Shortlisted for Top Exporter

We've been selected as a semi finalist by the Wicklow County Enterprise Board for County Enterprise Awards in the Exporter division pitted against two other businesses, out of more than 100 nominations.

Thank you to all our readers near and far. It takes everyone!

When: Finals 15 June; Winners 5 July.

Why:
The Wicklow County Enterprise Board promotes the development of enterprise in County Wicklow by focusing on the creation of enterprise awareness, encouraging new businesses to start up and supporting existing businesses to grow. This award selection acknowledges Irish Quilting’s contribution as a small enterprise in Ireland’s economic development and its role in building a vibrant and successful indigenous business sector.

Equally importantly, Irish Quilting’s entrepreneurial role promotes an optimistic and positive message for the future and puts quilting on the business roadmap of Ireland.

Because!:
In a stressed economy, interest in sustainable crafts soar. By the very nature of patchwork, quilting is a sustainable craft. Quilting is a growing energy in Ireland. With 20,000 magazines in circulation across 15 countries, Irish Quilting serves to promote this craft, showcases its quilters and connects worlds.

In each issue IQ presents focus (quilt) features beautifully photographed on location in Ireland. Introduction text focuses on the backdrop and location, identifying and providing a bird's eye view into Ireland. This is the Irish 'sell', our USP, to readers' abroad. However, each feature is ample full of resources (pattern, fabric, where to/ how to buy) for all quilting communities.


Isn't that exciting?

Testing on Cloud Nine

Goodnight!
Just signing off this long, busy day. We have had a full office of testing, testing and testing. The next issue is nearly at the printers--and yes,it will be with readers very shortly. Hoo-ray!
As you know, I always try my hand at some of the projects. Oh yes, tried and tested. Here is my pride of today, below! Guttermann is sponsoring a quiltart postcard making project--details in your next read!


I call this Hair on Cloud Nine. It will be a congratulations card to my neice in Washington who is beginning beauty school in June. Another hoo-ray!

Tonight, I leave you with one thought of gratitude: Editors are not allowed to participate in the challenges. Lucky for you--'cause I'm hooked on these easy peasy postcards!



'Night!

Snow Bind and Bound

Today I sat watching the snow swirl round and round outside. A real blizzard unfolded before my eyes. Earlier I arrived in the office and found the Internet down. If I didn't know better, this day was bound to be wrapped tightly in a quilt and treated to hot cocoa.

I don't know about you, and contrary to that image, these are the days I'm most productive. The Internet is off. The elements urge you indoors. Nothing to do really, but work. Head down and bum up.

Rebecca would always say that. She did a lot of our longarming last year. This fall, she and her family moved home to Australia. 'Head down and bum up' was her way of saying she was a busy bee, tied to her longarm and creating a masterpiece. We miss her, head, bum and masterpieces!

While my head was down, and my bum planted firmly at my desk, I may not have created masterpieces, but there was work done. Between the weather and the winter holidays where most Irish companies, banks, offices--anyone who does not run their own business--close for 57 days in December and January, it can be challenging to conduct business to business. Which brings us back to head down, bum up. Writing, planning, preparing and a bit of house cleaning and my desk is rattling with efficiency. Kinda reminds me of 1993, before Internet flowed freely into our homes.

Every so often, I'd return to the window and ponder the forecast. My DH is a forecast groupie. He will schedule showers, meals, work and even a pint, around weather forecasts. He follows weather warnings as if his living is dependent on the earth's natural elements. Whereas, I'm zoned to follow whether my hair dresser works on Saturdays, when Moda debuts a new paisley line, or whether the substitute postman is on, delaying our mail delivery from 9am to 4pm. Priorities, I know.

So when there's a raging cold front for 11 days, it's kinda good to be married to a forecast groupie. He's kept me in tune, as much as I hate being held back, keeping me safe and sound indoors. Four canceled errands, a postponed interview in Cork, and 20 gorgeous donated quilts lying in wait, the snow and ice has severly stalled some plans of action.

And I haven't even mentioned the magazines. Vol II, Issue 1!

Oh, I hope the kind courier is lovingly draping and holding tight the several pallets of newborns as they cross the seas and struggle the frozen transition to destinations. The office here is atop a mountain and DH reported--ah, his weather vigil work pays off--the road leading down and beyond is a slippery slope with cars littered haphazardly in ditches and driveways.

