Sign ups for Summer Swap Open!

Happy bank holiday weekend! Sign ups are now open for our Summer Swap - a tote bag!  I hope you will join us in making a fun summer project.  The idea is to make a tote bag for your partner, big enough for a craft magazine and a hand sewing project and to include a little surprise inside.

A small handmade item or a favourite sewing notion would be ideal.  Chocolate is always welcome but if you are going to send sugary goodies please put them in a plastic bag so as not to melt all over your beautiful creation!

To participate please make a mosaic of items you like to give your partner an idea of what to make! Our previous post How our swaps work has step by step instructions to make a mosaic using Flickr or images from Pinterest. 

1. Tote back, 2. encomenda, 3. Handmade foam tote bag., 4. a Tote Bag, 5. bag-3, 6. Library Bag, 7. Urban Grocery Tote, 8. Anna Maria Horner Tote Bag, 9. Julinha's bag, 10. LEANNE'S BAG, 11. Denyse Schmidt tote, 12. Solids Only Tote Challenge, 13. tote bag, 14. large tote bag, 15. 241 Tote - present for a friend..., 16. Natasha's First Birthday Tote Dec12


Our swap is open to all sewing levels and as always is a beginner friendly swap. Sign ups will be open until next Saturday, 6th June, and partners will be assigned by Friday 12th June latest. You'll then have all summer to make your item for your swap partner, and posting dates will be 1st-3rd September. For inspiration have a look at Pintrest where there are links to all sorts of free tutorials.

This swap is open to members of Modern Quilters Ireland residing in and outside of 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 or email us at mqgireland@gmail.com.

Please post your mosaic to our Flickr Group  or Instagram #mqisummerswap #modernquiltersireland.
The sign up form is here.  I hope you will join us in making for each other this summer!
-Ruth

MQI - Update

Well now that the exhibition madness is over and the submission date has been met (we have just under 30 quilts and hoops submitted for display next week in St. Patrick's Hospital - thank you to all!) its time for an update on plans for the rest of the summer.  Don't forget our opening is on June 4th at 4pm!

Next week I'll be opening sign ups for our Summer swap.  This year we are hoping to run two swaps.  A summer one with a postal date 1st to 3rd September (so we have plenty of time in between the summer holidays!) and our Christmas swap which I would hope to continue as a MQI tradition.  Any ideas of what you would like to see as a swap item for Christmas please let me know.  We've done table runner and cushion so far!

The summer swap will be for a Tote bag.  I've had my eye on the Moda Bakeshop tutorial for the Queen Bee bag for ages, might finally get around to making one!  Check our this link for inspiration and next week on sign ups I'll add in more details.

I'm also looking for a volunteer to help with the swap.  If anyone is interested please drop me a line!

I've made some updates to the blog too so please take a look and let me know if there is anything you guys want added or amended - we are always looking for ways to make this space better so please send in your ideas.  I've added in links on the beginners page to some of our how to posts and if anyone has a tutorial that I can link to on their blog I'd love to include it.

On the resources page I added in members who take commissions for custom quilts, shops and teachers.  The idea is if someone asks you to make them a quilt and that's not your thing you know where to send them!  If you want to be added to this list or need to amend any details drop me a line.
 
Happy weekend everyone!
-Ruth

PS: Don't forget to check out Bloggers Quilt Festival - 2 of us have our Bee quilts from last year entered.  If you were in our Modern Irish Bee 2014 you might just see some of your blocks!  There are over 300 quilts linked up across the categories including Modern, Art, Original, Rainbow & Scrappy. 

Modern Irish Bee - May block

MAY BLOCK BOXYSTARS

Hello my lovely bees, firstly I would like to apologize for being late on the first few blocks you will be getting them as soon as I can make them , I hope by the time you get my block instructions you will have received them (fingers crossed ). I am sewing like a busy bee to catch up with you all,

For my block I have chosen a free block from http://quiltville.com called boxy stars here is the link http://quiltville.com/pdf/boxystarspf.pdf
 
It is fun and hopefully you will enjoy making it as much as I did.  I have a couple of requests.  I would like you to use black for the background and pink and green.  You can use pattern fabric or solid, I don't mind.  I would just like you to use bright colors please ;)

Also if you could include your scrappy corners you cut off to make the points, as I like using them when i make my labels ;)

And as I will be doing the sashing could you please send me 2 x 2,5" squares of the two fabrics you use to make the stones if you don't have enough its ok!  Thank you all.

My blocks finish as 12 inch block.  The difference from the web page is that I used the same colors for each quarter block , it is simple enough to make kind of like log cabins with a twist.

The cutting requirements are for 2 x 12inch blocks:

4 pinks 6,5 inch blocks
for the accents 4x( 2,5" squares) and 4 (2,5" x4,5" rectangles)
for the star points 4 x(2,5" x4,5" rectangles ) and 4 x (2,5" x 6,5" rectangles)
background 12 x 2,5" squares

4 green 6.5 inch blocks
for the accents 4x( 2,5" squares) and 4 (2,5" x4,5" rectangles)
for the star points 4 x(2,5" x4,5" rectangles ) and 4 x (2,5" x 6,5" rectangles)
background 12 x 2,5" squares

If you could please press seams open I would appreciate it , as I prefer them open for quilting.

