Dear members,
We have been asked to bring the letter below to the attention of our members.
Please inform yourself of current advice if you are organising or attending any group event.
March branch meeting cancelled
With the ever evolving covid-19 situation, the committee has decided not to proceed with the meeting this Saturday, 14 March. It’ll be hard to be 1m apart when looking at fabric!
Our April meeting is planned for 18 April (3rd Saturday because of Easter). We’ll monitor the situation over Easter and let you know about the April meeting nearer the time.
If you know anyone who might not get our emails (or read the website or follow our Facebook), please pass on the message.
We’d rather be very cautious now, given that there does seem to be community transmission in the Cork area.
February meeting recap
Our meeting in February started with Kat opening the meeting with a few announcements in the absence of Frances.
The executive is working on a programme of exhibitions, mostly focusing on our anniversary year of 2021. It is hoped there will be exhibitions in all parts of the country. Details of upcoming calls can be found in the latest IPS Newsletter.
Our own Southern Branch committee is starting to look towards our branch AGM which is taking place in April, and we are looking for a couple of new committee members since some of us will be stepping down. Committee members contribute to the organising of the meetings, and keep the branch working. We meet about once a month to discuss whatever needs doing (speakers, meeting dates, issues from the executive, etc.) and to chat, drink tea/coffee, eat cake… We are a friendly bunch, really!
If you feel that this year you may be able to help us, either in the committee or in any other way, please have a chat with any of our committee members. It is really not as much of a commitment as many seem to think.
Remember, without a committee there will be no branch and no meetings. This has recently happened to two branches, don’t let it happen to us…!
After Kat’s introduction it was time for our speaker, Ethelda Ellis Erasmus. Ethelda is a doctor and quilter from the Midlands, and she told us of her journey in quilt making, her inspirations, and she showed us an absolutely stunning selection of her quilts.
The photos below really don’t do her quilts justice, but it shows you a flavour of them, and you may get an impression of her passion for her quilt making, and her style of quilts. She often takes part in challenges and exhibitions, so look out for her work.
If you want to find out more about Ethelda Ellis, and see more of her work, she can be found on Facebook and she has her own website, too.
Show and tell was low in numbers, but great quilts were shown:
We hope to see you all at our next meeting, which will be on the 14th of March.
Lastly, proof that digital cameras are not foolproof! This was found between my photos of Ethelda’s talk…
February meeting
This Saturday, 8 February, we have our monthly meeting at our usual venue of the Sacred Heart Church in Cork.
Doors open at 10 am.
Talented quilter Ethelda Ellis will be visiting and she will show us her work in “My Quilting Journey”:
Artist Statement: Ethelda Ellis
My journey as a textile artist started in my beautiful diverse homeland, South Africa. In 2010 I was privileged to move to Ireland, much smaller in size but a country with so many new places and landscapes to see and explore. This led to new inspiration to continue with my passion: using fabric and threads to make works of art.
I love creating especially landscapes, portraying locations that have special meaning and memories to me. Through my quilts I share my love of nature with others and attempt to take viewers on a journey to known or unknown places.
I also like to work to a theme and explore new horizons through research and then sharing the knowledge and telling the story in fabric and thread.
My style is representational with detailed focal points which are done with small scraps of fabric, fused together into designs and then thread sketched with my sewing machine. These are then appliquéd on a background pieced from blocks or strips patched together or sometimes even small snippets of fabric trapped behind black tulle. The fun part is the actual free-motion quilting of all the layers together, to create dimension and texture.
Textile art combines my love of sewing and quilting with my love of creating art. I attempt to promote it as a visual art.
I exhibit my work nationally and internationally and won prizes in Ireland, Europe and South Africa.
I was one of the founders of Laois Quilters, a group that meets once a month in Portlaoise.
More information: ethelda.blogspot.com
Also at the meeting:
- Shop: Patchwork Plus
- Show & Tell: Please bring your work to show
- Coffee and tea available, contributions of cake/biscuits or other snacks much appreciated as always!
In the afternoon we will have a hand applique workshop with myself (Sandra Jansen). If you have signed up for the workshop and you haven’t received further information and the list of requirements, please let us know as soon as possible.
