Monday 18 July 2016

2016 New Quilt Bloggers Hop




Hello, and welcome to my corner of the Quilt Blogiverse. I’m Sue and I live in Perth,
Western Australia. I work full-time auditing surveys of new strata plans and I’m trained in Cartography (map making), so yes, I am a maths geek.

I love gardening, walking, swimming, moonlight, animals, time with friends, time alone, and birdsong. And sewing.  I also knit and fancy myself as a bit of a diy-er. I’m never happy unless I have a project to think about and I just love planning. I am the queen of the to-do list. My favourite TV shows are murder mysteries, my favourite movie (currently, they change frequently) is Rango and my favourite books are Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and A Painted House by John Grisham.







I think I started quilting because I have always had a love for fabric and, basically, I needed something to make with it. The quilts hanging in the LQS were beautiful and learning new skills appealed as well. My first couple of quilts were applique projects I found in quilt magazines and they went together simply enough to make me believe that I could conquer this skill mountain (the naïve confidence of the beginner!). I’ve learnt my quilting skills through books, magazines, videos and now on-line classes. I love on-line quilting classes for the ability to learn from the quilting experts we would normally never see here in Australia.



I’ve been quilting for around 15 years but there was a span of a few years where I didn’t  actually sew any quilts but worked on home dec projects and did a bit of garment sewing. During this time I kept my hand in by buying fabric (buying fabric is part of quilting don’t you think?) and sorting it into piles for future projects. None of them ever saw the light of day and by the time I was ready to get back into it I had an overwhelming fabric stash. While I was having a break, the modern quilt movement was born and I found the quilts attracted me a lot more than traditional ones and large-scale blocks and negative space were appealing for my limited sewing time.


I started quilt blogging because I wanted to be part of the on-line quilting community and (I don’t want to start an argument here) blogs appeal to me more than Instagram. My first post was an entry into the 2015 Pantone Color of the Year challenge run by Adrienne at On the Windy Side and Anne from Play Crafts. My goal is to one day publish unique and original quilt patterns that go viral in the quilting community (never set small goals ;-) ) but until then it remains a place where I can show and tell and be part of it all.



My favourite quilt is definitely this up-sized version of Lyn from Lily’s Quilts Double Fat Jack tutorial. It has everything I look for – gorgeous fabric, simple large block(s) that are fast to put together and it turned out – hooray!

My BLOGGING TIP is that you should follow your own blog, that way if there are any problems with your feed you won’t be relying on your readers to come looking for you months later and let you know.

My QUILTING (and second blogging) TIP is compare apples with apples. There are a lot of blogs out there with masses of followers showing beautifully made quilts with a well-developed individual style. You’re wondering how you’re ever going to get to that same place. My exercise for you is to go to your favourite blogs and look for an archive in the sidebar. If they have one showing you can then find their first post. Go to it and read it. Look! They started out in just the same place as you are now. Feel better? Great, my job is done. (I've done this myself, I only found one that this didn’t work for – if you go there you’ll know who I mean. If you press me for initials I’ll tell you.)

Quilt-alongs, bees, swaps, fabric and colour challenges, link-ups, round robins, real-time sew alongs on instagram  -   my QUESTIONS for you are what sort of on-line quilt challenges do you like to participate in? and what would you like to see or see more of?

It’s hard to believe we’ve made it to the final week of the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Hop and we are packing our bags to leave and returning to our normal lives. We have become as close as strangers thrown together into a Facebook group could be as we struggled to make sense of blogging tech issues. So long and keep in touch *sob*. I’d like to give a big thankyou to Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Stephanie at Late Night Quilter for running the whole shebang. It’s been a great experience and I’ve enjoyed it immensely!

Here’s to the future for all of us!

