November Branch Meeting

The Western branch of the IPS had a particularly fantastic monthly meeting in November.  Our meeting focused on local talent with a particularly extended member show and tell session as well as a trunk show hosted by the Ready Thready Sew group from Tuam and the local shop, Fluffy Sheep Quilting.

Several members came to the meeting already wearing their October workshop bags.  Looking good, ladies!

Raffle tickets are now available for this spectacular quilt.  Don't miss out on getting yours!

We have challenged one another to finish off our UFOs by this spring.  Each member, then, brought in a UFO to show the group with a promise to have it quilted and bound by May.  We look forward to seeing these finished off at our AGM meeting!

Our guest speakers, the Ready Thready Sew group from Tuam, presented an incredible array of quilts showing the talent and creativity of each of their members.  They even brought little dolls and basket liners!  What a treat!

Please do not forget, branch members, to make a child's quilt for donation to the hospital at the May meeting.  Keep working on those in your cold, dark, January evenings. 

Many thanks to Ester for providing many of the photos in this post.

January Meeting

Happy New year to you and I hope the Christmas break was an enjoyable one for you and yours.  To those who didn't manage to avoid the 'flu I hope things are improving.  I hope the thought of our monthly meeting next Saturday will put  bit of pep in your step. 

Here's some of the things we have to look forward to:

We' d hoped to have Angela Keane of the Lockout 1913 Committee to come and tell us about our participation in the 'tapestry'. Unfortunately Angela cannot come this Saturday but will be at our February meeting.

Our Charity Blocks. At this stage I think there are enough blocks out there being quilted. 

WE MUST HAVE THEM ALL BACK THIS SATURDAY JANUARY 12 so that we can assemble the quilt.

Please bring your blocks and we'll need some sewers and some to cut and some to hand sew on Saturday to bring it all together.  That will be after the meeting.

Charity Fat Quarters: At Christmas we suggested that rather than a shop we'd have an orphan sale.....all those fat quarters you bought in a rush of madness to the head and now you are wondering 'what was i thinking of...I can't use this.'  Well you mightn't be able to use it but someone else in the branch might. So bring along to DONATE any unwanted fabric and we'll sell them all off at €1 a fat 1/4 with all proceeds being donated to charity. That means bringing a couple of Euro to buy some fat 1/4 as well. 

Demonstrations/mini workshop:  Toni Foley and Veronika Spelman will be showing quick fabric flowers and a nifty pinwheels technique.

There are still spaces on the Terri McNeill Workshop in February running on Saturday and Sunday.

And don't forget all those different exhibitions calling on your creativity.

Hands across the Border: Flowers Fabric Fibre

IQFOI: too many to mention check out the last edition of your IPS Newsletter

Our own hospital quilts and your UFOs for the May meeting.

Is that enough to keep everybody going?

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday in the bridge Centre,

Until then take care,

Anne Marie.

Call for Quilts

Hands Across the Border

Theme: Flora, Fibre and Fabrics

Size: Maximum 1 metre square (perimeter 160” max)

Dead line: May 1^st 2013

Please bring your entry to the April Meeting or organise it to be with one of our executive committee members (Geraldine Joyce, Mari Moran, Bernadette Falvey) before the deadline.

Schoolhouse Quilters Exhibition

The Athlone-based Schoolhouse Quilters held a phenomenal exhibition this past autumn, much to the delight of many Western Branch IPS members.  Together, the quilts exhibited here display a wide variety of techniques, patterns, colorways and a glorious attention to detail.  Be sure to look closely for fussy cutting and absolutely gorgeous quilting patterns.  Well done, Schoolhouse Quilters!  We can not wait to see more!

Thank you, Margaret, for capturing the exhibit in photos for us all to see.

Edwina Mackinnon - Colour Stories

UK tutor Edwina Mackinnon will be giving a talk and workshop at the Mid-West Branch in February 2013.

Edwina will be giving a talk on "Colour Stories" on Friday 8th February 2013. She does a lot of fabric dyeing using procion, indigo dyes and also potassium permanganate, so it should be an interesting talk. 

