Search Results

If you follow the Quill on Facebook or Twitter, or indeed if you’ve noticed the majassive badge to the right, you’ll have twigged that the blog has been longlisted in the Blog Awards Ireland this year. I’ve been listed in four categories: Best Newcomer Blog Best Arts/Culture Blog Best Blog Post Best Craft Blog Longlisting in itself isn’t something to get too excited about, as this year, every working blog nominated has been included. Mind you, I am still excited, especially as I only nominated myself in two of those categories. (thank you, whoever you are!) I find out on the 8th September whether the judges have shortlisted me for three of those awards, at which point, if they have, prepare for me to go into orbit. However, one of the awards, Best Blog Post, is a People’s Choice Award and voting is open now, with the five least popular posts dropping off the longlist every week. The blog post I’ve been nominated for is A Fatal Cut which is, to date, the blog’s most-read and most-commented-on – in fact, it sparked quite a debate on arts funding! If you like it and think it deserves a vote (and only if you think it deserves a vote), then click the link below and give The Patchwork Quill your support. Thank you if you do. >CLICK HERE TO VOTE< #art #award #creative #culture #making #blog #voting #arts #BlogAwardsIreland #funding #handmade #vote #craft

Chinese lanterns hanging at Belfast City Hall to welcome Chinese New Year. pic courtesy of the Chinese Welfare Association NI. Or in English (hopefully) – welcome the Year of the Snake! It is the first day of the Chinese New Year tomorrow (Sunday 10th February) and given Northern Ireland’s sizeable Chinese population, it’s no surprise to see the country poised to launch into weeks of celebration. It is also known as the Spring Festival and apparently it’s traditional for Chinese families to clean their houses thoroughly to sweep away bad luck and make way for incoming good fortune in the year ahead. Funnily enough, I have had a lacklustre start to the year in terms of energy, motivation and achievement. I usually really embrace the new year, use it as an excuse to take stock, make plans, start afresh. However, in recent days I’ve felt a burgeoning sense of positivity and ambition in a number of areas of life – not least my crafting. I made my first handmade item of clothing this week, finally breaking the new sewing machine out of its packaging for the first time this year! My first blog post of 2013 was published pretty recently too. So here’s to the Chinese New Year – the Quill, as you know, takes each and every opportunity to celebrate the myriad of cultures and races we are lucky enough to have on this small piece of land. Despite recent events, Northern Ireland remains a patchwork quilt of cultures and a warm and welcoming people and I am glad to have another chance to draw attention to that. Below is a selection of what’s happening, but check the What’s On calendar later in the weekend as I will be updating it with details of everything I know to be happening over the weekend and weeks to come. Please get in touch if there is anything I have missed – I’d love it if you would share anything you are doing for Chinese New Year in the comments below. BELFAST Billed as “Northern Ireland’s largest Chinese New Year Celebrations”, the Ulster Hall is set to welcome around 2,500 people for a day of festivities. Scottish/Chinese music fusion act Harmony Ensemble is the special feature – having discovered Delhi2Dublin at Belfast Mela 2011, I am a big fan of blending cultural music styles. There will be acrobats and circus, ribbon dancing, martial arts, fashion, market stalls and of course – tasty food! The lion dance at 1pm is described as a don’t-miss. I am intrigued by the “Snake’s Lair Workshops” for children – I imagine lots of colourful snakes of all shapes and sizes will be created. 10/02/13: Belfast Zoo The zoo is welcoming in the Year of the Snake by offering the chance to learn more about the zoo’s Chinese animals at keeper talks and feeding times today. Anyone born in a Year of the Snake (1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 and 2013) can gain admission for free today – as long as you can prove it! 11/02/13: Gala Fundraising Dinner Taking place at the Europa Hotel, the event is also a chance to mark the 30th anniversary year of the NI Chinese Chamber of Commerce (NICCC). The Gala Dinner is a fundraiser to support community work for NI’s Chinese population and the Chinese Language School. Guests will be treated to performances from local Chinese groups and star appearances from Hong Kong celebs. Tickets are £35 and available from Asia, Camseng & Lee foods supermarkets and the NI Chinese Welfare Association. 13/02/13: NI – China Trade Conference China is recognised as one of the world’s economic superpowers and this event in Belfast Met examines the opportunities in the country for NI businesses. Invest NI, the NICCC, CWA NI, Queens University, University of Ulster and Belfast City Council have joined forces with the college to host the conference. Taking place in the Titanic Quarter campus between 10am and 12.30pm. 16/02/13: Cookery Demonstration, St Georges Market Taking place at 12pm in the market, a chance to learn to cook a proper Chinese meal from scratch. Few other details available at this stage, so you’ll have to go along and check it out for yourself! DERRY~LONDONDERRY 12/02/13: Sai Pak Community Association Gala Fundraising Dinner Dinner, accompanied by entertainment and a children’s Chinese dress competition. At the City Hotel, Derry from 5pm. Tickets £30/£18 concession. 