‘A Walk In The Park’, an textile exhibition at Leitrim Design House

Leitrim Design House are delighted to showcase a unique exhibition on ARTWALL of 31 quilts. 'A Walk In The Park' is the title of this year's Hands Across the Border exhibition by the Irish Patchwork Society and Northern Ireland Patchwork Guild.

'Hands Across the Border' is a joint collaboration between the organisations which occurs every two years since 1991. The quilts are displayed North and South of the Border throughout the year.

The choice of theme and the organisation of the exhibition alternate between the Irish Patchwork Society and the Northern Ireland Patchwork Guild.

This year, the NIPG launched and hosted this stunning collection. In May, the touring exhibition started north of the border at the Curved Gallery, Bangor Library. It then travelled south to the Limerick School of Art and Design for August Craft Month. 

The quilts have now made it from lovely Limerick to lovely Leitrim, being showcased at The Leitrim Design House. 

Due to the scale of this exhibition, the 31 quilts in the collection have been curated into three individual showcases of ten quilts at any one time. The three curated groups of textiles will be exhibited over successive weeks from Monday, October 23, to Saturday, November 11.

Each quilt is 20 inches by 40 inches, and a variety of materials and techniques have been used in their creation. The two organisations consist of diverse members with a common interest in fabric, traditional/modern patchwork and quilting.

The patchwork exhibited will reflect a wide range of interpretations, including various colours, techniques, fibres and fabrics. The Northern Ireland Patchwork Guild (NIPG) was founded by President Deborah Baillie and facilitated by Laura Jones, head of the Textile Department at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

The Irish Patchwork Society (IPS) consists of seven branches around the country with over 500 members. Branches hold monthly meetings from September to June and have a comprehensive programme of speakers, workshops and libraries for the use of members' local and national exhibitions.

Leitrim Design House opening hours are 10am – 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am – 5pm on Saturdays. For further information, please visit www.leitrimdesignhouse.ie.