Today’s meeting was well attended, thank you to everyone who joined us! It was lovely to see several IPS members from other branches, too. There are some advantages to online meetings!

Our speaker was Mary Palmer, and she told us the story of the quilts made as part of the government’s “Keep Well” campaign. The Quilters Guild of Ireland (QGI) together with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) initiated the project on the theme of “Home”. Many people from all over Ireland, members and non-members, joined in, making blocks and putting them together into tops, then quilting them. Initially it was thought that maybe they could make 3 quilts, but the interest was overwhelming and in the end there will be 22 quilts made!! Two quilts are still in the process of being finished, with some late blocks.

The quilts will be used to benefit women’s shelters and mental health services, either directly or by using them in raffles etc. This may still take a few years to get the most funds from the quilts.

Before that, it is envisaged to display the quilts around Ireland in exhibitions, and give some attention to this successful project. We will let you know when there is more information on this.

Below an example of one of the quilt tops before quilting. This is the only one I have a photo of since this is the one I joined together for the project. Obviously, many, many people were involved in this project!!

If you are inspired to make similar blocks for yourself, find more information on the Quilters Guild of Ireland (QGI) website as well as the free patterns (scroll down on the page), which are accompanied by videos on the QGI YouTube channel.

For Show & Tell not many photos were sent in, but we had a few lovely ones:

Tracy has been busy machine quilting for cards and small wall hangings:

She also took part in the IPS Christmas postcard swap. She made a red card with swirls and holly leaves and berries, and received a card made by Christina Merrick, with an appliquéd mouse holding a teddy on Christmas morning:

If you’d like to try and make a fabric postcard yourself, find a tutorial on the IPS website.

We also got talking about quilt settings and from that several books were mentioned: Though not new books, these two were loved and used: “Quilting Makes the Quilt” by Lee Cleland and “Setting Solutions” by Sharyn Craig:

If you would love to be inspired by Christmas quilts, have a look at the Dutch Quilters Guild’s YouTube channel (Quiltersgilde Nederland). There are two videos (slide shows) available with galleries of Christmas quilts by members. A feast for the eyes and language independent. Look for the image below, literally translated “Presentation Christmas Quilts” part 1 and part 2:

Lastly, a couple of announcements from our local teachers/shops:

Tracy (tracedesign.ie) has new classes planned for spring, contact her directly (0872379682 or twaddle1164 <at> gmail.com) or let us know and we pass it on:

* Wed 16 February: The language of flowers (one day zoom class). Full day free motion workshop including kit.
* Wed 9 March: Easy machine trapunto (one day zoom class). Full day workshop.
* Wed 4 May – 1 June: Feathering the nest (5 weekly mornings – in person or zoom, TBC). Learn to machine quilt all kinds of feathers.

Moya (Patchwork Plus) gave us details of her upcoming sale in the shop. The sale will be on for four days with booked slots, from 29 January till 1 February. Please book a one hour slot (max. 4 people per slot) by contacting her directly (0877986872).

Our next meeting will be held on 12 February, Annie Hogg will be our speaker, she is an engaging speaker with a wide knowledge on natural dyes and inks, and their uses. The committee will be looking at the situation in advance of the next meeting, before we decide whether we will be having our meeting mixed (online + in person) or online only. As usual, keep an eye on your emails, or follow us on Facebook or here on the website.

Our meeting yesterday had everything: in person, online, quilts, shop, quiz, Christmas outfits….

Thanks to Frances for putting the quiz together, there were some groans, but not too many 😉

Below photos of the Show & Tell, both from online and in person contributions. I hope you are inspired:

Leaving you with wishes from all in the committee for a joyful Christmas and a very happy and creative New Year!

Our next meeting is planned for 8 January. Members, keep an eye on your email for details.

We had a good turnout yesterday, and everyone was very happy listening to Irene MacWilliam. She showed us a wide variety of her quilts and had many, many stories to tell. A very inspiring and interesting lady!

She uses a lot of free machine appliqué and stitching as well as other decorative techniques. She also uses techniques like fabric dyeing, screen printing, stamping, sun printing, etc. Her work is greatly varied: Some of her work deals with conflict and the effects of it on children and families, other pieces show a brilliant sense of humour. She has also made numerous “year quilts” depicting world events, and journal quilts.

If you missed the talk, or if you want to see more of Irene’s work, find her website at http://www.irenemacwilliam.co.uk/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/irenetextiles/ . Searching her name online and going to images also gives a lot of photos of her work…

Our own (short) show and tell was lovely, too. See the photos here:

In the afternoon, Tracy gave a workshop to a good few of our branch members. We all got a little bit in the Christmas spirit…! I think everyone ended up with a finished item, and I am probably not the only one intending to make more of these versatile trays as gifts and for use around the house, and not just for Christmas.

Our next meeting is planned for 13 November. Since government guidelines will most likely have changed by then, we will update everyone by email what form that meeting will have…

To receive updates of the branch, please renew your membership so that we can keep sending you emails (tick that box), and keep an eye on your inbox!

Our new year started today with a lovely meeting, even if it had to be online.

We had Suzanne Pass give us a personal tour of last month’s Festival of Quilts. Lots of photos of quilts and much background information. Suzanne sent four quilts to the show which were very personal to her, and they looked wonderful.

There were also a few photos sent in for our Show & Tell:

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Lastly, Tracy announced that she will be having a Row-by-Row sampler class, which will start in October. Anyone interested can find more details on her website, or contact her directly (or contact us and we’ll pass you on):

We will be announcing our plans for the coming months to our members by email. Information on renewals will be sent, as well as plans for future meetings.

Anyone who would like to (re-)join the Irish Patchwork Society can contact us for information (see About Us page or find us on Facebook). You can also leave a comment here so we can respond to you (comments will not automatically be published so they will not appear publicly if they are not meant to). You can also find more information on the Society’s main website at https://irishpatchworksociety.wildapricot.org/.

Members, keep an eye on your emails…