February: Show and Tell

Sandlin explained how she solved the problem of not having enough denim for the back of her quilt by inserting a panel with the baby's birthday. Her quilting thread is in a golden colour to look like the stitching on denim-jeans.

And here is the front of the quilt again (the letters are applied using the technique from "Snuggle and Learn Quilts" by Chris Lynn Kirsch who visited Galway with a group of US quilters in October and donated her book to our library.

Mogs brought along this quilt she has been making with the Headford Active Retirement group. This is all hand-pieced, folded patchwork 'Cathedral Windows'.

The 3 postcards shown above are made by Margaret. Are you making some of these 6 x 4 fabric postcards to be posted in time for the National 'Branching Out' exhibition?

Madeleine showed this beautiful quilt she has completed.

Colette brought along her 'Snakes and Ladders' quilt to show the Western Branch.

Anne Marie is working on these colourful children's quilts at the moment.

February: Mid-Western Branch Show and Tell

While at the Mid-Western Branch meeting we had the privilege of seeing some of the wonderful work happening within this group.

Tracy created this stunning 'New York Beauty' quilt top and she's working on an intricate foundation-pieced border to finish it off.

Another example of the 'New York Beauty' blocks in a different colourway.

A lovely Autumn-coloured curved strip-pieced quilt.

Falling leaves on the back of the quilt make a very nice feature.

A delicately coloured quilt with curved border by Rebecca and Chris is on its way to its new owner soon. To read more about this husband and wife team see http://rebeccapalmeroriginals.co.uk/

Chris showed his recently completed quilt in pinks and purples.

Another member of the group brought along this quilt which is over 100 years old. Although it is faded in places, that merely adds to its charm. This is hand-quilted and the flowers you see are all hand-stitched cross-stitches! Take a closer look below.

Western Branch visits Mid-Western Branch on 11th February

The Western Branch of the IPS received an invitation to bring some work to show to the Mid-Western Branch meeting on 11th February, 2011. Two cars travelled from Galway with 9 people and lots of quilts! We stopped off firstly at Maeve Meaney's fabric shop 'The Limerick Quilt Centre' http://www.irishquilt.ie/ for a little bit of fabric shopping. We had a nice dinner at the Castletroy Park Hotel. And then on to the Baptist Hall on the Old Cratloe Road for the meeting at 8pm. We received a very warm welcome and lots of tea and cake!


The first quilt we showed was the Heritage Quilt which is almost finished (just needs a hanging sleeve) and will be donated to the Galway City Museum at our 'Branching Out' exhibition in April 2011. We felt very proud to show this group quilt which was made by Western Branch members.

Veronika showed the quilt she made for the National Exhibition "Links" which shows the links between her grandmother's story and her own.

Joan showed her first patchwork 'Holly Hobby' quilts before later showing her intricate watercolour quilt.

Sandlin told the story of her Bible Studies patchwork group and we held up a selection of these blocks which all have Biblical names.

Sandlin also showed this stunning star quilt which she made for her husband.

And this is a quilt Sandlin is currently working on for a friend's baby. Here Sandlin used a technique for applying letters which is outlined in "Snuggle and Learn Quilts" by Chris Lynn Kirsch (who donated a copy of her book to our library following her recent visit from the US to Galway, where a group of our members met her group for coffee at Glenlo Abbey....see earlier post with photos of that day out).

Mari showed the quilt she made to celebrate the IPS' 21st birthday celebration.

And this is a quilt Mari made from the Christmas challenge blocks that she won.

Margaret showed this lovely textured wall-hanging she made as part of a series on Irish boglands.

And this is another of Margaret's quits made with colourful batik jelly-roll fabrics.

Margaret also showed this sunflower 'chenille' quilt made using a rotary 'chenille' cutting tool.

These are a selection of A4 sized pieces made by Madeleine using a variety of techniques.

Of course the 'Let the Flowers Bloom' Hungarian/Irish group quilts are always well-received when they are shown. A lot of flowers were made in the Mid-West so it was nice to bring these quilts to them to see them at close range. These quilts will be included in the National 'Branching Out' exhibition at the Botanic Gardens this summer. Also see the separate post about our Hungarian friend Gyongyi Varadi, who taught us her method of creating these flowers, she is featured in the January issue of French magazine "Magic Patch".

Johanna showed this lovely curved log-cabin wall-hanging.

And Johanna also showed this nursury quilt.

Joan showed this stunning and intricately pieced watercolour quilt.

Ester Kiely brought along the 'Mystery Quilt' which she started while living in Dublin and completed when she moved to Galway.

Ester also showed this scrap-quilt which she is currently working on. The pattern for this was found in an old quilting magazine and it is hand-pieced and hand-quilted (almost!).

