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My top five cultural, crafty and creative events happening this week in wee Norn Irn. Shirley-Anne McMillan – The Unknowns Thursday 22.03.18 – Waterstones, Bow Street Lisburn @ 7pm. Free to attend. Lisburn-born young person’s author Shirley is back in her home town this Thursday to talk about and sign copies of her latest novel The Unknowns in Waterstones. I’m going to be attending this, so come and say hi if you see a little redhead scuttling around taking photos! I’ve also found out that large print and braille versions of Shirley’s novel A Good Hiding are available in Lisburn Library and work is underway to create braille and large print versions of this book too. Very cool! Hobbywhores #9 Friday 23.03.18 – Oh Yeah Centre, Gordon Street @ 7.30pm. Tickets £12. This irreverent social club happens in Belfast every two months, bringing together women who are “a little slutty” about picking and sticking to hobbies and handicrafts. As a fellow butterfly brain, I very much appreciate the chance to gather with like-minded ladies, sink a drink or twelve and learn three new things. This month, it’s Polish, erotic bingo and Irish dancing on the bill. Sure, why wouldn’t ye? Belfast Roller Derby vs East Coast Cyclones Saturday 24.03.18 – Valley Leisure Centre, Newtownabbey @ 2.30pm. Tickets £5 (kids under 10 go free) The Belfast Roller Derby takes on the East Coast Cyclones in the first game of the new season. BRD established the first roller derby league in Northern Ireland in 2010 and it has flourished since. I’ve always loved its have-a-go ethos and emphasis on the sport’s potential for engendering strength and empowerment. Get down there and support our girls! Trash Fashion 2018 Saturday 24.03.18 – St Anne’s Cathedral @ 3pm. Free admission. I’ve been a fan of this initiative for a number of years – even before I attended in 2015. The Community Arts Partnership supports a number of community groups to get creative with old clothes and materials, turning trash into catwalk treasure. It’s creative, crafty, thrifty, sustainable… in other words, it’s right up my street. This will be an incredible venue for the show too – don’t miss it. Createathon at The Ulster Museum Sunday 25.03.18 – Ulster Museum @ 11am. Free entry. The 9-day Get Creative festival launched on Saturday and is the amalgamation of the Get Creative Weekend and Voluntary Arts Festival. There are currently over 1300 creative and arty events happening all across the UK and the Createathon is the finale of NI’s packed festival of events. This “marathon of creativity” includes takes deep breath singing, dancing, knitting, patchwork quilting, weaving, painting, kite making, tango, zumba with Zumba® Fitness and henna art. Phew! I’ll be there with the NI Big Sock team so come and make a hexagon or two.

Hello, friends! I am so happy to be back after a busy old few months over in my other life as a wordsmith-for-hire at Quill Inc NI. It’s great to return on such a positive note too, as I recently enjoyed the most gorgeous day in Belfast with my Mum, sister Polly and my Granny. Long-time readers will remember my Granny is an artist, so when we heard the annual Ulster Watercolour Society exhibition was back at The Crescent Arts Centre, there was nothing else for it – girly day out with my family! The society, set up to support local watercolour artists (amateur, professional and semi-pro alike) has been holding annual exhibitions of members’ work since 1976, making this its 41st showing. The members themselves organise, set up and manage the exhibition, and we were greeted by the absolute gentleman that is Jeff Monaghan. His paintings happened to be two of my favourites, so it was appropriate that it was he who handed us slips of paper and encouraged us to vote for the visitors’ choice prize. The artist with the most votes wins a hamper stuffed with goodies from Winsor and Newton. It was incredibly hard to pick just one favourite. There were a small handful that weren’t to my personal taste, but there was not a single painting that was poorly executed or did not absolutely deserve a place on that gallery