I live in Melbourne, Australia. I have been quilting for the last 30 years but only started designing since 2007. I have done all sorts of quilting but my love is needleturn applique.
I enjoy teaching classes in all aspects of needleturn applique and instilling in quilters the love for needleturn applique. I try and make my classes fun and stress-free. I like to think of my classes as “sit and sew” sessions – or “mini quilt-ins” – where we have a fun and relaxing day, chatting to friends as well as learning a new technique or perfecting on techniques.
In my classes I teach all the short-cuts which I’ve learnt over the years – mostly from making mistakes and doing things over and over again. I have been extremely fortunate to be able to teach in Australia, the US and Europe. Quiltmania published a book of my quilts in 2015 – titled “Focus on Applique” and I think this helped launch my international career.
I recently watched Irene do a trunk show via Zoom, then a demo on her clam shell hand applique techniques and she was wonderful.
She is very entertaining, her quilts are gorgeous and she clearly demonstrated and explained the entire process she uses, from start to finish, for her clam shell quilts.
She was actually onscreen for almost two hours, laughing and joking with us through it all. She even gave us a sneak peek of what she’s working on now, a 2021 applique BOM that is stunning. Book her soon, she’s an expert at live streaming and a wonderful teacher.
Marguerita McManus
Hire Irene soon before her schedule books up, your guild will love her! She’s very experienced at presenting virtually via Zoom and she’ll inspire you with her gorgeous quilts and easy to follow tips.~Marguerita
Download Irene’s Current Contact and Rates Info (2020) — [ddownload id=”17273″]
Visit Irene’s website for more info on her – https://focusonquilts.com.au/irene/
Be sure to tell Irene that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!
