Sunday, May 7, 2017

Blooming Quilter's Blog Hop Week 4



Good Morning and welcome to the last week of the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop!  We've been spending time the last 2 months learning the ins and outs of designing, writing, arranging, and presenting our blogs to an audience.  The questions have abounded, from "how do I create my own look?" to "how do I get photos ready for the web?" right through to "what are the technical steps for using this blogger platform?"  It has been a very enlightening process and I am so grateful to the hosts of this process:
  
Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl (My group leader!), 
Leanne from She Can Quilt, and 

These great mentors have been immeasurably helpful and reassuring as we discussed the do's and (maybe) don'ts of sharing our quilting and sewing experience with others in the quilting community.  Also, they have used their various ties to the industry that supports us to round up some wonderful prizes for our readers.  So, hop on over to their sites (links above) to read all about it and register to win this week's great giveaways.

About Me

Some of my earliest memories are about piecing on my grandmother's front porch with my cousins. I was about 8 or 9.  We made quilts for our dolls and though my grandmother had an early Singer machine, we were learning how to hand sew neatly in a straight line so the pieces would hold together.  I remember using odds and ends of her quilting stash and even piecing together batting scraps to use in the middle.

My Mom began to teach me to sew on her machine as I got older and we made doll clothes and eventually school clothes together.  When I graduated college and got married we gave away all the dolls and their accessories, hoping it would go on to be some other little girl's favorite things. We didn't think to take pictures and the internet was still nowhere in sight.  (Sigh.)

As the year's flew by I did all sorts of crafty things: knitting, crocheting, lots of DIY, beading, embroidery, cross stitch and dabbling all around working.  The last 26 years of my professional life were spent as the human resource person for an urban community services center which provided child care, youth after school programs, adult education, and various other services to an under-served community.  My last CEO was a crafty person herself and we were able to provide materials and classes for the community ladies in quilting and sewing.  Yay!  It was a great way to get to know community members and share the joy of using our creativity.  And still...no pictures.

It wasn't until retirement that I realized blogging could be fun.  I was reading a steady diet of quilting blogs and wanted to share what I was doing, too.  Since retirement in 2015, I've pieced several quilt tops (see Works in Progress) and now the challenge is to actually quilt them on my machine.  That will be my "Adventure" going forward.  Here are a few of my older pieces which were quilted by hand when my fingers would still do that!

This is the first quilt top I completed after retirement.  I did it for a co-worker who had been waiting for it for almost 2 years.  I did quilt it on the machine but only stitching in the ditch.  I love how the light shines through the batik pieces so it looks like stained glass.

Then there was a long line of "cheater" quilts which could be hand quilted at night in front of TV.


Dear Jane

Laurel Birch


                              
The Roosters


12 Days of Christmas
For this one I fussy cut the pictures and pieced them together again and added my first Seminole border.

 The Christmas Goose is pieced and quilted.


If I have a masterpiece this is it.  My sunshine and shadow is about 20 years old and was hand pieced and quilted again in front of television.

My Best Tip
Measure, consult the directions, measure 2 more times - then cut. 
I'm a little math challenged!

I am so happy to be able to craft with fabric all the time now and hope you've enjoyed your time here. Cruise through the rest of my posts to see the little odds and ends I also enjoy sewing together and remember to check out the other members of this weeks Blooming Quilter's Blog Hop:


Danette from Lucky Quilts 


And don't forget to register for prizes at our host's sites.


44 comments:

  1. I really admire anyone who can hand quilt. It's something I have never been able to do. It's exciting that you decided to jump into the world of blogging - there's just so much inspiration available on all the quilting blogs! Thanks for being part of the blog hop - it's been so fun to read all the introductory posts. :)

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    1. Thanks for reading. This has been a wonderful experience.

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  2. Very nice Dear Jane quilt. That's one that I haven't tackled, yet. I spend my days playing with fabric, too. Nice to meet you.

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    1. Thanks, Tu-Na! It is great to have the time to play.

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  3. Oh what a wonderful range of crafts you have done. Lovely to hear your story and how you got into blogging. Looking forward to seeing your new projects.

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    1. Thanks for reading, Raylee. I really appreciate your comments.

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  4. Love that Sunshine and Shadows quilt! I tend to be attracted to more traditional quilts. It's very nice to meet you! I hope you have a wonderful time learning to machine quilt. I've only been doing it for a year and I am hooked! You will love it. :)

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    1. Thank you, Janice, the challenge is just a little daunting, but I'm hoping it gets easier with practice.

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    1. Thanks, KaHolly, I appreciate your comment so much!

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  6. Like yourself I made doll clothes and quilts and like yourself gave them all away . I still remember the joy I had making them . I too have retired early and have now retirement allows to spend more time quilting , this time by machine

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    1. Thank you for reading, Helen Jean. I'm looking forward to the day when I feel confident in my machine quilting!

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  7. Playing with fabric is the best! Love your Dear Jane quilt.