wall. Mum and Granny After much deliberation… It’s a testament to the versatility of watercolour as a medium to see photorealistic portraits and pin-sharp landscapes alongside bold, impressionistic colour washes, fresh florals, and abstract mindscapes. This was a brilliant exhibition at a wonderful, accessible venue. Having been at risk of demolition not that long ago, the refurb of The Crescent isn’t something we should take for granted. Especially when developers seem hell-bent on sucking the life out of the city centre. (But that’s a post for another time…) Unfortunately, this post was delayed slightly by illness; I had hoped to publish last week so that you’d all have time to visit before the exhibition closed on 18th November. However, this one opens tomorrow and came recommended by a UWS member: With our minds nourished, it was time to seek some physical sustenance. Mum, Granny and I had been for afternoon tea at Maryville House about 5+ years ago and really enjoyed it, but since then I have transitioned from vegetarian to vegan. It’s a lifestyle edging ever closer to the main stream but it’s not quite there yet, so I phoned up in advance to check they could cater for me. Karin assured me it was no problem to provide a vegan afternoon tea; they would need a small deposit (taken off the final bill on the day) but they were more than happy to provide animal-free afternoon tea! Maryville House is right at the top of the Lisburn Road, and its leafy, easy-on-the-eye location is ideal for this charming Victorian guesthouse. When we first visited, it had a ‘best kept secret’ vibe to it. It was the real deal, offering a proper sandwiches-and-cakes afternoon tea. 5+ years later and I take my hat off to whoever is responsible for the marketing strategy at Maryville because they have hit the sweet spot. The place has had an elegantly understated makeover, retaining all of its character and charm while updating it in all the right places. Maryville now presents itself not only as a “boutique guesthouse” but offers room hire for meetings and events, as well as classy hen parties. They’re no longer the only afternoon tea available in Belfast – many others have, with varying degrees of success, jumped on the ‘vintage twee’ bandwagon – however, it’s clear that there’s more than smart diversification going on here. The treatment we (myself in particular) received at Maryville was nothing short of a masterclass in customer service. L – R: Me, my sister Polly, Granny and Mum. The slight disappointment of no soya or non-dairy milk for my coffee was mitigated by the delightful cake stand of vegan-friendly sandwiches and specially-baked pastries I was presented with. I enjoyed avocado, cucumber, sundried tomato and lettuce sandwiches, as well as shortbread, chocolate brownies with raspberries, a scone, plus a vegan spread and vegan cream. My vegetarian sister was asked thoughtfully whether she would prefer her sandwiches (same as mine but with pesto) served separately to the non-veggie ones. Friendly servers anticipated our needs with offers of tea and coffee top-ups, taking photographs for us, and replacing milk jugs. Chatting to the team as we were leaving, the manager, owner and staff all expressed that they were keen to cater for as many dietary requirements as possible and took pride in offering a wide variety of gluten-free options. I’m very lucky in that I’ve had very few really negative experiences eating out as a vegan. Make your needs clear in advance and any decent restaurant in Northern Ireland will be able to whip you up something you can eat. However, our visit to Maryville was notable because I truly felt the team were actively enjoying the experience of going over and above for their customer. I felt special, rather than feeling like a nuisance. You all contributed to a really beautiful family day out, so thank you. X No ‘doggy bags’ here – take home anything you can’t finish in this beautiful little pastry box! Fancy trying it yourself? Find out more here: http://www.maryvillehouse.co.uk/afternoon-tea Got a suggestion for somewhere I should check out for Visiting Hours? Click here to email me!

