (including new members and beginners), please feel free to attend our Villier’s sewing evenings. 

They’re a great way to socialise with members and get help & advice and help on your quilting. 

Wednesdays 7pm – 10pm.  Cost: €5.
Venue: Craft room, Villiers School.

January Meeting

For our January meeting, a local group the Sew What Quilters were invited to be the guest speakers.

The Sew What Quilters are Phil Walsh, Phyl Awylward, Aine Duggan, Marie Gibson, Gillian Killick, Gillian Sheehan and Alice Quaid.

The ladies brought a large and varied selection of items which showed their creativity and patchwork skills over the years.
The group meet up weekly, and are inspired by working together and sharing their fabric stash, but throughout out the talk, you could still see that each member of the group had their own unique style, different use of colour etc.

Quilt top by Gillian Killick

Show and Tell:

Trish O'Donnell showed a gorgeous quilt she made from a jelly roll.

Fabric on the night was by Teresa Riordan.

Photos to follow shortly.

November Meeting

November Meeting

Miriam Gogarty (Eastern Branch and past IPS Chairperson) was the guest speaker at our November meeting. Miriam is a very prolific quilter and brought lots of items for show and tell, and did a fabulous job entertaining us at this meeting.

Here's just a small sample of the work that she brought with her on the night.

One our previous branch challenges was to complete a 12" square using some challenge fabric. A lovely array of blocks was completed for this challenge, blocks were then donated to the branch to be made up into a quilt. Luckily one of the branch members Imelda O'Grady volunteered to complete the quilt top. This quilt was then donated to the Bumbleance Charity.

Doris and Imelda showing group quilt

Imelda with the Branch challenge quilt.

A number of members also donated quilt to the Bumbleance charity. The Sewing Shed were the shop on the night. Nikki Foley (The Sewing Shed) collected the quilts on the night for the charity. The 2 photos below shows all the quilts donated on the night, a lovely array of brightly coloured children's quilts.

Donated Bumbleance Quilts

Here's the guest speaker Miriam Gogarty explaining how she made this particular quilt. 

Miriam is well known for her landscape quilts, so showed us a number of her different versions of landscapes.

Show and Tell:
 Suzanne Pass brought in her Minions quilt and cushion which she has made for her son. Anyone who has seen the film Despicable Me will be familiar with the very cute minions.

 Another member with a fantastic heart themed quilt. 

Phil Walsh, Gillian Killick and Chairperson Cecilia O'Doherty

Gillian Sheehan brought in some lovely items as well for show and tell. Her is friendship braid quilt.

Gillian also showed this lovely wall-hanging. Apologies for the blurry photo.

Maureen Kenny showed this lovely applique cushions which I believe were started at the Ann O'Rafferty Hand Applique workshop back in October. 

Tracy Watson showed this lap quilt she has made. Tracy is making two identical quilts for her daughters. 

Mary Morrissey showed this lovely pink and purple railstrip quilt which she has made as a Christmas present for her daughter. 

Mary Enright showed us this lovely Christmas wall-hangings she has been making for Christmas gifts. Wall-hangings made using the Twister Tool

December Meeting

The December Challenge was to either make a Christmas stocking or a wine bottle gift bag. There were some lovely and creative entries for this challenge. Phyl Awylward won the Christmas stocking challenge and Imelda O'Grady won with her fabulous wine bottle gift bag. The wine bottle holders, also part of our challenge, were undoubtedly put to very good use during the holidays!

Christmas Challenge Entries

Christmas wine bottle gift bag

Frances Shanahan and Imelda O'Grady 

A selection of some of the table runners on display at the meeting. Imelda O'Grady made ten of them as Christmas presents for friends and family .

Show and Tell:
There was a lot of Christmas themed items on the night. Here's Phyl Awylward with her Christmas wall-hanging. Last year Mogs McDonnell gave a Christmas Nativity workshop to make this item.

Here's Marella Moloney with her crazy patchwork Christmas-themed wall-hanging. 

Some of our members are also involved in a Christmas cushion swap with the Modern Quilters Group. Here's Louise Mullane with her cushion .

Louise Mullane

 Ruth brought in her Christmas cushion which was made as part of a Christmas Cushion swap .

Frances Shanahan showed this very striking orange coloured wall-hanging.

Marella also brought in this lovely log-cabin format quilt. 

