Author: corkips

March branch meeting cancelled

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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 workshop

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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 meeting

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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.

December meeting recap

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Last week a great number of members turned up for our festive Christmas meeting.

First of all we have to say thanks to Ann Prendergast for all her hard work in making the quiz!! It was great fun, and you had many of us stumped at some point! Most of us joined in, and no-one got ALL the questions right… The winners got to share a bundle of fabrics.

The festive raffle kept on giving with a record number of prizes, so we had many winners there, too.

The challenge had about eight entries of wonderful Christmas table items, and the (random) winner received a sewing machine service.

And then a large number of quilts were shown off at our Show & Tell. Many quilts were Christmas themed, as we would expect at this time of year, but many others were shown off, too. And of course, all lovingly made! Some have been sprinkled throughout this post, all can be found below:

Thanks go to Moya for bringing Patchwork Plus to the meeting.

Lastly, thanks to all those that had been baking or buying festive snacks for us to enjoy, to Mai for manning the coffee/tea, to Cora for manning the library, and to the committee for organising the meeting, adding the picture round to the quiz and bringing in the (non-alcoholic) spiced wine to add to the Christmas atmosphere.

Wishing you all a very happy time at Christmas whichever way you will be celebrating this time of year, and we hope to see you all again in the New Year. Our January meeting will be on the 11th.

December meeting

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This Saturday, December 14, we are having our most festive meeting to round off the year. Coming up:

  • Shop: Patchwork Plus (Moya Geraghty)
  • Show & Tell: Please bring your quilts to show us all
  • Coffee and tea will be available, and the committee will be bringing in some festive treats. Contributions of cake/biscuits and other snacks will be gratefully received as usual

Christmas challenge: Don’t forget to bring your entries for the challenge to the meeting. Anything for your Christmas table qualifies.

And of course, we have a Christmas quiz for us all to enjoy, our talented quiz master Anne Prendergast has been busy these last weeks!

Looking forward to seeing you all!

November meeting recap

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Our November meeting was very well attended. We welcomed Áine with her lovely selection from The Lismore Quilt Co., below at a quiet moment during our speaker:

After a short introduction from our Chair, we had a great time listening to the stories of Loretta O’Brien from Limerick, and watched as she showed us one amazing quilt after another. Loretta is a long-time quilter who loves to take part in challenges and exhibitions. She often uses appliqué, and is very fond of triangles…

Our Show and Tell had lovely quilts from many of our members:

After the meeting Tracy Wardle hosted a brilliant workshop for about ten of us. She had us all making Christmas decorations using foundation paper piecing. I don’t think anyone finished the six patterns on the day, but several of us made at least three, and we were well instructed how to finish them at home. Tracy even showed us how to make a little pocket on the back for a sweet or chocolate!

Our next meeting will be on 14 December.

October meeting

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Please join us for our October meeting, which will be on Saturday, October 12th, at the hall of the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork, from 10 am. This will be our OPEN MEETING, so do ask your friends to come along. Everyone will be welcome!

  • Shop: Patchwork Plus (Moya Geraghty)
  • Speaker: Jane Horner – Sail & Sew
  • Show & Tell: Please bring your quilts to show us all
  • Coffee and tea will be available, contributions of cake/biscuits and other snacks will be gratefully received!

MEMBERSHIP:
If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please fill out your membership form and bring with the appropriate fee to the meeting. You can fill out the form in advance of the meeting or there are forms available at the door. You will receive your membership card on the day.

We hope to see you on Saturday!
Sandra


September Meeting Report

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It was good to be back for our September meeting. Many gathered by the entrance to renew their membership.

Avril brought her shop “Memories Forever by Avril” to the meeting, with some lovely fabrics and tools.

And Ailbhe O’Callaghan gave us a demo, showing a lovely pattern to use with scraps.

With Chair Frances’ absence, it fell to Sandra to welcome those attending. Kathryn reported on the upcoming IPS Challenge for the Knitting & Stitching Show at the RDS in November.

Our speaker was Kathryn Bennett who treated us to her many photographs of her visit to the Festival of Quilts in August. It was clear that there were an overwhelming number of wonderful quilts present in many categories. There definitely was something for everyone, and much inspiration, too.

This was followed by Show & Tell:

Next meeting is on 12 October, and this will be our open meeting.

September branch meeting

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We hope you have had a great summer, and that we can welcome you back for a new creative year. Our first branch meeting of the year will be on Saturday 14 September, at the Sacred Heart church hall, Cork, from 10 am.

Shop: MemoriesforeverbyAvril
Demo: to be confirmed
Speaker: Kathryn Bennett – Festival of Quilts
Show & Tell: Please bring your quilts (and other makes) to show us all

Coffee and tea will be available, contributions of cake/biscuits and other snacks will be gratefully received!

MEMBERSHIP:

Since this is the start of a new membership year, the membership fees are due. To renew (or to become a member):

Please fill out the membership form and bring (together with the appropriate membership fee) to the branch meeting. If you can fill out the form in advance of the meeting we hope to avoid delays on the day as much as possible. You will receive your membership card on the day.

Alternatively, the form can be sent (with payment) to the Membership Secretary of the IPS. Details on the form itself.

The form was included in the recent IPS Newsletter (Autumn 2019), or it can be found on the IPS website. I have also attached it to this email so you can print it off yourself if you prefer. We will also have some membership forms available at the meeting.

General membership is €50 for the year (discounts for Student and Young Quilter (under 18) membership).

PLEASE NOTE:

If you send the membership form to the Membership Secretary directly, the branch will not receive your details. In this case, please also email your details to us, or approach a branch committee member to pass on your details. If we do not receive your details, as well as your permission for us to contact you, we will not be able to send you emails, or contact you regarding meetings, workshops, etc.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

Sandra
Secretary IPS Southern Branch

IPS Activities this Summer

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The exhibition for Hands Across the Border – Ruby Serendipity had its official opening on Thursday July 6th, in Louth County Library, Dundalk. The exhibition will continue in Dundalk until July 12th, library opening hours.

The Hands Across the Border exhibition then moves to the Chapter Room, St Mary’s Cathedral, St James’s Road, Kilkenny from 17th to 21st of July.

The IPS will be present at the European Quilt Association stand at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham from July 31st to August 4th.

Challenges:

– Knitting and Stitching: The challenge for all members is to make a quilt measuring A2 (16.5″x23.4″) (420mm x 594mm) ‘portrait’ and the theme is “There is always one!” Quilts to be brought to your September meeting. Forms will be available shortly. 

– For those of you who like a challenge there is an open call for art work for Westival Music and Arts Festival in Westport in October. The closing date for the visual arts call out is August 16th 2019. The theme is Brittle/Fragile – what suits this theme better than textiles? – have a go, the more we present textiles for exhibition the more acceptable it will become and we all know that we can hold our against any other art medium. More information on https://westival.ie/pages/visual-arts-open-call