24/02/13: Lantern Festival – Last day of Chinese New Year Taking place in the Craft Village, the last day of the official New Year celebrations is marked with a day of outdoor performances, food, workshops and a market. A cultural show of acrobatics, music, martial arts, dance and of course, the traditional lions and dragons. CARRICKFERGUS 23/02/13: Chinese New Year celebrations at Town Hall Carrickfergus throw their third annual festival for the New Year, featuring the Chinese Face Changer, ribbon dancing, workshops, astrology and dragons. It kicks off at 11am and entry is free. ENNISKILLEN 10/02/13: Fermanagh Lakeland Forum will be holding Chinese New Year celebrations between 2pm and 4pm today. I hope you all enjoy welcoming in The Year of the Water Snake – let me know what you get up to! #workshop #festival #multicultural #China #culture #diversity #ChineseNewYear2013 #ChineseNewYear #Ireland #NorthernIreland #family

This is the first in a new regular feature I am introducing – The PQ Q&A. The plan at the moment is to post a Q&A article every other Friday. The frequency may change (it might work better weekly, or monthly), but the day will stay the same.The subject could be an artist, individual, organisation, business, project, collective etc doing something creative, unique, innovative or interesting – if it makes me want to sit down and ask them all about it, you’ll see it here on a Friday. As always, I want you to get involved – who or what do you want to read about here? If you want to nominate someone you think the PQ should send their Qs to, get in touch. The first PQ Q&A is with the two-woman team behind Papergirl Belfast, a lovely initiative aimed at distributing free artworks to members of the public. Jodie Young, a graphic designer, and Julie Steenson, who works in book publishing, tell us how their love of art led them to becoming papergirls… PQ: Tell me more about the Papergirl concept… A: The Papergirl project was founded in Berlin by Aisha Ronniger in the summer of 2006 in reaction to tightening German graffiti laws. Since then, its participatory, non-commercial and DIY spirit has seen it become an international creative movement, and today Papergirl takes place in over forty cities worldwide (you will find a list of the participating cities on our website). This is the first year it has run in Belfast and we have been delighted by the positive reaction it has had from artists and the general public alike. In short, the project consists of posting an open call for submissions, holding an exhibition to showcase the work collected and then rolling up and distributing that work by bicycle to random passers-by. While there are a few basic rules that must be adhered to in order to make use of the Papergirl name (it must be non-commercial, participatory and uncurated), it’s up to each city to make the project their own and the approach has been quite varied across the world. PQ: How did you go about bringing Papergirl to Belfast? A: We first came across Papergirl San Francisco online and instantly fell in love with the idea of bringing it to Northern Ireland. After a bit more research into the concept, we approached Aisha for permission to bring the project to Belfast. Soon afterwards we discovered that the first Papergirl Dublin exhibition was about to take place, so we visited it for inspiration before getting things underway up here. PQ: What is your vision for the project, and why were you inspired to do this? A: What most appealed to us was the fun, inclusive spirit of the project. The art world is (often unfairly) characterised as intimidating, both for new artists and the general public. Papergirl circumvents this apparent exclusivity by guaranteeing that all work submitted will feature in the exhibition, and by putting art into in the hands of people who might not ordinarily visit galleries. PQ: Can you tell me a bit about how you got the artists involved and worked with them? A: Papergirl is open to local and international artists, both emerging and established. We invite visual artists, graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, poets, short-story writers, crafters, and zine, comic and sticker makers to submit their work; the only real requirement being that it is flexible enough to be rolled up for distribution. We posted our call for submissions on social media and on various open call sites and had a fantastic response from artists and writers from all over the world, including Mexico, the US and Germany, as well as support from local established artists, such as Shauna McGowan and Susan Hughes, who very generously donated pieces of their work. The Papergirl project also offers an excellent opportunity for art and design students and recent graduates to exhibit their work in a gallery setting for the first time. Many artists kindly contributed more than one piece, and while there was not enough space to exhibit all the individual pieces submitted, at least one work from every artist has been included in the exhibition and everything we received will be incorporated into the rolls for distribution. We’ve already had artists who missed out on this year’s deadline getting in touch about contributing something for next year, and we’re planning on opening the 2014 call for submissions in early autumn. PQ: How exactly – and when – are you planning to give the artworks