There are no leprechauns in Ireland......

Wednesday night Carolyn (Flood) dropped in to teach Serendipity. It's basically gorgeous stitchery which turns into a beautiful piece of artwork! (Check out the photo in the newsletter). Barb took the class and got right into it -

Judith also signed on for this one........

This is Helen's piece, coming along.......

......and Rita working hard at it.......

Karen is really moving along here.......

So is Raili.......

These are a couple of Carolyn's creations...........

Carolyn will also be teaching Threadpainting on Sunday October 24th if anyone would like to sign up there are some spaces available.

Last night I was at the store until 1:00 A.M. marking all the new stuff that came in but you'll have to wait to see it because today I took the day off!!!!!

No really, I took the day off!!! I decided to go on a road trip and Libby very happily came with me.....we were off to Ailsa Craig, Ontario to see the Irish Quilt show.

But first a stop in Shakespeare, Ontario at The Quilt Place......it's a block off the main road (Hwy 7/8).

Here's Libby checking out the patterns on the wall.....

...and I just had to have one more photo of this quaint little shop...it's been a few years since I was here last and I was so happy to see that Heather was still here!

There is, of course, no need to tell you that we did not leave empty handed! Both Libby and I had a great time.......

Then off to Ailsa Craig (for more information on the show http://www.cotton-by-post.com/ ) for the Irish Quilt Show. The ladies dropped by the store last Thursday and I really felt I had to return the courtesy. It was great seeing them again (for some reason they recognized me...hmmm! and a Cock A Doodle Doo rang out!) It was well worth the drive to.....!

Sit back and enjoy some of the amazing works of art made by this very talented group and as the saying goes "Cead Mile Failte" - 100,000 Welcomes! (Unfortunately I didn't get individual info on the quilts but I will do my best here!)

Events of 2007.......

This one was designed by Terri McNeill, Creative Director of Irish Quilting Magazine and appears in the October issue of the magazine (which I am looking into getting into the store to sell).......very appropriate for this time of year!

Oops - I think this one is sideways but the quilt is exquisite and so is the quilting......

I really loved the way the swans echoed formed a 4 leaf clover effect......

This one looks almost modern Celtic......

I was absolutely blown away by this one....a simple log cabin block becomes row housing......how cool is that!

Seems like a simple 9 patch......

Look closer and see how the quilting echoes the stunning border made with bias tape.......

This piece absolutely blew me away....it is done with thread painting and textures......you really need to see this up close and personal to get the true effect.......

Another stunning piece.......using fabric and photography......

Here is a close up of the photograph on the quilt........

This is also an amazing landscape......

Another piece needed to be viewed up close (I take lousy pictures and there are no "do overs"!).......

Got a picture of a few of the girls while I was there, in the foreground - Maureen on the left and Terri on the right........Maureen is texting Vera (one of the quilters) who stayed back in Ireland.......

This is one of Maureen's pieces - she uses a sheer fabric as an overlay and it almost gives the effect of being in the water......it was hung high so hard to get a good photo (good excuse, eh!)
Another of Maureen's designs - the Fun Bag - Checkers, Snakes and Ladders and Tic Tac Toe all in one bag with a large die attached and a little laundry bag of pieces for the checker game.......what a great idea! The boards attach to the outside of the bag with velcro...ingenious! Hours of fun on a road trip for sure!

This landscape is one of the classes Maureen is teaching at the show and is a class sample.....(she showed me a really cool way to do the border too!

This is the view outside Maureen's window at home.......the texturing on this piece is fabulous!.....
This is quite comical and I probably should have enlarged it but I can never figure that stuff out......did you know that "people who own floral sofas are snobbish!" Hmm - mine are striped and checked, wonder what that means!...and that "People who have bright green dishes walk around the house naked!" Mine have roosters all over them.......hmmm! It's really quite adorable and everyone stopped to read it!

This was another landscape piece done with loads of texture, tulle and threadpainting - really a stunner......

This quilt is a Trip Tic (sp.) made in three sections and with a very interesting technique which Maureen explained to me but I think I may have to import the teacher to get it right (she's from Ireland of course!) or maybe go over there and take a class......hmmm, much better idea!

This quilt is from Belfast.....scenes from the countryside and from Belfast proper.

A close up of Belfast City.........

It was an amazing show and wonderful day trip. If you can do it, it really is worth the trip! I believe the show is on until Saturday or Sunday but check the website www.cotton-by-post.com and you will be able to get all the information.

Unfortunately Libby and I didn't get to their shop (Cotton By Post) as they only have the one in London now but next trip for sure we'll drop in. They do have a number of merchants set up at the show so you can get your fill of great patterns and fat quarters and some really lovely quilt kits.

Back to the "grind" tomorrow and I will update you on what's new in the store.

Tomorrow night (Friday October 23rd) the Applique Club is meeting from 6:00 P.M. until midnight - call ahead if you haven't signed up yet- there is limited space! (We like to spread out!)

I know this was a LLLLLLLLLLLLLLonggggggggg.....blog but I really wanted to share my day......

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Jo-Ann