Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Let's Get Acquainted

Welcome to my stop on Plum and June's Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop for 2014. Before I start chatting away, a huge thanks to Beth for all she's done to organise the blog hop. It's been a huge amount of work and we all appreciate it!


Beth suggested we show off a few of our favourite quilts, which is hard when you've been quilting as long as I have. Fortunately I'm not as prolific as some quiltmakers, and don't have hundreds of quilts under my belt. Some of these have been featured elsewhere on my blog, others haven't.


I made this baby quilt last year for my niece, who's about to turn one. It's my own design and I love the contrast between the pinks and greys. 


This is one of my son's quilts, made around 2011. He picked the colour scheme and design himself, using the border and sashing fabric for inspiration. 



I love paper piecing and this wall hanging was pieced for my daughter - a huge Hunger Games fan. The piecing was quite tricky, but the simple colour scheme certainly helped. 


This is my daughter's latest quilt, a faux Drunkards Path. I hand quilted this in perle cotton, which took forever and then some. I'm not sure that I should be proud or embarrassed that I had 100 different fabrics to use for the top in my stash....


My Polaroid Rainbows started as a polaroid block swap and ended up as an I Spy quilt that graces my younger daughter's wall. This is a super bright and cheerful quilt. 


Continuing the rainbow theme is my recently finished Rainbow in the Clouds. This is one of my first forays into improv piecing and was heaps of fun. I'm not sure why I still have so many scraps though. 

Now you've seen some of my quilts, here's a little about me.


 I'm a mum of three awesome kids, and wife to a very patient husband who supports my quilting habit. We've got two dogs (his) and two cats (mine). I'm a crazy cat lady in the making, except hubby won't let me get any more cats. My boys are very good at supervising everything quilty.


I live on the east coast of Australia, in a beach resort town half way between Sydney and Brisbane - there are worse places in the world you can live! I grew up in Sydney but we relocated to hubby's hometown when the kids were born to bring them up in a smaller town.

I've been quilting for the best part of 20 years (gosh that makes me sound OLD!!). My grandmother was an expert seamstress, my mother always sewed clothing, so it 's definitely in my genes. My interest in quilting came during high school, my best friend's mum is a quilter and she was a huge influence and great mentor when I was a beginner quilter.

I am completely self-taught, and always learning new things. I totally believe you're never too old or experienced to extend your quilting skills. These days I identify most with the modern quilting movement, though not everything I do is super modern.

I have a healthy addiction to fabric, a million ideas in my head and on scraps of paper and a huge pile of unfinished projects. I like to completely finish my projects myself, but I have a bad case of Quilters ADHD and often lose interest. But my mantra is to Quilt With No Guilt, so I'll get to them all eventually. I discovered English Paper Piecing this year and hand sewing is my therapy - I am amazed at how relaxing it is!

My day job is an assistant in a preschool, which is as tiring as it sounds. But my training was in journalism and I worked in magazines before children. I basically gave that up with the city life when the kids were born, though I kept my hand in doing freelance writing for craft and decorating magazines.

In exciting news, I've just embarked on a brand new quilting related venture with some dear quilty friends. I'm putting my journalism background to good use and I'm now the editor of Australia's very first modern-quilting magazine - Make Modern. Good news is we're publishing in the digital format so we'll be easily available worldwide. I am so excited about this new chapter of my life, even if it might encroach on my sewing time.


My blogging tip has been said before, but it's so true - be true to yourself. Develop your own voice, share what you love, don't stress if you're not churning out projects every other week. It's your own little bit of cyber space so make it your OWN. If people love it, they'll hang around, if they don't then it's their loss anyway.

My quilting tip is to look at your sewing machine and see if you can use it without the foot pedal. I only discovered this was a feature on my Brother machine earlier this year and I decided to try it out for Free Motion Quilting. Revolutionary. Seriously, not having to worry about what my foot is doing and coordinating the speed of my hands and my feet makes FMQing so much easier and has improved the consistency of my stitches too. I don't think it would help much with regular piecing, but for FMQ, I urge you to give it a go. If your machine has separate plugs for the power supply and foot pedal, pull out the foot pedal one and see if one of the buttons lights up as a stop/go button, then have a play around with it.