away? How will you choose the lucky recipients? A: The exhibition will run until Saturday 6 July at Belfast’s PS2 and our distribution cycle will take place a fornight later on Saturday 20 July. Anyone who has a bicycle is more than welcome to join us in passing the rolls of art out to the public (full details of where and when will follow on Facebook and Twitter in the coming week). The idea is to choose recipients completely at random – so if you want the gift of a Papergirl art roll, you can only hope that you’re in the right place at the right time on the day of the distribution cycle! ~ Below are some pics from the exhibition launch night (all pics: Gareth Hammond). If anybody needs me on the 20th July, you’ll probably find me loitering on the streets of Belfast, trying my best to look art-starved… #opencallforsubmissions #crafters #graphicdesigners #art #inspired #artexhibitionbelfast #photographers #SusanHughesartist #poets #Belfast #PapergirlDublin #creative #Papergirl #comic #culture #graffiti #SusanHughes #PapergirlBelfast #visualartists #ShaunaMcGowanartist #freeart #PapergirlSanFrancisco #artist #colour #arts #paper #artinbelfast #shortstorywriters #Ireland #ShaunaMcGowan #NorthernIreland #illustrators #PapergirlBerlin #handmade #zine #stickermakers #craft #Berlin #opencallforartists

Well, it’s taken me five months and it’s still a work in progress, but I’m delighted to announce I am the proud owner of A Sewing And Crafting Room! (it’s not quite ready for the lofty title of ‘Studio’ just yet). Andy and I moved in to our lovely house back in May. His Man Cave was constructed within a matter of hours, my home office took a few weeks and a room swap to take shape, but the lovely big, airy room on the top floor (once a needlessly cavernous office…) has resembled an abandoned, vandalised haberdashery the whole time we’ve lived here. Until last weekend, when it went from this….. To this! Taaa DAAAAAHHH! There now follows a gallery of gratuitously Instagrammed photos. My sewing teacher will be so proud. “Your iron is just as important as your sewing machine!” My one, slightly overworked, unit of storage. My lovely books. Soon to become dog eared, annotated, paint splashed and coffee ringed 🙂 Like I said, very much a work in progress – I need a lot more storage and a large, sturdy work table, as well as the go-ahead from the landlord to hang my hundreds of mirrors and pictures – but it is working and it is progressing. For the first time in my life, I have a dedicated crafting room and I’m so excited about it! I could have waited a little longer, could have saved the money and kitted it out in one big shopping trip, but I think it’s more natural that a room like this is a work in progress, continually evolving and adapting to my changing needs, interests and skills. I will only figure out exactly what I need from this space by actually sitting inside it and using it, writing shopping lists and sketching plans and layouts as I go. I’d really love you all to share stories and pictures of your own studios/work rooms/creative spaces – in fact the more creative you’ve been with the space you create in, the better – please get in touch! All suggestions for my own little studio-with-a-very-small-s will be gratefully received too. What works for you? Any tips and tricks or clever storage solutions? #workshop #art #painting #paint #inspired #design #photo #sewing #knitting #haberdashery #creative #studio #work #fabric #making #paintbrushes #workspace #colour #Instagram #arts #homestudio #books #storage #crafting #handmade #craft

I would apologise for the title, but I’m not one bit sorry – that’s the best Shania Twain-related sewing pun you’re likely to see all year. L – R: Stuart and Mark. Tuesday 9th April brought the second installment of The Great British Sewing Bee and this week, we heard it for the boys – the first challenge (creating a pair of men’s trousers); self-deprecating Stuart’s delightful personality and creativity really starting to shine; Mark’s struggles with modern tailoring styles and a hilarious scene in which all male bottoms in the room – including the immaculately-clad posterior of Patrick Grant – are thoroughly inspected by Sandra. Marvellous stuff. At the end of last week’s show, Michelle was the contestant asked to leave the competition and Jane went home ill. May told us she would be back next week if she was well enough…and I fear that’s the last we’ll ever hear from, or of Jane, as she was nowhere to be seen and no mention was made of her! A strange omission, but they do have about twelve hours of sewing to cram into a sixty-minute show, so I guess some things end up on the proverbial cutting floor. Poor Jane, hopefully she is feeling better. Let’s hear it for the boy: I loved Stuart’s inventive pocket idea for his skirt. The one-hour customisation challenge saw the contestants adding pockets to a high-street skirt. Each contestant went for patch pockets – made from an area of material sewn on to the body of the skirt rather than created inside the side seams. Stuart’s ‘outside the box’ thinking was the obvious winner of this challenge, but I’ll not spoil the surprise. I will definitely be trying his idea out on a skirt soon though, I can promise that! The final challenge of the day was, I think, probably the most difficult, and the most interesting in terms of the hugely varied designs and results. The sewists had to make a silky blouse – any design or pattern they liked and made to fit a model. From Tilly’s