Monday, June 15, 2015

2015 New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop

Hi! Thank you for coming by as part of the 2015 New Quilt Blogger blog hop. I want to thank Stephanie (Late Night Quilter), Cheryl (Meadow Mist Designs), Yvonne (Quilting Jetgirl), and Terri Ann (Childlike Fascination) for hosting this year and for helping all of us newbies. 

So a little bit about me...

My name is Kelly, my husband is in the army and we have three daughters. We live in New York, upstate, nowhere near the city. I love to bake and craft (knitting, crocheting, and of course quilting). I get to stay at home with my girls which is so rewarding but can be equally exhausting!

Have you ever been on Youtube and gotten so far down a rabbit hole, watching random videos, that you don't know how you got there? That happened to me. I really got into watching quilting videos by Jenny Doan and Eleanor Burns. I decided I had to try it and jumped in with both feet. I had so many problems with my first quilt but I love it and Jamie doesn't seem to mind the mistakes. After that I was hooked and didn't want to stop.

This blog was started two weeks ago to keep me busy and distracted while my husband is deployed. It has been really fun to meet a big group of people that love to do the same things I do.





Sadly this is the only semi recent picture of me and my husband, a selfie from last summer.


Our daughters Aubriana (4), Jamie (3), and Addison (6). 
Yes, that is chocolate ice cream on Jamie's face.



 A couple of my favorite quilts:

Log Cabin Quilt that I made for our bed. I used manly black and white with the traditional red centers so my husband didn't feel it was too girly. He's a manly man we can't have any of those flowers or girly prints.

This quilt was a kit from Craftsy, Late Night Stars, using fabric from Lakeside Gatherings by Primitive Gatherings for Moda. It was originally on Addison's bed but since she has made her own quilt I stole it for our bed in the camper.



Some random trivia:

Dream Vacation Spot- I have a few. I really want to go to Ireland, London, Italy, and Greece. Oh and Australia wouldn't be too bad either!

Favorite Book- Hands down without a doubt The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I love that book it had my attention from the very beginning to the last word. I was so sad to be finished.

Favorite Movie- This one is a little harder. I enjoyed the Harry Potter movies but I don't watch them over and over. For a comfy winter movie I like The Holiday and when I want to laugh and recite most of the lines The Proposal.

Favorite TV Shows- I have all of the seasons of Friends, Will & Grace, Dead Like Me, Charmed (well not all of these I have up until like season 5 maybe), Friday Night Lights, and The Office. I currently watch The Originals, General Hospital, and sometimes Young and The Restless though I probably shouldn't admit to my soap opera guilty pleasures.

Random Fact- When my husband is home my favorite part of the day is getting up to make him his breakfast and coffee. It is such a wifely domestic thing that I really enjoy.

Quilting Tip:
When you change your needle (which you should with every new project I usually use a different one for piecing and quilting) put the old needle in a cleaned out medicine bottle. You can fill it up with used sewing needles and throw them out all at once without worrying about someone getting pricked with a rogue needle.

Blogging Tip:
Since I'm very new to blogging and I'm still trying to figure things out I am going to share a tip that I need to remind myself of frequently. Molli Sparkles wrote a post filled with advice for new bloggers that I printed out because I new that having a reminder handy would be helpful. One of the tips is to stop apologizing. Even in the short amount of time I have been blogging I have felt the need to apologize a few times. Sometimes I get excited about a project and want to post pictures of it from my cellphone and in horrible lighting. I don't need to ask forgiveness for that and neither do you! If you haven't read that post stop what you are doing and go read it. I'll be here when you get back.


What I would like to know from you guys is what is your favorite quilting must have or weird quilting quirk? Is there a ruler that you can't live without? Do you have to have an audible book or podcast playing? Can you not quilt unless you have everything in alphabetical order? Please comment and let me know!