Imelda showed this great wall-hanging that she recently completed. 

Liz Stanley showed some of her Christmas creations. Liz showed us her very impressive Christmas placemats.

Siobhan Bermingham spoke to us about two adorable quilts made for a doting grandmother for her two granddaughters, aged one and four. Adventures had and to be had by the two little girls were appliqued onto the quilts in the form of a quilted story board.

Mary Enright showcased her quilt made from material purchased in Texas, made in six months for her daughter Brenna.

Ruth Bourke with her friend Louise Mullane displayed a variety of seasonal inspired pieces from cushions to table runners to Christmas decorations.

Our raffle went down a treat given that there was a prize for everyone in the audience! We finished the evening with a homemade buffet, provided as always by our very generous members.

 

Phyl Awylward, Ann Kiely and Joan Commons

RDS National Craft Awards - changes for 2015

The RDS National Craft Awards rewards and showcases excellence in Irish Craft. Last year a major independent evaluation of these awards was undertaken by consultant Marie Brennan and as a result there will be a number of changes implemented in 2015.

The RDS National Craft Awards has two components; a competition and an exhibition. Open to a wide variety of craft disciplines, the competition provides an open platform for Irish craftspeople to have their work assessed by a professional judging panel of Irish and international craft experts. The prize-winning and a number of high quality entries are chosen for exhibition at the RDS during the Dublin Horse Show. The opening night of the exhibition sees annual prizes awarded to the most outstanding works of that year. The prize-winners are also displayed at the National Craft and Design Fair in December.

The independent evaluation reviewed the entire awards process and its recommendations will be implemented in 2015. The RDS National Craft Awards will now be a two stream competition where the work of emerging and established makers will be judged separately. To be eligible to enter the Emerging Maker Awards entrants must be able to show that they are either:

• Students studying craft in third level institutions

        or

• Have within the last five years set up a craft business.

       or

• Those who are new to a craft discipline within the last five years, either studying via an apprenticeship or life-long learners on an informal course.

All other entrants whether professional or amateur must enter the Established Maker strand of the Awards. An Award of Excellence of €5000 will be awarded in both the Emerging and Established Maker strands.

 

The evaluation also recommended that categories be reduced from twenty to thirteen, which are as follows:

 

1.      Constructed Textiles (woven, knitted, crocheted, felted textiles and lace)

2.      Embellished Textiles (embroidery, patchwork, quilting, batik, printed textiles)

3.      Basketry

4.      Jewellery & Silversmithing

5.      Metalwork

6.      Furniture

7.      Carving

8.      Leatherwork

9.      Musical Instruments

10.  Ceramics

11.  Glass

12.  Paper and Calligraphy

13.  Woodturning

Other changes include:

·         An extension for online entries into June

·         A restriction to one entry per person

·         A removal of the first round of judging to create a fully open competition where all entries will be examined by the judging panel.

 

Changes in RDS structures (we now have a Communications Manager and Director) mean that there is now greater ability to help with promoting RDS Foundation activities; meaning a stronger emphasis on media coverage in the future for both the competition and exhibition.

 

We believe that these changes will help to create a fairer, clearer, open and more streamlined competition and exhibition with a higher profile and a clear set of objectives in line with the RDS Arts goal which is: to provide a platform that supports the transition from student to emerging artist; encouraging the pursuit of a career in visual art, craft or music.

 

The call for online entries for the 2015 RDS National Craft Awards will be launched in March 2015. Please keep an eye on our website www.rds.ie/craft and social media pages for more information and to access the online application form from mid-March.

Party Night

A sneak preview of prizes for our IPS party Friday night and for those of you who are enjoying " I'm a celebrity get me out of here " you will have an opportunity to find a star and receive and extra prize !

 
Don't forget to bring a fat quarter with you tomorrow night so you can play "FAT QUARTER BINGO"

December Christmas Meeting reminder

The Christmas meeting takes place Friday 5th December at 7.30.

Entry fee €10 (members). 

We hope to have a fun-filled social evening with gifts and food. Please remember to bring your Christmas challenge piece (Christmas stocking or wine bottle gift bag). 

We will always be playing Fat Quarter Bingo. Don't forget to bring a fat quarter with you on the night, so you can join in the fun!

Also don't forget to return your library books. 

Members are also asked to bring some food (sweet or savoury) to the part table. 

Looking forward to seeing you all there.