home-made pattern to Mark’s medieval man’s blouse, each garment was totally different from the one beside it. Sandra and Ann’s were, again, beautifully executed but, for me, found Stuart’s bold originality won the day again. Watch it yourself to see if the judges agreed… The first challenge of the day was to create a pair of men’s trousers from a pattern, incorporating a waistband, a fly fastening and a tapered leg, narrowing at the ankle. The task, rather than the scary slippy-and-impossible-to-rework silk blouse, drew gasps from all six remaining contestants, even (to my great surprise) seasoned sewist Ann. “Men’s trousers?” she balked. I love this woman. And she did indeed run up a pair of trousers in a rather fetching red wool. (“Men can wear red trousers these days, can’t they?”) With varying degrees of success, I thought all six, none of whom had ever made a pair of men’s trousers like this, did really well. Stuart’s comments set me thinking when he talked about how excited he was to have an excuse to make a pair of men’s trousers, and how there was a limited amount of garments you could make for yourself if you are a man. The fact that none of the contestants, even those with decades of experience, had made a pair of men’s trousers brought it home to me that, although sewing has experienced a resurgence in popularity, men’s clothesmaking is perhaps still a niche within that niche. There is a small – but growing – number of men and boys who enjoy knitting and sewing and creating their own things. So I had a look to see what’s out there for all you men who are mending and making, or even women who fancy turning your hand to making garments for males. Made By Hand – The Great Sartorial Debate. Jeffrey Diduch’s elegant tailoring blog is a wonderful site for anyone with an interest in the making of men’s garments. His blogroll is a wonderful resource too. That Man Quilts? This is a lovely journal-style blog documenting the craft-centred life of its male owner (name as yet unknown) who likes to write about “quilting and raising a daughter”. AllFreeSewing has a huge amount of men’s clothing, gifts and accessories projects all gathered in one place. Do stay in touch and let me know what you’re all thinking about the Great British Sewing Bee. Do you have any great tips and tricks for creating men’s clothes? The Great British Sewing Bee will be on every Tuesday on BBC Two at 8pm until 23rd April 2013. Episodes available to watch on iplayer until 30th April 2013. #sewingformen #ClaudiaWinkleman #inspired #design #sewing #BBC2 #makingmenstrousers #PatrickGrant #creative #sewingbee #fabric #making #MayMartin #menssewing #makingmensclothes #competition #BBCTwo #handmade #craft #TheGreatBritishSewingBee #TV

Last year, I went to Belfast Mela for the first time and the experience stayed with me for some time afterwards. I had forgotten all about Anyone who has visited or been a part of it will probably understand what I mean – you don’t truly start to feel it until after the fact, until you’ve returned home, but Mela really soaks in to the fabric of your consciousness and stays there for a while. It’s not an easy thing to describe either, which is why I’ve had such trouble getting started on this final Mela Monday. The warm, wafting, exotic food smells, the beat of the drums, the lovely cacophony of a thousand different accents, 30,000 voices and music thumping out from four stages, seeing the smiles of grandparents, babes in arms, toddlers, children, teens, couples and everyone in between, the colours of the saris, kimonos, turbans and trinket stalls… I could go on, but I don’t think there exist the words to describe the thumbprint Belfast Mela presses into your soul. So I’ll just tell you about my first Mela as a volunteer, share as many pictures and videos as I can without breaking the blog, and hope it inspires you to come along next year if you are yet to be a part of this life-enriching celebration of diversity and sharing. The Great Lawn and World Stage. Pic: Michael Perkins. Things were a bit hectic when I arrived at the artists’ and volunteers’ base at the bowling green in Botanic Gardens around 10.20am. I put on my purple volunteer t-shirt and before long, found myself part of a sandwich production line, buttering bread and slicing cucumbers to get food ready for hungry performers and workers. It was here I met the glorious force of nature that is Roshni, Mela’s Head of Catering for the day, and my life is all the shinier and gigglier for it – I’m very much hoping we stay friends. I also bumped into an old pal Carole and her lovely boyfriend Chris, also volunteering, which was great, helping me feel less of a newbie/loner. L – R: Rosh, me, Chris, Carole. The Sandwich Squad! Not that there’s actually the time to sit around feeling lonesome as an ArtsEkta volunteer – it wasn’t long before my friends, new and old, were ushered away to other jobs and I found myself surrounded by a group of women in various states of undress. “You need to get this lot ready for the parade now – get stuck in!” It’s not often I spend my Sundays surrounded by women my mum’s age asking me how to arrange traditional Indian garments – in fact it’s fair to say I have zero experience in this altogether. Thankfully, Rosh came to my rescue and we soon had the ladies wrapped, pinned, dressed and good to go. A panicked-looking woman arrived at around midday with a walkie talkie. “The parade is starting NOW, everyone has to go to the Stranmillis Gates RIGHT NOW!” So