My Favourite Things:
My dream vacation spot is the USA. I want to visit all of it, but Nashville and a night at the Opry is on my bucket list. One day....
My favourite genre of fiction is romance. I don't get to read as much as I'd like, but when I do I like a light hearted read that's like comfort food. I also read a fair bit of non-fiction.
My favourite TV shows are Nashville (see dream vacation spot), and the Big Bang Theory. Those are the only two shows I watch, but my husband makes up for it by watching plenty.

To finish, I have a tricky question for you - what does modern quilting mean to you? I love modern quilting and I'm proud to call myself a modern quilter... but gosh it's hard to define. If you're interested, I've talked about it over at the Make Modern blog here.


Thanks so much for stopping in and visiting me over here at Where Jane Creates, it'd be great if you can share the love and visit the other hoppers for today:


35 comments:

  1. I need to learn "Quilt without Guilt". I look at my UFOs and feel so overwhelmed about all the work I want to do in finishing them but there are soooo many other things I want to do too!

    My machine has the stop/go function. I gave it a go once but found it hard to stop/start because I'd have to move my hands to hit the button; but you're right, there'd be no worrying about picking speeds with your foot! I'll have to give it a go again ;)

    I try and not define myself as a quilter, other than being "just a quilter". Does it matter if I make more modern things, or more traditional things or a bit of both? I do know I'm not a "traditonalist" and I lean more towards modern fabrics/prints, but the most common definition I see for modern is solids and lots of negative space and that is NOT me. I'm not a huge solids user, and where I don't have an issue with negative space, it's just not something I do -- my quilting isn't that great to show off in those spaces/on solids, and I can't afford to pay someone to quilt for me, so I don't make those kinds of quilts. So I'm just a quilter -- a person who makes quilts out of fabrics and patterns that I like whether I'm inside or outside of the box!

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  2. I find hand piecing really relaxing too. There's something about the quiet rhythm of a simple running stitch. My definition of modern quilting is "no rules". Do what makes you happy, create, inspire, share and don't answer the door if the quilt police come knocking :)

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  3. i am always so impressed with the variety of quilts you have made; you have tried so many different techniques. Now i know you are well rounded in your personal life having different training and jobs! For me modern quilting is more about the fabric than the design. i think a traditional pattern like a cathedral window becomes modern with a fresh, bright fabric line.

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  4. A friend who is a cat breeder (and therefore an expert on the subject) says you need at least five cats to be a crazy cat lady, so we both need to add a few more to our collection to qualify.
    I am going to have to try the stop/go button on FMQ as you suggest. I haven't used it for that and it sounds like it would help regulate the speed and stitch length. Thanks!
    I have been sewing (not quilting) for longer than three decades. If anyone asks, I was a child prodigy. :)
    I am sure your large stash is crucial. There's no way you could have managed the beautiful Rainbow in the Clouds quilt without it all!

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  5. Your quilts are so bright and happy! I agree, modern quilting to me just means no rules. I have made more 'traditional' quilts and more 'modern' quilts but the theme that runs through them all is that I'm not into rules and if something doesn't work for me (like patterns in general no matter how well written they are lol), I just figure out a way to make it work for me :)

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  6. Nice to meet another Aussie crazy cat lady quilter just like me. My 4 cats love to road test my quilts at different stages and will happily re arrange block layout if they want to. I love modern quilts but defining it is a real problem. I look forward to the new magazine. I think it is really needed.

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  7. PS I forgot to say You will love Nashville, my husband and I visited Nashville in May 2013 and loved it including a night at the opry. We will go back at some stage.