Please be sure to check out all the other bloggers in this week’s blog hop:


Tessa@ Half Square Quilts

Sandra@ Musings of a Menopausal Melon
Jinger@ Trials of a Newbie Quilter

Johanna @ Sewing Time With Brownie



38 comments:

  1. I have to chuckle about your husband's preference for non girly quilts! My husband says I have an addiction to small floral prints and doesn't like them on the bed but I am slowly getting him to bend to my will over that!
    Love the photo of your girls! I always have a movie on while I sew bu t I like Downton Abbey or English detective dramas too!

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  2. I can't live without my 6 x 24 ruler and rotary cutter.

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  3. My husband isn't into floral quilts. However, since he is colorblind, I can sneek in a few questionable colors....SOME pinks and purples look like tan and brown to him! Right now, I'm loving my Clover Wonder Clips (amazing how many uses they have) and my Clover finger presser. I guess I'm a Clover fan?!?!

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  4. Loved reading this post, love your style, and your girls are adorable, capital A. So much here! I am amazed at how new of a blogger and quilter you are, also that um, Addison has made her own quilt and she's like 6?, whoa, your two quilts here are gorgeous, top-notch, and oh I can relate to the vortex....sooo relate. I, too, put bent pins and old needles in a container, an old film roll container! Truly feel for you with your husband away. Hugs. As for can't live without, hmmm I think hands down it would have to be sewing facing a window; if I can't BE outside in Mother Nature, I have to be able to see her.

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  5. I quilt with music on - I like to change my playlist every few months, but I especially enjoy when it is music that I can sing along with. :) I really enjoy getting to play the domestic wife for my husband, too.

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  6. My quilty quirk: I haven't yet pieced a quilt then quilted it on the same machine. Right now I own 3 machines and one is pretty mush exclusively used for quilting and bag-making - all the thick seams need a powerhouse!

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  7. I watch TV or well listen to it and have to rewind a few times every hour because I've missed a bit while concentrating on a quilt! I love rewatching Doctor Who!

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  8. My quilting must have is a Supreme Slider when I am doing free motion quilting. It seems to make everything move smoother.

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  9. I LOVE my Add A Quarter ruler! I do lots of paper piecing, and it'd take so much longer if I didn't have that ruler!

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  10. I love to quilt while I am watching Harry Potter movies. I have severe memory problems because of an accident I was in the summer before I turned 16 and even though I have watched each and everyone of the movies a thousand times, I can remember enough that listening while sewing is a pleasure. My favorite part of quilting are actually two things, the first is applique and the second is free motion machine embroidery with the appliques. My favorite quilt patterns are the Double Irish Chain scrappy and Dresden quilts. Have a great time learning, blogging and creating! One person shared with me the fact that as a quilter do not worry about mistakes, they will never be noticed by anyone unless you point them out!

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  11. I like your Late Night Stars. I'll often watch Coronation Street while quilting. I've never thought about my quilting must-have....must go figure it out.

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  12. I like to listen to the radio...sometimes the local french station because I don't have to focus on the talking and can just enjoy the music. I work on english paper piecing in front of the t.v.. My favourite ruler is my 6 inch by twelve inch. I love the picture of your girls and I'm thinking it must be very difficult to be away from your husband . I'm glad you've got quilting and blogging to keep you busy. Your quilts are really lovely.

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  13. Kelly - so happy to have met you!! I probably don't live too far from you, in eastern Ontario. The picture of your girls is beautiful. We live in a military community as well so I can only imagine how difficult it is to have him gone. Take care.
    I love your quilts...so beautiful. The log cabin one is really impressive. I love log cabins. I need to look up that post from Molly Sparkles but that tip you wrote about not apologizing is great. I find there are so many fantastic sleek quilting blogs out there and it makes me feel like mine isn't good enough but really what I am doing is for me and I am proud of what I am making and sharing. You should be to!
    I sometimes listen to podcasts while I quilt (and make jam - I have a small business making jam) in particular "Canadian Quilt Talk" and "American Patchwork and Quilting Radio". I keep a notebook handy while listening.
    I look forward to ready more of your blogs.
    Deb
    Ps. I loved watching Friday Night Lights. Was sad when it ended.

