2017 New Quilt Bloggers Hop - Introduction

New Quilt Bloggers Hop Welcome to my stop on the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop! As a very new quilt blogger I am excited to be part of this fun blog hop. Many thanks to our hosts Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Leanne @she can quilt and Beth @Cooking Up Quilts for organizing this and for being such amazing mentors. Each week a group of us new quilt bloggers are introducing ourselves in the blog hop. Be sure to visit the fabulous bloggers listed below and oh yes, there is a giveaway each week with awesome prizes from our sponsors.

About Me

I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for quilting and participating in the community of quilters. I started quilting in the last century, but it took a back seat to raising my family and my career as a university librarian. Now my three kids are well grown and I am a part-time information technology professor at a community college. So the quilting obsession has found its way back into my life in a big way. At heart I am a learner and a teacher. I enjoy learning about quilting and making all kinds of quilts. I especially love designing quilts, both the creative design work and the technical aspects of bringing a design to life. My goal for this site is to share tips and tutorials, reflections on projects, and original quilt patterns. My creative goal is to design quilt patterns that other quilters will love. I have an amazing family including my life partner and soul mate otherwise known as my husband, our three children and their wonderful families. Four grandchildren! My husband and I enjoy sailing on our boat Wind Shadow whenever we can. It does mean time away from the sewing machine, but time on the water always refreshes my spirit.

A Few of My Favorite Quilts

Now for some eye candy and a little flavor of my style from recent quilts. First up, I made this Pink Geese mini for a pink themed quilt swap. I love the way the ombré fabric works in the flying geese design. Here is another mini I made for a black & white themed quilt swap. A challenging experiment in curved piecing! See my post "Pop Art Flowers Mini Quilt" for more details. Featured Attraction is a pattern I designed highlight a focus fabric. It is super easy but makes a dramatic statement. I plan to post this as a free pattern ... soon. This sample features a fun print with crazy monkeys as a nod to my grandchildren. In the background of this picture you can see the slide my husband put off the deck for the all the little monkeys. And finally the wall hanging below titled "Thread Trails" is near to my heart because it is my only show quilt. (Believe me, I'm really not a show quilter.) It won a 1st place prize in my local quilt guild show; was juried into the 2016 Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza; and was part of the Modern Quilts: Redesigning Traditions exhibit at the Ontario Museum of Art, in conjunction with the 2017 Road to California.

Bonus Quilting Tip

As part of the New Quilters Blog Hop we were all asked to share a quilting or blogging tip. When I first learned about quilting I was so frustrated by the advice to sew a scant quarter inch seam. What in the world did that mean! How do you measure scant? Since then I've learned to calibrate for an exact quarter inch seam on any machine for piecing accuracy every time. See my tutorial: How to Sew an Accurate Quarter Inch Seam.

Links and Prizes

Be sure to hop over to the other Blooming Quilters bloggers featured this week for gorgeous quilts and more quilting tips. Also don't forget to visit our hosts to enter the giveaway for great sponsor prizes. Thank you stopping by my blog, and visit again soon! - Sandy