I’m baaaaaaaaack! Yes, after a ridiculously long hiatus, I have picked up my beloved Patchwork Quill again. So where have I been, you ask? Well, I plunged headfirst back into the world of self employment mid-2015 with the launch of my content writing business, and early 2016 is when things really started to get busy. I had taken on a massive, risky project that ultimately wasn’t successful (as is often the way with massive, risky projects). It was an experience I learned huge, valuable, lifelong personal and professional lessons from – but in hindsight, it really knocked my confidence and left me feeling deflated for quite some time. I’ve since started working with a lovely client on a brilliant blogging project, but one that has still demanded enormous swathes of my time and mental energy – on top of the part-time job I have to keep the bills paid until I become a millionaire entrepreneur. Although it still takes up a lot of my time, systems and processes I’ve put in place are beginning to tick along as they should, and this has coincided with the return of my creative mojo! I finished a cute circle skirt I began sewing back in June – and I live-streamed it! I posted a picture on Instagram of me wearing the finished garment – and at time of writing, 100 people have liked it, making it my most popular post ever. I finally finished the circle skirt! It has spent months languishing on my tailor's dummy, just waiting for its hem. Learned a lesson – I built that hem up in my head to be a horrible, near-impossible task, and when I got down to it, it really wasn't. I also did something else I've been procrastinating about and did a Periscope broadcast – the first Patchwork Quill #sewingscope! You can catch it on replay on Periscope or Twitter; I'm @patchworkquill on both 🙂 A post shared by The Patchwork Quill (@thepatchworkquill) on Feb 19, 2017 at 4:33pm PST So it would appear you lot like it when I step out of my comfort zone and in front of a camera from time to time, and who am I to deny you? From now on, every Sunday I will be broadcasting a live #sewingscope from my Periscope channel that is also available via Twitter live on my Twitter feed. The most recent video is below – let me know what you think and get in touch if there is anything you’d like to see on the weekly PQ #sewingscope. Sunday #sewingscope – sewing for NI Big Sock! https://t.co/mTUKclDOoM — The Patchwork Quill (@PatchworkQuill) February 26, 2017

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 creative arts projects. Pamela is a member of the #artsni creative collective, and also a keen supporter of #NI2030 – an ambitious and energetic campaign to see Northern Ireland regarded as the creative capital of Europe by 2030. She told me how all of the above led to her latest project – an attempt to put Northern Ireland on the map by hand-making the world’s biggest patchwork Christmas stocking! Her previous patchwork projects have been historically significant and fascinating pieces of work, including a recreation of the Changi Quilts made by female prisoners in Singapore during the Second World War. Below, the original quilt is on the left, Pamela’s replica is on the right. January was Voluntary Arts #lovetoUPCYCLE month, so what better way for a crafter to do her bit for Northern Ireland’s 2030 ambitions than to kick off the new year with a world record attempt, using scrap card, paper and fabric? Pamela needs to create a working stocking larger than the world’s current largest – a knitted sock measuring an eye-popping 51 x 21 metres! But she can’t do it alone – she needs your help! It will take several thousand paper-pieced hexagons of fabric sewn together to create this record-breaking festive garment. Here’s how you can help: 1. Sew up some hexagons yourself Full instructions for making these are in the pic below. You’ll need a hexagon template which Pamela will provide. Only hexagons made using Pamela’s templates can be accepted as each one must be strictly of uniform size in order to be used in the stocking. These can currently be collected from Top Floor Art in Saintfield, or you can contact Pamela through the NI Big Sock Facebook page. She’s hoping to add to the list of collection and drop-off points soon (see point 3!) 2. Donate card, paper, fabric and thread Old Christmas and birthday cards, cereal boxes – these are ideal sources of the thin card needed for the hexagon templates. For the paper pieces, thick sturdy paper – such as old calendars, takeaway menus, brochures and magazines – is required. Fabric and sewing thread is also needed – do you have any scrap fabric measuring at least 3″ x 3″, maybe even old pillowcases or clothes destined for the charity shop? They need to be either red, green or dark coloured and of a light to medium weight. If you happen to have any Christmas fabric – all the better! Any thread donations would be very gratefully received – thread you don’t need, maybe the end of a spool, or perhaps some sewing groups or retailers would be able to donate any surplus stocks of thread they can spare? 3. Offer a premises as a drop-off and/or collection point for people to leave completed hexagons or collect hexagon templates. Perhaps you can offer your business, office, or other premises? This could be a great opportunity for a craft, sewing supplies or fabric shop! Click the image to download the infographic . I happen to have a few hexagons myself and I’m more than happy to act as a drop-off point for anyone in and around Lisburn – so just get in touch if you’d like to get involved! Don’t forget to share your hexagon-making pics here, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and please download and share the infographic above too.

