Hi, I'm Rosemary, from East Yorkshire, UK. I am 45 years and have a DH and a 9 year old daughter. I've been interested in fabrics and sewing since about 6-7. In 1977 my mother took me to an embroidery exhibition put on by the Royal School of Needlework for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, and I announced then that I wanted to go there and do embroidery. Which I did when I left school. I then moved into fashion and tailoring, landing on Savile Row for just over a year. After getting married, and starting on the south coast, my husband managed to get us moved up the country in 3 year slots, until we hit Yorkshire and have managed to stay for 10 years. I took up patchwork & quilting after DD was born as a way of improving the look of the old blankets I have for the guest beds, as they are inherited from both my grans, and are getting distinctly 'tired' looking. TQS was one of the first quilt sites I found after being given my dad's spare laptop, and I fell in love with the BOM Stars for a New Day (which I hope to get on and finish sometime ). I am not very prolific in my production of any of my fabric based skills, But I love sharing and discussing all things sewing-wise.

Rosemary

PS I am always the one who wants to look at the back to see how something was made - although that doesn't always work with quilts

Milavia wrote:
Sylvia, I love how you describe yourself as 'infected by quilting', it sure can be a dangerous disease

Rosemary

Hi, I'm Nancy. I have 2 kids and 2 granddaughters ages 5 & 3. I've been quilting for about 7 years. My first major quilt was a log cabin quilt by Eleanor Burns (Quilt in a Day). From there on I've been hooked. I've taken most of my classes at my local quilt store ( Judy's Quilt n Sew) in Hampshire, Il. This is my first time in a major fabric exchange. It's been alot of fun reading everyones posts.

Hi, I'm Kalynn and my favorite part of quilting is buying fabric! Nothing unusual there!
I made my first quilt in the 80's on a whim. Just decided one day that I wanted to do it. Went to a "dime store" in the area (no longer in business), bought cheap fabric, went home and cut it into blocks with scissors (had never heard of a rotary cutter), sewed them together, used a bed sheet as backing and I think I used an old mattress pad as batting (can't exactly remember). Then I proceeded to quilt it with a HUGE needle and HUGE stitches (NOT on purpose, just didn't know any better). And I ended it with a ruffle around the entire quilt because I didn't know how to make binding! I proudly gave it to my parents when it was done. LOL! They still have it and I actually sleep under it sometimes when I visit them - it sure is warm!
I've learned a lot since then! And I have a lot more to learn. In the meantime I am just having fun, fun, fun!
And I am so thankful to have found TQS. I seriously consider all you gals (AND GUYS) to be my friends, just as much as if you lived right here in town- especially those of you with whom I communicate by way of the individual blogs. I get really out of sorts if I don't "hear" from some of you on a regular basis! I hope one day to get to meet some of you at a large quilt show (assuming I ever get to one!).

I'm Dawn. I started quilting in 1995, when I decided to make a quilt for the House Of Fabrics yearly quilt contest. It was selected as a finalist, and I was hooked! Next year I won 2nd place. That year, for my birthday, my husband gave me a trip to Padukah for the quilt show; my very first. This was in March and a bit late to find accommodations close in. I stayed an hour away in Missouri, but found other Padukah bound quilters staying in the same hotel! I have gone to a major quilt show every year since then. The last 10 being Houston. I am usually making a quilt with a contest in mind, but have never submitted to a major show. I have gone to 3 Judy Niemeyer retreats, and really enjoy paper piecing. And, I love batiks. True WAX RESIST batiks. I don't have a "Favorite" teacher, but I have to say, I have learned so much from Margo, with all of her little tidbits, photos, tutorials, and links that she sends us to. I am doing my very first BOM, and it is the TQS BOM. That will pretty much keep me busy this year!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

Hello, I am Sylvia, 45 years old and live in Germany. I am a mother of two adult children and grandma of a granddaughter. I have learned at the age of four years under instructions of my grandma the dressmaking. She has also taught me the cords. Five years ago I have begun to spiders and since the last year I am infected by quilting. It has begun with the fact that I wanted to sew a pot holder with a Log Cabin block to a friend. It has done so much fun that I have sewed thirty blocks and from it then my first Quilt has originated. My friend has till this day still no pot holder.

