Millie Moore's Slow Stitch on Linen workshop and Grounded exhibition set the tone for a life affirming day.

Girls' day out! Ulster Watercolour Society Exhibition, followed by afternoon tea at Maryville House.

I'm back, I've been sewing, and I'm starting something new...

Pamela Emerson (AKA The Crafty Historian) needs your help to create The NI Big Sock ! I recently had the pleasure of meeting Pamela Emerson, AKA The Crafty Historian. Fascinated by social history, and an experienced and talented crafter and teacher, Pamela is deeply passionate about Northern Ireland’s creative industries and projects. She is involved in the fabulous Voluntary Arts / Voluntary Arts Ireland #loveto campaign, actively encouraging people to get involved in creat

It was the 18th November 2015 when I decided it was time that a self-employed woman in her thirties needed to stop living like a student who’s just survived freshers’ week. Ladies and gentlemen – my bedroom: Or, as my boyfriend aptly dubbed it, ‘The Floordrobe’. Enough was enough. My office and sewing room were in similar states and the physical chaos was beginning to feel suffocating. I don’t know about you, but I can’t relax or be productive and creative in messy surround

Welcome to 2016, Quillians! A brand new year – and a whole new set of blog awards to get excited about! The Patchwork Quill has entered two categories of the amazing UK Blog Awards – and you can help us win! There’s a public vote to decide the finalists – and it is open NOW! If you click the button below you’ll be taken to The Patchwork Quill’s UK Blog Awards profile page. Here, you’ll be able to vote for us in the Arts & Culture or Lifestyle categories – or both if you like.

If you follow the PQ on social media, this is old news but… we won silver in the Arts & Culture category of the Blog Awards Ireland 2015! To say I am delighted is an understatement. I’ve engaged with the ‘bloggies’ since they launched in 2012, almost exactly a year after The Patchwork Quill did. I was shortlisted that first year in the Best Craft Blog category, shortlisted again in 2013 in the Best Designed Blog Category, and was a finalist in 2014 for Best Craft Blog and Be

The public realm regeneration in Lisburn’s Market Square finally looks to be drawing to a close, much to the relief of retailers at the top of the town. Business owners have been vocal about the delay in completing the extensive building work, which has significantly restricted pedestrian access in the Square. Perhaps this is why the Action Cancer boutique, which opened on Valentine’s Day this year, has yet to see the outpouring of love it so richly deserves. I discovered thi

The streets of Banbridge come alive during NI's beloved annual street music festival.

A very happy Sunday spent at the Fine and Dandy Market and the first ever Belfast Flea.

I am delighted to announce that this year The Patchwork Quill will be participating in Culture Night Lisburn! Culture Night is now only one week away, and on the night the PQ is hosting a pop-up, celebrating crafting, creativity and culture, in the R-Space Gallery between 6.30 and 8.30pm. Culture My other half and super-talented singer-songwriter and guitarist Guitarbuckle (AKA Andy Arbuckle) will be treating us all to an eclectic mix of music on the acoustic guitar. Crafting

The Patchwork Quill wouldn’t exist without social media. Not in its current form, anyway. From the content of the What’s On Calendar, to the people, places and projects I write about in the posts – most of what you see here has come to my attention, directly or indirectly, through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Vine. It even helped me source the first proper logo for this blog! Event invitations, status updates, tags and shares on Facebook; tweets, retweets, direc

On Saturday 10 January the R-Space Gallery in Lisburn launched their latest exhibition, Colliding Forms. A collaborative project between ceramic artist Sandra Robinson and print artist Helen Lavery, the work marries the 2-D and the 3-D, with images printed on to ceramic pieces. The artists, both currently resident at the Spectrum Centre on Belfast’s Shankill Road, met in university and have wanted to work together for a number of years. This project was not only a fusion of a

Art, cinema, marching, dancing – there’s no excuse to be bored this week. Enjoy! Lisnagarvey Art Society Exhibition Island Arts Centre, 25 – 29 Nov One of Northern Ireland’s longest running art collectives, the Lisnagarvey Art Society’s exhibitions are a visual demonstration of the variety of skills, media and subjects embraced by the group. From mixed media still life, to pencil and charcoal portraits, watercolour and oil landscapes, there’s something for everyone. All work

I’ve decided it’s time for a bit of a change at WOTW HQ. The very nature of the creative and cultural world dictates that some weeks you’ll find loads of things happening one night, while others are quiet, so I think a highlights list is more effective than attempting a day-by-day rundown. I’ve found I was leaving great things out of the guide as certain days were ‘full’, and searching, sometimes in vain, to fill other days. So this is my pick of what’s on this week – let me

There are loads of spooky goings on, so take your pick. But don’t have nightmares…. Monday 27 October Derry ~ Londonderry Citywide, various venues and times (all week) Derry is well-known as a city that goes all out for Hallowe’en and this year is no exception. The festivities kicked off on Saturday and continue throughout the week. Highlights include zombie laser tag, the Chateau Le Fear house of horrors, the Nerve Centre Horror Week of films, and Grimm Tales for kids. Don’

I've started a new crafting social group in Lisburn!

Well, The Patchwork Quill didn’t pick up any gongs at the Blog Awards Ireland bash on 4 October, but it honestly didn’t take the shine off attending a cracking awards night as a finalist. My boyfriend Andy and I travelled down to Kildare for the bash, and stayed at a wonderful B&B called Lotus Lodge. If you are ever in the area, we highly recommend this as a place to stay – stunning countryside surroundings, great prices, and if I had to give an award for Best B&B Host in Ire

Finally, here it is – the PQ post about Culture Night Lisburn! I’m sorry it’s a fortnight after the event, but what with the beautiful madness of the night, excited preparations for the Blog Awards Ireland ceremony and a stress-tastic couple of weeks in my new day job, I am, quite frankly, a husk of a woman. But a contented husk! Thank you so much to everyone who made the Patchwork Quill Culture Night Lisburn pop-up at R-Space the great success it was. Culture My lovely other

On Friday 19 September, ten minutes before I was due to head out to set up the Patchwork Quill pop up for Culture Night Lisburn (post to follow soon, I PROMISE!), I received the wonderful news that the PQ has made it through to the finals of the Blog Awards Ireland! My screams sent my poor boyfriend leaping from the sofa downstairs – he thought I must either be grappling with an intruder or stemming the blood from a mortal wound… I’m in the running now for the Best Arts and C