Colette showed this wonderful 'Snakes and Ladders' quilt which can be hung on a wall. It comes complete with a furry dice and little magnetic fabric counters!

For more photos of the visit see the MidWestern Branch's blog at http://midwestpatchwork.blogspot.com/2011/02/this-month-was-bit-different-as-we-had.html

Reminder: Bring your 'Roses from the Heart' Bonnets

Madeleine would like to remind all of you who are still finishing bonnets for the 'Roses from the Heart' project to bring them along to the February meeting on the 12th as she will collect them all and send them off on our behalf.

"Make it New" an exhibition by the Textile Art Forum in Co. Down

Just in case any of you are travelling to Northern Ireland in February, Western IPS member, Ester Kiely would like to let you know:

The Textile Art Forum

presents

Make it New

an exhibition of textiles at

Ards Arts Centre,

Newtownards Town Hall,

Conway Square,

Newtownards,

Co Down, BT23 4DB

Official opening: Thursday, 3rd February, 2011: 19.00-21.00

Exhibition runs from 2nd - 25th February 2011

Opening times: 10.00 – 16.30 Mon - Thurs, 10.00 – 16.00 Fri - Sat

http://textileartforum.blogspot.com

Quilt Art:An international group of professional artists

QUILT ART is a group of 20 professional quilt artists from Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and America. The group celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with a major touring exhibition. A catalogue of the exhibition was donated to our library by Western IPS branch member, Ann Fahy who is also a member of the Quilt Art group. For more information about the group see http://www.quiltart.eu/. We've also listed this in our 'other websites of interest' in the right-hand column of our blog.

Upcoming February workshop with Linda McMulkin

Charm Bag: Requirements for Workshop on February 12th 2011
35 x 5" squares It would be best if these were already cut. You can use any scraps, or be colour co-ordinated
1m fabric for lining, handles and pocket lining
1.25m Fusible Fleece I will bring this for purchase if you do not have it. €12 pm I’m afraid !
Usual items:
Sewing machine, thread, scissors, cutting board, ruler, rotary cutter, pins etc
It would be helpful if there were a few irons and ironing boards.
This is a workshop anyone can do!!!!
If you have any queries, get in touch (Linda: 091 550779, ragsforlinda1@eircom.net)

January 2011: News from our meeting

Here is a roundup of all the news mentioned at our January meeting:

Western Branch visit to the Mid-Western Branch on Friday 11th February.
Sandlin is organising a group of us to travel to Limerick to attend the Mid-Western Branch meeting. We have been invited to come and bring along some work to 'show and tell'. If you are interested in taking part in this trip contact Sandlin as soon as possible.

Limerick Quilt Retreat at the Strand Hotel in February
Limerick Quilt Retreat for all IPS members from Friday 18th to Sunday 2oth February.
See the previous post on this blog for details http://westernips.blogspot.com/2010/12/limerick-quilt-retreat-for-ips-members.html and book via the reservations number 061-421890. There is also information on page 7 of the current Winter IPS Newsletter. If you are going, also let our committee know by contacting Joan, so that Western Branch members can travel together if desired.

Western Branch exhibition at Galway City Museum April 2011.
Our branch exhibition will take place on the last 2 weeks in April at the Galway City Museum. The theme is the same as the National Exhibition 'Branching Out' so we would love to see quilts related to environmental, plant or nature-based themes. But all quilts made since our last exhibition in 2010 are welcome. All quilts must be ready for the meeting on 9th April 2011. If you are interested in being part of the 'sub-committee' which will organise this exhibition, please contact Lynn (chairperson) as soon as possible.

National Exhibition 'Branching Out' at Botanic Gardens from 30th Jun to 2nd Aug
As 2011 is the 30th Anniversary of the IPS and also Year of Craft, this promises to be a special celebration exhibition. A judging committee (appointed by the Executive) will come to Galway during our branch exhibition to select suitable quilts to go on to the National Exhibition at the Botanic Gardens.

'Branching Out' Fabric Postcard Exhibition
As part of the special celebrations for the 30th anniversary the National Exhibition will also include a fabric postcard challenge.

• Postcards must be on the theme of 'Branching Out' (horitcultural, flora, botanical or environmental theme).
• Standard 4 x 6 inch postcard size only.
• Must be fabric based.
• Must be sent through the post (stamped and posted/not in an envelope).
• Must be sent to Irish Patchwork Society, PO Box 45, Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland.
• Postcards are non-returnable and will be raffled/auctioned at the Knitting & Stitching Show 2011. Proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Ireland.
• For instructions on how to make a postcard see page 10 of the current Winter IPS Newsletter or see the IPS blog at http://irishpatchwork.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-make-fabric-postcards.html

Heritage Quilt to be completed for April 2011.
Veronika is coordinating efforts to complete the Heritage Quilt as we hope to present it to the Museum at our April exhibition. Help is needed to complete the following tasks:

• mark the final section of quilting in the borders (celtic cable, date and claddagh ring)
• quilt the final section of the border
• bind the quilt
• label the quilt

If you are available to help, contact Veronika as soon as possible.

