Wednesday 28 March 2012

An Irish Bee?


Are you interested in joining a new virtual quilting Bee?

Cindy and I have been talking about the possibility of setting up a Bee as part of our Guild activities so I though I would test the waters and see if anyone is interested.


If you are not familiar with the idea of a Bee, there is lots of information about how they work here. Basically, we need 12 participants, and each person is the "Queen Bee" for one month in the year. Each month, participants make approx 2 quilt blocks (sometimes more, sometimes less depending on the size of the blocks) for the Queen Bee for that month, using fabric she sends out in advance, and post it back to her.

Bees are a lot of fun - you get to work with a much wider range of fabrics than just your own stash, you get to work on blocks that you might not have come across yourself, and you get to make a quilt from blocks your Bee-mates have made which is a special quilt.  Plus you make new friends and have some chat when doing it!

For this Bee, the focus will be on Modern blocks - whether that be modern block design, or new interpretations of traditional blocks - using modern fabrics. So lots of exciting ideas to tap into! There is some commitment involved - you will need to be able to do your blocks each month for a whole year, so do think about whether you will be able to do this.

Here are some of the blocks I have made this year in my Bee:






So, are you interested? We need 12 participants, and in order to keep postage minimal we are hoping to keep the Bee to participants living in Ireland (north or south of the border!) Let us know :-)

Monday 26 March 2012

Member Profile: Meet Cindy

I feel a bit silly writing an introduction to my own post, so I'll just dive in...


The basics
Name: Cindy

Hometown: Doylestown, Pennsylvania.  We have two pretty cool "castles" that look like dripped sand and a great down town for shopping.




Current Home: Galway on the western coast of Ireland.  I love it. I love it. I love it. 


Family: I share my home with my partner, B.

Pets: The most spectacular, intelligent cat in the whole world, Clarkson.  



The details
What is your day job? Research scientist.

What is your current dream job? Owning a fabric shop.

What did you want to be as a child? A medical doctor was a thought...until I realized I'm very unsympathetic toward ill people. 

What is your favourite time waster? Blogs.  Blogs.  Flickr.  Blogs.

What are you working on now?  Trying to finish the stop of my Stargazing quilt.  I'm also working on an all solids quilt with my bee called Electronica.





What do you want to be working on right now? My Stargazing quilt. It is a distraction from the Community Quilt that I should be working on.

Do you have other hobbies beyond quilting?  I love getting a cup of coffee and walking around Galway on a Saturday morning.  We ride mopeds a lot too, which is just a great time.



Do you play sports?  Which ones?  Sadly no.  I really should. 

What is your strongest positive personality trait?  Honesty?  Maybe not everyone would see my honest comments as positive, but it seems to keep me on the straight and narrow.

What is your greatest fear (nothing morbid or spooky…in a lighter sense)? Loosing my sense of direction in life.

Is there anything in your past that would shock us (that you’re willing to share)? I wish.  I'm pretty square so I have nothing to share. 

What started you quilting?  I have always loved color and geometric patterns, but it was just the cover of a quilting book that really got my heart racing.  I started piecing that weekend and have not looked back since.

My first-ish quilt finish, given to my sister in law for Christmas.

Another first-ish quilt for my niece, Roisin, again given away at Christmas.


A Quick-fire Round….What is your Favourite
place to holiday: Italy or Pennsylvania to see my family.
movie: Fight Club.
food: Burger fries and a beer.
band/song: Right now it's the National, but it changes frequently.

Mod Logs.  My current most used quilt.
colour: Judging by the height of the pile in my stash, green.  Who knew?
fabric line: Don't really have one. I'm more of a scrappy girl.
sewing tool: My 6.5"x6.5" ruler.  Love it.
completed sewing project: Mod Logs as it's the one I'm around most and it always makes my day sunnier.
quick finish sewing project: The zipper pouch is new to my world and is just fantastic!





Thursday 22 March 2012

Member Profile: Meet JoJo


Please meet JoJo, author of To Be Sure, To Be Sure and maker of gorgeous quilts.  JoJo, please tell us a bit more about yourself....



The basics
Name: JoJo

Hometown: Dublin

Current Home: Dublin

Blog address:  www.tobesuretobesure.com

Flickr name: I can’t remember (my computer remembers for me)!  I’m in the “Sew Irish” group though.

Family: Fab husband and the best little girl in the world

Pets: None!


The details
What is your day job? I run my own business.

What is your current dream job? I’m doing it!  Running your own business rocks!

