Crafts Council of Ireland Poll on proposed name change

 poll now closed.

Dear All,

There is a poll from the Crafts Council of Ireland to be completed by the 25th November 2011 about a proposed name change. The proposed name change was discussed at executive level in the CCoI and it was agreed that Design should not be introduced into the name. There are a number of reasons for this.

Is it to be called The Design and Craft Council of Ireland or The Craft and Design Council of Ireland. Many felt that if the name had to be changed that Design should not come first.

If Design is introduced then it will not be the Craft Council any longer, graphic design, engineering etc will have to be admitted and this increased the membership and dilutes the monies available to the guilds, networks and societies.

The Crafts Council of Ireland (CCOI) is a very well recognised logo and organisation and appears to be fit for purpose at the moment-does it need to be changed? in particular after a very successful Year of Craft.

Do we need to spend the money that will be involved in in changing?

These are just some of the arguments and there are many more.

Below is the email from the CEO

Please share your thoughts by doing the poll.

Regards,

Mary Hunter (CCoI Rep).

Dear GANS representative,

Further to the GANS meeting which took place in Kilkenny on 16th September 2011, an online poll has been created as part of the consultation process around the proposal to amend the name of the Crafts Council of Ireland (CCoI) to include the word 'Design'.

This online poll provides your members with an opportunity to share their thoughts and feedback on this proposal, and this feedback is very important to us.  We would therefore ask you to encourage all of your members to take a few minutes to participate in the online poll.  CCoI will also be inviting our registered clients to participate in the poll.

Please click on this link: http://bit.ly/ccoiganspna which directs to:
• a letter from the Board of Directors of the Crafts Council of Ireland inviting your members to participate in this poll
• an outline regarding the background and rationale for the proposal
• the online poll

As mentioned in the letter, any GANS member who has a query or would like to obtain additional information on the proposed name amendment can email survey@ccoi.ieWe would ask all GANS members to complete the poll by Friday 25th November 2011 in order to ensure all feedback can be incorporated as part of our consultation process.

What you need to do:• Please forward this link http://bit.ly/ccoiganspna to all of your individual members by email which contains the letter from the Board of the Crafts Council of Ireland and includes the background document and the link to the online poll
• Please encourage your members to complete the online poll, highlighting the closing date of Friday 25th November 2011
• Please forward any queries you receive from individual members or let us know if there are any recurring questions or concerns around the proposal

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you in advance for participating in this consultation process.


Kind regards,
Karen Hennessy.

Chief Executive
Crafts Council of Ireland
Executive Assistant: 056 7796148

Further Details on Elizabeth McCartney's Embroidered boxes workshop at An Grianan

Elizabeth McCartney - Embroidered Boxes Workshop

Elizabeth McCartney will be giving one of the workshops at the forthcoming An Grianan weekend. Here's some more details about what's involved in her workshop.

Details of the workshop:

During this workshop you will construct a box similar to the one shown in the magazine, using acrylic felt, pelmet vilene and fabric as a base onto which you will applique, free machine and hand embroider, couch, and embellish to your heart's content using any method you desire.  This is an opportunity to use your lovely fabric scraps, threads, buttons, beads, wire, stamps, paint etc.  The faint hearted may use Elizabeth's box pattern if they choose. 

Here's some other examples of Elizabeth's work:

New Contemporary Quilting Group

Contemporary Quilting Group:

Contemporary Quilters of Ireland is a new branch of the Irish Patchwork Society for people interested in the contemporary side of quilting.

It is for those interested in stretching themselves and moving forward in making art through the medium of the quilt and also for those who want to be involved and offer support to the group.

 

The group is still in the early day of being set-up, so we're looking for interested members. If you're interested in joining the group, please click on the link to join the yahoo group (See below or click on the link to the right of the page). Alternatively, you can email Claire Lynch for further details (email address is listed in the Newsletter).

 

Once we get a few more members, we're going to call a meeting and set up a committee, start organising challenges etc.

  
  Click to join cqireland

EQA Exhibition at Festival of Quilts 2012 - Crossroads

  European Quilt Association

EQA Exhibition at FoQ in 2012

The theme of next year's exhibition is: Crossroads
Each country's quilts will be hung together in next year's gallery at FoQ

Some ideas about the "Crossroads" theme:
The roads are crossing our lives- people, events or things crossing your life unexpectedly, and make us enjoy life - meeting people in crossroads, some people stay in your life, some not, but all touch your life in some way. Life is not straightforward: you get sometimes lost or take sideways steps.
Crossroads can be a meeting place where people gather to exchange news about one and others lives. A place where we want to make a decision as to what direction we will follow. 