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  8. Jane, I really like your "quilt without guilt" slogan and blogging advice! I am really excited for your and your friends with Make Modern. :) What modern quilting means to me has really evolved over the past year. I used to think that modern quilting was just a catch phrase to describe a more internet savvy tech generation who was connecting via blogs instead of guilds. Then I thought it was basically wrapped up in minimalism and negative space. Now, I think that modern quilting is really more about finding inspiration in things outside of patterns (although patterns can be a big part of a modern quilt) and being empowered to try new things.

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  9. Hi, fellow blog hop host! Love the Polaroid quilt in your blog header. One of those is on my wanna make list. So many other great projects on display here too! It's so exciting that you're starting a new modern quilt mag - we definitely need more of those.Thanks for the quilting tip on going "foot free". I'm pretty sure my machine has that capability, but I've never put it to use!

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  10. Fabulous Polaroid quilt. It's kind of ironic that my blog gets so many visits for the tutorial I wrote up and yet I've never made anything with my swap blocks. Quilt without Guilt - fabulous motto.

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  11. I have been quilting for 20 years as well. I started as a teenager, so it makes me feel old to say it. :) I love your use of bright colors in your quilts.

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  12. Beautiful quilts! Don't be embarrassed about having enough stash to make a quilt. I was recently asked if I had enough fabric for something by a friend, then we looked at each other and both burst out laughing.

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  13. So excited about the dig. magazine! My bucket list destination is Australia! So fun! I love your quilts! It is so nice to meet you!

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  14. Love all of your quilts especially the pink and grey one. You do ask hard questions, what is modern quilting...my guess is your going to get a different answer from everyone, because it is hard to pin point. But for me it is the use of bright/modern fabrics, in different or unexpected ways.

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  15. Your quilts are so beautiful, and I'll be checking out my machine for a stop/go button next time I take it out. It's a pretty basic Kenmore, though, so that might be a little too advanced for it. Modern quilting, to me, is crazy hard to define. I think it's more a mind-set than a style, so that those of us who are blogging, or IGing or whatever, everything we make are modern even if our fabric or block choices look more traditional. I'm off to read your blog post about it.

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  16. Great intro post! I like your improv rainbow piece! I think that modern quilting is really hard to define (as do most people, I'm sure!). Since 'modern' is a departure from tradition, for me modern quilting is less structured, a greater emphasis on negative space, more improvisational. Just using 'modern' fabrics doesn't automatically turn a project into a modern project, it just changes the aesthetics. I personally tend to be drawn more towards traditional designs: repetitive patterns, use of borders, and I like to play around with fabric choices. Anyway, nice discussion question, and great blog/projects! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Congratulations on the new Editor position! That is exciting and you should be proud! Love your work and use of colors as well! Look forward to reading more!

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  18. Your quilts are lovely. You are so lucky to live in Australia! I visited the east coast when I was a teen and would love to go back. Interesting tip about FMQ. I have never heard of that, and pretty sure my machine doesn't have that feature, but I will be on the lookout in future machines!

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  19. Visiting from Plum and June's Blog Hop. Nice to meet you! I'll be a no-reply blogger because Blogger and Blogspot do not play with Wordpress, but don't worry about replying. There isn't anything I can do about it. Lovely quilts, and it must be pretty where you live. Carole @ From My Carolina Home

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  20. Nice to meet you! I really like your faux drunkard's path quilt, I would love to try curved piecing soon! I also watch a lot of Big Bang Theory, we watch reruns nearly every day :) To me, modern quilting means not having to plan too far in advance or use a pattern--at least that's what draws me to it. I like letting things evolve, and letting projects hang on my design wall before I decide what to do next.

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  21. Glad to find your blog. Love your quilts. We share some things in common, I'm a Big Bang Theory fan myself, my Grandma was an expert seamstress (worked in a dept store doing alterations for years in the 60s early 70s) and I too have Quilters ADHD. LOL I love modern quilting and think of it as a new spin on the old. I love traditional quilts. I have several left to me from my Grandmas and one from a Great Grandma. Love your Quilt with no Guilt motto!