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 surroundings. For someone who runs a blog and a writing business from home, this ain’t good. I felt like I was spending most of my free time tidying or doing housework and yet at the end of every week I was chin deep in clothes and unfinished to-do lists, with a kitchen sink full of dishes. It finally occurred to me that I had Too Much Damn Stuff and it was time for a long-overdue audit. Turns out I owned nearly 50 pairs of shoes! On an average week, I wore maybe four of them! A couple had actual MOULD on them! Superb! I have one pair of legs, that spend about 87% of their time inside trousers. Yet here we are, looking at my eighteen pairs of tights. As well as hoarding, I wasn’t storing things efficiently. Putting things away involved clothes and shoes simply being stuffed and flung into drawers and cupboards. Everything was out of sight, rooms were technically ‘tidied’, but I never achieved that calm, in-control sense of everything being where it should be. Over the next six weeks, I went methodically through everything (E V E R Y T H I N G) I owned, sorting it all – clothes, shoes, underwear, make-up, jewellery, books – into three categories: KEEP The things I use or wear all the time; the things I love. “I’d wear it if…” This was for anything I’d use or wear tomorrow if only for a repair or alteration. OUT The instant ‘no’ s! Too big, too small, hideous, never wear or use it, worn out. This group was subject to a further audit – but more on that later… MAYBE Anything I couldn’t make an immediate decision on. Needed to try it on, didn’t hate it but didn’t love it, forgot I owned it, bit ‘meh’ but useful for work.. One by one, a storage area/item category at a time (eg shoes; the t-shirt drawer), I carried out a simple three step process: This obviously doesn’t include the keeps that needed mended or altered. More on what I’ll do with those and the ‘Out’ and ‘Maybe’ piles later. I was about four weeks in to The Great Life Laundry of 2015/16 when the internet – or at least the corner of it where I hang out – suddenly exploded with chatter about decluttering, most of it centred around Marie Kondo and her ‘KonMari’ method. The “professional cleaning consultant with a three-month waiting list” has just followed up best-seller The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up with Spark Joy. Her methodology seems to be based on two key concepts: 1. If you don’t truly love it or need it; if it doesn’t ‘spark joy’ – out it goes. 2. The stuff you keep around should be tidy, organised and easily accessible. Reading about Marie’s work and her passion for the power of tidying, I felt prophetic, vindicated and Very On Trend Indeed. Perhaps if I had stumbled across her books sooner, my decluttering efforts wouldn’t have eaten a month and a half of my life, but I found the process cathartic, so no regrets. While some might think it’s ridiculous to describe ‘tidying up’ as life-changing, what I did during that six-week purge was more than just a nice spring clean; it has already led to a complete change in my mindset, behaviour and energy. Taking control of my environment in this way – really thinking about the things I live with and their place in my life – has been transformative. This pro-active, getting-things-done approach is spilling over into my work, my creative projects and my personal life, and it feels great. So – with my keeps chosen and carefully stored so everything could be seen at a glance, I still had two categories to process. The Maybes Step 4 mostly involved trying on clothes to see if they still fit or if I still liked or suited them. If you put objects (eg books, ornaments, CDs) in the ‘Maybe’ pile, I believe you’ve already made your decision. If you really are struggling to make a decision, a good tip is to use the ‘one year box’. Put all your maybes into a box, store the box somewhere out of sight – the attic for example – and set a reminder on your phone to check the box again in exactly twelve months from now. Anything still in it then needs to be chucked, donated or stashed away in a memento box if it has sentimental value. For clothes you can’t make a decision about, use the coathanger test. After a year, you will have been through every season and hopefully most occasions that you might be ‘saving’ clothes for – so no excuses! The Outs Most of the ‘Out’ pile was donated to charity, however a significant amount of the clothing ended up in a box in my sewing room, beside my box of ‘Mends and Alterations’ from the keeps. But that’s for another post – watch this space… Have any of you had a major purge of possessions or read any of the KonMari books? Leave a comment and let me know if you have any tips and tricks!

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. You can vote from any desktop or mobile device once per day from any one email address. Voting closes at 9pm on Monday 25 January with the finalists announced on Friday 29 January. I would be so thrilled to bring my little celebration of Northern Ireland culture, crafting and creativity to a national awards ceremony – please help me! Take two minutes a day to vote, and please spread the word!

