UK Day 2- London’s Fashion and Textile Museum The last time I visited London, I found this wonderful little gem of a museum in the Southwark neighborhood. This visit, they are featuring the work of Orla Kiely, one of Ireland and the UK’s most famous fashion designers, a perfect blend after just completing my trip […]
UK Tour Day 1- Royal School of Needlework Curator’s Tour I’m a great admirer of England’s RSN and the incredible embroidery pieces produced by their students and tutors. I’ve had the great fortune to visit them twice in the past, most recently in 2016 for theor Stumpwork and Raised Work exhibit. So when planning my […]
Day 7: The Mill at Avoca Village About a month before my trip to Ireland, I get a text from my friend Pam Olney ( @quiltersgarden ) who was currently IN Ireland. She told me I had to add Avoca Handweavers as a stop on my trip. I love getting recommendations from my fiber art […]
Day 4 – Game of Thrones Tapestry at the Ulster Museum, Belfast My guilty pleasure… Game of Thrones (well, Fantasy & Science Fiction overall.) Now, mix that with textile art and I’m in heaven! Before the final episodes of Game of Thrones were filmed, an army of designers, weavers and embroiderers in Northern Ireland was […]
Day 5 – Giants’ Causeway and the Dark Hedges As a member of one of my favorite organizations, the Contemporary Quilt Art Association, I’m hoping to enter an exhibition next year called “Natural Geometry”. Boy, do I have inspiration to tackle that theme! A World Heritage site, the Giant’s Causeway is comprised of polygonal basalt […]
Day 3 – Part 2 – Lisburn Linen Museum & More As many of you know, I have a wee bit ‘o Irish in my heritage. My paternal great-grandfather, Robert Fairley, emigrated from Lisburn in Northern Ireland around the turn of the century. I also have two g-g-grandparents from Ireland from different sides of my […]
Day 3- Carrickmacross, Ireland Ireland has a rich history of lace-making, including several distinct styles: Carrickmacross lace Irish Crochet lace Krnmare kace Limerick lace Youghal lace Knowing this, I wanted the chance to see some of this beautiful needle art! Driving North from Dublin, we made our way to the little town of Carrickmacross. Carrickmacross […]
Dublin Day 2, Part 2 While I’m no expert on couture fashion, the pieces displayed at the National Museum of Ireland- Decorative Arts’s Special exhibition of Ib Jorgensen’s fashion were clearly a cut above the ordinary. Born in Denmark, Jorgensen immigrated with his family to Ireland in 1950. He attended Dublin’s Grafton Academy of Dress […]
Day 2 -Dublin, National Museum of Ireland We headed over to the one National Museum of Ireland- Decorative Arts & History location after lunch. I’m impressed that the museums are Free! I think this egalitarian concept prevails throughout much of current Irish society. The preservation of clothing, however, is largely restricted to the upper classes, […]
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