We await the new issue with open warm arms! Drive safe everyone.

Quilters, Busy as Elves

We know what many of you were doing over the last few weeks, because we have quilts and blocks to prove it! So many have responded to our Give Warmth Back flood project, it's amazing! Thank you!

When we began in mid December, we headed to Athlone, where the Athlone Flood Relief Centre graciously opened their arms to our first batch of 30 donated quilts. Helen McCaul (on right) of the centre reported more than 150 distressed families with 52 still displaced. Terri and I were happy to pass on the generous quilters' quilts. It is always awarding when non-quilters see and develop the appreciation for quilts. They will find good homes, we are sure.

In the coming weeks, we are enroute to Bandon, Co. Cork, where we have been connected to the Flood Relief Centre established there. Thanks to several quilting readers and colleagues in the Cork area we have connections and meetings planned for this trip well worth traveling. We anticipate the same amount of quilts or more, for the Bandon area was hit especially hard by flood waters.

Later in January we head to Galway/Clare area. So, stayed tuned!

In California, Golfinlizzy was a true winner for us when she bid and won the beautiful Dolly Dress Quilt from Elizabeth. The winning money of $400 will be donated to a family affected by the flood. We will be posting more on that soon! Thanks so much Liz and Elizabeth!

We wish you a very good new year! May you have lots of sewing!

Twilight Press

It's 3:34 a.m. and someone wants to know when the next issue is due out. Priorities, people. Lucky for this emailer, I'm at my desk and can give her an answer (in just two weeks..North America, a little longer).

While my sleep-deprived designer works his magic, I await the results, ready for a thumbs up or a thumbs down for each and every special, lovely page. There's pagination, high resolution, optimisation and a whole bunch of other techy jargon flying to and fro.
But don't worry, I gots your emails and I gots answers!

Meanwhile, drafts go and new drafts come. We think, have we caught it all? Are our facts correct? Are the photos right? Are the page layouts correct? Don't get me started on the text... Do writers ever stop editing? I can edit and rewrite and rewrite for days. When does one stop? Not soon enough, cries our designer.

Around midnight, Ginger from the U.S. was looking for a calendar and boy, she thought it was late for me then!

Answering emails at dark o'clock in the morning makes me look pretty darn dedicated.

Wait a minute, I am dedicated!

Dash over to Dolly Dresses, Now!

You have to get over to Elizabeth Scott's Late Bloomer !! She has done an adorable quilt with tiny dolly dresses (fab fabrics from the greatest Holly Holderman!), and guess what? She's auctioning it off for the Irish Quilting Flood Quilts Relief Action!

Some people are just too kind. A complete daisy chain, I'd say. First there is Holly Holderman who kickstarted with her adorable dolly dresses panel and there there's Elizabeth who did amazing creating and embellishing (including her signature scallops!) and there's Darla Padilla of Wildflower Quilting who did the purtiest quilting and now there's name after name of kind people who are bidding. Bidding with dollars that will transfer to euros and will go to help an Irish family (ies) still in the cold following the floods.

Elizabeth has begun the bidding and will keep the auction open til Monday Dec 21st, so feel free to share in the Season of Sharing. Don't forget to oogle all over the tiny cute dresses

A Cover Is Worth A Couple Pictures

We had another great day in the office. We are working ahead (yes!) and while choosing a future cover, we were stumped. Do we pick A or B? B or A? or C?
A? B? or C?

Choices, people! We have choices! I love it when that happens. One day I'm going to blog, or even print, the covers that weren't. Some shots and covers are so incredible, you nearly want to create a whole other issue just so a cover won't go to waste. But I won't. For fear my family'll leave me!

And then...Easons, our Irish distributor (who I was just complaining about...shame on me!) sent a lovely bottle of wine to the office for the Christmas spirit. A year in biz and yes! we are finally feeling the love!

Talking about the love... Did you know Quiltposium has 225,000 registered readers? It is a lovely ezine and best of all, I'm a contributor! Check us out on pages 74-76! Not sure why half of page 76 is empty. Waste of space! And I could have written for days...

Now, I'm feeling very cheeky--what's this red wine doing in the office?