And Edwina will then give a "Cut and Come Again" workshop on Saturday 9th.

Workshop details: This workshop is a fun, relaxed method for producing attractive blocks using your fabric stash. Just bring along a collection of fabrics and start cutting and stitching. There will be lots of ideas for assembling your blocks to make an attractive quilt.

The workshop will be taking place at the Greenhills Hotel, Limerick. Cost €55.  We're opening up this workshop for any IPS members who would like to attend. So if anyone would like to do this workshop, please contact me to get your name added to the list.

The Greehills Hotel have good rates, swimming pool, free car-parking etc. The hotel is also just down the road from where the Mid-West Branch hold their monthly meetings, which could be very handy if anyone wants to see Edwina's talk on the Friday and attend the workshop the next day.

For further details on Edwina's work please see:

http://edwinamac.blogspot.ie/

http://www.amann-mettler.com/index_en.php?TPL=10289

Mogs McDonnell and Students Exhibition in Headford

On Friday 21st Sep, Anne-Marie Horan, our Western Branch Chairperson opened an exhibition of work by Mogs McDonnell and her students at Headford Parish Hall which ran until the 26th Sep.

 

A good number of IPS members were in attendance to support these quilters as they celebrate another year's work completed. There was a party atmosphere with goodies to eat and drink as we enjoyed the display of quilts. 

 

Mogs modeled, with panache, her designs made for the Fashion Sans Frontiers exhibition in Birmingham last year.

 

I particularly loved the 'Cathedral Windows' quilt Mogs made with the Active Retirement group in Kilcoona.

 

But there were plenty of other stunning quilts on show as you can see from the photos included (sorry I don't have names for all the makers).

 

This annual exhibition is always an enjoyable event and I look forward to it each year.....make sure you mark your calendar next year, you won't be disappointed!

 

Ester Kiely

Western Challenge

The Western Challenge is normally held in the Spring but this year it was postponed to the Autumn as members were busy with the IQFO in the Spring. The challenge was to make a piece no more than a metre square with a sea theme. Each participant was given a piece of one of the two fabrics used to make the Cú na Mara hangings, perfect colours for the theme. The entries were varied in size, theme and technique, all beautiful, all well crafted. The difficult task of choosing the winner fell to our guest speaker, Terri McNeill. Nessa McMahon from Athlone was the winner with a lovely appliqué piece. Well done to all who entered

November Meeting

This is just  a short reminder that the Western Branch of the IPS will meet in the Bridge Centre 

on Saturday, November 10^th from 10 - 12 (or maybe 12.30).

At this week's meeting we will open the doors to visitors from a far flung place:Tuam.  The Ready-Thready Sew Group from Tuam who will share their work and stories with us.

A very special show and tell from our members: Confession time! Bring out your old UFOs, unfinished objects, as if you didn’t know!  Root them out and see which one you might like to finish by May next year.  

Cindy Coleman will bring her shop  ‘Fluffy Sheep Quilting’ with lots of goodies.

In the afternoon, we invite members to bring some Christmas projects to sew and maybe share some ideas.  If you want to bring your current pet project that’s fine too.  Maybe bring some lunch if you intend staying.

Ongoing: Don’t forget to get thinking about those Henry bear quilts for the May meeting

SOS: Did you pick up a bag by mistake at last month’s meeting? 

A quilt top by Marie McPhillips went missing after last month’s meeting. Did you pick it up? Can you check if you have it and return it to the meeting on Nov 10^th. Thank you.

Library: Don’t forget the books are there for borrowing. We’d ask you though to look and choose before the business part of the meeting.  

Membership: If you have a friend who might be interested why not bring her or him along as a visitor to the meeting?  If you are in touch with someone who used to be a member why not invite them to come along again.

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday!  We leave you with photos of last month's show and tell to inspire you for this meeting.

Inis Oirr Classes

It's always a pleasure to head out to Inis Oirr for a class with the Mná le Chéile group.

Following the arrival of Mary McCarty to the island the group came together and met to sew in the Arts Centre: Arás Eanna.  Since then they have moved to their own lovely premises Teach Brid, a renovated cottage that is home to the group and their Gammill long arm quilter.