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  14. Your blog looks great! It's nice to meet your family. I'm somewhat of an amateur industrial engineer. I love laying out my quilting space for efficiency. I also have discovered the value of vintage Singer straight stitch sewing machines. You cannot beat them for stitch quality in piecing. My favorite is the Singer 301. I have two, a 1951 and a 1958. They rarely mess up like so many modern machines. My travel machine is a Featherweight or Singer 221. You can purchase these machines quite inexpensively and they are so simple that you can easily keep them in running order. They were made to last for generations. I look forward to keeping up with your blog.

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  15. your blog is just so polished!! Well done! I'm from the Watkins Glen area of upstate New York, are you stationed in Rome?? Your family looks just wonderful and your quilts just leap off of the page!!
    My quilty quirk is that I can't stand to just have one project going, but cant deal with more than 5 at a time!! SO I keep five going all of the time, a couple of small ones, and one leader/ender project, and then the main ones. XX! Lori

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  16. For a new blogger your blog looks great!

    My quilty quirks... too many to list! I love the thrill of starting something new, I love sitting and darning in threads from quilting, I love all fabrics...

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  17. You have a great blog going on! Beautiful, beautiful quilts! Yes, do not apologize! Molli Sparkles is right and that is one of the tips I vow to follow! You have a gorgeous family and so happy to have met you through the Blog Hop!

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  18. Hi Kelly! Fellow Sew Fabulous Hive member here. Love you quilt bucket list! The kite quilt will be stunning when finished I can tell! My quilty quirk is I need sound while working, music, audio books, tv, movies. I find my mind slows down and my productivity when I don't have something to listen too. My favorite audio books are the Dresden Files read by James Marsters.

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  19. Hi Kelly and welcome to the hop! I was part of last year's hop and it made such a huge difference in my blogging and my online friendships with other quilters (don't know anyone near me who quilts). You have some beautiful quilts and a beautiful family. I really admire your strength in caring for your daughters while your husband is deployed. I'm really looking forward to following along on your blogging journey. I have most of the basic rulers you'd expect: 6x24, 2.5x24, but I think 2 rulers that I'm so glad I invested in are the June Tailor half square triangle ruler (especially if you make a lot of HST and QST) and a 12x12 square-up ruler. I seem to use it all the time, even when squaring up the corners of my quilt after I've quilted them and are ready to bind.

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  20. Kelly, I am a mom of two girls, so I cannot even imagine how tough it must be to have your husband deployed for so long. We (the quilting community) are "close by" for when you need a friend to chat. Onto the quilting, I LOVE that log cabin! My husband is the same way with girly prints, maybe that's why I haven't made a quilt for our bed yet, ha! Thanks for the tips. For my needles I use some of the tons of pumping bottles I got from the hospital when my latest was born, because it snaps open/close. But when I ran out I'll grab that medicine bottle ;)

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  21. I almost always have an audible book playing while I sew, as long as I'm not doing any calculations. Your blog looks great! That header has a great colour scheme :)

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  22. Hi Kelly, your blog looks great. I too am a General Hospital fan, I turn it on when I come home from work and watch while I get dinner together.

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  23. Wow, two weeks of blogging - you are doing a fabulous job! I love the fact that you mentioned Australia in your dream vacation spot (hello-Aussie here!) My only quilting must is that I.Must.Keep.Quilting!!

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  24. Kelly - What a great job you've done on this blog post -- and your blog, in general! I am so happy to count you among my new blogging friends. I look forward to keeping up with you regularly and getting to know you better. As for my must have.... I couldn't live without my quilting area being set up with my cutting board, sewing machine and pressing station all within arms reach. I just have to pivot my rolling chair, and I can easily move on to the next step of whatever project I'm working on.

