Knitting & Stitching Show: The Quilts

This past weekend myself, Erin and Fiona had a fabulous time visiting the Knitting and Stitching show in Dublin.  We saw lots of friends and had a great time digging through the fabric stalls, but I will tell you all about that in tomorrow's post.

Today I thought we'd instead focus on the quilts.  Each of the quilts shown are somehow related to the Irish Patchwork Society, representing Irish quilters throughout the country.  I would normally view IPS members as traditional quilters (at least in the local branch of the organization)  but I saw a more modern theme in this year's exhibit.  These are my favorites:

My little dorky heart started beating faster seeing strands of DNA in a quilt.  Ah, worlds melting together.  The central theme of the exhibit was "building blocks".  This sure fit.

Life Force: Maureen Kennedy of Co Louth

 This quilt just made me stop and stare.  I love the novel take on quilting here - kind of art quilter meets modern quilter.  It was so pretty!  So pretty I didn't even notice the brown bits.

Driven by Kandinsky by Loretta O'Brien of Co Clare

Really I think it was the hand quilting that grabbed my eye.  Isn't it yummy? It reminded me of work by Susan or Sarah.

The DP blocks here were just stunning.  It was primarily the colors used that caught my eye - a very Amish look with the black background.  Then looking a little closer, I see it was made by Peter, the husband of the woman who gave me my first quilting lessons back in the day.  Well done, Peter!

Drunken Flash of Colour by Peter McMulkin of Co Galway

And then a beautiful quilt using different shades of color to create a 3D effect.  Oh, it was pretty.  Again, this was hand quilted, but it was so much more subtle than the earlier quilt.  The stitching was just exquisite,   winning an award.

Interlocking Cubes by Elizabeth Brennan of Co Dublin

Awarded Excellence in Traditional Hand Quilting

I sadly didn't make a note of the creator behind this stunner.  Look at these New York Beauty blocks.  They were amazing!  I love the border on this quilt.  And the colors were just stunning.

Of course, Cúchulainn made an appearance with his friends.  The Galway branch of the IPS had a chance to re-exhibit our 20 panels of the Cú Na Mara, so we jumped.  This time, though, they were displayed in blocks of 4 so the blocks were intertwined a bit differently.  I liked it - more than when they're all in a straight line.  

There's mine!  There's mine in the upper right hand corner!

Of course I could not record every quilt at the exhibit.  There was so much to internalize in only a few short hours.  My mind became overwhelmed quite quickly.  Maybe next year I need two days at the exhibit.  I better start saving my spending money now!  

Come back tomorrow for the more social side and, of course, the fabric shopping!

International Quilt Festival Of Ireland

If the Fat Quarterly Retreat wasn't enough, I now have quilt OVERLOAD with the International Quilt Festival of Ireland being held in Galway this past weekend. Were you there?  Did you have fun?  See anything that made your heart flutter?

Spirits in general were high.  We had a gorgeous sunny weekend, so folks could stroll around with an ice cream and soak in the rays.  There were a gazillion different things to do ranging from chocolate tasting to lace making to long arm quilting demonstrations and antique quilt exhibits.  Anything your little heart desired.

I did have a good look around on Friday and found my favorite quilt of the exhibit....

The entire festival was very traditional in nature.  I wish they had a modern quilting exhibit, but no luck.  I also wish they had a exhibit that wasn't themed but instead featured the gorgeous quilts Irish quilters could make.  Again, no luck.  Still, there were quilts there that (if you searched hard enough) would make you stop and gasp.  You know I love color and this is the most colorful one I could find.  It was a mix of piecing and applique with fabulous quilting (that I wish I took a photo of!).  What really stole the show, though, is the Celtic knot that runs its way around the second outer most border.

It even stopped my other half in his tracks to inspect further.  Absolutely beautiful.

So, I spent a small bit of time walking around the exhibits and shopping.  I didn't take any classes as I was kind of classed-out after London.  But, I did spend a good bit of time hanging out at the Irish Patchwork Society booth with these lovely ladies.  We had a great laugh together.

