I hope you are all enjoying your summer, even though the weather is not all that hot and sunny…!
Although we normally wouldn’t have a meeting in July, I have decided to put a virtual Show & Tell on our website this month if I receive some photos from our members. Next Saturday is the second of the month, so I am aiming to make the post for that day. If you have any photos of your quilt-related activities, please send them to me in the next few days. Alternatively, if you have been doing other crafts, or if you want to share anything else, send it on and I will share it with you all.
Email your contributions to our usual email address (leave a comment if you need help).
Today would be our June IPS Southern Branch meeting, and again we are having a virtual gathering of ladies, showing what they have been up to in the past few weeks. Before we start, a few announcement that may be of interest:
First of all, keep our shops in mind when you are looking for supplies. Many shops have a website, or they can be contacted by phone or email. With the travel limits and shop opening rules relaxing, shops should be getting more accessible, too. Moya from Patchwork Plus let’s us know that she is open for business by arrangement. She will also be running workshops during the summer, contact her by phone or email. Find her contact details as well as for other shops on our Helpful Links page.
Cork Textiles Network have organised an online exhibition of member’s work. The Exhibition is called “The Abandoned Project” and can be found from their website: http://www.corktextiles.com/Events/the-abandoned-project.html. The works shown are projects that were left unfinished for one reason or another, and finished in lockdown. And the virtual gallery looks amazingly realistic!
Lastly, the River of Dreams are usually holding their annual quilt show in Limerick around now, but they have gone online, too. The “show” will be open from Monday 22 June on Facebook. I am not sure how that will work if you are not on Facebook yourself, but do visit if you can access it.
I have had some lovely feedback on our online “meetings” and if I receive any Show & Tell photos over the summer I am more than happy to put together a post or two. If nothing else, I am inspired so much myself! Since we have no dates set for meetings in July and August, I will aim for the second Saturday of each month, but if life gets busy I may move the date somewhat. I will let you all know by email and here on the website. However, feel free to email me photos at any time. I will keep them until I can make a post anyway.
So, a bit later in the day than our real meeting would have been, but here is finally our June Show & Tell, in the order that I received your emails:
Ber Higgins is sending these photos. “Pattern was “Have your cake ” from Love Quilting magazine. It’s quilted to within an inch of its life as I’m trying to improve my free motion quilting skills”.
Assumpta Lydon: “Would you recognize me!! Trying to finish a project started with Mary Murphy, Carrigaline.Baby Quilt was request from a friend and I love the pattern.”
Next I’m showing you a sneak peak of Frances McCarthy’s project. She showed me a preview of her work in progress, but didn’t want to share it here before it was further along. So I am not showing you all the detail until Frances is ready to show it off, but here is a taster… (hope you don’t mind, Frances)!
Maura Warren is showing off her first string quilt. “I really enjoyed it, now it needs backing and quilting. All to come hopefully during summer.”
Louise O’Hanlon has finished a baby quilt made for her daughter-in-law’s sister. An easy quilt made from a panel. Added borders and hand quilted. Her husband loves dinosaurs.
Rosemary Murphy sent us the photo below. “Some placemats I have made for my daughter and a special one for my two year old grandson.”
Carol Cave is showing this wonderful collection of quilts: – Baby “I spy” quilt for my new grandson Marcus – Another Corona quilt – Maddison star – Autumn colours – Loved the design Tracy had made last month so made a blue version – Blue wave wall hanging
Tracy Wardle writes: “The white quilt is called “Dancing Stars” and is currently part of CTN’s online and exhibition “The Abandoned Project”. I had this quilt designed and all of the fabrics for it set aside and then left in a box for…..about 8 years …and finally picked it up again during Lockdown. The detail gives a better view of the quilting and some of the Trapunto stars.” Anyone interested to see more of this exhibition, follow the link at the beginning of the page.
Tracy also sent this blue quilt top, which “is from a workshop organised by the lovely Apple Tree Crafts ladies in March last year with Kaffe Fassett. These fabrics also languished in a box until I rediscovered them about a week and a half ago and fell right back in love with the gorgeous colours. I plan to finish it with a Chinese Coins border. Happy sewing, everyone!”
Heidi Wischniewski is next: “I finally finished my Grandmother’s Garden Wallhanging after nearly two years. The hexagons leaves and tendrils are all handstitched. I did free motion quilting in the end.”
Mary Barry says: “The attached picture is the quilt top that I’m working on at the moment, stars and pinwheels (Missouri Star Quilt Co pattern).”