I found myself ushering a children’s community group through the park (which was already starting to fill with the public) and keeping them all relatively amused while the group leader located their t-shirts and props. My day really started around 1pm, when I got into my costume and headed to the Maharaja Tent. This was to be my main role for the day – helping to meet and greet and look after visitors to the Mela’s newest arrival, a performance area dedicated to the Indian classical arts. Inspired by Indian royalty, palaces and places, this tipi-style structure had been decorated with Indian tapestries, lush coloured fabrics and soft lighting and was an absolute joy to be a part of. In traditional dress and ready for our guests! Pic: Michael Perkins. Located right beside the Ulster Museum, our proximity to two of the park’s busiest entrances meant we got a lot of passing foot traffic, a huge amount of interest before we even opened, and enormous, snaking queues when we did, that barely waned all day. We had six separate performances, with a brand new audience for each and an estimated 150 – 200 people piling in for each show, so we welcomed around 1,000 festival goers over the course of the day. Beautiful floating rangoli art welcomed them at the entrance, scatter cushions on the floor invited them to get comfy and stunning performances left them with some beautiful memories. One of my highlights was the opening performance by Desi Bravehearts, a Scottish Bollywood/fusion dance group. Their energetic piece was laced with humour and flirtation, a brilliant way to start the day. My absolute highlight of the day was our solo dancer from Kala Sangam, who presented one of the eight classical forms of Indian dance – Odissi. As she explained before her performance, her spellbinding dance told a story which forms part of the Mahabharata – one of the great Indian epics. With elegance, hypnotic expressiveness and perfect rhythm, she brought us the tale of one of the Pandava princes and his wife Draupadi. I only wish I had a video of this, because words just won’t do it justice. She performed three times – once for our VIP reception at the beginning of the day and twice for festival goers; giving an extra performance at the end of the day in order for us to keep happy everyone who had queued to get in! The Foundation for Indian Performing Arts brought us a beautiful Kathak dance and we even had a celebrity in our midst when Kuljit Bhamra took to the stage. Credited with bringing Bhangra to Britain, he has worked on film scores including Bend it Like Beckham and The Guru. He teamed up with singer Shahid Khan to deliver a wonderfully authentic ghazal, despite suffering technical problems. ArtsEkta chairman Mukesh Sharma even took to the stage with his tabla (traditional Indian drum), joining a local singer and a sitar player to perform two specially commissioned pieces for Belfast Mela. Before I knew it, it was 5.30pm, the tent was empty, apart from a few festival-goers who wanted a nosey inside, so I headed down to the bowling green to get changed, grab a bite to eat and maybe have a dander round the great lawn and have a listen to the headline act. I just about got a mouthful of cheese sarnie and a sip of coffee before Rosh had us all right at the foot of the main stage, with DCS whipping the crowd into a Bhangra frenzy. And that craic really is infectious! That’s another thing about Mela – the South Asian cultures really don’t seem to do dance inhibition the way the Irish and British do and before long, I was boogeying away with the best of them, unscrewing those lightbulbs, hopping around with my hands in the air and we were even joined by ArtsEkta director Nisha Tandon getting her Bollywood groove on! As I looked around, exhausted but energised, at the different cultures, costumes and colours around me, all dancing and grinning like there was no tomorrow, no need to ever give a damn about anything but having fun together right here in this gorgeous moment, I remembered the feeling I got standing in front of this stage, in this field last year – every summer, ArtsEkta creates a patchwork quilt of people in a park in the middle of Belfast and that is why my patchwork quill and I are so drawn to it and why we had to be a part of Mela 2012. So there you go. That’s why Mela Monday of 2012 is coming to you in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning. It has taken me until this hour to be able to put it in writing and I probably still haven’t done it justice – but hopefully I’ve given you a little taste of my Mela. A huge thank you to my fellow volunteers, especially my fellow Maharaja meeters-and-greeters Sonia and Darren McCourt, our lovely stage manager Robin McRoberts and our compere Tracey Dempsey. But my biggest thank you has to go to Mairead Quinn. Over the past few weeks, she has provided me with wonderful interviewees, pictures and contacts for my Mela Monday posts and has supported and promoted the blog with such energy – all whilst coordinating the volunteer effort that basically makes Mela happen. An absolute star and a pretty marvellous human being. There will be more photos going up in the coming days as I get permission from the various photographers I’ve approached, but for now, enjoy the pics I have got. I hope to see you there next year. Headline act DCS #festival #inspired #music #multicultural #Belfast #creative #diversity #India #tradition #global #BelfastMela2012 #dance #video #colour #arts #Ireland #NorthernIreland #rangoli #sari #heritage #craft #volunteers

