Kickoff for the 2014 New Quilt Blogger's Blog Hop!

Plum and June


I am so excited! Today is the start of the 2014 New Quilt Blogger's Blog Hop hosted by Beth from Plum and June so if you're dropping for the first time, welcome! Sit and stay awhile.


First let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm a former theatre professional who has dabbled in fiber crafts for over 20 years. My original love was knitting but I always wanted a handmade quilt. It never occurred to me to make it myself until a few years ago. Silly, I know. That is when my love of fabric and quilting took hold.


Getting a late start on quilting, I have a lot of catching up to do and every new quilt project is a learning experience. You'll always see the good, the bad, and the ugly on this blog. And even some tips and tricks along the way, like this one on how to keep your bobbin thread from unraveling.


There are so many aspects of quilting that appeal to me. It's very precise (unless you're improv piecing), there are multiple ways to construct the same thing, and it satisfies my need to be creative. My favorite aspect of quilting is color. Of course, it's what I struggle with most. When making projects that aren't part of a complete kit, picking out fabrics and colors are my biggest challenge. What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of quilting? Is it in the construction or the design? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And don't forget to check out all of the other amazing new quilt bloggers participating in today's blog hop:






Jana @ Jana Machado






Comments

  1. Great post Diana. That red quilt is beautiful! I too love color. Thanks for the bobbin tip, mine are usually misbehaving so I might have to give that a try.

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  2. Hi Diana! For me, the most challenging part of a quilt is usually trying to decide how to do the quilting. I can really get stuck on that sometimes!

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  3. as if I have time to check out more blogs!!! will have a quick look as I was up at 5am this morning as i could not sleep, hopefully there will be more that I will be following, blogs are so helpful to us beginners.

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  4. Borders are what always slow me down. I hate sewing borders, but some quilts needs them.

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  5. Nice to meet you Diana, thanks for sharing a bit about yourself and for the photos of some of the lovely quilts you've made.....

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  6. So glad to have found your blog. I find the precision the hardest part of creating quilts - I love choosing the fabrics, design and colour, but cutting fabric so precisely drives me crazy!!

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  7. Most challenging is to finish those projects I started. Not easy to keep going when everything new is more exciting. Nice outdoor pics. Nice to meet you Diana.

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  8. I find it very hard to commit to one project long enough to get it finished! I used to say binding, but I found a great tutorial on machine binding, so now its such a breeze I don't mind at all. I too am a redhead, though not as natural as you. ;D

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  9. Great to meet you! Being an engineering draftsperson I'm used to seeing exact corners and straight lines. My hardest part to get used to in quilting is that fabric moves! I won't always get it perfect and that's ok :)

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  10. Hello from the other Diana! Love the red quilt, look forward to following you :)
    www.sewcraftychick.blogspot.com

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  11. Ohh, the red quilt is SOOO pretty! Recently my biggest challenge is having enough fabric to finish the quilt ;) I have issues with matching seams. . . maybe because I am a little obsessed with it sometimes lol

    Great post, Diana! Your blog looks fab :)

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  12. Most challenging for me is to not get distracted and get that quilt basted before starting something new. I avoid basting until I'm mentally ready for it! Takes a while.

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  13. The thing that always gets me is putting the loose ends of the binding together as well as I'd like. I tend to hold my breath a little until it's securely on and I'm ready to start hand sewing. lol. I love your red and white quilt - stunning!

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  14. Beautiful quilts. I love the colour combination choosing and design parts too. I don't tend to sew with new 'collections' of fabrics so I find this part is extra interesting for the quilts I make. The most challenging part for me is the actual quilting - my skills and patience with this part really don't marry up with the end result I'd like to achieve!

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  15. Your quilts are so pretty! I like how the red bits in your scrappy quilt make the whole thing sing. My challenge is trying to focus...there is so much to learn and do in the quilting world, and I want to do it all! The design process challenges me, but in a good way. Challenges keep me interested.

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  16. I totally understand your issue with picking fabrics. If I have a line of fabric I love it is easy, but when I'm mixing and matching or trying to do scrappy I really really struggle. Love your quilts they are beautiful

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  17. Pretty quilts! and great tip with the scrunchies!