Western Branch Challenge
The committee has proposed that the Western Trophy Challenge will take place at our AGM meeting in May. To tie in with 2011 Year of Craft, Members are invited to make an A4 sized piece which can use any materials and any technique (including other crafts) but it must include stitching. Time to let your imagination go! Bring your piece to the May meeting.

For further information about our upcoming meetings and events see our Calendar of Events in the right-hand column of this blog!

January 2011: Show & Tell

Well, despite weeks of freezing temperatures, frozen water pipes, colds and flus we managed to make it to the January meeting!


Linda showed this pieced quilt which she says was 'interesting' to construct!
Jill showed how she put the blocks together, that she made in the 'beginner's workshops'. A lovely first quilt on its way to completion!

Deirdre's tree quilt is a theme she hopes to develop further for the upcoming 'Branching Out' exhibition.

Deirdre's son is the lucky recipient of this quilt made in tribute to the artist, Mondrian.


Another beautiful textured silk wall-hanging by Deirdre.

Cathy showed us this lovely quilt, with gentle colours.

Anne Marie showed us this baby quilt which is coming together in super quick time, using a panel for the centre.

January 2011: Demonstration of techniques to generate ideas for 'Branching Out' themed quilts

Marilyn demonstrated hand applique. This technique lends itself perfectly to making beautiful flowers, stems, leaves, etc. It might take a little practice to achieve the beautiful tiny stitches that come naturally to Marilyn!

Ester demonstrates free-motion embroidery stitching into soluble fabric to create delicate leaf and flower shapes.

Mari brought the 'Let the Flowers Bloom' quilts which were made by members of the Irish Patchwork Society and the Hungarian Quilters Guild. Mari showed us the method of paper piecing leaves and flowers, that Gyongi Varadi taught us while she lived in Galway.

Christmas Crib Workshop with Mogs McDonnell at her studio Bolg na Talun

On a very very frosty Saturday morning in November, my husband Peter bravely drove two mad quilting women from Galway to Headford, to do a workshop with Mogs Mc Donnell.
Mogs lives in a cosy thatched cottage and has converted her out-houses to a lovely studio. The stove was blazing; the kettle on when we arrived and Mary had brought hot scones just out of the oven. So after a cuppa and a delicious scone we were ready to go .Pencils sharpened, we traced the pattern of the Christmas Crib onto bondaweb. We bonded the pattern onto our black fabric and carefully cut out background shapes and bonded the black outline onto our piece of batik. This left us with a positive and negative pattern so we have two wall hangings. As we sat in the warm heat of the stove, carefully cutting away the pattern, we could see the fog rising off the lake and the sun struggling to come through, but it was still freezing.
Mogs provided us with a beautiful lunch of homemade soup, brown bread and apple tart, great food to keep us going for the afternoon.
We cut and bonded for the rest of the afternoon and had our two wall hangings ready for quilting. Mine is still in the process of being quilted so it will be ready for Christmas 2011. Thank you Mogs, for a great day.
For more information about Mogs see her listing on the Crafts Council of Ireland’s website (http://www.ccoi.ie/).

By Margaret Cunnane and Mary O’Brien

Upcoming workshop with Loretta O'Brien in April

Loretta O'Brien from the Mid-Western Branch in Limerick will give a workshop on developing a unique quilt design from one of your photographs.
Loretta is a very experienced teacher and this promises to be a great workshop so be sure to book your place early if you want to participate.
Clear plastic template is one of the materials required for the workshop and Loretta has provided a link to Creative Grids website where template plastic can be bought:

http://www.creativegrids.com/acatalog/index.html

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Our January meeting will take place this Saturday 8th January.

"Rags for Linda" will provide the shop selling a great selection of fabrics and Linda has announced a 10% discount sale!

We will not have a guest speaker, choosing instead to ask a number of members to demonstrate their favourite techniques to create work that might suit our upcoming exhibition theme 'Branching Out'.
Marilyn will demonstrate hand appliqued flowers, leaves, etc.
Ester will demonstrate free-machine embroidery on soluble fabric to make delicate leaves.
Vera will paint flowers on fabrics, using mono printing and dyeing techniques.
We also hope to show Gyongi Varadi's technique of creating leaves, flowers, trees using piecing over papers.

Colette will have the library available as usual. A number of older titles in the library will be offered for sale to members so that we can make room on our shelves for some newer titles. We have added a new page to our website with the list of all titles in our library for you to review at any time (see the top of the blog). Also if you have suggestions of new titles you would like the library to purchase, let Colette know and she will bring your suggestions to the committee.