Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Hollywood Fair

This weekend our photo opportunity traveled back in time.

This the Annual Hollywood Fair in County Wicklow--one of the best if you ask me!

Where the dress is pre 1950s and livestock roam the grounds.



Food is on the grill. What's an Irish barbeque without potatoes? Check out the potato-filled crates!



A little story about Hollywood, the one in California and in the Republic of Ireland (FYI, there's also a Hollywood in Northern Ireland.) My maternal grandparents are from Hollywood, California. (In fact, my great grandfather is Harry Davenport, Doctor Meade in Gone with the Wind, and my grandfather was the one-armed soldier turned away by Scarlett O'Hara. There's media trivia for you! )




Across the pond, my future husband's paternal family was also being raised in Hollywood--this one in County Wicklow.

Taking in the infamous sign on the hill, below, one difference in our Hollywoods is whether the sheep are grazing.




Sunday, August 7, 2011

Acting on Hidden Signs

Recently we posted an image on Facebook asking friends to guess what it was. It was a partial shot of a larger feature that is in production on a quilt. There were a lot of guesses. Can you guess it correctly?
Neither could anyone else! Though, FB friends Patricia did guess 'clover' and Virgina guessed 'birds'. They both deserve a win and will receive a complimentary copy of the upcoming issue that features this quilt. Here is the full shot:
Months ago I spotted this Irish Hex Sign and immediately envisioned it on a lovely quilt. After contacting Jacob Zook et al. (the company who makes these signs), we secured permission and viola! production began.


The end result is a sweet quilt, king size. Talented Karen in County Kerry pieced this large applique quilt with Hex signs set in an Irish Chain. Now Romi of Creative Quilting is quilting it on her long arm machine.


People who know me know I'm a writer first and a quilter second.
(That's because my schooling happened to be as such. Trust me, had I attended four years of quilt school and could quilt for a living, I would! Heck! it is hard enough writing for a living--but I'll have a go at it anyway.)


Who am I fooling? My own stitching is never straight. My patience can't compare to the sharpest point of any star block. I stick to writing, but with my business, I know to surround myself with the best quilters.

So, here I am chuffed with each step of progress on this Irish Hex Sign quilt-- seeing my idea with the inspiration of the Zook signs come to life. I use the term 'designed by' lightly--but it is not to discount our ideas. Your ideas. You all have ideas and inspirations--they usually begin as simple as, "ooh, that would make a great quilt".

Most the time, it simply involves one call or email to get permission and the sewing can begin. Despite my inadequate sewing, had I more time, I would have loved to do the piecing myself. But then, with my sewing, who knows if the quilt would made it in the issue!