Merry Christmas all!

And congratulations to us, we now have 101 followers!

Wishing you all a very jolly Christmas, and lots of fun with friends and family!



Photo: Five forks Print from Bridbird

Introducing....................Puffin Patchwork

I have been making wallhangings for about ten years, after originally being inspired by the work of Janet Bolton. I began with very simple lighthouses and birds then , after moving to Ireland and starting to sell my work locally, I specialised in depicting the distinctive buildings, particularly the brightly coloured pubs with their decorative signs and flowering window-boxes. I often took commissions, and was always happy when the owner of the building bought my version of it!

Foxy John's, Dingle, Co Kerry

Old Head Lighthouse, Kinsale, Co Cork

As my embroidery improved I turned to more natural subjects and landscapes, and the sea and coast became my dominant theme. I began a series of wallhangings of scenes on The Isles of Scilly, the group of islands off southwest England where I was born and grew up, and I sell these in a gallery there. A few years ago I realised my dream of giving up my day job – a soft-furnishings and clothes alteration business, to do my craftwork full time. Now I am a full-time mum, and stitching part-time again. Etsy is perfect for those of us in this situation as the overheads are minimal and we can work at our own pace.

I use patchwork fabrics, but my technique is really embroidery over appliqué, and the only patchwork involved is in the border. A border for a new design can take longer than the main picture, as I spend ages cutting different fabrics to get just the right balance of colours and patterns, attempting to complement the central picture rather than dominating it. It’s always good to look at the piece from a distance before finalising the border – otherwise you can finish and bind the piece and hang it on a wall, only to step back and see one patch that stands out too much, or two together which are too similar and blend into each other.

Designing new patterns is the hardest part for me; I know the effect I want, and I usually have a good idea of the fabrics and colours I will use, but actually creating a composition is something that rarely comes easily. Something I need to study! Choosing the colours is the part I enjoy most – like most quiltmakers I am addicted to fabric, and many of mine are old friends which I have used for years, together with regular additions of new ones which I have bought more from greed than necessity!

"Daffodills" Tresco Gallery, Isles of Scilly, Daffodils Exhibition, September 2009

Having drawn the design and made paper templates for all the pieces, I cut the various shapes from fabric scraps. These are laid onto a piece of lining fabric with the design drawn onto it.. Usually the raw edges are pressed under with the iron first, and they are stitched down with an invisible slip-stitch. After this I hand embroider the details such as flowers, seaspray, windows, and the eyes, beaks and feathers of birds. Next the embroidered piece is stitched onto the white backing, which is then quilted with white thread, the patchwork border is pieced together and sewn on, then the edges finished with a narrow fabric binding.

Commission for a seaside house in Norway, 2008

Future plans include adding some different styles of work to my shop, such as larger machine-embroidered art quilts, and personalised baby wallhangings. I’m also going to add a supplies section and list some of the fabrics of which I bought too much! Thanks for reading this and please contact me with any questions or comments at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PuffinPatchwork

**** Best Wishes to everyone for a very Happy Christmas and New Year ****

Eyes Open Ireland

I have a few new images of Ireland for you. First I have a photo by Heather Norris of HecketyBeckety. 

She says "Here's a photo I took this morning in Fivemilebourne, Co. Leitrim, where we live:- I went out to de-ice my car before the school run and the sun was just rising- the colours were only amazing, the air was clear and very cold. It was so quiet, like the beginning of the world!"

www.hecketybeckety.etsy.com

And here are two photos by Odette of SwannAndSmerlin  

Odette says, ' Howth is definitely my favorite place in Dublin. I took these pictures last August 2008, on one of the most beautiful days I've had since I arrived here in Ireland. I can't forget that day because the weather was fantastic - blue skies, scattered puffs of clouds, and glorious sunshine. My husband and I walked for hours on the rocky cliffs and had a wonderful picnic up there."

shop: www.swannandsmerlin.etsy.com

blog : www.littlemsfirefly.blogspot.com

Thank you again for your images of Ireland. I need more more more! Keep them coming. Submit as many times as you like! See this blog post for details of what to do. I'm looking for any images taken within Ireland, not just views, but colour, texture, anything that inspires you!