So you end up with a quarter block like this then you make 4 and sew them together , easy as pie!

You will get the full tutorial on the link http://quiltville.com/pdf/boxystarspf.pdf thanks all enjoy making them ;) MAYA

If you have any questions send me a email!

Our First Exhibition

Mark your diaries and spread the word!  Our first exhibition is being held by St. Patrick's Hospital, Dublin from the 25th May to the 26th June. 

St Patrick's Hospital is a 5 minute walk from Heuston Station.   It is situated on Steeven’s Lane, between Heuston Station and St. James’s Hospital, with bus and Luas services all within a 5-10 minute walk.  There is limited paid parking also available for visitors travelling by car.

The official launch is being held on the 4th June @ 4pm to coincide with National Quilting week.  Hope to see you all there!

Finishing a Hoop!

I’ve always liked embroidery but it never occurred to me to make a wall hanging in a hoop with patchwork fabrics.  When I saw Fiona’s inspiration links for our exhibition in Dublin here on Pinterest, I was immediately taken by the hedgehog and bicycles and thought I had to try this.  I decided to give a patchwork balloon a go and have something to use for a tutorial to show how to finish the back of the hoop. 

Balloon design based on a Machine embroidery pattern from Embroidery Library.com

When you have your art work completed remove it from the hoop and place the back of the hoop down on some fabric or felt that you want to use as backing.  Felt is great as it does not require turning an edge under.  I used some fabric I had on hand for my backing as I didn’t have a piece of felt big enough for my hoop.

Draw a circle around the inside of the hoop and if using cotton cut about 0.5” outside this line.  If using felt cut your circle on the line.

Press the edge under and label your work.  I wrote directly onto the back with a permanent fabric pen.  Put this backing aside while we prepare the top.

Remove any markings (pencil/water soluble pen) and press your top flat.  Place in the hoop and tighten the top screw.  Make sure you have eased out all puckers at the edges until your piece is lying flat.

Trim the fabric around the hoop to about 1” to 1.5” all around.  Take a needle and thread, secure your starting point with a knot or double stitches and sew some tacking stitches all along the circumference. 

When you get all the way around the hoop pull the thread tightly and secure.  It will pull all the excess fabric to the back and leave a clean circular shape at the front.

Place your backing fabric over the back and glue or stitch in place.  Stitching will allow you to remove it later if you wish to make a change or re-use your hoop.  A glue gun is much quicker though!

Slip stitch the backing in place all along the edge and you are done!

I won't lie to you, this was a bit fiddly and I could have done a better job!  If you want to hang up your hoop or hide the top screw just add some ribbon!  These are really fun quick projects and I hope you might give it a go too.  Just the thing to brighten up your sewing space! 

If any member wants to enter a hoop (an inspirational word!) into our exhibition please drops us a line and we will send out the entry forms.  Deadline for items to be in Dublin by May 8th so there is still time!

-Ruth

Bee Blessed update!

Four years ago, Sarah and Judith got together and created Bee Blessed with the intention of bringing like minded people together, to make blocks & donation quilts. Bee Blessed is wrapping up in June and we would like to send a big thank you to them both for allowing us to be a part of this effort.

If you have any blocks made or would like to make, can you please send these to Judith and Sarah as soon as you can? The Bee Blessed group will be finishing the final quilts over the next few months with the last quilts being completed in June.

Thank you ladies for all your beautiful work and sharing your blocks every month with us.

-Ruth

Modern Irish Bee 2015 - April Block

Hello fellow bees. I am delighted and excited to be a bee. I have been thinking about my block since January and I have had one in mind since then. And then changed my mind a dozen times. Anyhow I have decided on this block.

I saw one similar on Pinterest made with a background of low volume squares and really bright triangles which works amazingly. However I am a nosey bee and want to see all your pretty bright or not so bright fabrics.

I have teamed each square with a cream / off white triangle.

When all the blocks come together there are various patterns that can be formed. Squares as above or one directional lines as below.

Its exceptionally quick and easy to do and a great eater of scraps.

Each nine square block measures 9.5 by 9.5 unfinished. So 9 by 9 finished.

So I would like two blocks please, made with 'pretty' colours like purples, pinks, yellows, blues. Mostly patterned with a plain or two if you like. I would like the triangle to be cream or a soft white. But not a bright white.

And this is how it's made.

Two blocks need 18 squares measuring 3.5 by 3.5. Then 18 smaller cream squares measuring 2.5 by 2.5.

Chain piecing is the way to go here and it will be sewn up in no time.

Draw a diagonal line through all the cream squares before you start.

Place the cream square onto the coloured square and sew down the marked line. I sew a needle width below the line.

Take all the squares to the iron and press them open.

Then trim off the bottom two triangles underneath and square up each block as you go to 3.5.


Now all you need to do is arrange them in order and sew them together.

Then decide whether you love your little pile of triangles enough to make something with them or chuck them in the bin without a care.

-Angela