Nov 3, 2014

Around the world blog hop


I was asked to be part of the "around the world blog hop" by Greg Jones of grey dogwood studio. Greg and I have similar tastes in quilting and have become online friends. I am a great admirer of his creativity and originality. He is definitely one who thinks outside the box!
I am going to share my creative process with you and reveal some of my thought processes.

1. What am I currently working on?

For the year 2015, I am going to create a list of quilts I have wanted to make, but have put on the back burner.
Right now, I have many projects I'm working on.
Appleicious is a cute apple quilt from Lori Holt's book, Quilty Fun. I have the apples and leaves cut out, but that's all I've completed so far....here is a photo of the fabrics I'm using.



"Spell it with Moda", an alphabet quilt, which was a free pattern. I pinned all the letters to a board on Pinterest. I've made the first six letters.

I'll be starting this cute pattern by Heather Bailey, a Christmas gift for one of my grandaughters.
In January, I joined the "Handmade birthday club".
Every month, as long as someone in the group has a birthday, group members will make and send a small to medium handmade item to the birhtday girl. In total, you will be gifting 11 handmade items and during your birthday month, you will be receiving 11 handmade items! How FUN! If you're interested, it's hosted by susannahkate.com
I also joined the "Modern Instabee" virtual quilting bee, which I found out about on Instagram. Each group consists of 12 members, who all choose a month. We pick our bee blocks out of the book "Modern Bee" by Lindsay Conner. My month is October and I requested the Stacked Windmill block. I told the group what colors I want and I'm receiving really pretty blocks in the mail :)
A couple of months ago, I was invited to join the Bees Knees Quilting Bee. The bee has their own blog where we post the blocks we've made.
Besides all the projects I've listed, I have some table runners that need to be quilted.

2. How does my work differ from others?

I am skilled in many different techniques. I enjoy hand embroidery, needle turn applique, paper piecing, hand quilting, machine quilting, heirloom sewing, and garment sewing.
I sew dolls, stuffed animals, Princess dresses, bags and smocked dressed for my grandchildren.
I have a goal to design quilt patterns, which I'll begin doing in January. I want to sew quilts and/or table toppers in every possible color scheme and style. I especially love bright, happy colors and children themed fabric such as Sarah Jane, Aneela Hooey, Tasha Noel and Heather Ross. I am also an Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Pam Kitty and Lori Holt fabric hoarder.

3. Why do I create?

Creating gives me an immense feeling of contentment and satisfaction and joy. When I see someone snuggling a quilt I've given them, or a grandchild wearing something I've made for them, I feel happy. When one of my grandaughters was visiting us recently, she put her baby doll to sleep beside her in bed. I noticed that she covered her doll up with a mini quilt that I had sewn for her. I was delighted that she was using the gift that I had made for her with love.

4. How do I work?

I have a beautiful sewing room that my husband designed for me last Christmas, along with an incredible Bernina 750 QE. There are two links on the right side of my blog where you can view photo if you're interested. The room's all setup, I can work for an hour, a day or into the evening. I don't have any Quilty friends to sew with and I don't belong to a quilt guild. Most of my sewing is done solo while watching Netflix or listening to music or talks. I plan on joining a quilt guild in January.

Now I want to introduce the next two bloggers on the Around the World blog tour!
These two talented quilters will be sharing their stories with you next Monday, November 10.  Be sure and visit them, their blogs and their stories are fabulous :)

Renee at Sewn with Grace has a common love with me for all of Lori Holt's "Quilty Fun" creations.  Renee quilts and knits and every week she has a Sunday Scripture post which I really love :)  Renee's work is beautiful with a true vintage feel, hop over to her blog and see for yourself.

Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts finished the "Spell it with Fabric" quilt, it's absolutely gorgeous!!!  She began the Texas Quilt Along which has a huge following and was a big hit!  Cristina not only has a love for quilting, but also for cooking, baking, reading and crochet.  Look at her blog and see all of her awesome creations. 

Thanks for visiting me on the "Around the World" blog hop :)

5 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading your blog post via Greg's.....

    I belong to that Instabee also :) I am in Hive 9. We have had an iffy group with some drop outs along the way and no one to fill in but the girls all managed and I just got my quilt back for binding..... It was a fun year!

    I too don't have any quilty peeps but I have a nice room that my hubby helped plan for me 2 years ago so I sew when I want and keep up to date online and thru blogs! We are expecting our first grand baby within the next 2 weeks so November will be a busy one but exciting. I'm hoping to find a guild after the first of the year so I can meet some quilters.

    I love all your project....

    Peggy in NJ

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  2. Cynthia, I'm so glad Greg sent me your way! My husband remodeled my studio for me about a year ago, too, and like you, I'm stitching away solo on my 750 QE because I'm not in a guild and don't know any "real life" quilters. Over the summer I brought my 10-year-old budding quilter son to a "quilt guild" meeting at our church and it was a hellish train wreck. We were the only people in the room under age 70 and these ladies looked at us like, "what are YOU doing here?" They did not even talk to us. What's worse is that they were making charity quilts out of donated drapery fabrics that someone had clearly cut into "squares" with a weed whacker. My poor son whispered, "Mom? I thought squares had right triangles at the corners???" I hope you find a quilt guild with like-minded quilters.
    Thanks for sharing what you're working on. Those Moda alphabet blocks would be so perfect for customized baby gifts -- just one pieced block with the initial of the baby's first name, and then embroider the whole name in lower case right across the middle of it. You just gave me a great gift idea. :-)

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  3. I love learning more about you! Your apple fabrics are perfect and of course I love your alphabet and you know how much I like your smocking projects! It was nice to learn more about you (I thought I was the only person on the planet who isn't in a guild). And thank you for your kind words!

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  4. Love reading about you! I wish we lived close by so I could be your quilty friend. We share so many of the same likes and know we'd have a blast!

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  5. You know by now I love your work - so talented. For 2015 I think I'll make a list of past quilt tops that need to be quilted! I love Greg's blog - I ooh & ahh over his work!

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