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 Best Arts & Culture Blog. So as the awards have evolved over the past three years, it seems the wee PQ is keeping up, doing a little better every time! Ready and raring to go for the roaring Twenties-themed awards! This year saw a change in management, with Ashville Media taking over from co-founders Amanda Webb and Lorna Sixsmith. The 2015 awards got off to an ever-so-slightly shambolic (but reassuringly Irish) start, with a queue still snaking up the street from the entrance of the new venue, The Tivoli Theatre, about half an hour after doors opened. Looking at the Facebook photos, it seems they’d been asking attendees to pose for pics as they arrived in their flapper finery, as per the ‘roaring Twenties’ theme, and thus created a bit of a traffic jam in the tiny theatre lobby! They soon abandoned the photocall and before long we were all in, greeted with goody bags of freebies, a complimentary glass of bubbly, plus tokens for grub and a couple of pints. The Tivoli was a really cool venue choice; reminiscent of The Black Box, with a Sunflower/Hudson-esque courtyard adorned in colourful street art. The funky outdoor space played host to a selection of ‘street food’ outlets, offering kebabs, fries, veggie food and salads. As a vegan, it was great to be able to have something to eat that wasn’t yet another bowl of chips! The benchrows we sat on for the awards ceremony were a far cry from the plush round table elegance of the 2014 bash, but I actually preferred it – informal and intimate. We had great chats with the girls we were perched beside, including the gorgeous blogger behind Where Wishes Come From, Sadhbh Devlin (who I fell in love with a little bit). The Arts & Culture category was the first announced, so it wasn’t very long before I got the amazing news. The last couple of months leading up to the awards have been so busy work-wise that I’ve been kicking myself for missing this event, or not getting that piece up on the blog… so the silver prize honestly was a very happy, but very real shock. This year they split each category into a Company and a Personal Award, with each of those awards having silver and bronze winners too. In one fell swoop, they multiplied the number of category winners by six, meaning the ceremony format was updated to keep the night flowing smoothly and quickly. The only downside was that I didn’t get a little ‘moment’ in the spotlight, as only Gold winners went up to collect a trophy and have their photo taken – but this was a great logistical call on the organisers’ part and I am more than happy with my shiny silver blog badge! The entertainment was superb; I only wish I took more photos, but I was too busy lifting my jaw from the floor at eye-popping aerial, burlesque and hula-hoop artistry. I was lucky enough to get chatting to one of the fabulous performers – the stunning Shir Madness (pictured below) – after the show, and I’m excited to hear she is performing at The Belfast Burlesque Festival which runs between the 27th and 29th November 2015. It’s corny, it’s a bit hackneyed, but I don’t care – The Patchwork Quill would not have a chance of reaching awards finals and winning silver trophies if it weren’t for you – my loyal band of Quillians. Reading, sharing, nominating, tweeting, voting… thank you all so much for supporting the Quill for four fun years. I’m inspired anew to fill the PQ with bigger, brighter, better content in the year ahead and who knows – maybe there’ll be gold on the mantelpiece next year…?

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 this little gem of a shop on Monday and instantly fell for it, heads over heels. Action Cancer boutique in Lisburn’s Market Square Shop manager Amy Brereton says although there is a steadily-growing stream of customers, every day she sees new faces, each (like me!) saying they are here for the first time. Amy is an art graduate and her appointment really is a smart move. From her amazing handmade window-display dress to colour-coordinated rails, trend-aware outfits and artfully curated displays, her creative vision is evident throughout the store. Shop manager Amy Brereton’s artistic expertise is evident in every corner. Action Cancer has transformed all of their clothing stores into boutiques – a rebranding trend I first noticed in Northern Ireland’s not-for-profit retail sector about ten years ago, with the launch of Oxfam Vintage Belfast and the Oxfam Bridal shop on Bangor’s Main Street. Our ongoing love affair with vintage and pre-loved clothing, coupled with tough economic times, means charity shops are competing more than ever with thrift stores and cut-price high street retailers, and relying on donated clothes to do so. It’s a challenge that fashion-loving Amy enjoys, and says she’s had no difficulty in keeping the store up-to-date: “The quality of clothing we get here is really good – every time I go through donations, I can see things that reflect the catwalk trends.” Like every good charity shop, it doesn’t just offer fashion bargains. There’s an impressive record, CD and DVD collection, loads of books, a beautiful display cabinet full of ornaments and trinkets and even a guitar and musical equipment for sale. Seeing vintage typewriters and Singer sewing machines dotted around the shop as well brought me real joy. Little touches like this really catch my eye, and it supports what Amy says about donation quality. I have bookmarked this as a little treasure trove I will return to time and again. (Yes, I know I’m in shot in that last photo. Couldn’t get the pic at any other angle!) You can keep up to date with the Action Cancer boutique and furniture store on social media via the links below. The Lisburn boutique holds a fashion show on 12th November in Crumlin Road Gaol, which the PQ is really looking forward to! Working with local designers, they will showcase a range of outfits upcycled from their own pre-loved shop stock. Tickets are £25 and I’ll update the post with ticket purchase info and a poster as these become available.

