A Wannaskan Almanac Happy St. Paddy's Day

Top of the morning to you!

Really, there's no way getting around the fact that today is March 17th and St. Patrick's Day. So, in good W.A. fashion, today's post will stitch together bits o' Ireland with a local favorite pastime: quilting.

But first, let's address this St. Patrick part of the day. If you're Irish, it's all green this, green that. It's a day to celebrate Irish heritage and if you're not Irish, to wear a t-shirt that says, "I'm with him" with an arrow pointing to your buddy. Or, according to Google Translate, "Tá mé leis." (Note: Always keep your pal on the right side of that arrow. Don't want to end up with a non-Irish lad, now do ye?)

Pubs serve green beer and it's the only day of the year when the line to the men's restroom is longer than the women's. If you live in Chicago, you get a green river. If you're having a promenade along the south lawn of the White House, enjoy the green fountain. And what would the day be like without a parade? (There's at least one in every state!) Even in my neck of the Wannaskan woods, there's a 5k Walk/Run/Dash.

And, did you know that St. Patrick himself wasn't Irish? No, indeedy! He was from what's now called Dumbarton, Scotland.

So how in the world did he get to Ireland?

Argh, matey!

He was kidnapped by pirates and taken to Ireland where he served in slavery, herding and tending sheep on Slemish Mountain in County Antrim. (Other sources simply say "raiders.")

A dream attributed to God, showed him the way out of captivity. He escaped and returned to Britain and his family. He became a priest, then went back to Ireland to evangelize the Irish. His symbol is the shamrock which he used to explain the Holy Trinity.  He is the patron saint of Ireland and he died on March 17, 461 A.D. (Here's a fun fact: he wasn't properly canonized, but is considered a saint in heaven.)

Now that we've covered that, let's talk about quilting.

My dear friend, Pat (as in Patricia), came to prayer group this week decked out in her shamrock scarf, bearing a plate of homemade, green, shamrock-shaped cookies piped with white icing. Along with the treats, she also brought along two slim, soft-covered publications,Breacadh: The Patchwork Artists Guild of Ireland First Touring Exhibition of Contemporary Patchwork Wallhangings, c.1983, and a pattern book, Irish Quilts 4118, c. 1989, both of which feature Helen Hardesty's work, who is Pat's sister.

Helen Hardesty

Originally from Minneapolis, Helen (née Cain) Hardesty, was always proud of her Irish heritage and had made a couple of trips to Ireland. After her husband passed away, she decided to take her young children and move there. In the 1983 Breacadh publication, a brief biography and tribute explains, "In 1970, Helen Hardesty became an accredited teacher of sewing and textiles for the Minneapolis Public School system. She moved to Ireland in 1974 and spent her first year making quilts and wallhangings. She gave the first of her many classes in 1975, in Galway, where she lives. She has held two exhibitions of her students' and her own work and has had a one-man show in Galway. Her work also appears in shows in the United States. She has been featured twice in the Quilter's Newsletter, the American equivalent of Who's Who in patchwork. Her own work is usually specially commissioned; it can be found in private collections in France, Germany, England, Ireland and the U.S. Her most recent commission was a hanging with the coats of arms of the fourteen tribes of Galway for the city's 500th anniversary in 1984. Another, done in collaboration with Betty Monahan, is a display of ocean waves breaking, for the International Conference on Whitecaps held at University College, Galway, in September 1983. [Hardesty] a peer to any recognized American patchwork artist, has been a key figure in the revival of patchwork in Ireland." (pgs. 18, 20)

Next to this text, Helen penned a note to her sister. "You can add China and Japan to this. I sold two more."

Several years after the Breacadh publication, Helen and Betty published a pattern book, Irish Quilts 4118, c. 1989. In Helen's portion of the introduction, she wrote:

Irish Crystal, 55" x 55"

"From the beginning of my involvement with quiltmaking in the late 1960's I have been fascinated by the many contributions of the Irish to the medium.No other country outside the United States figures so prominently in the naming of designs. I thought, before I came here to live, that the Irish had undoubtedly brought these designs to America from Ireland. Now, knowing more of the history of Ireland and of quiltmaking, and having found a noticeable absence of these named designs in use here, I am more inclined to think that they were the nostalgic work of Irish emigrants who found time for contemplation as they quilted, and whose thoughts wandered naturally back to the boreens and fields of Ireland.

Since coming to Ireland I have been influenced as are other quilters by my surroundings. I can no longer produce a quilt without having it reflect something of my daily experiences. Rising early, I empty my tea leaves in the back garden at five or six A.M. and I see an unlimited supply of quilts in the birds, the sunrise, the moon and the world in the East in general.

In homage to the thousands of Irish who left their own country bringing a quilting tradition with them and who then enriched that tradition in their new country, we decided to create this collection of traditional block quilts with Irish names, and quilts influenced by the Ireland of today. It is our hope that you will find in these pages some of the inspiration and peace we have found in our work here."
 

Magpies at Dawn, 45" x 51"

The pattern book goes on to explain how to create beautiful quilts and wallhangings with nostalgic names like Irish Chains (of which there are many variations), Galway Star, Dublin Steps, Irish Puzzle, and Rocky Road to Dublin

Helen passed away on Monday, October 30, 2017. Pat said fondly of her sister, "She died at 90 years old and was still stitching." The Patchwork Artists Guild of Ireland, Western Division, posthumously named one of their awards after Pat's sister, The Helen Hardesty Trophy, in recognition for her significant contribution to the guild and the craft.

If you're looking for some Irish entertainment today, here are some suggestions:

For a good book, Claire Allen is an Irish author from Derry I discovered recently. (She is also fun to follow on Twitter!) I read The First Time I Said Goodbye and loved it. Although it begins in the U.S., the rest of the story is set in Ireland. My next Claire Allen read is What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? and she has a debut thriller, Her Name Was Rose, coming out June 28, 2018.

If you're looking for good music, readers of my novel, Elevator Girl, know that I love Eleanor McEvoy. Although, Eleanor is my first love, my other absolute Irish fave is Glen Hansard. He's also an actor and his most well-known films include The Commitments (1991) and Once (2007) which became a Broadway musical.

Just this week, we watched the film Leap Year starring Amy Adams. I thought it was a sweet romantic comedy, however, according to the reviews, Irish people gave it a serious thumbs down, immensely disliking how the Irish and Ireland are portrayed. I imagine their reaction was similar to some Minnesotans' when Fargo (1996) first came out.

And a hearty HAPPY BIRTHDAY to another dear friend, Paula! We'll be celebrating her birthday together (March 18th) this weekend. She's also been to Ireland. Even on St. Patrick's Day.

Paula celebrating her birthday in Ireland in 2016!

In closing, however you choose to spend your day, be it with Irish intentions or otherwise, I wish you well. As for me, tonight I will FINALLY get to see Glen in concert! (Yes! That guy I just mentioned three paragraphs ago!)

Slán!

Kim

P.S. A special thank you to Pat and her family for letting me write about Helen and share some of Pat's adventurous photos.

Determined Pat

The treasure spotted through the window.

Pat with her Irish niece.

Kicking the wall. (It's an
Irish thing.)