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  22. I love your quilts, and the freedom you show in designing and creating. Modern quilting to me means the fabrics - the bright colours and fun designs.

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  23. thanks for the tip - I think my sewing machine can operate without the pedal! Love the polaroid rainbows!

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  24. Congratulations on the new magazine! Will look for more details!

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  25. What a phenomenal opportunity, working for a quilt magazine. I'm totally jealous! You're quilts are gorgeous. I'm totally crushing on the hunger games one - what a neat idea!

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  26. The magazine looks like a great venture - when will it be out? Thanks for the tip on not using the foot pedal. I barely do any FMQ, but have started practicing, so will give this a try next time.

    As to your question about modern quilting, for me it's to do with colour. I feel like the colours of fabric available now are much fresher and more vibrant. When I look at a quilt full of brown and beige and navy I just get... sad.

    Carmit
    www.quiltingrainbows.com

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  27. Lovely creations! What an interesting idea not to use the pedal. I do have Brother as well but I never heard of doing FMQ without pedal. Worth trying. Good luck with your magazine. I'm not a fan of dividing modern and traditional. Honestly I don't care about definitions. I keep it simple. I either like it or not :)

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  28. Late visiting from the blog hop, I'm finally catching up! Your children are very lucky to have so many amazing things made for them, I especially love both the rainbow quilts. Good luck with the quilting magazine, it sounds really exciting. And as for modern quilting - for me personally, it's not something I really think about, I make the quilts I want to make without thinking about whether they might be modern or traditional, it's very much an individual thing. But thinking about it purely as a general concept rather than individually, I don't think 'modern quilting' necessarily means anything to do with the actual quilt designs, I think maybe it's more to do with modern 'quilters' and what is now available to us which hasn't been to previous generations - we live in a time when the internet makes the sharing of ideas and creativity so easy, and when, maybe partly as a result of this, there is a huge amount of gorgeous fabric out there enticing creative people into quilting, and then this becomes a snowball growing and growing, feeding into each other. As well as the more basic fact that sewing machines are so readily available, relatively cheap and easy to use. But if you look at the actual quilts themselves then are we so radical and modern now? Compared to Gees Bend and Amish quilts have we really pushed boundaries much further recently? I'm not sure we have, but the quilting community is just on a different scale these days because of the time we live in. That's my take on it anyway!

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  29. We last lived about 45 minutes from Nashville - it's a neat little city, Jane, especially if you love cowboy boots and bars : P Props to you for working in a preschool; I used to teach middle school, and when people would say "good for you!" having patience for preteens, I always said, "They're easy - what I can't imagine is being around 4 year olds all day!" Best if luck with your new magazine venture - I'm sure it involves many fewer sticky hands and untied shoes!

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  30. Congratulations on your Make Modern magazine! This will be awesome to reach all over being in digital format!

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  31. Love your quilts! I have a Polaroid quilt in progress; yours is inspiring me to get it out and work on it again!
    — Christy

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  32. Love your Quilt with no Guild mantra!!! I think we could all use a little more reminder of that. Good luck with the magazine! It looks like it's going to be great. :D

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    1. That was supposed to be Guilt....maybe I should finish my coffee....:D

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  33. I LOVE your faux drunkards path. I'm currently halfway through a blue and green plus quilt, and I made the decision before I started to use each print only once. It requires 90 different prints, so no, nothing to be embarrassed about! I would love to feel like I had time to hand quilt - I love the process and I love binding by hand but once a quilt top is done I'm generally so eager to have it over with that I don't hand quilt. I started my career in magazines as well - as an editor - and did a bunch of other things before I decided to stay home with kids and start my blog. Congrats on your new magazine venture - I want to go check it out!!

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  34. I'm still making my way round the blog hop! I love your quilts, especially the Polaroid rainbows which might just have provided me with the design I've been looking for for a quilt for ages now, so thanks!

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