This week’s WOTW is a little late and a little different, but that’s OK, as there is still so much happening locally this weekend! Easter fun continues, and there is lots of great music, plus a touch of the exotic… As always, keep an eye on the What’s On Calendar for all your cultural, crafting and creative events needs and please get in touch with any suggestions for this page in the weeks and months ahead. Tuesday 22 April (until Sat 26 April)LisburnDrop in Easter Workshops – Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum, 10am – 12pm and 2 – 4pm (Tues 22 – Sat 26)Make a colourful Easter craft in Lisburn’s Historic Quarter this week, with daily workshops between Tuesday and Saturday. They’ll be showing you how to make your own eggs on legs, Easter baskets, bunny puppets and more. Telephone the Museum Reception to find out the craft of the day on 028 9266 3377. Friday 25 April Lisburn LucyFest 2014, Hagues Bar, 8.30pm An amazing music event being put on by two brothers the Quill knows personally, Eddie and Ash Smith. Eddie’s little daughter Lucy was born earlier this year with a rare liver condition called Biliary Artresia. There is as yet no cure and it is the no. 1 reason for liver transplantation in children in the Western World. Not only is this a fundraiser for the charities that have helped little Lucy, it is a who’s who of the local music scene, with Smoking Tongue, Nasa Assassin, St Hellfire, Buck Eejit, Johnny Vans and Nathan Miller taking turns to either melt your face or soothe your soul. There are loads of great raffle prizes up for grabs and it’s only a fiver (min. donation) in. Check out the Facebook event page for more details and show your support! Saturday 26 April and Sunday 27 April Belfast Youth Action NI’s Rainbow Factory Auditions for Sunshine on Leith Rainbow Factory are very excited to be the first theatre company, outside of the Dundee Rep Theatre, to bring this vibrant musical to Northern Ireland. Sunshine on Leith follows the fortunes of two soldiers as they return home to Scotland, with a soundtrack provided by the music of The Proclaimers. To book your audition contact diane@youthaction.org or call Diane on 028 9024 0551. Rehearsals shall take place between Monday 14 July – Sunday 10 August 2014 with the performances week commencing Monday 11 August. Sunday 27 April Belfast Thai Festival – T13, Titanic Quarter, 12 – 7pm This is the first ever Thai Festival to come to Belfast, and organisers promise a fun day out for all ages. As well as authentic Thai music, food, boxing and dance, there will be relaxing Thai massage, a beer garden, as well as souvenirs, crafts, a beauty contest and raffles. Adult tickets are £3, for kids 7-12 it’s £1 and under 7s enter free. You can follow the event organisers on Twitter or email thainibelfast@gmail.com. #johnnyvans #easterbunny #sthellfire #musicals #easterlisburn #youthactionni #smokingtongue #performingarts #thaifestivalbelfast #buckeejit #auditionsnorthernireland #rainbowfactory #irishlinencentrelisburn #irishlinenmuseum #nathanmiller #whatsonlisburn #lisburnmuseum #linencentrelisburn #haguesbarlisburn #biliaryartresia #eastercrafts #sunshineonleith #nasaassassin #eastereventsnorthernireland

So this whole ‘Monday’ thing is becoming a bit of a running joke isn’t it? I don’t care, I’m stubborn and I’m sticking with it. At the time of writing this, it is still Monday, so it still counts… Having really enjoyed making and then wearing my own skirts, I decided I would move on and try a dress. Without any tuition. Or a pattern. Or any tiny clue what I was doing. Hence this post is ‘to be continued’ and after many re-workings and revisions, I am clinging to the last few shreds of my sanity. I began by using a black shift dress I like as a rough template. I drew round it and added a one-inch seam/hem allowance all round. I cut two dress shapes out and then used one of these as a template to cut two pieces of blue lining fabric. TOP TIP: This is a terrible way to make a dress! I haven’t made the dress pieces big enough to make a dress that’s going to fit me, but thankfully I have only sewn one, and can simply make a larger front-piece to attach to it. Measure yourself, around the bust, waist, hips, bum and legs, and make sure that the corresponding places in each of the fabric pieces follow this formula. Fabric width = Half of your corresponding measurement + (Seam allowance x 2) Anyway, on with the show. I attached a piece of lining fabric to the back piece of the dress using a zig zag stitch on the sewing machine at a medium width, length and tension. The zig zag stitch is useful as it prevents fraying but also gives a good strong attachment between these flimsy cottons I’m using. Next, I pressed and sewed a half-inch hem along the bottom and pressed and sewed a quarter-inch hem along the neck-line and arm-holes. For neatness, I did a quarter-inch hem along the tops of the shoulders, even though they didn’t really need it for the finish, as they will be sewn to the front-piece of fabric and the seam will give the neat finish required. And that, dear readers, is where I am leaving it for this ‘Monday’, otherwise it would probably be Wednesday before you saw this post. By that stage, I could well be dancing around my dress, laughing as it goes up in flames. To be continued next Monday! (ish) #design #howtomakeadress #sewing #howtosew #creative #sewingtips #making #sewingmachine #handmade #learning #dresspattern #howtomakeashiftdress #howtomakeasummerdress