February workshop
For those who are attending the afternoon workshop in February, find the list of requirements below.
For members who would like to join us for the workshop (and who haven’t already done so) please send us a message so we can add you to the list.
Hand Appliqué – afternoon workshop (Sandra Jansen)
We will be working on a block of your choice similar to these:
I will bring patterns and instructions. I will be showing different techniques used in the making of appliqué blocks. We will make a start on the blocks, but they will probably not be finished in the afternoon. However, you should have enough skill to finish them in your own time.
If you rather come and work on your own appliqué project, you’re welcome, and I am happy to help and advise where needed.
PLEASE BRING:
Fabrics: Good quality cotton quilting fabrics (lesser quality may fray too easily)
For a Baltimore style block:
- One square background fabric minimum 14” x 14”, or a FQ
- Small pieces (5” minimum) or FQs in greens, pinks, reds, maybe some accent yellow or purple (for traditional Baltimore colouring), or in colours of your choice.
- A FQ in green for stems (I will also bring some to share, but you may prefer your own green)
- A piece 6” x 6” minimum for the vase (if making the vase block)
For the Hawaiian style block:
- One square background fabric 14” x 14” minimum, or a FQ
- One appliqué fabric same size as the background piece
AND for all blocks (Don’t buy anything if you don’t have it. Most things can be shared, and I will bring a selection of items needed for us to use on the day!):
- Sewing threads in colours close to your appliqué fabrics. The colours don’t have to match exactly. If you need to choose, take a slightly darker rather than a lighter thread. Often a light, medium or dark neutral will be okay. The finer your thread the easier to make (almost) invisible stitches. Polyester, cotton, silk sewing threads can all be used.
- Tacking thread, white if you have it. Any slightly stronger thread will do. I will be bringing for those who don’t have any.
- Pencil, also (if you have it) white/light pencil if using dark appliqué fabric.
- Sharp sewing needles: The thinner the needle, the easier to make small stitches. But you will want to be able to thread it! Bring a needle threader if you want.
- Pins
- Scissors for fabric AND scissors for paper, also small (embroidery) scissors that cuts well at the tip (only if you have it)
- Thimble (if you want to use it)
- Reading (sewing) glasses. If you need to use glasses, I won’t be able to bring those…
- Iron and (small) ironing surface (can be shared)
January recap
The new year started off with a very well-attended meeting. We even had to set out extra chairs to accommodate everyone!
Our demonstrator Sheila was happy to be folding old books into three-dimensional pieces, and talking about it:
If you would like to be working on your own project and chatting about it at a future meeting, please get in touch…!
Frances reminded us of closing dates for upcoming exhibitions from the IPS. Details came with your latest IPS Newsletter.
Also, the dates for upcoming meetings later in the year are not on the 2nd Saturday, because of hall availability. Please keep an eye on our Upcoming Events page. We also email those members (that have allowed us to) a reminder in advance of each meeting.
Appletree Crafts brought their shop down from Newtownmountkennedy, and it was colourful!
Our speaker this month was Helen O’Shea. Helen is an artist from Cork who uses stitch and plastic waste to make art pieces. She gave a brilliant talk on her journey from training as a chef to the work she now makes. And she was very happy to answer our questions about the way her pieces were made, and what you can and can’t do when using plastic bags instead of fabrics.
If you missed it, or you want to know more about her and her work, check out her website: Helen O’Shea
Show & Tell was started off by Helen, too, showing two quilts she has made:
Followed by members’ quilts:
Next month we are meeting on the 8th of February as usual from 10 am in the hall of the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork.
In the afternoon we will have a hand applique workshop by Sandra Jansen. Learn different methods for needleturn applique and work on either a Baltimore style or a Hawaiian style block. If you want to join us for the afternoon, email us at corkips@gmail.com, and we can send you the details.
January meeting
Happy New Year, everyone!
We will have our next meeting this Saturday, 11 January, at the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork, from 10 am.
Shop: Appletree Crafts
Speaker: Helen O’Shea – “Pathways in Textiles”
Show & Tell: Show us what you’ve been making recently
We will also have John O’Donnell from the Waterford Sewing Centre to service machines during the meeting. PLEASE let us know as soon as possible if you want your machine serviced, so John will know what to expect.