Sylvia

hi i'm lotti, i've been sewing since a very small girl - my mum had traded in being a sewing teacher when she married a farmer... after which her main sewing time was used for darning - unless one of my brothers and i got involved - when she'd put the overwhelming pile away and teach us to sew with the sewing machine making small scrap mice and other fun stuff... my love for sewing and other crafts was abruptly stopped when my own sewing teacher decided that i was doing everything wrong - the way i was holding a crochet hook, knitting or sewing needles being completely outdated and NO you have to DO IT LIKE THIS - but after many many many years i finally discovered i do NOT have to follow the rules and am free to do MY OWN THING! I'm now hooked - completely and totally with all my soul and every last penny and every empty space of my little apartment

have to add how i found TQS: last december i came accross a copy of the "The Quilt Life Magazine" at a tiny railway-station kiosk while waiting for a connecting train in a little town in the bernese mountains in switzerland - finally had a chance to really look at it around x-mas - and found a link for TQS - thanks for this website folks - thanks for the blogs and the forums and fabric exchanges and EVERYTHING - i absolutely love being part of this.

after finding quilting in the early 2000's, and making my first few quilts and starting another bunch - i had to completely stop sewing and doing all kinds of crafts for about 5 years (wicked joint pains ) and spent years getting one diagnosis after the other each claiming the previous one was as useless as the previous specialist with the help of a little witchery and a very-low-carb diet - i'm now quilting and sewing and occasionally even crocheting (only flowers required for my quilts) again...

just spent a full month visiting my parents in canada and every decent fabric shop within a 45 mile radius - followed by trips to the post office to ship the goodies home - heading home tomorrow - wonder when the packages will arrive - hopefully before the credit card bill

ritzy wrote:
It's when you turn the edges of the front and back under and stitch together without binding. It's often used for baby quilts when the front and back are placed right sides together over the batting, then stitched around leaving an opening for turning. The quilting is done after the quilt is turned inside out and generally topstitched around the edges. Since I did mostly quilt-as-you-go I hand stitched the front and back together around the edges. The seams were quite bulky on this quilt.

Annis, "knife edge finish", what is this?

I am Dirty Annie or Diane. I took the plunge into quilting in 1997 because I was totally smitten with sewing and read Quilters Newsletter for two years then just had to do it. But from 2001 to 2007 I didn't get hardly anything done while we were getting our store off the ground (Dirty Annie's Country Store). I just love learning things that step up my quilting. I wanted to try, but it is watching TQS that gave me the courage to 'just do it.' Hence I am trying new binding methods, done bobbin work with Razzle Dazzle, tried quilting as I go (NOT). And I have been pushing the envelope and pushing myself to quilt my tops on my sewing machine. The person that has inspired me to just step out - is - Ricky Tims. I don't believe in failing any longer, just new experiences.
Diane in Wyoming

Hi, I'm Annis. I grew up with quilts. My paternal grandmother was a prolific quilter and brought tops for my mother to finish when she came to visit. I'm mostly a piecer too but I have quilted many quilts over the years. Lately I give the larger ones to a longarm quilter as I don't have time to do everything and they do a much better job in less time. I don't remember a first quilt and didn't take classes until recently. I do remember many of my first quilts used my variation of Georgia Bonesteel's lap quilting (on the sewing machine) and had a knife edge finish.I tend to do things my own way so the classes I take are just for fun and to learn some extra tips, as I go home and finish the quilt differently most of the time. I've been designing my own patterns since I was a child making doll clothes from my mother's scrap fabrics. Over the past 10 years I've collected many magazines, quilt books, and block books to help advance my quilting skills, and I like to do speed piecing techniques.

I am a mom of 5, wife, and grandmother of three girls. I love love love fabric. In 1988 I had a 'serious' heart attack. After that my kids took turns making a photo album for me each year. The one that made the album recieved a quilt from me. A west Tx sunset quilt for a daughter that missed West Texas, a Jonathan Seagull quilt for a son that loved the book and on and on. We have discontinued the exchange but I have continued to give away quilts. Some go to the Linus Project and the rest always seem to find a home. Thinking and planning the quilts are almost as enjoyable as the sewing and quilting. I am blessed with a studio that is my haven. When life happens, it is where I go to re-group. I do not have a favorite teacher but must say Alex has taught me much.

I'm Donna and have been an obsessed quilter since 2002 when I made my first log cabin quilt. My sister was my first inspiration. Being very competitive, I figured if she could make quilts, so could I. Now we enjoy getting together (Kansas and Alabama) several times a year and periodically collaborating on quilts on which we both make blocks, then share half. To date, we have made three "sister" quilts and have another one already planned to begin this summer.

My favorite teacher for piecing has to be Alex (and I'm not just sucking up). Her genuine love of the craft and willingness to admit when she doesn't know how to do something or that there are things she doesn't feel comfortable doing is a real inspiration to me. For quilting techniques, Linda Taylor has taught me as much as anyone. Her videos available through TQS are super.

I have always been a multi-tasker and that usually meant lots and lots of crafts (knitting, crochet, beading), but since starting to quilt, those crafts have gone by the wayside. The entire process from planning to binding is enjoyable, even when I have to unsew occasionally. I love to challenge myself and rarely make the same pattern more than once.

And that's my (short) story, and I'm stickin' to it.

Hi, I'm ritzy and I am addicted to fabric, thread, yarn, trims...anything fiber. I do all needlecrafts; many other hand crafts and take pictures. I don't cook. I have been quilting for 15 years and love combining all of my crafts every chance I get. Self taught.