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  18. I tend to just jump into a quilt and figure things out later. I find the basting to be the toughest part, since you have to lay it all out, rangle big pieces of cloth, and try not to poison yourself too much with the spray baste (though I like the spray a lot better than pinning.)

    I just power through or avoid it entirely by starting another project. :)

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  19. I loved reading your post, Diana! Even though I've followed for awhile, it is nice to get a little more info about you!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  20. Okay - now I'm very curious about your life in theater!

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  21. That's so funny you said color because I always like your colors! The hardest part is always motivation and time management. I always take on more than normal and then get overwhelmed.

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  22. Where do you live? The backdrop of your photos is beautiful!

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  23. Great question - I think my biggest challenge is actually finishing projects. Though also doing the quilt math sometimes. I love picking colours and fabrics.

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  24. Hello, nice to meet you! There are some gorgeous quilts here, I'm off to have a look around! I'm a fairly new quilter (working on quilts number 4 and 5 at the moment) so it's all quite challenging to me at the moment!

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  25. Hi there Diana. Meeting you via the blog hop - my first visit to you. The part of quilting which thrills me is the early stage - planning, colour choices, getting the first bits of it done. Once I have mastered the block, it is no longer a challenge, and I lose interest in the quilt before it is half made. So for me the biggest challenge is actually forcing myself to complete a project. I need a little band of elves who come along behind me, pick up the pieces and complete all the things I start. That would be bliss! Do you know of any little elves who are looking for a nice warm home? LOL

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  26. Hi Diana!
    Lucky me, I have been following the thread regarding the feedly button and saw that you have a tutorial so here I am. Thankyou for sharing, sometimes not having time to get to everyone's blogs straight away has it's advantages LOL love your photos and quilts, gorgeous backdrops :)

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  27. I have a beautiful redheaded daughter-in-law. Your quilts are beautifully photographed. I love the bobbin idea.

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  28. That is a great bobbin trick, Diana! And for me the struggle is finishing. I love design, fabric choice, the piecing progression... but then there's basting and binding - boring! lol

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  29. I love the color/design aspect of quilting. My biggest problem is the precision and the actual quilting - that's where I need to learn the most.

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  30. For me the most difficult part of quilting is figuring how to quilt it! I do not know how to FMQ yet so I am learning how to do designs with a walking foot while I learn. It has been fun but it is hard to decide!

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  31. Your quilts are so lovely. I struggle with picking colours too. I have no confidence in my choices, and I struggle with it getting dressed some mornings too!

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  32. Hair tie thingummies around the bobbins? Brilliant! I haven't seen that idea before.
    I once made a quilt from a kit. Not choosing my own fabrics took away half the fun. I think I would rather get it 'wrong' with colour choice than do a kit again.
    What I find the most challenging is the quilting. I happily piece quilt tops and then don't know what to do next. I have most quilts professionally finished on a long arm, but I need to learn to do more myself.

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  33. I always struggle with design. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but it's so hard to commit and actually cut the fabric!

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  34. I always struggle with trying to decide how to actually quilt the piece. I can never decide and usually just end up winging it. Your red quilt is gorgeous!

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  35. Holy smokes, where has that bobbin trick been all my life!

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  36. Design is usually my biggest challenge! So many options its hard for me to narrow it down, but once I do the construction is not too bad. Love the red quilt!

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  37. What a great way to keep bobbins from unraveling! I need to pick up a packages of those bands!

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  38. Your red quilt is lovely. I also use those hair thingies for my bobbins.

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  39. That bobbin thread trick is marvelous! I should try that to avoid the pesky tangles.

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  40. So nice to get to know you a bit better! I got a later start to quilting as well! Love the trick you shared for keeping the bobbins under control. I will definitely give that one a try! I still find most parts of a quilt challenging, but I think that's part of why I enjoy it :)

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  41. Love your post Diana. I'm visiting from the hop too. I was in the first group, but promised myself I would visit every blog. So here I am.The bobbin tip is great. I tried a different one with a clip that went around the bobbin about 3/4 of the way, and the thread came out and was messy. So I appreciate yours. The hardest part of quilting for me right now, besides finding the time, is when using lots of scrappy fabrics, making them work well together with their different values and colors. I'm getting much better at it. Glad to meet you.

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