Around the World Blog Hop

A couple of weeks ago, Kathy asked me if I would like to do a blog post for the Around the World blog hop...as you can see, I said YES!

I live and work in South Western Ontario in Canada. I would love to have time to sew every day but that is not always possible since I work full time. My husband and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! We have one daughter who is finishing up her degree at university this year. Of course, she has several quilts to remind her that she is well loved!

As part of the blog hop, I am supposed to answer a few questions, so here goes...

1. What am I working on?

I am not a one project quilter...I always have several projects on the go at a time. This past year, I have attended several workshops/classes and this summer, my goal was to try to finish off a few of these class projects so that I could start some new ones!

Last September, I took an applique class with Becky Goldsmith and here is my finished project:

Last winter, I watched The Quilt Show episode with Jacquie Gering and was inspired to make a liberated wall hanging which I am currently working on...

The quilting is just about done now.

I did a wool applique class with Jill Buckley, aka The Quilt Rat in January. This project is still in line waiting to be finished.

I had the opportunity to take not one, but TWO classes with Jacquie Gering in the past few months...Both of these projects are patiently waiting their turn at the sewing machine to be completed.

My flip and stitch flower garden, above, and my improvisational piecing project below:

In case that was not enough classes to take in one year, my friend Debbie and I signed up for a Modern Wedge class with Kathy Doughty from Australia in May.

You can see that I have lots on my plate to keep me busy and out of trouble!

2.  How does my work differ from others of its genre?

It has always been my goal to try to learn something new with each project I make.  My focus for this year has been working without patterns. I have been on three Beaver Island Quilt Retreats with Gwen Marston and have fallen in love with her liberated quilting style. I find it takes a bit longer to do a project without a pattern, but I am certainly enjoying the process!  The classes I have taken this past year have opened up new doors to new ideas to try. If I need a quick gift quilt, I usually use a pattern but I like making it up as I go along much better! I have signed up for another class in October with Kaffe Fasset and hope to be challenged with new ways to think about colour.

3. Why do I create what I do?

I learned to sew from my babysitter when I was 7 years old. I made doll clothes at first and then clothes for myself and my family. I made my first quilt when I was in high school and have made dozens of quilts since then. When my daughter was little, I loved to make her dresses and pajamas. She has always had a home made quilt on her bed. I have also made drapes, roman blinds, etc for my home. The first thing I bought when I finished university and got my first job was a sewing machine.  When I am sewing, I relax and the stresses of the world are left behind. I love to make quilted gifts for others and have made quilts, placemats and pillowcases for several different charities and community projects. I can't imagine my life without sewing. My dad says I got my sewing gene from his Mother, who was a seamstress. She died long before I was born but it makes me feel good to share this hobby with her.

4. How does my creating process work?

I find inspiration for my quilts in many places--patterns, pictures, books, magazines, classes, etc. I find I spend quite a bit of time mulling over a project before starting or in some cases, completing it. For instance, I am not quite sure what I am going to use for the background of my Modern Wedge class project, but I am thinking about it as I sort through my fabric.  Speaking of fabric, I have way too much of it and need to use what I have rather than purchasing more!  Sometimes, a favourite piece of fabric is a jumping off point for a project.

Thanks for coming to visit today.

I am linking to Christine at Quilting at Balmoral Cottage.  I have known Christine for several years and we get together once a week to sew together. We encourage each other and talk, laugh, and sometimes cry,  together as we sew. Christine and another friend, Carol, and I attended the Beaver Island Quilt Retreat together for the last three years. We will not be attending this year as Gwen Marston has retired from leading the retreats.

One last project to share--3 friends, including Christine, and I did a round robin this past spring. We each did a border on each other's quilts. This was another project without a pattern and proved to be quite challenging for all of us!  This is my quilt top which has now been quilted and needs to have the binding added before our Guild quilt show in October.

Happy sewing to all!