Moya Geraghty sends a photo of this colourful quilt:
Sheila O’Sullivan is currently working on two cushions:
And lastly we have this lap/baby quilt from myself. I started it more than a year ago, but I finally finished sewing on the binding in the last couple of days. Machine pieced with hand and machine quilting. The pattern is based on a Log Cabin variation (I love Log Cabins!) and I am finishing up the pattern for it at the moment…
The annual River of Dreams exhibition has moved to Facebook this year. If anyone wants to participate, your photo needs to be messaged to them through Facebook, closing date TODAY (so sorry for the very late heads up there). Quilts from the last year (or tops!!) can be entered. Find them at https://www.facebook.com/riverofdreamsquiltexhibition
Whether you participate or not, do go over to them next week if you can, and view the “exhibition”, all entries will be displayed on their page from Monday 22 June.
And remember, tomorrow we have our June Show & Tell right here on the website, any last minute photos very welcome!!
Ordinarily, we would have our next meeting this Saturday, 20 June. I know, a third Saturday… I really don’t remember why, but I decided to keep to our original dates anyway. As we have done the last couple of months, I hope to create a blog post to showcase our creative activities online. Please send us your photos, description, and/or message to our email address (contact us if you need help). I will place anything I receive and there is no need to worry about the quality of your photos either. A photo from your phone is good enough for this. Tops or progress photos are fine, too, it doesn’t have to be a finished quilt. It will give us a chance to see what everyone is up to while we cannot meet in person.
I have been in two minds whether I should continue to make a monthly post throughout the summer. Normally our June meeting is the last meeting before our summer break, but I wonder if people would prefer to keep in touch a little bit more than usual in these strange times? Do let me know your thoughts on this! After all, I am not doing this on my own, without you all sending me photos I cannot make a post.
If you haven’t seen our previous posts, find them here:
Whether I hear from you or not, I wish you all a lovely summer. Let’s hope the sun comes back! And I’ll be in touch again before our planned meeting on 12 September with an update.
Last month we had a very successful “meeting” right here on the blog, and I have had feedback from a few of you saying how much you have appreciated the post. So today we are doing it again.
Before I start the Show and Tell, however, I’d quickly like to mention our shops. We always have a shop attending our meetings, and of course they are now missing out on an opportunity to show you their latest wares. As far as I know ALL of our regular shops are open, sending out fabric, elastic (masks anyone?), notions, etc. depending on their collection. So please keep them in mind when you are looking for any supplies. At the moment it may be best to ring them up and discuss your needs. Find links with details of our regular shops on our “Helpful Links” page, they all have a phone number to find on their page.
Also, even while we are not meeting, the committee is still in place as before. If you have any request or idea or question, or just want to say hello, feel free to contact us. Email works well, or find us on Facebook: Southern Branch of the Irish Patchwork Society, or leave a comment here on the blog. Also, if you know of a member who doesn’t get our emails, but now does want to stay in touch that way, please let us know!
Lastly, with the latest advice to wear a face covering while shopping, I will be sewing a couple this weekend. Frances gave me a link to a pattern from Emily Lakdawalla that looks at least as if I won’t need to readjust it while wearing… There are other links in our “Sew at Home” page, too.
So now for our Show & Tell, sit back, relax, and be inspired!
Marie Sprott (she was the first to send in this photo, even before I asked for any) – Below is a picture of a cot quilt I made for my cousin in Waterford whose daughter had a lovely baby boy called Cian on 10th March. It is made up of squares of Beatrix Potter fabric plus some with teddy bears and rabbits. The darker border around it has dragonflies.
Assumpta Lydon – The Christmas Tree was quilted and the binding stitched on. Pattern by Tina Curran. I loved doing this!
Siobhan Miller-Stone – This is a finished top. If you look carefully you’ll see this is a “Jack’s Chain” pattern:
Louise O’Hanlon – Hi everyone. This started out as a jelly roll I purchased. Put it all together and it looked awful. Nothing matched. Unusual for jelly rolls. I decided to buy some plain fabric and cut it all into HST’s. Not too bad now. A present for my niece’s 50th birthday.
Hilary O’Kelly – Since last meeting I have no completed project as I have made fabric masks for my family, friends and community here. Sorry, no photos, because as soon as they are finished they are handed out or posted. I want to thank Maeve in Limerick for having her stock of elastic!
Carol O’Brien – This is the project we were given by Moya and Mary last September. It is a William Morris design.
Noreen Brazier – The Ballincollig Monday night patchwork girls answered the call to make face masks/covers, so we were kept busy since last month’s virtual meeting.
Anne Kelleher – my first grandchild arrived at the end of February just before Covid so I have a couple of baby quilts.
