Ester Kiely, Textile Artist

Upcoming festival of lacemaking in Galway.

POP-UP FESTIVAL: Lásadóireacht i nGaillimh / Lacemaking in Galway - skills and stories • Galway City Museum Pop-Up Festival

Kids sewing camps coming up in Tuam...

We are running a Spring Sewing Camp over the Easter Holidays if you are looking for a creative camp for your kids! There will be a morning session and an afternoon session and sewers of all abilities are welcome. Send us a dm, an email or give us a call to book your spot! 🧵🪡🌼🌸

We're kicking off our 2026 programme with some exciting events in March. Take a look at the poster attached and get in touch to book your place!
These events are kindly supported by Galway and Roscommon ETB and Design & Crafts Council Ireland

Looking to begin or return to knitting? Check out this opportunity at Quilt Yarn Stitch in Tuam.

We are so excited to welcome Anne to our team. For all of you that were looking for a knitting class we will have a new group starting in February on Tuesday evenings. Spaces are limited so book early to avoid disapointment.

Looking forward to this presentation on Monday.

‘The History of Headford Lace: Unravelling a Lost Legacy’ is the title of the next lecture in the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society series. It takes place in the Harbour Hotel on Monday 10th November at 8pm

According to the speaker, Norma Owens (pictured), ‘uncovering the origin story of the Headford Lace industry has not been a straightforward task: sources are scarce and those that do exist omit the name of the person responsible and propose contradictory dates for its establishment that span the mid-seventeenth to late-eighteenth centuries’.

What is certain, however, is that lacemaking at Headford, Co. Galway, has always been associated with the St. George family: landed gentry who were proprietors of the town throughout this period. The illustrated lecture will draw on extensive research of primary sources to untangle the obscure history of an industry that would develop to employ several hundred women and secure royal patronage to support female industry during the famine of the 1840s.

The lecturer, Norma Owens, is a PhD researcher in History in the University of Galway with an interest in early modern women’s, economic and social history, focusing on textile industries. In 2024, she was awarded a first-class honours MA in History, the MacCurtain/Cullen Essay Prize in Irishwomen’s History, and a University of Galway College of Arts Fellowship.

Admission to the lecture is free and all are welcome, though it advisable to arrive in good time to be sure of a seat.

Limerick Lace celebrating 200 years of lacemaking.

Help us make it happen! DONATE NOW!

In 2029, we will celebrate 200 years of Limerick lace history in Limerick.

Thanks to the collaboration with Ohhi Ohno, a Limerick-based urban artist, we have a design, inspired by one of the historical pieces that were recently exhibited in the LM - Limerick Museum, a beautiful shawl designed and made by Eileen O’Donohue.

Thanks to generous seed funding provided by Cllr Olivia O'Sullivan - Limerick City North, we will be able to cover the very basics. And thanks to Rockhall Veterinary, we have a location for the mural in Clare Street at number 66. This is the Limerick area where several lace factories operated from 1830 onwards.

But paint alone does not make a mural. Help us raise the necessary funding!
👉 Donate today and be part of stitching Limerick lace into our cityscape

https://gofund.me/0326b5316

Mid-term sewing camps at Quilt Yarn Stitch

It’s time for kids to learn some new sewing tricks as they make these fun cushions and treat bags for Halloween. Our sewing camps are filling up quickly, so give us a call to book your spot for children age 8+. €75 for mornings or afternoons Tues 28th to Thur 30th.

Sewing camps for kids age 8+ in Quilt Yarn Stitch, Tuam during the mid-term break.

It's that time of the year and if you need something to occupy your little ones during the Halloween break we are running our Halloween Sewing Camp. We have a morning session or an afternoon session. Places are limited so please book early to avoid dissapointment! 🎃👻🎃

Headford Mens Shed did an amazing job creating a custom quilt stand for in advance of this year's Something In The Water.

Just one more week of summer sewing camps to go at Quilt Yarn Stitch. Book asap to get the last remaining spots!