Rules:
1. Size: 20 x 50cm (7 7/8 x 19 5/8). To be hung horizontally.
2. Edges: free choice of edging treatment (i.e. raw or bound).
3. Any technique may be used but the quilt may consist of three layers. No glass fronted or mounted exhibits will be accepted. Be warned that quilts which are delicate or stiff are difficult to transport safely.
4. The entire collection of "Crossroads" will be launched at the Festival of Quilts in 2012. Some countries may decide to display their quilts from neighbouring countries at their annual general meetings. In this case, these quilts will be returned later than September 2012.
5. All guild members may enter and there is no entry fee. The quilts are not for sale.
6. All quilts must have a 10cm (4 inch) hanging sleeve (with extra fullness to accomodate the rod) sewn 1cm below the top of the quilt and stopping 2cm from each side.
7. The quilts are insured for a nominal sum during the exhibition including transport to and from the FoQ 2012. (Information on transport and insurance for other exhibitions is available from the guild organising the event. Should a quilt be damaged or lost, the EQA member guilds is responsible for compensating the maker).
8. The entry form and photo should reach the International Representative by 31st May 2012.
9. 10 quilts will be selected by each country by 30th June 2012. Any quilts which do not comply with the rules, particularly in terms of size or hanging sleeve, can be rejected on submission.
10. Photos of the quilts may be used for publicity purposes.
11. Every member country of the EQA must provide TEN quilts for this exhibition. If too many quilts are submitted, 10 must be selected in whatever way the guild decides. If too few quilts are submitted, the IR/executive committee of the guild MUST organise the making of the missing quilts.

The EQA entry form and rules are listed on the Forms and Documents section of this blog.

You can find a copy of EQA Crossroads Entry Form and Rules here

International Block Swap

 International Block Swap

Deadline: 31st March 2012

The online magazine Quilt around the World (www.quilt-around-the-world.com) has started a truly ambitious patchwork project – a global quilt block swap.


Invited are patchwork and quilt enthusiasts worldwide, no matter whether novices, occasional quilters or professionals. “We are not organising the patchwork and quilting world championships,” states Jutta Hufnagel, Managing Director of Quilt around the World GmbH. “For us, the main focus lies in the fun of working together with as many quilters from around the world as possible in this multi-national and cross-cultural quilt project.”

The quilters are asked to sew 12 quilt blocks according to their individual taste and quilt mastery. The blocks will then be swapped within internationally mixed teams. In order to achieve a great a diversity as possible there are next to no technique, colour or design restrictions. In the end, every participant will have the makings of a unique sampler quilt containing 12 different blocks from 12 different people around the world.
Participation in the International Block Swap is free. To cover the postage for the return of the individual sets of 12 different quilt blocks 10 € or 15 US$ will be charged. All monies left over will be donated to the humanitarian organisation Médecins sans Frontières (www.msf.org).
The deadline for submitting the 12 blocks is 31 March 2012.





To make this swap work, they need YOUR HELP!
The more blocks from as many different countries as possible, the more interesting this will be for everybody. Participants will be grouped into teams of 12 and the blocks will be swapped within the team. In the end, every participant will have the makings of a unique quilt containing 12 different blocks from 12 different people around the world.

They are hoping that, through this, lots of friendships will be forged around the world. 

How the International Block Swap will be organized:

• Download the PDF flyer and fill in the registration form.
• Send them the form together with your 12 identical blocks measuring 12 1/2“ or 31.5 cm (UNFINISHED size).
• There are no restrictions regarding technique, colour or design. Please use high-quality cotton fabrics, an off-white background and include the colour red.
• The deadline is 31 March 2012.
• In addition, please transfer 10 EUR or 15 USD to cover international postagefor the return of your set of 12 different blocks. The instructions for payment can be found on the back of the enclosed PDF flyer.
• They would also like entrants to enclose 12 picture postcards of your town, area or country with a bit about yourself on the back when you send your blocks. If you want to include your address and or email that’s up to you.
• Beginning on 1 April 2012, teams will be formed to start sending out the block sets and the postcards.
• As soon as the last package has been sent, all monies left over will be donated to Médecins sans frontières (www.msf.org).

Of course everyone will be curious to see your individual results! You can share a picture of your finished swap block quilt (top) by sending it to info@quilt-around-the-world.com where they promise to publish as many masterpieces as we can.
As the first International Block Swap evolves, they will publish pictures of blocks already sent to them, provide inspiration to help you get started, answer questions on any aspect of the swap and whatever else may crop up.
If you haven’t quilted for a very long time, don’t feel intimidated by the rules. You can do this!