Funky bowl of badges at Boutique Souk Last Saturday, March 10th, I paid visits to two of my top three picks of the weekend’s Belfast Independent Retail Week festivities – Boutique Souk and Stray Jewellery. I started at Boutique Souk, the first actual shop from the waste warriors behind The Fashion Souk, which is tucked away in a faraway corner of Belfast’s In Shops on Castle Street. As well as the Souk’s shop (complete with sewing cafe – although I never got a chance to fully explore how this will be operating) there were several stalls spread out in the empty units and space surrounding it. After making three bewildered circuits of Belfast’s famous indoor market/mall hybrid, I finally spotted the hive of activity taking place just beyond the sprawling cafe area. Everything from second hand, vintage and upcycled clothing, to handmade jewellery and homewares were on sale, at pretty decent prices. PLEASE forgive the blurry pictures – I had a splitting headache last Saturday and a camera I’m not used to… my excuses and I’m sticking to them! Click on the pics to see the full slideshow – a bit bigger and clearer. Elephant Juice caught my eye almost immediately. Linzi Rooney makes this beautiful jewellery by hand from old silver cutlery. Decorative forks, spoons and cutlery handles are transformed into necklaces, cuffs and headpieces. An absolutely wonderful way to upcycle and all at ridiculously reasonable prices, given the level of skill and that each piece truly is a one-off. Elephant Juice tiaras I also loved the handmade treasures on Roisin Robertson’s little Beadylicious stand – so much, I bought one of her fabulous brooches. I really loved her button photo frames and Scrabble tile rings. I went out one of the back doors of the In Shops and rather fortuitously found myself on Church Lane – the home of My New Favourite Shop. Sigh… Stray Jewellery is simply too, too pretty for words, but I shall try. It rather accurately describes itself as Belfast’s cutest little trinket shop. Its two, whitewashed floors are dripping with goodies; from brilliantly original jewellery designs, to adorable, colourful little trinkets and Hello Kitty-type accessories and collectables. The shop was having its Vintage Party to celebrate Belfast Independent Retail Week and as part of this, every one who came through the door wearing something vintage got a little present. As I was wearing a (pretty class, if I say so myself) previously-loved leopard print blazer, I was one of the lucky ones 🙂 Look what I got! I’m obsessed by owls – in fact, I bought a gorgeous, chunky, owl cuff from Stray, but don’t have the pic right now – check back over the next couple of days, it will go up here very soon! Feast your eyes on the Stray Jewellery goodies and make yourself a promise to visit very soon!

Look – it’s everybody’s favourite not-so-regular regular post! As mentioned in this week’s Monday Makes, The Quill has indeed been resting in its inkwell for a few months, but now we’re back with bells on and ready to keep you up to date with the best crafty, creative and cultural goings on throughout the week. Tuesday 25 March Armagh On Home Ground, The Interviews – Armagh City Library, 7 – 8pm As part of Libraries NI‘s ongoing Creativity Month, writer in residence Brian McGilloway interviews crime writer Stuart Neville in the library of his hometown. The LA Times Book Prize winner is the author of thrillers The Twelve, Collusion, Stolen Souls and Ratlines. For more information, phone 028 3752 4072 or email armagh.library@librariesni.org.uk Wednesday 26 March Belfast 10×9 Storytelling – The Black Box, 7.30 – 9pm 10×9 is The Black Box‘s monthly storytelling evening. Nine people each have up to ten minutes to tell a real story from their lives, based on the chosen theme of the evening. Previous topics have included ‘Courage’, ‘Love Stories’ and ‘Sorry’. Follow 10×9 on Twitter or drop them an email to tenbynine@gmail.com Thursday 27 March Derry ~ Londonderry Dancing at Lughnasa – Millenium Forum, 11am and 8pm This beloved Brian Friel play tells the story of the five unmarried Mundy sisters from the point of the now-adult Michael, from his memories of spending a summer with them as a child, in their cottage on the west coast of Donegal. Tickets can be booked online. Friday 28 March Belfast #LiveLouder Competition Final – The Oh Yeah Centre, 7 – 10pm This week, The Oh Yeah Centre has a packed programme of events, so it was difficult to pick one, but the #LiveLouder Competition Final looks like a brilliant night out for music fans aged between 13 and 18. There will be live music from young, up-and-coming artists and bands, with Conor Scott of The Voice UK providing the headline entertainment. Saturday 29 March Belfast Sunglasses After Dark – The Menagerie, 9pm – late The self-proclaimed “wildest 50’S/60’S r’n’r/billy/r&b/surf/trash a ding dong party” is back on Saturday, with Los Reyez headlining, with support, guest DJs and 50s B-movie visuals and movies projected on to the walls. Visit the Facebook event page for more. Sunday 30 March Belfast Fine and Dandy Market – The Crescent Arts Centre, 11.30am – 3.30pm Established in May of last year, this boho little market takes place on the last Sunday of every month. Showcasing the work of crafters, artists and designers, alongside treasures and trinkets from record shop owners and vintage sellers, it would be an ideal Mother’s Day day-trip for the mum who enjoys all things cool and quirky.