I write this post having spent last night reading – in a mixture of horror and despair that is becoming all-too-familiar in Northern Ireland in July – that North Belfast has seen ugly scenes of sectarian violence. I urge you to read and please share this article as a reminder that, although a minority (and they are a minority) want to keep us forever separated in fear and misunderstanding; the arts, creativity and music – as Ralph McLean says in this following video – can bring us all together, and keeps doing so. Let’s keep celebrating – together – the things we do right in Northern Ireland. Maybe it will help us forget our petty differences one day. This was my first ever visit to Buskfest, although the street-music festival is now in its 12th year, and it was clear to see from the outset why it has been going from strength to strength for so long. For three and a half hours, buskers perform on the streets of Banbridge. As well as pleasing the punters, they’re hoping to impress a team of judges, who visit every act and decide who wins a share of the £3,000 prize pot, divided up and awarded at the finale concert in Solitude Park in the evening. The town was absolutely buzzing before the festival even officially started at 1pm. Singers, bands and musicians had been milling in and out of the town hall from 9.30 that morning to sign up for their spot for the day, and most were tuning and warming up as soon as they settled in to their pitch. Music was ringing out from every corner of the Bannside town long before midday. Below are some of the dozens of photos and videos I snapped on the day. I couldn’t put my camera down, and my overzealous Instagramming saw my phone waving the white flag by 5pm! Video isn’t yet my strong point, but hopefully it gives you an idea of the amazing talent I was lucky enough to experience. From a young boy shredding the hell out of 70s rock, to jazz funk bands, rap duos, and angelic versions of modern disco classics, there literally was something for everyone to enjoy. I was rather proud to find I had zoned in on three of the six winners (Tap, Gavin Ferris and David Goodwin) *smug face* At 6pm the buskers, their families and friends and many of the crowds who’d been enjoying the free entertainment all day, all headed into Solitude Park for the finale concert and awards ceremony. Ralph McLean compered and Daniel Duke of BBC’s The Voice put on a great gig, ably assisted by his equally-talented brother James, also a contestant on the talent show. His self-penned songs went down just as well – if not better – than the covers, with a great mix of upbeat folky rock, as well as some beautiful soulful ballads. Daniel is a passionate supporter of the festival, having not only cut his performing teeth at Buskfest, but winning it a number of years ago. Daniel and James Duke perform at the finale concert of Buskfest 2015 BBC Ulster’s Ralph McLean compered the finale show at Buskfest 2015 and announced the award winners. The winners I’m looking forward to visiting Buskfest next year, and hopefully for many years to come. A timely reminder of Northern Ireland getting it right.

On Sunday 31 May I visited not one, but two markets in Belfast. Both very different, but equal in quality, variety and wallet-friendliness! I called in first to the Fine and Dandy Market, held on the last Sunday of every month in The Crescent Arts Centre. It provides a platform for local makers and artisan producers to sell their wares and there is a seriously impressive selection of products for sale. Handmade silver jewellery, homemade chutneys and preserves (delicious – I had to have a taste!), handpainted wood art and furniture, a fine tea emporium, vintage clothes, upcycled glassware, embroidered homewares, vinyl… The list goes on. All of the sellers I spoke to were so friendly, happy to take time to chat, and really passionate and knowledgeable about their crafts. Click the pics to see them full-size, and for links to the makers featured. I could have stayed all day without running out of things to look at, but I couldn’t miss being at the first ever Belfast Flea. I’m so impressed with what these guys have put together in a relatively short period of time. Housed in the colourful courtyard of The Sunflower Bar, under lime-green canopy roofs, the couple of dozen or so stalls were jam-packed with kitsch and curiosity. There were old classic books, original art, classic vinyl, stunning vintage and pre-loved clothes and shoes spilling out of old suitcases, and jewellery and knick knacks draped lovingly on charmingly rickety side tables. There was also hot food, traybakes and (of course) a few pints being enjoyed, and apart from a violent but mercifully brief hail storm, the sun smiled down. A great day – I see this being a permanent monthly fixture in this thriving little quarter of Belfast. Other must-see markets in Belfast and beyond: The Dock Market (Belfast, Titanic Quarter) Folktown Market (Belfast, Folktown Quarter) St George’s Market (Belfast) North Down Craft Collective (Holywood) Shambles Variety Market (Armagh) Any you’d like me to add to the list? Get in touch! #marketsinbelfast #sunflowerbarbelfast #fineanddandymarket #prelovedclothing #fleamarket #belfastflea #sunflowerbelfast #handmadenorthernireland #vintagebelfast #whatsonbelfast #craftingbelfast #CrescentArtsCentre #vintageclothes