What did you want to be as a child? A cameraman on RTÉ...as a child I thought that would be the best job ever.

What is your favourite time waster? Watching Missouri Star Quilt Company quilting videos on YouTube.

What are you working on now? I have 4 current works-in-progress (otherwise known as UFOs!) and have several more in planning.



What do you want to be working on right now? My UFOs, but quilting has to take second place to family and my business.

Do you have other hobbies beyond quilting? I work mostly, but I’ve started the “Couch to 5k” running programme, so hopefully I’ll be able to count running as a hobby soon.

What is your strongest positive personality trait? I appreciate detail.

What is your greatest fear (nothing morbid or spooky…in a lighter sense)? Slicing my pinky finger with the rotary cutter again… man, those things are sharp!

Is there anything in your past that would shock us (that you’re willing to share)? That I didn’t have a cutting mat when I started patchwork and quilting last December, so I used my kitchen chopping board.  Blunt rotary cutter much?!  I didn’t know myself when I got a proper mat!

What started you quilting? I’ve always liked craft and went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at the RDS.  Santa then brought me a Pfaff QE4 for Christmas and I’ve been sewing every day since.


A Quick-fire Round….What is your Favourite
place to holiday: France for culture and food.  America for shopping.

movie: The Man With Two Brains  (did I say culture above?!!)

food: My mother in law’s Sunday dinners

book: The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

band/song: Duran Duran – Rio

colour: Purple.  Has anyone else noticed a complete dearth of purple quilting print fabric ranges though?  I’d love to make a purples quilt, but can’t find anything only marbles and blenders…

saying: Measure twice; cut once.

fabric designer: Anything modern, bright and cheerful.  I particularly like stripes and spots.  See my striped binding tutorial here .



sewing tool:  My sewing machine.  Adore it!

completed sewing project: My quilted quilter’s tote Blogged here .

quick finish sewing project: Probably a quilt made of 5” square charm packs.

project completed by you: My tumbler quilt and matching round cushion.  So incredibly proud of it.  
First quilt: My first quilt was my Mum’s 75th birthday present.  

Ugliest quilt: Not a quilt as such, but I really don’t like the hand I made for the International Quilt Festival of Ireland Céad Míle Fáilte display.  It was my first attempt at appliqué and the colour palette was restricted by the organisers to green and white.  My only green fabric was a holly print left over from Christmas!  The appliqué went ok for a first try though.  

Favourite quilt: My favourite quilt so far is my tumbler quilt using Indian Summer fabrics by Riley Blake.


Monday 19 March 2012

Member Profile: Meet Laura!

Laura's Favorite Quilt: Quaking Aspens at Dawn



The basics
Name:  Laura                            

Hometown:  Dublin

Current Home:   Clonee

Pets:  Would love to have a dog, but gone too long during the day to have one now.


Laura's Diamond Dazzler


The details
What is your day job?  Administrator

What is your current dream job?  Quilt shop owner

What is your favourite time waster?  Reading quilt blogs


Covet Thy Neighbor's Fabric



What are you working on now?  I just did a class on Kalaidescope quilts, so I have one of those.  Also have an appliqué wallhanging that I’m quilting and also have a small 16 block wallhanging that I’m doing too.

What do you want to be working on right now?  Exactly what I’m doing now.

Do you have other hobbies beyond quilting?  Travel, photography, gardening, reading.

What is your strongest positive personality trait?  Loyalty

What is your greatest fear (nothing morbid or spooky…in a lighter sense)?  Running out of fabric, but that’s never going to happen in my lifetime – stash is too big!

What started you quilting?  Went to Keepsake Quilting in the US and bought the fabric to make a quilt.  Signed up for classes.  That was in 1997 and I haven’t stopped since!

Joy

Laura's first quilt: Zach's Quilt


A Quick-fire Round….What is your Favourite
place to holiday:  USA

movie:  don’t have one

food:  pasta or fish

book:  don’t have one

band/song:  Dixie Chicks or Alisson Krauss


Hen Party


colour:  Too many to choose

saying:  Just do it.

fabric line:   Moda

sewing tool:   Bernina sewing machine

completed sewing project:   Quaking Aspens at Dawn – quilt I entered in Birmingham last year



Thursday 15 March 2012

Member Profile: Meet Karen!


The basics

Name: Karen Cassidy

Hometown: Shannon, Co. Clare

Current Home (with description of the town/neighbourhood): Industrial Town, not real pretty but hey!!!!! Its home :D

Blog address: My4lil Girls
Flickr name: can’t remember, but its on the blog

Family: Husband Aidan & 4 girls…Lauren 21, Sophie 20, Bethany 17 & Ella 8.


