Wednesday 9 December 2009

Annual Christmas Party

The Annual Christmas party was a great success even though Miriam Gogarty wasn't able to make the party as she had rcently broken her leg. We'd like to send 'speedy recovery wishes' to Miriam.

Moya Geraghty from Patchwork Plus showed us all some of her colourful and (according to her) easy quilts.


































Show and tell saw these quilts and Chrismas decorations.












Alison Bingham and Paula Refferty and her Rhapsody quilt (started)





Please let me know who this belongs to.












Phil Aylward and Paula Rafferty

A wonderfu
l array of food was brought (and consumed) many thanks for all of those who took the trouble to delight us with their culinary skill. If you have the recipe for the banoffee pie or the guiness chocolate cake please tell!

Thankyou to everyone for the gifts for the Christingle, I know mine is a treat and am sure that everyone was pleased with the treat of a special parcel.

Grania Preston organising the Christingle exchange.





Rachel Banting and Fran O'Donoghue volunteered to do a demonstration for some Christmas decorations. Fran's Christmas baubles were both speedy and colourful.




Rachel had a Christmas Tree wall hanging and some pixie sho
es.










The Challenge of table runners was won by Claire Lynch her runner is the third shown here. Thanks for everyone who participated, they were all jolly.




It is great that so many people are enjoying the Viliers sewing days which are becoming a huge success with a good number attending to sew and share experiences.

A quick reminder - if anyone knows an auctioneer for the fundraiser in May that we could approach to help out please contact one of the committee members.



It was nice to see both Nikky Foley who told us about her new class by post and Maeve Meany who had her beautiful 1930's block of the month to show us. For details contact Nikky foley on info@thesewingshed.ie and Maeve Meany on maevemeany@eircom.net.


Meg talked breifly on the 'open' pricing for the library basket. We wold like to ensure that everyone feels free to both donate and give to this basket which should be a great way of raising funds for the library. As everything has been donated any offering would be welcome to help ensure that are resource books are up to date and modern. We would like to thank everyone who has donated and contributed to this.

Thanks also to everyone who took the time to help in preparing for and cleaning up of the hall for the party. I know some people were there until 11.30 to make sure everything was back in order. Thanks to Dan Kenny for putting up the Christmas lights.


A very Happy Christmas and good sewing wishes for the New Year!

November Meeting 2009

Ann Fleeeton was the guest speaker at the November meeting. Anne is a textile artist from Dublin. Her training as a geologist and her study of art history influence both the colour and texture of her work.

Anne's talk demonstrated how the Meditereanean and the artists enspired by the Meditereanean have influenced her work. She talked in depth and with great ability on a variety of artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet and how the lighting and colours of the surroundings had influenced them and her. She had an excelent slide show that helped visualise the theories that she was talking about and also bought a huge number of quilts that demonstrated the techniques that she talked about.

Anne teaches dyeing, fabric painting, machine embroidery and patchwork. She lectures regularly including several times at Quilt Expo. Her work has been exhibited in Europe, USA and Japan and published in books and magazines.

In 2002 and 2000 she won the Overall Award of Excellence and California Gold Medal in the Royal Dublin Society Annual Crafts Competition. She was the overall winner of the "New Materials for the New Millennium" exhibition at the Carrefour Européen du Patchwork, Alsace, France in 2001.

Her website www.annfleeton-quiltartist.com shows more pictures of her work and gives details of other talks and demonstrations that she may be able to give.


If anyone has any photos of the quilts please forward to me to be included, apologies. Please see Anne's website which has photos of her work.



Pictures from November show and tell

Mareen Talbot and Rachel Banting with the quilts returned form exhibiting in Cananda.











Meg and her Halloween costume 'Mother Earth'.





Demelaza Plamer with her beautiful doll. Congratulations to Rebecca who also won the challenge. Well done!



Rebecca Palmer with an embroidery from the October workshop by Lynne Kenny.