33 comments:

  1. Can't wait to see that first viral pattern to come out! :) (I like blogging better than Instagram too, she whispered)

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  2. Lovely introduction Sue, I feel I know you better as a person, and as a quilter. You have made some lovely quilts, and like Janice I look forward to seeing your first viral pattern, and I will say 'I knew she would do that, I've been following her since she started' I love your tips, and yes, I am guilty of always comparing myself and finding myself sadly wanting, instead of just accepting myself as I am, warts and all. I prefer blogging too, although it's partly because I can't work Instagram (blush, blush). I have an idea who the blogger is, do tell.
    Smiles
    Kate

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  3. I've never been to Australia but it's a place that would be on my bucket list (if I had a bucket). I love the Aussie style in all things, but especially your quilt style. Fabulous. Thank you for the two great tips. I want some initials, because I'm quite convinced like many successful blogs, the person who is credited with it, probably never wrote a single word that appears on it...maybe that's cynical but I cannot believe that bloggers who have thousands of followers don't hire someone to assist them.

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  4. So Happy to meet you on the hop. Your quilts are beautiful and looking froward to seeing your first pattern! I too love to look at blogs and spend time checking out past and present projects on these blogs.
    I would love to do more swaps, but every time I go to join they are closed, sad face! Have a super week. Hugs, Heide

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  5. Very nice to get to know more about you and i'm sobbing that the blog hop is coming to an end too. Your tips are great, I can't even begin to compare myself right now mostly because I feel blessed just being where I am now. I would love to participate in swaps, It's hard for me to participate in QAL cos of my schedule and i'm yet to figure out link-ups. I love them all...Instagram, blogs and you forgot to mention Pinterest :)

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  6. Love your quilts-so pretty! I too am a fabric lover, with 10 tubs of fabric, I too decided (just recently) to start making quilts-andI love it! The whole process from beginning to end (though I need a LOT more practice on the end!) I would like too see more batik quilts( my favorite fabric) and I have been looking for an amazing batik quilt to make!

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  7. Sue, it was great to read more about you. Love the quilts you displayed for your post, especially the upsized Double Fat Jack. I absolutely love the prints you used it in. I have a feeling you will be publishing that first pattern anytime now. It's always a great idea to set goals. As for me, I am a quilt along junkie. I love participating in mystery quilts, BOM's and anything else that allows me to sew with friends.

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  8. Great post! I loved learning about your math side, seeing some of your favorite quilts, and reading your blog tips (they were excellent!).

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  9. Great tips and I love the quilts you've shared today! It is hard to believe the blog hop is coming to an end...glad you meet you!

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  10. Your advice and tips are so spot on! It was a pleasure to get to know you better and I look forward to seeing so much growth from you. :)

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  11. THANKS so much for your inspiration>love your quilt projects!
    msstitcher1214@gmail.com

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  12. Love your Double Fat Jack, great fabric choices! I haven't done a lot of online quilting challenges because they always seem to come at a time that I'm too busy to participate. I just finished Lori Holt's "Have Yourself A Quilty Little Christmas" Instagram sew-along from 2 years ago!

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  13. I love your Double Fat Jack quilt; those fabrics and how they work together just speaks to me.
    I want to participate in a mystery quilt along someday; it appeals to me to not have a clue what the end result will be.

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  14. Love your tips!!! And the quilts are really beautiful! I don't participate in sew-alongs or challenges often but I do really like swaps - a lot! I love sharing and receiving handmade items from other quilty friends that are too far away for me to visit in person. And i feel like each time i do one, I'm challenging myself on a personal level to create something new or unique that i've never done before.

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  15. Wow, thanks for sharing tips.Love your projects and fabric combo.Go, sure you will publish your pattern and can´t wait to be one of your testers.I love QALS, and if there are many people in is fun because love see anyone fabric combo and how the pattern change with eachone.Also I love to see the pattern to choose fabrics so make mystery is a challenge for choosing fabrics.
    Have a fun week and happy to be here.

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  16. I do not want this to be over either! It is a great venue to meet new friends and to learn all the techi things I struggle with. I love QALS! I hope you will publish quilt patterns as well...go for it! and thank you for all your wonderful help with my blog!

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  17. Your quilts are lovely! The fabrics in the Fat Jack are definitely unique. As for challenges...I'm currently challenged by the Farmer's Wife QAL. I haven't made a block in months!!

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  18. Oh, my that Fat Jack is amazing. It speaks to me of the blending of English culture with the vibrant people and places that made up the Empire at its height.

