The Festival of Quilts 2015

The Festival of Quilts takes place from 6-9th August 2015 in Halls 7, 8 & 9 at the NEC Birmingham.

Europe’s leading patchwork and quilting show returns to the NEC bringing together a community of like-minded, creative people in a unique celebration of patchwork and quilting.

• See up to 1000 quilts entered into competition by quilters from every corner of the globe.
• Visit in excess of 25 curated galleries from leading quilt artists and groups.
• Shop from over 300 companies selling specialist and hard-to-find supplies.
• Choose from a huge range of workshops and masterclasses or hear from the experts in one of the lectures.

Traditional, contemporary and modern quilters; professionals and amateurs; young and old are all brought together in this huge stitch extravaganza! Nowhere else in Europe will you find such talent, colour and vibrancy and such creativity and passion for quilting under one roof.
 The Quick & Easy Workshops and the Quilt Academy and Lecture Programme timetables are now available to view.

To view the basic academy programme including the lectures click here -  http://www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk/files/quilt_academy_timetable.pdf

Make sure you book your classes as soon as possible (once tickets go live) so you don't miss out on some of the fantastic classes and lectures on offer.

 Tickets for members of The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles will go on sale from midday on Monday 30th March 2015. To buy your tickets (if you are a Quilters Guild member) please visit the Guild website here and book your tickets as per the instructions sent to you.

Tickets for everyone else will go on sale at 10am on Tuesday 7th April 2015 from the Festival of Quilts website.

EQA Diversity in Europe

European Quilt Association: Diversity in Europe EQA Gallery at FOQ 2015.
 
With Quilters’ Guilds across Europe represented, the Diversity In Europe gallery is an opportunity to see some of the outstanding work of artists from 17 different countries. Each country can only select one piece to represent their country, so it is always an interesting and stunning example of quilt making at its finest. 

The Irish Patchwork Society are currently looking for IPS members to submit photographs of their work for consideration as the Irish entry for this year's gallery.

Rules:
Size of quilt:
Maximum height 2.5m - maximum width 2.5m
Minimum height 1m - minimum width 1m
Maximum perimeter (all the way around the quilt) 9 metres
Minimum perimeter (all the way around the quilt) 4 metres

All quilt must have a 10cm (4inch) hanging sleeve (with extra fullness to accommodate the rod) sewn 1cm below the top of the quilt and stopping 2cm from each side.

All quilts must include the following information at the bottom of the quilt, either on a fabric label securely attached to the back of the quilt or written directly onto the back of the quilt - owner's name and full postal address (including country), Name of the quilt. 

All quilts must have a Quilt makers statement.

Please email a good quality photograph to the International Representative (Loretta O'Brien) by 31st May 2015.

The quilt will be chosen by the Executive Committee.

EQA Challenge 2015

Distance: A Fabric Exchange Exhibition

Distance.

(Due to the large amount of interest shown in this project, a waiting list is now in operation)
 

A fabric exchange exhibition to take place at the 2015 Festival of Quilts.

This is a collaborative exhibition between three European Guilds, Austria, Latvia and Ireland (the Irish Patchwork Society).

If you would like to be part of this exhibition, please contact the International Rep Loretta O'Brien. 

Information about the challenge:

• 20 persons from each guild will take part.
• Each participant to make one quilt in Portrait orientation (30cms wide by 50cms long).
• Each participant to put together a fabric park of 1 fat quarter and 2 fat eighths for exchange with other guild, this pack has to be with the International Rep (EQA Rep.) no later than the 24th November 2014.
• Each participant will receive one fabric pack no later than their January branch meeting.
• Each participant to use the fabric in the pack and can add up to three additional fabrics.
• Each participant has total freedom to use any techniques to interpret the theme.
• Each participant to keep a 3cm square of each fabric used in the quilt (this will be used in conjunction with their "Artist Statement" for the exhibition (what your thoughts of Distance are and why you partook in the event).
• The quilt to be with the Rep. by 29th May 2015.
• Each quilt to be of three layers and the binding can be shown if the maker likes.
• Each quilt to have a sleeve fully across and to be 2cms from the top of the quilt and 2cms in from each edge.
• The sleeve should not be visible on the right side.
• A name address and contact number label on the back lower left as you look at the quilt.

A downloadable version of this form is available if you look under the "Retreat Weekends, Competition and Exhibition Entry Forms" Heading on the right-hand side of the blog page.

Festival of Quilts 2014 Entry Forms

The PDF entry form for the Festival of Quilts Competition 2014 is now available to download from the Festival of Quilts website.

Festival of Quilts Entry Form

The entry form for the Festival of Quilts is now available. 

Click here for the link to download the entry form.

Festival of Quilts - EQA "Crossroads" Irish Entry

Here's the display of Irish quilts that were made for the EQA "Crossroads" Exhibition which was on display at this year's Festival of Quilts show.