The weekend before last, I visited Melanie Bond, who was hosting a pop up stall of her stunning handmade jewellery at Mexx in Bow Street Mall’s Tempest department store. Melanie recently led some exciting jewellery classes in The Bead Shop in Lisburn – sadly I missed these but plan to keep an eye on her Facebook page to book myself on her next course. The visit put me in the mood for some jewellery-making, so I decided to make a really simple necklace I had spotted in my ribbon crafts book, The Complete Guide to Ribbon Crafts by Elaine Schmidt. So here’s my necklace – you can probably see it’s fairly straightforward to put together. You will need: Length of ribbon (mine was approx 30″ / 76.2cm) A selection of beads Needle and thread INSTRUCTIONS 1. Insert your needle at the point in the ribbon where you want your first bead to go. Make a small stitch and bring the needle back through the ribbon and through the first bead. 2. Wrap the working end of the ribbon halfway around the bead and thread the needle through the ribbon – make a small stitch to hold the bead in place. 3. Simply repeat for the rest of the beads. ensure the two ends of ribbon are similar lengths. Secure the necklace around your neck by tying in a knot or bow. It wasn’t really possible to document each step of the make as it required two hands to do! But hopefully these pics give you the idea. Let me know if you decide to have a go at this and don’t forget to share your pics, either through the contact page above, or through my Twitter or Facebook pages. Who are your favourite jewellery designers? #howtomakearibbonnecklace #jewellerytutorial #beading #howtomakejewellery #MondayMakes #ribbons #MelanieBondjewellery #making #beads #makinganecklace #handmade #makingjewellery #ThePatchworkQuill

I’m delighted to begin the week with some great news. One of my favourite arts organisations, ArtsEkta, has chosen The Patchwork Quill to be its official blog partner for the multicultural extravaganza that will be Belfast Mela 2012. On every Monday throughout the month of August I’ll be bringing you Mela Mondays – a series of special features in the run-up to the country’s biggest intercultural festival, taking place in Botanic Gardens on Sunday 26th August between 12 and 6pm.  I’ve been given exclusive access to the performers, artists, staff and volunteers that make Mela possible, so expect sneak peeks behind the scenes, exclusive previews of the sights and sounds to look forward to, as well as a competition giveaway and the lowdown on the many ways you can be a part of Mela 2012 yourself. This will be the sixth annual Mela festival – the word ‘Mela’ being a Sanskrit word meaning ‘to meet’. I met the world on my doorstep for the first time last year when the blog was in its infancy and instantly fell in love with ArtsEkta. They created a patchwork quilt of people in the middle of Belfast, sewn together with great music, delicious food and explosions of art and creativity around every corner. They had me at “hello”. In March of this year, I took my sister along to another of their creative celebrations of diversity – The Festival of Colours. My resolve to be a part of their work in the future was cemented, so this is a creative partnership I hope will last for some time. In my final Mela Monday post on 27th August, I’ll share my own experiences as a volunteer on the day – seeing for myself the hard work that goes into putting this beautiful festival together and probably having a lot of fun while I’m at it. Here is a brief rundown of the schedule for this year’s Belfast Mela as it currently stands – but keep an eye on the website for updates. PERFORMANCE World Stage DCS – The headline act and self-proclaimed “best bhangra act in the world”. South Asian Dance Academy – ArtsEkta’s own innovative dance project. Showcase Stage Ibuki Taiko – Japanese drumming group based in NI. Balkan Alien Sound – The “riotous dance” of Balkan, gypsy and Klezmer songs. Culture Land Stage Gathering Drum – A participative drum circle experience, sure to get your pulse thumping. Bollywood Boogie – Dance event for the young ones. Maharaja Stage *new to Mela* Kuljit Bharma and Shahid Khan – Renowned musicians, performing traditional Indian ghazals. Kala Sangam – leading UK South Asian arts organisation, making their Belfast Mela debut with the traditional dance of Odissi. ARTS AND CRAFTS Global Souk Featuring the popular Craft Village, ethnic fashion bazaar and henna and Chinese calligraphy Culture Land An interactive arts experience to bring kids around the globe. Showcases Mela’s artists display the results of this year’s outreach programmes. Street Mela Street theatre, carnival and circus performances, including the opening Parade of Cultures. RELAX World Food Tent Eat your way from India to Spain to Poland and beyond… Health and Sports Zone Take a breather from all the excitement. I really hope you enjoy these posts. Use the comments section below to let me know if you’re planning to come along to Mela 2012 and what you’re most looking forward to. Hopefully I’ll see you there on the day!