And, of course, there was the Cu Na Mara exhibit (Irish for Sea Hound) hanging in the reception hall.  It was insanely difficult to get a photo of all 20 quilts together.  It was a shame, really, as they all intertwined in/out of one another.  I tried.  Now when I saw the design by the Irish Patchwork Society for this quilt I could easily imagine how spectacular they would be mixing with the panels on either side.  I imagined seeing the exhibit when walking to the building from the outside as the entire opposite wall is glass.  However, the festival put a false front onto the building covering up the glass with a plywood castle front.  There goes our fabulous exhibit.  So, you could kind of see it, but not take it in its full glory.  What to do.

When I was there, the sun was shining in from the roof, so there were shadows of the beams.  I, therefore, shamelessly steal this photo from Anneliese to show off my little part of the exhibit.  She got a much nicer photo!  There's little Cuchulainn getting his day out in the sun.

That's the news from Galway.  I'm heading off to make a few Granny Squares tonight.  Hope you're stitching too!

Winter Stitching Wrap Up

I missed you guys!  I fell of the face of the planet for a week there, but I am hoping life gets back to normal this week.  How better to re-join blogging than by checking projects off the ever growing to-do list?  As you know, I was yet another list maker joining in with FairyFace Design’s Winter Stitching Goals List.  I find things like this to be completely helpful in giving me direction when I am overwhelmed.  To keep the list moving along, I also just joining in with Rhonda's Finish Along....and so far it's working!

Birdie Stitches: Finish the Quilt Top

Done!  I finished my Birdie Stitches top and sent it over to Elisa so she can layer, quilt and bind it for use in her house.  You can hear the whole story here, but in the end I'm super happy to have expanded my embroidery skills and thrilled that Elisa has a quilt she likes.  Win-win.

Brother’s Mixer Cover: Finish it as a Christmas Gift
Done!  I was lucky enough to visit this little mixer cover in my brother's pantry this past march and it's lookin' pretty cute there next to the ice cream maker!  

Sister-In-Law’s Bag: Finish it as a Christmas Gift
Well, I finished a bag, not THE bag.  This 241 Tote was her Christmas gift that was delayed until 2012 as the fabric took nearly 8 weeks to arrive from the states!  Eek!  So, I had to giver her an IOU under the tree.  Anyway, we're both thrilled with this finish.  My mom has already asked for one for herself!  

Blankets of Love: Finish Two Tops, Two Backs, Two Bindings

Done. I really like what Kat is doing with her local organization, so I tried to chip in.  I wanted to make two quilts for her, but the shipping would be nuts given the weight of the batting.  So, I made two tops, two backs and two bindings and Kat assembled and quilted our quilts.  It was my first time doing a DP, which then included a huge learning curve, but I got there eventually!

There was even a third quilt top made as part of our Do. Good Stitches CARE circle!

Bees: Contribute On Time

Done.  I'm in four bees now, a list that is quickly growing to six. I am still completely in love with them.  Let's be honest, though.  I think I've hit the maximum number of bees I can contribute to in any given month.  I won't bore you with all of the photos, of the blocks made, but if you hop over to my flickr page you can see them all!

Swaps: Finish Two Swaps

Done.  I finished my Modern Christmas Table Runner swap with Susan of Canadian Abroad.  Doing just this one project has kicked me off on the table runner path and there have been several more since: one for my Mom, one as a PIF, and one for my SIL!  Oh, Susan, the slippery slope you've put me on!

I also co-organized the Mouthy Stitches swap with Susan and Hadley, which was great fun.  It was my first pouch, first zip, first time organizing a HUGE number of lovely ladies.  We had a great time!  I made this pouch for my partner...and again several more since! 

Quilts: Finish Mod Logs, the Community Quilt and Start Chaos and Scrappy Stars

I fell down a bit in this category.  Mod logs is finished and used every day in our house.

The Community Quilt and Chaos are going no where fast.  They're now officially UFOs...I have to do something about that ASAP.

Scrappy Stars has morphed into Stargazing.  The top and back are finished and off with the lovely Trudi to get quilted.  I can't wait to see what she creates!

International Quilt Festival of Ireland: Finish Cúchulainn 

Done! I am quite happy to have Cúchulainn  finished it and handed it to the festival organizers.

