West Awake: Galway Traditions

The Western Branch of the Irish Patchwork Society holds an exhibition every two years and the next one opens on 1st May, 2010 at the Galway City Museum. The exhibition is entitled 'West Awake'. I was thinking about this and wanted to do something that celebrates something unique to Galway.
When I first arrived I walked the Salthill promenade with a friend and laughed when she told me I had to kick the wall at Blackrock as 'it's the tradition' I thought she was joking me but then I stood and watched as almost everyone who walked to this point gave the wall a kick and turned around to walk back in the direction they came!
Despite asking many people about it, the only explanation I seem to get is 'it's tradition'! And so, with camera and tripod in-hand I spent a morning at the wall, asking people if I could photograph 'the kick'. Lots of people joked with me on the day and were curious to find out what I was going to do with the photos.
I've printed a number of these onto fabric to make up a wall-hanging and I will stitch into these further and I think I will quilt in some text as well. I hope to finish this in time for the exhibition in May.

UFO sightings in 2010

The start of a new year often prompts a tidy up of my workspace. I hoped to be inspired to get cracking on some new projects. I was..... but some UFOs (un-finished objects) were spotted! So I need to also fit these into the plan for 2010.

I gave the primary school children in Claregalway Educate Together National School some fabric paints and asked them to paint something that showed how their school was special. They did an amazing job and then learned how to use an old hand-cranked Singer machine to add a border to their work. I promised to put these together and bring back the quilts to hang at the school or to use as picnic blankets. I really want to get these done for the children to see their work.

This 'bowl' wall-hanging was started at a Kaffe Fassett workshop in Dublin some years ago. I like it a lot, but it's been sitting there and forgotten for quite a while!

This is my current hand-piecing project I sew when I meet with my quilting buddies, the Corrib Quilters, every week. It's been growing slowly and I'm on the last row. It will be approx 40 x 40 inches when complete. It is my first curved piecing project and is made totally from scraps with no particular placement plan for each colour. Perhaps I'll complete it in time for the exhibition in the Galway City Museum in May?

Here's hoping 2010 will see these all sewn-up!

Studio Photos

My buttons and beads are now in little red suitcases. These suitcases remind me of a little case full of paper dress-up dolls from 'Bunty' and 'Twinkle' that some friends of mine had when I was a little girl. I always wanted a little red suitcase like that! So here they are, keeping buttons and beads handy for when I make notebook covers.