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    1. I agree 100%, Sandy. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. wow lovely projects. i love your tip. a very good one. i was also one of those blessed ones who learned to sew from my mom and grandma. mom and i together learned to hand quilt while i was in high school. thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Lori. We were blessed to share those precious hours with our closest family!

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  9. So nice to meet you. I love the colors in the Sunshine and Shadows quilt.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Wendy! After all these years, I still love it, too! Glad you like it.

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  10. I really love the way pieced tops glow like stained glass when held up in the sun. It is so nice to get to know you better. Thank you so much for joining and participating in the blog hop!

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    1. I had no idea when we started this would be so amazing and insightful. I wasn't sure what to expect, really, but it has been fascinating and so informative. You have been so supportive and helpful as we "first" learned to use Slack and then to become better bloggers. Thank you, thank you.

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  11. Thanks for sharing your story. Love that you too hand quilted and pieced. Measuring 3 times is good advice!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Kathleen. It's great to hear from you.

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  12. I enjoyed reading your story. My first quilts were 100 percent hand sewn and hand quilted. For some reason, I was scared to try a machine. I am glad I finally did. Over 15 years later, and my cheap Brother machine that I bought at WalMart is still going strong. Thank you for sharing your pictures. You've done so many lovely quilts. I hope to see more of them now that I'm "following" along.

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    1. Thanks for visiting. There is something so satisfying about hand quilting but I'm excited and a little scared to begin machine quilting. I hope I'll get more comfortable with it in the next few weeks.

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  13. I'm only laughing when you say you are challenged when the math subject arises. I think so many of us have that thought, but you can overcome it! I learned to be patient when it comes to figures!!! I was a college student with 2 small boys under age of 8... I had to take them to my final exam for physics and forgot my calculator!!! GASP!!!! I was provided a figures sheet from my professor to assist in my calculations. The children were entertained, I took a deep breath and took my time. This forced me to go step by step... It was a success, I got the highest grade I've ever achieved in physics... so a tip... take a refreshing breath and go through the steps methodically. You can do it!

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    1. Thanks, Anita! I do find I can do math but usually go around the world to get the answer! I love making blocks and having everything match though, so math here I come.

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  14. Your Dear Jane quilt is stunning!

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  15. I think we all have WIP's, I need to tackle mine, also! I have a couple that I doubt I will ever finish. Very lovely quilts!

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    1. Thank you, Danettte. I sometimes feel like one of my cats - gently dozing in front of project I should finish and something shiny flashes by and I'm off to see if I can do it!

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  16. Thanks so much for sharing your story!! Your Dear Jane quilt is gorgeous and one I really would love to make someday!!

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  17. Great to have gotten to know you a little through this hop, Deb! You have a lovely catalogue of work.

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  18. So glad that you took the plunge and started blogging; I am sure that you will find it as rewarding as I have. I also started my blog after I retired and it has amazed me at the learning and friendships and growth in quilting that I never suspected would happen! That Sunshine and Shadow quilt is incredible! All that hand quilting wow--my jaw has dropped. Just beautiful work.

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  19. Nice to get to know you! I'm stopping by from the "Let's bee Quilt'n" hive. I'm week 4 as well. Hope you'll have a chance to stop by blog. Happy Quilting! @tillalili

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  20. Hi Auntie D! Great to hear your quilt story! I love your hand pieced blocks in your header. You come from a long line of quilters/crafters!

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  21. WOW all that hand quilting. It's been great getting to learn about you more through the blog hop.

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  22. Isn't retirement and quilting a wonderful combination? I've been enjoying this for the past four years and it seems I never have enough time. I'm visiting from the Better Blogger Beehive and I'm also enjoying participating in the Blog Hop and have learned so much. I'm more computer challenged than math but it does seem as I'm getting older I'm spending a little bit more time with the measurements. Thanks for sharing your story and quilts (love the blue and orange) and glad to have met you through the blog hop.

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  23. Hello! I'm so impressed with all the quilting you've done by hand! Ack! I've just ventured into hand sewing via hexies - but beyond that is far outside of my comfort zone! I loved seeing your quilts with more traditional fabrics! I use more modern fabrics, but the traditional fabrics remind me of my mom. Thanks for sharing some of your work!

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  24. Debbie, great to meet you! I admire your hand quilting. I'd like to learn how one day! I can see why the sunshine and shadows is among your favorites!

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  25. Hi Debbie! It was so fun looking at your quilts. I am guessing you are a animal lover like me! It is so rare to see a quilt done by hand, it was such a special treat for me and I am in awe. Blogging is fun, glad you enjoy it too :)
    ~Abbie from the Hop

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  26. Hi Auntie D, its lovely to meet up with you here and your quilts are gorgeous, I just love the sunshine and shadow one! Will be popping back in!

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  27. We have a lot in common.... So glad you have joined us in blog land! Isn't retirement great?

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  28. I love your Dear Jane, I am only just starting my journey on this quilt but am enjoying so far. Your sunshine and shadow quilt is a triumph, hand pieced and quilted what an achievement. Your work is lovely, so nice to meet you.

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