Fat Quarter Shop Blog Hop: I Love Quilting Because....

7:00:00 AM

Hi all!

Welcome to Sew at Home Mummy, the next stop on the "I Love Quilting Because" blog hop put on by Fat Quarter Shop!


Before we go too far, the Fat Quarter Shop is offering up a free pattern of this lovely heart motif on their free pattern page {here}.


The Fat Quarter Shop asked those of us participating in the hop to come up with a slogan to fit on our customized little heart buttons:

Why do I love quilting? Because it's all the fun of being addicted to something with no downward spiral...

Hahahah. True, no?

Since I loved the look of it so much, I took advantage of the free pattern that FQS sent to us, and I made a super cute little wall hanging which now hangs over my baby boy Ewan's crib:
Instead of using 5" charms, I actually used a pack of 6" charms, so the finished quilt comes out a bit bigger than their pattern (about 32.5" square).

I accented the edges with some blue and green Aurifil 12wt stitching (machine stitched!): 
12 wt Aurifil in upper, Bottom Line (Superior Threads) 60 wt bobbin
90/14 Topstitch Needle
 It is a really fun and easy and super quick pattern to tackle - give it a go! It'd look great in all solids or in shades of a single color. If you make one, I'd love for you to leave a comment with the link to your Flickr image or blog post or the like! I'd love to see it!

So this is kind of a 'get to know you' kind of blog hop, and I'll answer some questions below. If you'd like to learn a little more about me, you can also read about me {here}.



How did you start quilting/sewing?

Uh! This is a long story.

I started sewing because - well, I honestly think it was because my parents were Irish immigrants and they felt the need to put in us in every.single.lesson under the sun - if our friends were doing it, we had to do it too.


(I was forced to take 3 years of Curling lessons (which I vehemently hated) because my mum thought that all Canadian kids learned how to Curl. I am from Vancouver. No one in Vancouver knows how to Curl. I swear I was the only person. Hahaha. Bike? yes. Ski? yes. Swim? yes. Skate? yes. Curl? NO, mum, NO!) 


(and I should note, that very few people Curl in Vancouver, at least compared to any other sport. And no offence to anyone who Curls. But at 10, I freaking hated it... :D)


Anywho, I digress.


One of the lessons I was forced to took was sewing lessons. With 2 friends. Who hated it. But I loved it. I guess at 12 sewing wasn't cool. But I didn't care.


So that's how I started sewing!


When was the first time you knew you were a quilter/sewer?

The first time I knew I was a quilter...hmm...well, I guess I just started making baby quilts for all of my friend's babies. And I really knew I was a quilter when I found out you could actually quilt a quilt on a machine! with something called a "walking foot" (boy, was I a newbie or what?!)

To be honest, I stopped making quilts for several years; mostly because, as my husband and I struggled for years to have our own kids, I couldn't go back to the craft I (at the time) associated with little babies.


Then we were blessed with our little Audrey and the rest is history. I'd quilt all day, every day if I could!


Do you have any sewing/quilting horror stories or faux pas?

Uh, note the comment above about a walking foot. I tried to quilt a queen top once without one.

It didn't go well.


There was a lot of stitch-ripping.


And then a lot of hand-tying - 'cause I didn't know any better!


What advice would you give to someone who's just starting out in sewing/quilting?

I think the biggest thing to remember that when you start something, you're never going to get it perfect the first time. Be patient. Do your research - do you really need a $3,000 machine if you're a beginner? Probably not (and I should note here that I started sewing on a vintage machine, and still sew on a vintage machine - have actually started collecting old Singers - computerized isn't always best). 

Start with the basics - take some online classes, read a bunch of blogs, Google is your friend. Join a Guild in your area to learn from people in person, and also, more importantly, to be inspired by them (and you'll probably inspire them, too.)

The number one thing I recommend: ask questions. Whether it be on blogs, in forums, in person, don't ever be too shy to ask! (this has always been my downfall, and something I'm still working on!)


Thanks so much for stopping by today! And a big thanks to the Fat Quarter Shop for asking me to be a part of this hop, I had a lot of fun.

Just a note, that if you are interested, I'm hosting a Cotton + Steel Swap here at Sew at Home Mummy, and the sign-ups for the "Hatbox" Round start tomorrow morning. I have 2 separate groupings, one for Charms and one for Fat Eighths.

Happy quilting everyone!!

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6 comments

  1. Fun to read about how others got started and why they love what they do. Always makes me wonder how I'd answer. Very cute wall hanging. I'm thinking that would be a nice gift for the holidays, now to find the time to fit it in!

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  2. How fun and interesting that your parents had you take everything, I am going to have to look up what Curl is, since I am unfamiliar with it. Kids are inspiring.

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  3. Thanks for sharing! Cute story about curling! :-)

    http://catandrabbitdesigns.blogspot.com/

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  4. Love the heart wallhanging you made, may have to make one myself! Thinking I might have to join up on hatbox, I have resisted so far!

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  5. Haha! Love your growing up story - I am from Vancouver too, and I don't know how to curl...but I know how to bike, ski, swim and skate too!!! My mother also subjected me to many many lessons - it's one of the reasons I don't put my child in very many. I have a really bad faint memory about baton lesson and a parade haha. Your heart wall hanging is awesome - love your colour choices.

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  6. Your growing up story is so funny! :) I want to learn how to curl. LOL!

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