The details

What is your day job? Stay at home mom

What is your current dream job? Fabric Designer……maybe someday!!!

What is your favourite time waster? Blog browsing


What are you working on now?  Two quilts, a crochet blanket & two bags!!!!!!

What do you want to be working on right now? Another quilt for my nieces 21st

Do you have other hobbies beyond quilting? Would be gardener

Do you play sports?  Which ones? swimming



What is your strongest positive personality trait? Well I did ask my girls bout this one, I think they’re pretty good at being waaaaayyyyyy too honest with me, they reckon I’m pretty generous.  Thank God they had something nice to say J

What is your greatest fear (nothing morbid or spooky…in a lighter sense)? Really, I hate the thought of having to be stuck with a baby belly for the rest of my life.

Is there anything in your past that would shock us (that you’re willing to share)? Wayyyyy too much….how much time d’you have??????

What started you quilting? Well I’ve always sewn, it kinda runs in the family, but blogging inspired me to quilt.

Karen's first quilt - a baby quilt

A Quick-fire Round….What is your Favourite
place to holiday: Rome

movie: The color purple (have lots of favs though)

food: fresh fish in Dingle

colour: Green

saying: What you sew….you grow

Karen's favorite quilt with fabrics from Holland



fabric line: Have so many favs, but I’m pretty excited now as I’m waiting for some Freshcut to be delivered

fabric designer: Again lots of favs, but if I had to pick one I love Robyn Pandolph

sewing tool: Rotary cutter….thought  I was in heaven the first time I used one

completed sewing project: Def a quilt I made for my Husbands mom & dad, it was made from Robyn Pandolph fabric, never took a photo L

quick finish sewing project :I Love bags or a book covers

Karen's least favorite quilt: a Manchester United fan....at least he likes it!



Monday 12 March 2012

Member Profile: Meet Irina!

It is my great pleasure to introduce to our group Miss Irina.  She is just super talented as she quilts, quills, sews and binds books.  Irina, please tell us a bit more about yourself!

The basics

Name: Irina

Hometown: Born in Barcelona

Current Home: I live on a tiny island called Aughinish, looking out Galway Bay on one side and The Burren on the other side. It’s paradise!




Blog address: http://www.el-petit-taller.blogspot.com

Flickr name: El-Petit-Taller

Family: My partner is a musician and we have one daughter Hana, who will be 3 very soon and a baby boy who is joining us in 12 weeks.

Pets: We have 2 cats, Sooty and Haggis, and 3 hens, Lola, Matilda and Kona.

One of Irina's Favorite Quilts: Hana's Quilt

Irina's First Quilt: Big Blue


The details
What is your day job? I’m a social care worker for a charity organisation who deals with the homeless.

What is your current dream job? mmm... something artistic whether it involves fabric, stitching, painting or playing music.

What did you want to be as a child? Too many things! I remember saying a vet, an actress, a musician… I changed my mind all the time.

What is your favourite time waster? internet

What are you working on now? a commissioned baby quilt, a knitted hat, birthday decorations plus university assignments…

What do you want to be working on right now? I’d rather be sewing than writing college assignments!




Do you have other hobbies beyond quilting? I like quilling, knitting, playing music, bird watching, reading, cooking…

Do you play sports? I started playing badminton for the craic just before I got pregnant and I loved it, so I hope to go back as soon as I’m fit enough.

What is your strongest positive personality trait? Optimism, and being able to see the positive side of things.

What started you quilting? I always liked crafts and patchwork, but I really got seriously into patchwork after visiting an exhibition about 6 years ago.




A Quick-fire Round….What is your Favourite
place to holiday: San Francisco and surroundings
movie: Local Hero
food: pasta
book: I’ll go for a children’s one! Room in the Broom by Julia Donaldson.
band/song: The Pretenders
colour: Dark Red
fabric line: Sugar and Spice, Bliss, Awesome, Little Apples…
fabric designer: Riley Blake, Henry Miller, Heather Bailey… all of them!
sewing tool: sewing machine
completed sewing project: most recently, fabric baskets.
quick finish sewing project: The Stripy Baby Quilt
project when you need a quick finish: coasters or a pillow dress…

Irina's Least Favorite Quilt: The Scrappy Quilt

Irina's Favorite Quick Project: Stripy Baby Quilt