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  25. Welcome to the quilting world, Kelly! It is a lot like the Youtube vortex, once ypu get sucked in, you'll find it difficult to find your way out! I am i pressed with your beginner quilt skills, it seems you have a talent already. I hope you have a nearby group you can join - I learn so much from fellow quilters. I love my rotary cutter. It isn't an Olfa (also a good cutter), I forget the name and can't t go look at it because I'm reading your blog from Europe! Anyway I enjoued reading your blog and will see you around cyberspace!

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  26. I loved your post, Kelly! I can't sew without having my little thread snip scissors nearby. They are my must have, still sharp after 15 years, freak out when I can't find them item. I'm looking forward to seeing your blog grow!

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  27. Your quilts and family are lovely! I too have to remind myself to stop apologizing in posts...thats an excellent tip. I personally can't live without my Creative Grids rulers. Everyone says you can stick sticky things to any old ruler, but Creative Grids just work best for me. I find they are totally worth the splurge. Looking forward to following your quilting progress! (I was born in Eastern Mass too, Concord)

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  28. So great to meet you Kelly! I love that Molli's point to not apologize resonates with you as much as it does with me :) It's so neat to hear about your story that brought you to now.

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  29. Love the blog Hop! I'm so happy to meet you, love your blog ;-)

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  30. I love your Log Cabin Quilt. I've been making quite a few log cabin blocks recently for a #logcabinparty block swap through Instagram, and they've been a lot of fun to make. I use both my 6 x24 and 8.5 square rulers just about every time I quilt. I'm a fan of the Creative Grids rulers, and the Omingrid rulers with their yellow markings are totally distracting to me. I often have MLB baseball on in the background. I can mostly block it out but pay attention when I hear the roar of the crowd *:) happy.

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  31. So nice to meet you. I like your Manly Man quilts - they are so chic in those colour tones. My daughter is suddenly into only grey/black/taupe/white/neutrals (she is 13 and has a sudden interest in interior design Ikea style...), and I showed her your quilts and she loves them. SO now I am under pressure to make something with less colour than my usual fare. Following you on Feedly and looking forward to reading more posts

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  32. I seem to be a rare individual who likes silence. When I read, I read; when I quilt, I quilt. No audible books for me. And I had to laugh at the neatness ABC order question. I am the opposite. I work well in chaos. All I need is to have the cutting table empty. And because of a Google quirk, you'll have to copy and paste to visit my blog at Wordpress. knitnkwilt.wordpress.com

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  33. Hello, nice to meet you! I LOVE that log cabin quilt, it's gorgeous! I laughed about your husband not liking floral quilts on the bed... if you asked my husband what was on our bed, he wouldn't be able to tell you!

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  34. Hi Kelly! I am an Army brat, have served a bit myself (in the Coast Guard) and I have three girls as well. Its so nice to connect to people living similar lives! I'm glad you found quilting, I followed that rabbit hole as well and ended up getting sucked into this new passion! I don't have any hard and fast rules, I really just tend to jump around from project to project. I'm finding that I LOVE to start things, and am a really bad finisher:) So glad to meet you and check out your blog!

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  35. Military spouse-quilt bloggers unite! Quilting is definitely a good (and totally fun!) time suck while the husbands are a way. I love both of the quilts you've shown and I'm looking forward to seeing more of yours!

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  36. Welcome to the blogging world and hello to your 3 lovely girls and husband! I have a friend who also has a husband in the service and quilts quite a bit as well as another who's husband recently got out of the service and now she is diving in even more with quilting/crafting. It is such a lovely opportunity to be at home with your girls and I bet it can be exhausting, I hope you know there are always days allowed when you can breathe and ask for 'help'... mommy's deserve a peaceful moment, too! Your quilts are amazing and I really love how bold they are without too many differently fabrics going on. I also think you hit it on the mark with your bed quilt, doesn't look too manly or too womanly. Good job!

    *Stopping by from the 2015 New Blogger Blog Hop - New Bee's

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