Calling All Teachers!

Regularly we get emails from new Irish quilters asking for beginners classes.  Sadly we are not able to run these classes as a collective guild since we are scattered throughout the entire island of Ireland.  However, its an excellent opportunity to link up new MQI members with more experienced teachers in their local area.

If you are a teacher and you are not already listed on our Find A Teacher page, please email Cindy (fluffysheepquilting[at]gmail[dot]com) with a little description of yourself and what you offer as well as links to your blog or FB page.  We would be happy to add you to our growing list.  

Image from Just Jude's Ferry Floor class.

Many of you are also branching out and offering quilting services.  If you are one of these people, please also get in touch with me (above) and describe your small business.  I would be happy to create a new tab on the blog so folks can get in touch with you as they finish their projects.

Image from Husqvarna.

Thanks so much!

Cindy

Sign Ups: Modern Quilters of Ireland Bee 2014

Signups are now open for the scrappy Modern Quilters of Ireland 2014 Bee!  We had such a wonderful time last year I hope many of you re-join us for more fun.  Here's how this is going to work:

Each person will choose a month to be queen bee.  That queen bee will write a blog post for the first of the month describing the block they would like, showing photos of the test blocks they made, linking to tutorials and giving fabric preferences.  Each bee mama can request up to two blocks at 12.5x12.5 inches unfinished (or equivalent).  The hive members will then rummage through their stashes and make blocks according to the mama's wishes.  Hive members are to have their completed blocks in the post by the last day of the month.  Our bee will run from Jan 2014 through Dec 2014, including all summer months.

A sampling of bee blocks from our 2012-2013 bee.

For those not interested in committing to a full year of blocks, please join us on your own and treat this as a Block of the Month club.  Add your blocks to the flickr group too! We would love to see what you create.

To sign up, we will take the first 12 qualified people (see below) who leave a comment on this post expressing interest.  If you are a no-reply commenter, please be sure to leave your email address as well.  I (Cindy) will then get in touch with you to organize postal addresses, choosing months, etc.

To qualify, you need to be a member of the Modern Quilters of Ireland, living within the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland.  Membership is free, but we will ask that you hop over here and complete the membership form so we can get in touch with you moving ahead.  You also need to follow this blog closely as you will need access to monthly posts giving you instructions to make your block.  Please also join the flickr group to chat, ask questions and post photos of your finished blocks.

Many thanks, ladies.  Please email me (Cindy) with any questions you might have: fluffysheepquilting(at)gmail(dot)com.  Happy stitching!

A Christmas Swap - SignUps Open!!

After the huge success of our scrappy pincushion swap, and with more than a few requests for another, I'm thrilled to announce that I am opening up signups for a new Christmas themed swap.

This swap will be for a modern Christmas table runner or table topper/centre. Table runner max size 15" x 36" and table topper max size 20" x 20". You'll also be making a small Christmas decoration for your partner, e.g. something suitable to hang on a Christmas tree.

Sign ups will be open until next Wednesday, 6th November, and partners will be assigned by Sunday 10th November. You'll then have 4 weeks to make your items for your swap partner, and posting dates will be 9th-11th December.

This swap is open to members of MQG Ireland residing in Ireland. If you are not currently a member, and want to join up (membership is free) please find the information and link to the registration form here. 

So I hope to see you over in the flickr group where you'll find the signup thread open and more detailed instructions there. Will you be joining?

Scrappy Trip-a-Long Blocks, Anyone?

Quite some time ago, the wonderful Annaliese (of Mail from the Cheeky Monkeys) so kindly volunteered to put together a donation quilt from scrappy trip-a-long blocks donated through the Irish Quilt Guild. She now has 8 lovely blocks from our members, but is looking for another 4 blocks to fill out the top to a slightly larger size.

If you have a few free minutes this weekend (and honestly it only takes a few minutes!) would you maybe think of making a block yourself?  You can follow this easy as pie tutorial and then get in touch with Annaliese through her blog for her posting details. 

Thanks so much to those who have contributed and most importantly to Annaliese for organizing us!  

Scrappy Pincushion Swap - a little update

It seems like there are lots of people interested in our Scrappy Pincushion swap, which is fantastic news. We have a great little group over on Flickr. But I know that a couple of people haven't had a minute to do the signups, and obviously we'd love to give as many people as possible a chance to join.

Happily, we're not under too much time pressure on this one, so I'm extending the signup deadline to Monday evening 26th August to give everyone a little more time :-) If you've been sitting on the fence, please do join us, it won't take too much time, and it will be FUN!

To join in, just add your name to the sign up list in the Flickr group, and fill out this form so we have your details to give your swap partner. If you're not a member of MQGI, please take 2 minutes to join us by filling out the registration form here.

<div align="center"><br /><a href="http://modernquiltguildireland.blogspot.ie/" title="The Modern Quilt Guild of Ireland"><img src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j433/FairyFaceDesigns/763dc9fb-e9da-4662-8e0d-98424cbe79d2.jpg" alt="The Modern Quilt Guild of Ireland" style="border:none;" /></a></div><br />

Oh - and I made a button, if anyone wants it for their blog :-)

Announcing the MQG Ireland Scrappy Pincushion Swap!

I'm totally thrilled to announce that the MQG Ireland Scrappy Pincushion Swap is now open for sign ups!

Not been in a swap before? Come find out what you've been missing! Details are in the Modern Irish Quilters Swap group.


The swap signups are open until Saturday 24th August, and partners will be assigned the following week. Posting dates are 23rd-25th September.

So plenty of time to make a little pincushion and have a bit of fun too!

The swap is open to MQG Ireland members resident in Ireland. If you are not a member, but are a modern quilter living in Ireland and want to take part, please join us - we have lots of plans for the coming year and this is only the first fun event! You'll find the registration form here.

So - are you in?

Trip Along Donation Quilt

Good morning Modern Irish Quilters!  We have a great opportunity as a guild to create a donation quilt so I hope each and every one of you will participate.  The lovely Anneliese of Mail from the Cheeky Monkey has offered to create a donation quilt from blocks made by MQGI members.  I will leave it to her to give the details (below), but please do take a break from your SMS Giveaway day blog surfing to make a block or two.  Don't forget to add photos to our flickr group as you go!  Thank you, Anneliese, for creating such a great opportunity for us all to get involved in the greater Irish community.

Hi again,

Some weeks ago I blogged about my table runner for a friend. She still loves it and I am so pleased with the comments to my WIP blog post. Thank you!

my sample block

Today I want to tell you something else. I am Bee Queen in the Modern Irish Bee in May. Oh it is so exciting to be Queen! Did you ever plan a (Bee) Quilt? I haven't. It was exciting! I need to find the pattern, calculate the fabrics, precut and sent them out. It is a struggling process when you have to stick to only one pattern. I found so many quilts I love and I would be so pleased to have them all. Sticking to one 'thing' is not one of my strongest sides but I did it! I cut the fabrics, made a sample block and sent the instructions out.
But there was an other idea in my mind! What about making a charity quilt? As it is my month I would ask the bee ladies to make an extra block and I finish it to a quilt to give away. After a little chat with Cindy and Sarah we thought we would love to make this a project of the MQGI. So here I am! I am asking all of you to join and be part of this quilt. I chose the 'trip along' block. It is simple, it is fast and most of all it is fun!

step by step

There are many ways to do this block but this is the tutorial I used. I found it super fast and super easy.

I so hope to get the eleven blocks for one quilt done. I also appreciate any help with scraps for the back or the binding. I hope to make at least one quilt.

Anneliese