Please Vote for Your Fellow Etsian :)

Hi everybody! My dress has been selected for the New Years Glitz and Glam Guide competition on Etsy! If you have a spare 30 seconds then I would really appreciate the vote. Click here to be my new best friend ;) Big thanks and happy holidays! Sorcha x

How ‘Wollywings’ came to be. By Mia Foley and Jennifer Lienhard.

We first met when our young children were attending the same Steiner-based kindergarten in East Clare. One evening a number of parents got together for a gnome-making craft evening. This was our first, very brief encounter with the felting needle. Though it was brief it sparked in us both an interest for creating figures from natural materials. We soon decided to buy some needles and wool and figured out for ourselves the mysterious process of needle-felting. An interest soon became a passion.

In April of this year, we decided to meet once a week to felt. It was the run up to Easter and, as a first, we thought we’d make some simple bunnies for our Easter tables. Four bunnies were created that night, the children fell in love with them, we were hooked and ‘Woolly Wings’ was born.

It became clear to us that with a length of wool and one of these barbed needles it is possible to sculpt just about anything. Wow. Endless possibilities.

Jenny originally trained as a kindergarten teacher in Germany, her native country. She had her first experiences in doing craftwork for and with children during her training. Later she worked in a Steiner kindergarten and the craft experience moved into the realm of natural materials. She moved to County Clare five years ago and has recently moved on to studying Landscape and Garden Design (see www.wandering-gardens.com). By some stroke of fate her path crossed with Mia Foley’s.

Mia trained in the Limerick School of Art and Design and specialized in Fine Art, Painting. She is a practising painter (see www.miafoleyart.com) but these evening experiences in needle-felting proved to be a much more family friendly medium. There is no mess, no toxic materials and she can work right there in the home and her family love to witness the creative process. In the mornings her young son delights in discovering who or what has been brought to life as he slept!

We meet weekly to felt, share ideas, make new discoveries and discuss any business updates or plans. We delighted in joining Etsy in September, which has provided an ideal marketplace for our creations. We can constantly update our shop as new pieces are made. At present we are very busy selling at local craft fairs and meeting orders for special Christmas gifts, as we also work to commission. We had a great response at the recent Advent Fair at the Raheen Wood Steiner School. There was a lot of interest in the workshops which we will be running early next year, focusing on the creation of needle-felted figures.

What is needle felting? Simply put, a special barbed needle is used to shape wool by a continuous poking motion, which causes the fibres to interlock and eventually create a firm felt. You really have to watch out for your fingers as ouch! Those things can hurt. There is no sewing, gluing or following a pattern involved. The resulting piece is pure wool. This is one aspect to this craft we both find so compelling, it’s a totally organic process, and product. At the core of many of our pieces is sheep’s wool from a local biodynamic farm.

Our main inspiration comes from the natural world, especially our beautiful local woodlands, and the promise of the magical kingdom within, the mighty oak, the coloured carpet of autumn leaves underfoot. The books we read to our children also fuel our imagination. Recurring motifs in the felt pieces are the acorn, oak leaves, toadstools, birds and woodland folk families.

What we make is ideal for children’s imaginative play. We are aiming to provide a natural toy, which can be used for gentle play in the home or in kindergartens. They ca be used as central figures for puppet plays, story-telling and nature tables. The tactile experience of wool, soft yet strong is simply unique. We feel that it is important to create beauty using earthy colours. All our creations encourage a connection to nature.

The bigger figures lend themselves more to display, essentially pieces of folk art, made to create a heart-warming presence in a room. These soft sculptures are made to gaze upon, evocative and thought provoking.

See the section in our shop ‘Big needle felted figures’:

The Bird Lady watches and waits.

The Angel purposefully carries the Candle to her destination.

The Grandmother cradles the woodland babe.

Jenny is also developing a collection of hats. Warm and cosy and not itchy! Wool has self regulating heat properties; it insulates and protects the child from our cold winter spells.

We hope you will enjoy browsing through our shop. Feel free to get in touch with us with any enquiries or feedback. Thank you for reading our story so far…lots more to come.

Jenny & Mia

Eyes Open Ireland

I have a little theme to the photos today, it's quite Christmassy! Thank you to Rachel and Ruth for these images of Ireland under snow!

"I took this photo, well because, just look at it - it's gorgeous. I know some people are not fond of snow, I probably wouldn't be either if I had to live with it all the time, but you can't tell me that it isn't just stunning here! I love the way it's just sprinkled on the tree tops and the Dublin mountains are visible in the background. 