Honor Mangan – I started this quilt at class with Moya from some batik fabric I had… We found this zigzag pattern in an old magazine… It now awaits batting, etc. whenever we get back to class. I’ve been busy making masks for family, friends and a batch went to my son in Ethiopia..
Heidi Krug-Wischniewski – I’ve been working on Grandmas Garden for the last 2 years and finally finished the middle bit with over 500 little hexagons, all hand sewing:
Heidi Krug-Wischniewski – My second one: Long ago I had cut out 10.5 inch batik squares for the backing of my Batikquilt, but I never used them. .Now I have and this is the result:
Heidi’s third one: This is an Appliqué which I finished last week, cutting out nearly 200 little tiny leaves and sewing them on:
Carol Cave – Here is photo of my Corona quilt. I have chosen the colours of the coronavirus that pop up on TV behind the news readers. It was a sew along project with Nikki Foley called #sewcialdistancing project.
Marie Sprott – Double bed size. Quilt made from two Moda Jelly rolls. One is an autumn selection and the other an off-white one. The sashing I already had, of course….. Pattern came from Missouri Star Quilts called Summer in the Park.
Marie Sprott – Below left is my appliqué from Sandra’s class earlier in the year. Finished at last but not sure what to do with it, either a small wall hanging or cushion cover. I also made this Greek Cross block for a cushion out of scraps last Monday. Just for something to do. I have also knitted two tea cosies and finished a jumper I started last year. I have found eborrow books great as well, especially the eaudio ones. I just plug into my book and am read to while sewing, knitting, ironing etc… Great!!
Tracy Wardle – This month I’ve been concentrating on making masks for front line workers and the vulnerable with the group Masks 4 All Ireland but in between I’ve been amusing myself by making little baby quilts for charity – these two tops are ready for quilting. I also completed 2 more postcards – this time I went with Appliqué- one for my mum-in-law, who always loved violas and one for the team in the care home where she’s looked after:
Rosemary Murphy – This is a wall hanging that I have recently completed, started about two years ago after a class with Nikki from The Sewing Shed.
Sandra Jansen – Some of you may remember I bought these (quilt) fabrics to make a top. Well, at least I started it. It still needs hemming though. In the mean time I am enjoying the Great British Sewing Bee (Wednesdays on BBC1) while knitting a “hitchhiker” shawl. Am I glad I don’t have to sew against the clock though!
Sandra Jansen – I have also finished this small “bug” drawstring bag from a pattern in a Japanese book that I had on the shelf for ages. A bit of a puzzle especially since I wanted to add a lining, but the measurements and templates at least were not in Japanese…
Moya – This is a quilt made with Solaire fabrics (the greys) and I substituted the oranges for pinks and reds:
Moya Geraghty – I have been happy experimenting with ombré fabrics. I have made 5 blocks using a quarter metre of the yellows into reds and purples, and of the yellows into blues and purples. I have also been laying out my winding way blocks made from ombré fabrics.
Aine Foley – I’m trying to work my way through a sizeable pile of UFOs – some of which have lain dormant for so long they’re antique!! It’s funny how, for me, it’s something small but tricky that holds me up, like a zip in a bag, buttons for a cushion or a more detailed border for a quilt!! Am making progress… now how about that pile if wool that’s lurking at the back of my press…!
Anne Walsh – Just finished
Sheila O’Sullivan – My project for May is a small wall hanging. I’m looking forward to trying some free motion quilting here. Best wishes to all.
Eilís Watson – I’ve been primarily working on Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt ‘Unity’ #unityquiltalong. We’re currently on Round 7. This border will feature 34 of the 8.5” block (pictured). I’ve also included a picture of my progress to date.
Eilís Watson – ‘Stained-glass affect’: I finished this quilt last weekend. Stacked nine fat-quarters on top of each other, made 2 horizontal cuts and 2 vertical cuts. I then moved the fabrics around so that each ‘block’ had 9 different colours and added black sashing between all the pieces.
Well, ladies, that was today’s show and tell, I hope you enjoyed it. Wishing you a lovely weekend, and some creativity to relax with in the weeks to come. And if you have any new projects to show for next month’s “meeting” on the 20th of June, send it any time before then and we’ll create another post.
For those who read the blog, but not their emails…
We are putting together another post of “Show and Tell” instead of our meeting tomorrow. If anybody has a photo of any current or recent project (or more than one), please forward them to us at the usual email address.
Many thanks, we hope to see your work at the meeting tomorrow!
“Welcome everyone, to our 2020 Southern Branch AGM…”
Probably in very different words, but something like this is what Frances would have said this morning if we had our meeting as planned!
