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Have you ever invigilated a quilt display where your own work is hanging and earwigged what people were saying? I try not to but I am only human.

Our branch of the Irish Patchwork Society had a quilt display at the Limerick Agricultural Show this past weekend and I got to spend a few hours on Saturday minding the quilts, trying to recruit new members, chatting to other members and making a small purchase from Sew Crafty Fabrics pop up shop, which was right next door.

I had entered my 2 quilts from the Happiness exhibition in Dublin and they were hung opposite each other in a bright modern part of the exhibit. There was quite a variety of quilts, traditional log cabins, applique flowers, Star wars and Samplers so bound to be something in there for everyone!

Originally our local landscapes quilts were going to be used for the exhibit but we got an invitation to an Irish Festival in the States and our quilts went across the Atlantic, very exciting! So the call went out to the branch members and quilts came flooding in (seems we all had 1 or 2 squirrelled away that needed an airing!) They were hung last Friday with no time for labels so I can’t tell you who made what! Still we had lots of fun guessing and Mary said she knew mine straightaway! Funny how we all have a style even if we aren’t conscious of it!

My scrappy bee quilt received comments like interesting, why so much grey, shouldn’t they all connect and the quilting is quite fussy! Serves me right for listening in!

The best comments were from my friends brother, who made the effort to visit from his stand selling beautiful woodwork items. He is gifted! I was explaining my triangle quilt and the sunny centre and he pointed out that my sun was off centre and wanted to know why. I didn’t have an answer for him, it was just the way I wanted it! He suggested adding another row on the left to balance it out. Laughing I told him no chance, my quilt is for me on the sofa watching movies, its done and dusted and not for changing!

It was a very enjoyable morning apart from the torrential rain when we were heading home. Had to buy a brolly (15Euro!), captive audience, market prices all spring to mind! It is a very nice umbrella though so can’t complain too much!  I do like a daisy.

And I can’t show you the fabric I bought as I left in Louise’s car. Will be seeing that on the second Friday in September when our branch meetings start back up for the winter. It’s like going back to school – summer is well and truly over!

MQI exhibiton : A Patchwork Hoop – a quick fun project!

The Modern Quilters Ireland group are having our first exhibition and its been all go working on finishing up projects for May 8th delivery to Dublin.  Made it just in time and it was close what with finishing the quilting, hand sewing binding, hanging sleeves and preparing labels!

That's one of mine peeking our from behind the announcement.  I'm so looking forward to the opening on the 4th and taking some photos of the finished quilts to share with you all.  If you are in Dublin over the course of June please pop in and have a look!

MQI members were allowed enter 2 quilts each and a hoop with an inspiring word if we had the time to make a small something extra.    When I think of a hoop I think of embroidery.  It never occurred to me to make a Patchwork hoop as a wall hanging.  Fiona gave us some inspiration links here on Pinterest to get some ideas going and I was immediately taken by the cute hedgehogs and bicycles and thought I just had to try this.

You might have seen this on Instagram and I thought I’d share more about this easy scrappy project with you.  My Husqvarna Viking machine has an embroidery module to it and when I first got the machine I bought some patterns for it but never used them!
 
One of those patterns was a patchwork balloon from Embroidery Library.  I still like the image so decided to grab some scraps and some fusible paper and made a scrappy balloon.

This was fun and easy and I think could be something really fun to try with kids.  Imagine helping them make something like an airplane and their name underneath or something cute like a teddy bear to decorate their room.


Using stitch ‘n tear stabiliser on the back to give some support I sketch stitched around the outline with a dark color and added in the balloon lines.  To finish it off I hand embroidered some text. We were taught by Sister Margaret in sixth class (about 12 years old!) to always have your embroidery as neat on the back as on the front and not travel between motifs with thread.  Funny the things from school you’ll never forget!



I used this little project for a tutorial on Modern Quilters Ireland to show how to finish the back of the hoop if you are interested and named this one “The Sky’s the Limit”.



Thanks to all who helped with names for the exhibition quilts.  I appreciate all your help!

I think I have finally settled on “Good Morning!” for the triangles  and “Scrap Happy Too” (as there is already a Scrap Happy) for my Modern Irish Bee quilt, that to some looked like flags and others fields and to me happy scrappy colour! Thank you to my Bee mates who made such lovely blocks!

Linking up to Thankful Thursdays and  the Friday Finishes!