This is taken out our back bedroom window, last year. I hope to see the same this year though. :) "

Rachel
(balanced.)
http://balanced.etsy.com
http://balancedcrafts.com/

"This photo is of Limerick city centre. It's the view out of the bedroom of an apartment that I lived in for 5 years The building that it looks out onto was my favorite pub 'The Wicked Chicken', and upstairs all the neighbours flats that I could see into in a very 'Rear Window' way. I took this last year when it started to snow, I was so excited that I had to take some pictures, it was about 2am, and the city was pretty deserted. Soon after my battery ran out on the camera a bunch of people fell out of the pub and had a huge raucous snow ball fight. Snow in Ireland is a bit of a treat!"
-Ruth Crean
www.nicedaysupplies.etsy.com
www.nicedaydesigns.etsy.com
www.nicedaydesigns-ruth.blogspot.com

If you have photos you'd like to submit for an Eyes Open Ireland post please follow this link for details, and please, send photos as regularly as you like!

Thanks

quite possibly my favourite christmas ad ever!... ;)

Just for you Carol!

A Great Exhibition of Craft

If you are anywhere near Banbridge in the North this exhibition is well worth a visit. The F. E. McWilliam gallery and studio is relatively new and has a permanent collection of F. E. McWilliam's sculptures. It also has changing exhibitions and is currently showing a wonderful collection of contemporary craft and design. The Banbridge District Council describe it as follows:-

Designer & Makers 2009 Exhibition 

Running until 17 January 2010, the Designers and Makers 2009 exhibition is a stunning showcase of fine craft and design featuring the work over 40 well-established and up-and-coming talented craftspeople from Ireland and the UK. Rising stars of the design world, including Rachel McKnight, David Withers, Helen O’Hare, John Lee and Rachel O’Neill exhibit alongside well-established figures such as Michael McCrory, Peter Meanley, Karl Harron, Erika Marks and Ann McNulty. The exhibition will also introduce the public to the work of many emerging designers, including Alison Lowry, Catherine Keenan, Jane Allen, Claire McMahon and Finnish textile artist Heli Miikkulainen-Gilbert. Many of the works in the exhibition are for sale. 

We found it a bit difficult to find at first but if you keep on the A1 there will be a turn off after Banbridge (if coming from Belfast.) Sure, the best places are always hardest to find! 

I wish I could have taken pictures to show you but photography was not allowed, you'll just have to go and see for yourselves!

Here are more links to the event and gallery:-

www.banbridge.com/event_detail

www.culturenorthernireland.org

www.banbridge.com

www.femcwilliam.com

posted by Bridget

Eyes Open Ireland!

I'm still calling for photos of your counties or other places in Ireland you've visited (see this blog post for details) Today I have a photo for you sent by Nancy Falkow from Co. Dublin.

Nancy says, "t

his is a photo I took at Seapoint in Monkstown, Co Dublin in July 
(that's my 3 yr old gal on the bottom right)...
that cloud coming in from 
Dun Laoghaire was one of the coolest things I've ever seen!"

-- 

Nancy Falkow Music:

www.myspace.com/nancyfalkow

www.myspace.com/sunflowmusic

Design Shops:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nancenet70

http://www.cafepress.co.uk/nancenet70

Our Giveaway has found a home!

Leah just got in touch to let me know that her Crafty Ireland package arrived well and good in old Canada! Have a look at her latest blog post where all those yummy handcrafted  goodies are revealed for the first time!

If you missed out on this giveaway then not to fret I'm sure we may have another in the new year! Stay tuned! :) 

Fresh 5 on Friday!

>>> Clockwise from left : :

Full house - Set of 3 Christmas bibs by RedPossum

Crocheted hoops with dangle beads by AlejandraJacoby

Angel in a Blue Sky by PuffinPatchworks

Scented festive hearts by GingerBreadStreet

Festive Christmas Tree Handmade lampwork earrings by Lightkeeping

Introducing... PatchworkDelights

Hi there, my name is Fiona. I am new to Etsy Ireland. My etsy shop is called 'patchworkdelights' and here is a bit about myself.

I live in North County Dublin with my husband and two children aged 2 and 7. We moved to Dublin from the UK just over three years ago and soon after I started working as a legal secretary in a Law Firm situated along the quays. Don't try and guess which one there's a few along there!!!!