Instead, we are all at home, and by the looks of things we are keeping busy. Before my last post (and email) I was afraid that we would be showing you just a couple of photos today. But in the past couple of days lots of members have sent us photos of their projects, so grab a cuppa and make yourselves comfortable for our “Show & Tell”:
Assumpta Lydon has made this version of Jack’s Chain since in isolation:
Ann Prendergast has finished four table mats and a quilt:
Ann also has two projects in progress that she shares here:
Joanna Harrington made this baby quilt recently, the second photo shows the quilting from the back:
Joanna is also finishing up two more baby quilts, and is sewing face masks:
Joanna is also having several new Works-in-Progress. The first is a wedding quilt for her son, who is married two years this May. It is an adaptation of the Mochi quilt pattern: linens, Oakshott cottons, some Liberty fabric from Kitty Whelan’s stash and from her own stash. The other three photos are from her first online quilt-along with Denyse Schmidt – #theproverbialquiltalong:
And lastly Joanna is showing us two large throw size quilts made from layer cakes:
Ann Walsh is showing us her quilt in progress below. She says: “… here is what I’m working on during “The Emergency“. I’ve only been quilting for about 5 years, but I realised recently that I had only made one quilt for myself… any others have gone to raffles, friends and relatives. So this one is for me. I love these colours, and had built up enough of them to get cracking. Hope my fellow quilters are making good use of their enforced sewing time….”
The quilts below are from Eilís Watson. The first is a baby quilt 42” x 48”. Made from a charm pack, with a few squares added to make up the numbers. It is machine pieced and machine quilted:
Second picture is still at the ‘top’ stage. A bookcase/bookshelf quilt made from an Alison Glass layer cake with 5 green strips added, to dilute the pink, girly look. It’s a “big boy” quilt for my nephew, who is an avid reader.
Eilís is also taking part in Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt. This can be found at the Quiltville blogspot. We are currently stitching Part 3. The third photo shows my quilt after the first two parts. (edit: see our sew at home page)
Maura Warren wrote: “I can’t seem to concentrate on sewing but I have gone mad on knitting tea cosies as you can see one for every one in the audience”:
Louise O’Hanlon writes: The blocks on this quilt are finished and ready to sew together. The quilt is a pattern from the Missouri Quilt Star company:
Mai Murphy shows us her version of Mary Palmer’s mystery quilt, photo taken by Joan:
Mai also sent us photos of nine(!!) quilts that the group has recently sent to Cork Cancer Care:
Bernadette Keniry has been busy, too. She says: “I made that lap quilt for my husband as I’ve never made him anything except his dinner…” She also made 97 crochet triangles ready for a shawl as well as a chair cover with pocket, another quilt, and a face mask:
Noreen Brazier has been busy, too. Brooke, her 5 year old granddaughter, designed her own quilt. Then there is Moya’s mystery medallion center square, a work in progress. The one on the bed is waiting to be quilted:
Carol O’Brien sent us these two projects:
Moya Geraghty writes: “Here are some baby quilts from Patchwork Plus. Hope everybody is well and getting a bit of sewing done, mind yourselves”:
Moya also sends us a picture of a small wool applique project she finished recently:
Bernie Kelly sends us a baby quilt she is making. The hand quilting is nearly finished and she hopes to put on the binding this weekend. She includes a close up and a picture of the backing material. The pattern is from a McCalls magazine:
Mary O’Regan has been sewing face masks, and lots of them:
Sheila O’Sullivan sent us this wall hanging. It is called LUMINARIA. As Sheila wrote: On a holiday visit with my brother, Brian in mid coast Maine, and visited Alewives Quilt Store, Nobleboro, Maine. I purchased this panel ‘Luminaria’ by Julie Paschkis for In the Beginning Fabrics. Recently I attended a wonderful workshop with Tracy Wardle on attic windows and I decided to work on Luminaria. The dark fabric for the window frame was a gift from Anne Moloney. Thank you to all my IPS friends for sharing their creative talents. Best wishes to all.
Ailbhe O’Callahan sent these 8 of the 12 blocks she is making while cocooning… She really enjoys looking online for ideas and still has to draw a fruit basket block for the centre . Then there are borders and quilting ….