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 culture, crafting and creativity, 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 Visit our drop-in craft corner and have a go at making something to take away with you. Learn how to knit or crochet, make a little pom-pom bug or a piece of origami – just a selection of the things you can try your hand at. There will be hot drinks, sweet treats and maybe a little tipple or two for the adults. Creativity Editor-in-chief and founder of The Patchwork Quill (that would be moi!) will be at the Blogging Station ready to advise any new or wannabe bloggers. My knowledge is by no means exhaustive, but I’ve learned a lot in the three years since I started the Quill, so I’ll talk you through the basics and answer any questions I can. Get some first-hand experience of blogging on the night too – I want to get you involved! Share your experience of Culture Night so far, be photographed and interviewed for a special version of the PQ Q&A, or be a roving Quill with your own assignment to file! For the more musically-minded, Guitarbuckle is bringing an extra guitar and offering drop-in lessons for anyone keen to learn, or polish up their chords. Also, he’s not averse to an impromptu jamming session if you can already play! It’s only the second year of Culture Night in Lisburn and already it has grown, with so much to see and do. Check out the programme and come see Lisburn the way it should always be! #blogging #learntocrochet #cnb14 #culturenightlisburn #guitarbuckle #learnorigami #bloggingworkshop #culturenightbelfast #learntoknit #andyarbuckle #bloggingtips #blogadvice #crafting #CNL14 #howtostartablog #culturenight #craft

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 logo you see above! Event invitations, status updates, tags and shares on Facebook; tweets, retweets, direct messages and hashtags on Twitter and the steady stream of eyecatching images on the other three, I scour these platforms daily for ideas, inspiration, contacts and leads. They are great resources; windows to the world and ears to the ground. As a blogger in the 21st century (especially one who fits blogging around a full-time day job) the social media platforms I use are essential tools for populating and promoting my site. However (and I know I’m not alone here), I’ve found it’s creeping further and further into the rest of my life. The first thing I do when I come home from work is make a coffee, and while the kettle boils, the phone is in my hand, thumb flick-flick-flicking. As my boyfriend and I chill out on the sofa in front of the TV, there’s always a mobile or a tablet within arm’s reach, and they are frequently reached for. Worst of all, I no longer read a book when I go to bed; I curl up in the dark and scroll through feed after feed on that little blue screen until my eyelids are heavy. It’s an insidious habit, presenting addiction-like behaviours – I literally cannot sleep until I exhaust either myself or the on-screen supply of updates. As a writer with an interest in culture, crafting and creativity, I have plenty to fill my (albeit limited) free time – books to be read, dresses to be sewn, films to watch, new people to meet and share ideas with. It has been a long time since I published a crafting post, and that’s because it’s been months since I touched my sewing machine. Instead, ironically, I am more likely to be found poring over photos of handmade creations on Instagram, thinking “I wish I could do that!”…. I am starting to feel like my personal social media consumption is allowing my brain to atrophy, and dulling my creativity. I feel sludgy and coagulated. In another twist of irony, I find I am blogging less and less – scrolling through my feeds finding lots of great ideas for the blog, sure, but actually putting down the phone and opening the laptop? Not so much. I will always be a heavy user of social media, for the reasons set out above, but in an effort to begin redressing the balance, I’ll be opening this when I get into bed tonight, instead of my phone. The phone’ll still be there though – it is my alarm clock… #babysteps #doiusesocialmediatoomuch #useofsocialmedia #socialmedia #socialmediaaddiction #facebook #Instagram #pinterest #twitteraddiction #twitter #socialmediaforblogging #vine #facebookaddiction