I hope I make sense as I write this as my 2 year old has just handed me a bag of potatoes! Anyway many years ago my mother taught me how to make a patchwork pin cushion.




I enjoyed making it so much and I still use it to this day that I wanted to learn some more. The basic style of this pin cushion is 'Grandmother's Garden' using paper templates. Once I completed this project I decided to aim big and make a quilt using the same concept. 5 years later I finished it!





if you look carefully you might see that it is hand quilted in gold thread. I have to say I love gold thread and I tend to use it quite a lot.

When I lived in London I heard about a patchwork shop in Kew Gardens called 'A Stitch in Time' and the owner at the time, Krys Evans, gave lessons. What fun and educational classes they were. Absolutely brilliant. I would trek across town with my cutting mat and gear with eager anticipation. Here is the first quilt I produced after those lessons.




This quilt ('Ohio Star') was completely made by hand and by that I mean hand stitched because at this point I didn't have a sewing machine.

Skip on a few years and I have now taken up my patchwork again. i still have a lot to learn and would love to get more advanced with the types of patchwork that some women can create, however I have many books to refer to and the internet is a great source. I find it mostly very relaxing, depending what you are making you can sew watching tv, commutting or for more serious projects that require your machine I can go and work in my spare room or rather my workshop

I have easy access to my stash of fabrics. I think one of the main things I like about patchwork is the fabrics that you can choose from. Sometimes I just want to keep the fabric untouched, uncut because the colours or patterns can be stunning. I picked up a load of fabric at the Knitting and Stitching Show earlier this month.



Well I could go on and on but I'll finish off with a couple of photos of some bags that I am currently making for a customer. They are some totes in various colours. I love making these. They are practical and very strong and above all very pleasing on the eye.

blog and by all means check out my shop when you get a chance. Once I have finished this order I will be posting more new items.

All the best and if you have any queries or requests drop me a line.

X Fi

Nothing beats a Christmas Craft Fair! ;)*

♥ DUBLIN ♥

http://www.thecraftymarket.com/

Cows Lane Designer Studio 

Christmas Late Night Opening TONIGHT 6-9PM

expect to find mulled wine and all sorts of crafty goodies for Christmas!

Essex St. West (in between Cows Lane and Exchange Street) Dublin 2

Mermaid Arts Centre

Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Tel: +353 1 2724309
http://www.mermaidartscentre.ie/

♥ CORK ♥

Saturday, December 5th, 10:00am, Cork City centre,

opposite Ann Summers, Church Community center

♥ GALWAY ♥

Winter Wonderland Fair 

10am-7pm

Sunday 20 December
Leisureland, Salthill, Galway

♥ BELFAST ♥

St George's Christmas Craft Fair

Saturday 5 December: 9 - 5

Sunday 6 December: 9 - 5

♥ COUNTY DOWN ♥

If you have a Christmas Craft event coming up then please convo Tanya along with event details and an image if you have one! Thanks a mill and good luck everybody! :)*

Tune into Ireland:AM tomorrow!....

Catherine from TreasureOnline will be featured in their Christmas gift special! Scheduled to start around 9.40ish on TV3 tomorrow morning! Its all go around here this week! Well done Catherine! ;D

A Call for our Counties!

Hi I'm Bridget. I'd like to make a regular feature on the Etsy Ireland blog showing photos of all the different counties we live in. I'm interested in colours, textures, composition, anything you find interesting about your surrounding and that show off our lovely country. You don't have to be a photographer for this, I just want to see what you love about your surroundings. They can be of your home county, or of a county you visited. Tell me why you took the photo, which county it is in and your name and etsy shop, send your images to my email address, bridbird78{at!}hotmail{dot}com

I will only use them for this feature on this blog!

Here are a couple of examples that I took.

Belfast Lough from Crawfordsburn, Co. Down

It was the soft colours and the dancing seed heads that enticed me take this.

This was somewhere in Donegal, me, my friend and her dog on a timer. I love Donegal's huge open deserted beaches and the strong horizontal lines of these expanses.

Now show me yours! If you don't have photos straight away that's fine, just keep it in mind and send me them when you're ready, I'm hoping this will be a continuous thing and make us all look around and notice things even more!