Sheila Devereux has made a quilt in English paper piecing, a brooch for Patrick’s day and a cameo pendant:
Heidi Wischniewski has made some butterfly wings for her granddaughter, as well as two Baltimore applique blocks:
Heidi also made a small quilt. As she says: “I did this small quilt in one of Mary Palmer’s workshops about 3 years or so ago. Never got the courage to free motion quilt it, finally did it and I’m pleased with the outcome. Took me ages. On the pink background picture you can see it in detail. Binding is done now. Handsewing will be a breeze:
Hilary O’Kelly sends us a picture of her Hexagon quilt: “It is now in its sixth year – I think it is Grandmothers Garden pattern but I didn’t use a pattern. Hopefully I will finish it over the next few weeks”:
Hilary also made this baby quilt for her niece from a panel – she used minky fleece and hand quilted around all the figures etc:
Tracy Wardle sent three photos: The first is a Machine Appliqued cushion, which I was making as part of a Machine Applique class I was to give on 1st April. It is based on a wall-hanging called ‘A Little Birdie Told Me’ by Kathreen Ricketson in her book Whip Up Mini Quilts. I had the applique finished before lockdown and it was the first thing I quilted and completed after the first announcement from Leo Varadkar on 12th March. The second is a FMQ Filler Sampler, which was also going to be for an upcoming class. I’ve made a couple of these in the last few weeks and I’m really enjoying them. I want to do one similar to this, or maybe even a small whole cloth but in silk. Yummy! The third is of just three of the I’ve-lost-track-of-the-number of postcards I’ve made in the last four weeks, which I’ve been sending to family and friends in the UK. These are also FMQ or maybe they’re Free Motion Embroidery. THe designs are inspired by work by Carolyn of Free Bird Quilting Designs. The bottom two are on silk and the top one is on simple calico:
Frances McCarthy sent this “Sewcial distancing” quilt top, a pattern from Nikki Foley of the Sewing Shed. It is a mystery medallion quilt started in late March (edit: see our Sew at Home page for a link):
Carol Cave sent us this snowman quilt:
Edit: With uploading all your brilliant photos I almost forgot to put up a project from myself: So I (Sandra Jansen) have been working on this quilt. I am also trying to write a pattern for it… Hand quilting, because I don’t get much opportunity to get the sewing machine out these days:
I have been overwhelmed by your responses to my call for your project photos! We all make different things, but especially in these difficult times it has been great to put this post together. We are a community, coming together to encourage and inspire each other. So I hope you have been inspired today as much as I have by the photos of what others are making. I hope you enjoyed this “meeting”, and we hope to see you again next time!
Lastly a little housekeeping: Since we have had to cancel today’s meeting the committee will remain in place until we can hold our AGM at a later date. The executive has postponed the national AGM, to October for the moment.
We hope you are all well, and coping as best you can with the current situation. As you will expect, there will be no branch meeting this Saturday, and no-one really knows when we will be able to get together again. So as a community we have to limit ourselves to online contact.
In my last post I asked you to send us a picture of your current project (finished or work-in-progress) to add to a gallery on the website. I was hoping that we would have lots of photos and it would feel like a virtual show and tell. However, so far we have received exactly ONE photo to fill the page…!!! I will be making a post on Saturday to show off that one photo (I will be adding a couple of my own), but I would love to see others send me an image showing what they get up to in their crafting time. I am NOT looking for professional photos, I do NOT need that heirloom quilt showing off. But maybe that baby quilt you are sewing the top for, the wall hanging that still needs binding, that new pattern you are sewing up, even the crochet you have been doing to try and relax in the evenings….. Share it with us, please, and let us feel as if we are meeting while browsing the photos on the website.
So get your phone/camera out, and take a picture. Describe what the picture is and send the photo to us. We all would like to see!
And to get us all some inspiration for sewing/quilt making, I have been working on the website, too. We have made a new page: “Sew at Home” where you can find ideas and links to patterns, most of which are free. If you know of any other links that can be added, do let us know and we can update the page. Also check out our older pages, “Block of the Month”, “Back to Basics” and “Downloads” have some good project ideas, too.
So, stay home, stay safe (and keep sewing)! Sandra
In these unsettling and strange times, I am writing to say hello to you all.
Now we are forced to stay home, some of us will have much more time to sew than usual, others will have much less time than in ordinary times. But our quilting (and crafting in general) mostly helps keep us sane, so let’s celebrate that!
Since we will not be able to have our monthly meetings for the moment, we would like to create an online “Show & Tell”. Please take a photo (or several) of (you and) your sewing, quilting, piecing, or otherwise crafty project. Like with our usual show and tell, tell us what the project is, and perhaps how you will finish it, or any other information… Send the photo + info to our usual email address (comment below with your name if you don’t know it, and I can send it to any IPS member asking).
We are hoping to have a virtual “meeting” here on the blog, on our planned meeting day of 18 April (or as close to it as possible) by posting photos of us all and our project(s). A big post hopefully with images to cheer us all.
We are also working on putting up ideas for if you are stuck at home and need inspiration. We will post about it and send emails round when it is live on the site…
For now, take heart, take care, stay safe, stay sane…