Guest Post: Write One

Done!  I was super excited to contribute to Sarah's tutorial series by submitting a notebook tutorial.  It was my first tutorial...and it took WAY longer than I thought it would.  Still, I love these little cuties!

Off to link up with Sarah.  Hop on over and see what everyone else created this past winter!

Cúchulainn Finish!

Cúchulainn is done!  Cúchulainn is done! 


I have been stitching (or just staring) at Cúchulainn for several months now.  I am THRILLED to tell you that this project is officially finished and handed over to the International Quilt Festival of Ireland organizers in time for the June exhibit.  

This project was many firsts for me.  First time with batiks, first applique, first hanging sleeve, first binding of the quilt with the top, first bit of quilting fun.  I have learned a whole bunch through this process, being taught along the way buy the ladies at the Irish Patchwork Society at our post-meeting sew-ins.  Although this has allowed me to grow as a quilter, I am certainly glad to see it handed off.  


I would very much like to add in more quilted waves when it returns to me in June.  I would like to add more texture to the background and that might do the trick.  

Cúchulainn has possibly the ugliest quilt back that has ever been created.  You see, at our society meeting this past autumn, we cut backs for each of the 20 panels going into this exhibition.  Sadly, I ended up with one that was too short, so I had to paste on another piece of "scrap" material.  Since I was generally short on backing, I was then also short on material to make the hanging sleeve.  So, again I dipped into the "scrap" bin.  Where better to have a bit of brown than on the back, I say?  After the hanging sleeve was applied, it was discovered that the panels will hang better with a second hanging sleeve to take a weight at the bottom....and another dip into the scrap bin.  In the end, it's a totally functional back for the purpose of this quilt - to hang from a banister a story above the registration desk at a festival.  It will be perfectly fine.  Not pretty, but fine.

A little label with all the details...name, designer, stitcher, event and contact details.  I need to order more Fluffy Sheep Quilting labels, but honestly that never occurred to me as I was finishing this quilt.  So, this temporary one went on instead.  It will be replaced this summer.  For good measure, I added a little Fluffy Sheep business card tag...just in case it gets really lost

My other half is simply thrilled with it and is ready to start hanging it in our stairwell where we have a large, empty blank wall.  It would fill the space nicely and echo the color of the wood well.  I will have to see how well the second round of quilting comes on before truly agreeing!


This is my first Finish Along finish of the quarter.  Woo hoo!


Quilt stats: 
Quilt name: Cúchulainn 
Made for: the International Quilt Festival of Ireland exhibit in June 2012.  to be displayed with 19 similar panels created by the Irish Patchwork Society (Western Branch) members.
Top: batiks appliqued with bond-a-web and satin stitched in black 100% polyester (*gasp*) thread.
Batting: warm and natural
Backing: a generic muslin
Quilting: with three colors of Coats 100% polyester thread in a wavy pattern
Size: 41 inches by 70 inches 
Design: Irish Patchwork Society (Western Branch) committee members.

Quilting can be fun? Who knew...

Guys, I have news.  I have just finished quilting and trimming Cúchulainn.  Although that is a nice little achievement in itself, the real news is....are you ready?....I had fun quilting Cúchulainn.  WHAT!?!?  

I know.  I am as surprised as you are.  I think it was the freedom that this quilting allowed.  I could follow Eva's guidelines, or I could stray a bit.  I could play.  I think that is what is killing me with the Community Quilt quilting - the unforgiving straight lines.  So that when I am quilting all I can think is "Do not mess up.  Don't mess up!"  But here, it is so much more natural.

I used two shades of blue and one shade of green kind of playing in and out of one another.  It's simple.  Subtle.  I nearly wish I had a few more waves, but the clock is ticking and he needs to be finished off...pronto.

No binding on this quilt.  The top will be pulled to the back and stitched closed.  This project is just filled with little bits and pieces I haven't tried before, so it's a great learning experience.  Using the front to find the quilt.  New.  Adding the final hanging sleeve.  Also new.  Goodness you can nearly see me growing from there, can't you?  :)

Drinking the Finish Along Kool-Aid

All of the cool kids are doing it.  