Many of the group are very experienced quilters at this stage and make lovely and varied work.  They also host classes for young people from local schools.  I was invited to do a class this autumn and suggested the nine-patch that you cut and twist. 

I figured that the more experienced quilters might get a quilt-top done and at the same time it would be a good block for beginners to try. We discussed colour choices on the Friday evening and some people even began cutting their strips.

On Saturday morning it was full steam ahead. Participants had instructions for a cot, single or double quilt.

One person went for a single quilt, the others for cot quilts. One person opted to make a bed runner with 10 blocks.

We cut, sewed and re-arranged the blocks and by 4pm (last flight leaves at 4.45) three cot quilts tops were complete and the rest well on the way. It was a a lovely place to spend a sunny October Saturday.

Photos show Allissa, Mairead and Mary's quilts. 

Anne Marie Horan

Made In Galway

Our "Western Reflections" heritage quilt took center stage on the Made In Galway poster!

The above photo was taken at an event in the beautifully restored Claregalway Castle on Friday 28 September.

The event was organized and hosted by Fins Gousiers d'Anjou, Galway County Council- Made in Galway, Dr. Earmonn O'Donoghue (Claregalway Castle), Mr Alan Farrell, Mr Seamus Sheridan of Sheridan's Cheesemongers, UBIFRANCE and Ballinasloe Town Council to present the wines of the Anjou Region and to promote the work of Galway-based food and craft producers.

Made in Galway is a Galway Co Council initiative to promote the work of Galway food and craft producers.  See www.madeingalway.ie for more information or "like" their page on facebook.

For more information about cultural evenings at Claregalway Castle, see www.claregalwaycastle.com

-Ester Kiely

October Branch Meeting

This is just  a short reminder that the Western Branch of the IPS will meet in the Bridge Centre 

this coming Saturday, October 13th from 10 - 12 (or maybe 12.30)

At this week's meeting we will have the benefit of our own Branch talent.

Pam Dolan and Lynn Naughton will be our speakers.

Pam will talk to us about "Colour and Design". Lynn will give a ruler demonstration.

Our shop is "Seams Sew Simple" with lots of treats.

In the afternoon there will be a bag workshop with Johanna Tyrell and Colette O'Donnell. 

The workshop is full but there is a waiting list in operation

Now A BIG SHOUT OUT FOR ALL THE CÚ NA MARA QUILTS.

If you made a Cu na Mara quilt earlier in the year please bring it to the meeting on Saturday.

We are gathering them together on that day so that they can be brought up to Dublin in time for the Knitting and Stitching Show.

So please don't forget to bring your quilt on Saturday

If you have a friend who might be interested why not bring her/him along as a visitor to the meeting.

If you are in touch with someone who used to be a member why not invite them to come along again.

Non-members of the IPS may visit two meetings in a year, admission €5 per visit.

Membership of the IPS is €40 per year and entitles members to:

attend meetings, take part in exhibitions, do workshops and receive the quarterly newsletter.

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday,

Exhibition By Mary Palmer

You are cordially invited to view the work of Mary Palmer in an exhibition presented by Cork Textiles.

Held at the Bishopstown Library from Wednesday 10th October - Saturday 27th October 2012,  a grand opening will take place on 11 October at 6:00 PM in the Bishopstown Library with Pascal DeConinck as the guest speaker.  The exhibition is open from Monday to Saturday from 10AM - 5:30 PM or on Thursday from 10AM to 8PM.

For more information, please visit www.corktextiles.com.

National Exhibition of Quilts: Buildings, Bricks & Blocks

A reminder to all quilters that the National Exhibition of Quilts, an exhibition hosted by the Irish Patchwork Society, is now open for viewing.  The exhibition runs from 2-12 October from 10AM to 5PM at:

Istabraq Hall
Limerick City Council
City Hall
Merchants Quay
Limerick

The official opening of the exhibition is tonight, the 5th of October, beginning at 7:30PM.  There is no admission fee and all are welcome to attend.

For more information, please visit www.irishpatchwork.ie or midwestpatchwork.blogspot.com

Enjoy!