From left to right here are the makers of the pieces:

"Crossroads" by Margaret Cunnane
"Crossing the Silk Route" by Anne Moloney
"Dancing at the Crossroads" by Ethelda Ellis
"Red Cow Roundabout" by Lean Ni Chuilleanain
 "Places of intersection" by Sherry Nugent
"Life's Colourful Roads" by Rita Kelly
"Where Next?" by Ester Kiely
"Hekate - Goddess of Crossroads" by Loretta O'Brien
"Scrap Basket Crossings" by Claire Lynch
"Freedom to Travel" by Cecilia O'Doherty

Opening of European Art Quilts VII at FoQ

Festival of Quilts 2012 - Amended Competition Rules

A few (minor) alterations have been made to the Rules and Regulations for the quilt competitions at the Festival of Quilts next year. By clicking on the link at the bottom of the post, you can download the up-to-date version. The key differences are to do with the definition of exactly who can claim to be an “amateur” rather than a “professional” quilter. 

The organisers of the exhibit (Twisted Thread) also hope to encourage more people to participate by entering a quilt. The stance at The Festival of Quilts is to welcome all comers! Every single quilt on display will prove to be the absolute favourite for at least one of the visitors, and it would be a particular privilege to show work from someone who has never yet entered any competition anywhere. So many quilters simply don’t want to get involved in what they see as the fad and fuss of entering a quilt show – after all, their work is simply to be shared by family and friends. They like to think of the Festival of Quilts visitor as being part of a very large, international family so please don’t be put off. The message is simple. Please enter a quilt!

The programme for next year's event is pretty well advanced. Full details will be available in mid February when bookings will be going live. There’s lots of exciting news to convey but you might already know that they will be featuring a huge Pauline Burbidge Retrospective which also features brand new work. 


I wish you happiness over the Festive Season – but keep quilting
With kind regards
Andrew JM Salmon
Managing Director

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED ENTRY FORM 

Bonnie McCaffrey Vidcast from Festival of Quilts

American quilter Bonnie McCaffrey has two vidcasts from the Festival of Quilts on her website.

The Irish Patchwork Society's "Branching Out" exhibition is featured in the 2nd vidcast, along with some of our members.

Bonnie McCaffrey Vidcast of FoQ

Fashion Sans Frontier Slideshow

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Fashion Sans Frontier Event, Festival of Quilts

Last Thursday night (11th August) Ireland took on the UK and Russia in a fashion show (Fashion Sans Frontier). This fashion show was organised by Twisted Thread/Festival of Quilts.

Each of the countries had 4 people who each had to make 3 outfits and 1 accessory for the show.
The fashion show was great fun, Ireland had two great tables up near the front so we had a great view of the proceedings. The Irish entrants were Paula Rafferty (Mid-west), Pauline Holt (North-East), Mogs McDonnell (Western Branch) and Bernie O'Sullivan (South-Western Branch).

Ireland won the day-wear collection category and Mogs McDonnell was also highly commended by the judges for her evening-wear outfit..

Festival of Quilts - Irish Winners

There were a number of Irish quilts entered in this years Festival of Quilts competition. And even better, there were a few Irish winners this year!

Congratulations go to:

Winner of the Contemporary Quilt Category:
"Dear Jane, it's the 21st Century" by Valerie Mullally, Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland

Winners of the Primary School Category:
Fybough National School, Castlemaine, Co. Kerry.
This quilt was based around Puck Fair which takes place annually in Killorgan, Co. Kerry.

3rd Prize - Pictorial Quilts Category
Melinda's Zinnia's by Robyn Fahy
Created using raw edge applique and then thread play using a variety of threads.

Irish Patchwork Stand at the Festival of Quilts

 The Irish Patchwork Society had a stand to celebrate our 30th anniversary at last weeks Festival of Quilts. Here are a few photographs from the stand.

Festival of Quilts - only a few days to go!

The Festival of Quilts is nearly upon us again!

The show opens on Thursday 11th August, and this year it includes an exhibit from the Irish Patchwork Society. These quilts were selected from the "Branching Out" Exhibition that recently took place in the Botanic Gardens.

At the show will be the EQA exhibit - this year the theme was "A Circle of Friends".

Also, on the Thursday night will be the Fashion Sans Frontier event where Ireland, Russia and the UK will compete on the catwalk with their creations. Ireland has four representatives:

• Paula Rafferty from the Mid-West Branch
• Mogs McDonnell from the Western Branch
• Bernadette Kelly from the South-West Branch
• and Pauline Holt from the North-East Branch.

Each of these four people have been working away over the past few months each creating four outfits which will be modelled on the catwalk on the Thursday night. Hopefully there will be a large Irish contingent cheering them on on the night!

Quilts selected to hang in the IPS stand at next week's FoQ

Here is the link to see which quilts have been chosen to hang in the IPS stand at the Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, UK.

http://irishpatchwork.blogspot.com/p/branching-out-quilts-selected-for.html

 We hope to be able to hang all the quilts on the first list, and hopefully, most of the ones on the second.  However, we do, as always, ask people to note that we cannot guarantee that any particular quilt will hang.

A reminder: The quilts which were hung in the "Branching Out" exhibition in the Botanic Gardens will be required again in November for the Knitting and Stitching Show,so members will not be getting their quilts back till after the show.  

Twisted Threads (who run the Festival of Quilts and the Knitting & Stitching Shows) are putting a huge emphasis on patchwork and quilting, and are being extremely generous to the Irish Patchwork Society in the amount of space that they are allocating to us, including teaching space.  For further information please see:   http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/viewExhibition.aspx?id=32