I wanted to join in on Rhonda's Finish Along (FAL) last quarter, but there was just too much running through my head/sewing room at the time to add another "to-do" on the ever growing list.  Now, this quarter is a different story!  I am super excited to join in.


What will I finish this quarter?  Well, Rhonda is telling me that to "finish" a quilt it has to be quilted and bound before the quarter is out.  I can do that. 


1. Stargazing.  Stargazing is currently being quilted by the lovely Trudi, but I will have it back in early June.  I can happily have it bound and finished before the end of the month, therefore within the quarter.  I'd kick myself if I didn't.

2. Cúchulainn.  Cúchulainn has been on my to-do list for quite some time.  I want to say since September, but that scares me a bit.  The appliqué is now finished and the quilting well underway, so this isn't a huge stretch.  Anyway, it MUST be finished off in time for the quilt festival.  So, I will quilt and bind it this quarter.

3. Beginner's Patchwork Sampler Quilt.  This is just a pile of blocks sitting in my sewing room.  So, I will have to add the sashing, layer, quilt and bind it.  Still, it's a very manageable size so I should be able to finish it off in the next month or so.  I am really enjoying this little patch of craziness, so it will be fun to spend more time with it.  

4. Electronica.  Here is my stretch finish.  Electronica.  This quilt is being pieced by Sew Bee Blissful as our March block, so the blocks are now arriving at the house.  It is going to be a whopper!  So, I will have to collect the blocks, finish them off as needed, finish off 2 of the 5 blocks I have to contribute, add sashing, layer, quilt and bind.  It might be a big ask, but at least I have all of the materials I need and a quilting plan in mind.  We'll see how it goes!

Cúchulainn Is Slowly Moving On

I have shown sneaky peeks of Cúchulainn in the past, but have not shown you the entire quilt top before.  Want to see my little sea dog?  

He's been the focus of my last two days and will be my buddy for the night.  

Cúchulainn is part of a quilt instalment made by the Irish Patchwork Society (Western Branch) for the International Quilt Festival of Ireland.  There will be 20 quilts total with 10 looking like this, or 10 facing the other direction.  They're all (hopefully) perfectly aligned, so one will knot into the other when all in a row, or when displayed in a square interacting both horizontally or vertically.  It was quite an intricate design!

Anyway, Cúchulainn is made fully with batiks never my first choice, but the committee chose them and they look good together.  They were secured with bondaweb and I'm spending my time now securing Cúchulainn with a satin stitch around each and ever little piece.  I needed to use the batting as a stabilizer, so that's what you see floating behind the quilt top.  That's taking FOREVER and a football stadium of thread.  I'm nearly there...just missing a small bit on the right swirl that will be finished tonight.  

Before the Easter holiday is out, this beast will have his back on and will be quilted.  Eva, of Pippablue, drew on my quilting lines last night to make life easier for me...so now I just have to follow her path.  Easy peasy...right!?!?  

You know, in many ways this would never have been my first choice of a quilt to make.  The batiks, the theme, the appliqué, the size.  However, I wanted to try something new, to contribute to our local community, to grow my skills a bit more.  In the end, I am absolutely glad to have taken this project on...but will be just as happy to see it end :)

My Cúchulainn

I am working on a super top secret project for the International Quilt Festival of Ireland.  I completely wish I could tell you all about it because I really need a bit of help!  Until I can, here's a little peek of what I am quilting: 

How far out of my depth am I?  Um.  90% uncomfortable and 10% confident if I had to really place bets.  Let me explain.  This quilt, called Cúchulainn, is part of an exhibit that includes 19 other quilts made by members of my local Patchwork Society Branch.  Together they will be displayed at the International Quilt Festival of Ireland in Galway this June.

The quilts will interact with one another, so they need to be completely uniform, aligned correctly, use the same fabrics, use the same quilting techniques, etc.  So, I feel that I really need to get this right.  There are a few problems, though.  I have no experience with many of the skills I need!  It uses batiks, which I have not used before.  It uses appliqué, which I have not done on a large scale as I am here.  It uses a satin stitch, which takes FOREVER and used 400m of thread today alone!

That being said, I am learning from my society co-members, am expanding my skills and hope to eventually use my FMQ skills!  This one might keep me busy for a little while :)