    I love your blogging tip, and I think you're right.

    As for online challenges... hmmmm. I'm mot that much of a linky-party fan. I think I prefer bees and quiltalongs. I'm too new to Instagram to have tried a real-time sew along, though that sounds like fun, too.

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  19. Well said ty for your thoughts on things.... happyness04431@yahoo.com

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  20. I enjoyed reading your blog and getting to know you. I also like your tips about seeing how others started out. It's a good thing to remember. I love linky parties, especially Let's Bee Social because it's how I've made many connections with others. Quilt alongs are fun as well.

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  21. Great post! I really enjoyed it. I too am a maths geek and am largely a self-taught quilter. I just love your Double Fat Jack quilt - it is really awesome. I also like you tip to got get too ahead of yourself - I'm kind of having that problem now so it really resonated with me! I've done some QALs this year and liked them, but I think going forward I want to focus more on challenges where I can force myself to create/design new things. I recently did a challenge with my MQG and was really daunted at first, but I'm so happy with how it turned out. I'm not really sure how this whole bee thing works, so I might look into that too. Thanks!

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  22. Your tips are great! Both things I hadn't thought about. (And I am not on instagram. I also prefer blogs--way more information, and an easier way to get to know someone.)

    I am in my first year of stash bee and love it. Don't know how many other bees are out there. I did just read about a quilting book group where a book is passed around, and I thought that sounded like a great idea. (Book was fiction with a quilt aspect, I think.) I like the idea of quilt alongs but I always have so many projects going that it can be hard to justify. And the timing makes a difference, too.

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  23. Your Double Fat Jack quilt is absolutely gorgeous!! :)

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  24. Hello Sue! Your quilts are lovely and I secretly share the same goal of publishing quilt patterns that go viral! I participated in a Canadian-wide quilt bee this past year and would like to participate in a round-robin type quilt bee or an improv quilt bee (not really quilt challenges) next. Cheers!

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  25. Love your post as it is full of energy and pretty quilts you've made. Also, great bloggie advice. I love mystery quilts as they challenge me as to fabric choices.

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  26. Love your post as it is full of energy and pretty quilts you've made. Also, great bloggie advice. I love mystery quilts as they challenge me as to fabric choices.

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  27. Thanks for sharing. I do occasionally follow along with a QAL, if it interests me. I do not do challenges, have enough quilts I want to make.
    cork@pa.rr.com

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  28. Thanks for sharing your story! I too love the online quilting community. Because I have just started here, I haven't completed any challenges or swaps or anything like that yet. I do have the block design for Cloud9 and Meadow Mist Mystery Quilt in the works though. There is so much fun to be had!

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  29. Hi Sue! So wonderful to get to know you! You have a great voice and I feel like your best friend already. PS I like blogs better than Instagram too, but only because I am a writer and I love to read blog posts because I get to really know a person. I do like Instagram though because I love photos too! Just have to learn to use it more.

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  30. Great introduction post. I loved seeing your quilts and I especially liked your fabric choices on the double fat Jack quilt. Your tips were good, too. I don't usually participate in any swaps or quilt alongs because I am too busy with my own projects and deadlines. The exception is when it is skill based and I am trying to learn a new skill. For example, I plan to participate in the free motion filler tutorials on the brick quilt tutorial presented by our fellow new quilt blogger, Suzy Webster, at Adventurous Appliqué and Quilting. It starts today! P.S. I love the graphic for your header!

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  31. Great post- I love both bits of advice. So easy to compare out beginning to someone else's career high, isn't it?

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  32. Hi Sue, great to get to know you! Love your quilts and your destination photography! Thanks for the great tips! I joined in on one Instagram swap and hope to participate in a couple of quilt alongs!

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  33. Very late catching up on all the goings on in blogland and just getting to your Blog Hop now ...... so lovely to learn a bit more about you Sue. Hasn't the whole group been such a great experience? I wish I had more time to get to know everyone properly because there are some great blogs, and people, out there. I love your goal of viral patterns ..... I am right there with you. I had never thought of following my own blog but now you've said it it does makes sense!

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