About me
 | ||
| The view from my home in South Wales |
I have always sewn.
Since I can remember I have had a fascination for garment
construction which has spilled over into other crafts. I feel
privileged to have attended school in the ‘70s where needlework was
part of the curriculum for girls (would probably be frowned upon
nowadays though!) It’s a great shame that this is no longer taught to
either gender!
I was also fortunate
to have a grandma who was an extremely talented seamstress; her
skills were second to none. Her technical ability to turn a pattern
cut from newspaper into a detailed and well tailored outfit was
amazing. If I have inherited half her skill I will consider myself
fortunate.
She didn’t quilt,
I don’t know anyone who quilted. It hasn’t been as popular here
as across the Atlantic. Ironic though since it was Welsh that settled in Pennsylvania and influenced the Amish.
What I'm working on
- Dear Jane - The quilt designed by Brenda Papadakis
- A Quilt for Remy - A gift for my new great-niece living in Canada.
- Pinwheel Quilt - My first quilting project
- Designing my own fabrics and having them printed with Spoonflower
- Designing my own quilt patterns
Other bloggers in this hive also posting today:
| Sandra from Sandra Healy Designs (@sandrahealydesigns) |
| Sherry from Powered By Quilting (@poweredbyquilting) |
Liz from Savor Every Stitch (@celesta) |
| Beth from Cooking up Quilts (@cookingupquilts) |
| Leanne from She Can Quilt (@shecanquilt) |
| Yvonne from Quilting Jet Girl (@quiltingjetgirl) Be sure to pay a visit for some inspiration and sponsored give-aways. |
Nice to meet you Diane! Enjoyed seeing your projects in progress!
ReplyDeleteThank you Paige, much appreciated, just a shame there aren't any completed....yet :)
DeleteNice to read your post Diane and to click through to the quilts you are working on. the quilt for Remy is going to be stunning and I am sure will be treasured for years to come!
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail, thank you. I hope Remy's quilt turns out as well as the mock up...watch this space! x
DeleteHello and welcome from Northeast England Diane, you live in a beautiful part of the UK. I have done a fair bit of needle turn, it does take longer but you get a completely different result than with bonded appliqué, however, points are difficult and it takes a while to get a consistently good result, although it is well worth persevering. Your quilt for Remy is lovely, a future family heirloom and a quilt to treasure. Lovely to meet you and good luck on your quilting and blogging journey.
ReplyDeleteHello Kate, The views here are pretty special I consider myself very lucky. I am determined to get my needle turn to at least an acceptable standard especially for a gift, you're right points are tricky and infuriating! I am hoping my nephew and his wife with like the quilt too. Thank you for your kind words, lovely to meet you too x
DeleteWhat a beautiful spot you live in! And such great projects!
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, It is a lovely place I feel thoroughly spoilt! thank you for your comment :) x
DeleteOh my, what a beautiful view you have! I enjoyed seeing your quilts and getting to know you a bit better. Wendy at piecefulthoughts@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHello Wendy, Thank you, I'm never stuck for something to look at its true! Thank you for your kind words x
DeleteWelcome to the blogging world! Nice to meet you on the hop.
ReplyDeleteHi Carole, thank you, I think I should've started this blogging stuff sooner there are so many lovely people to meet, lovely to meet you too! :)
DeleteHi Diane, it's so nice to meet you here! How nice to live in South Wales, you sure have a great view! Welcome to the world of blogging and quilting, I'm fairly new myself but regret not discovering it sooner. You'll have such a great time!
ReplyDeleteHello Liz, its lovely to be here! I'm so pleased I took the plunge into the world of blogging and quilting. I know what you mean, I have dabbled but hesitated to dive in, so glad I have :) I'm already enjoying!
DeleteThank you so much for participating in and being a part of the blog hop! We all have to start somewhere, and I hope you have a lot of fun as your quilting journey continues. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all your hard work putting this hop together. I'm so glad I stopped by your blog and that you accepted my application, this has opened up a whole new world for me!
DeleteHi Diane, your quilt for Remy will be stunning! I can't wait to see it finished! Quilting was all but lost from Northern Ireland. Given that it was European settlers who brought patchwork to the States, it was a neat irony that the Patchwork Guild was founded in 1985 by a pastor's wife from the US who was based in N. Ireland for a while and was appalled to find that quilting was virtually unknown. Happily it's now thriving again!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra, I hope the actual quilt turns out the same as the vision I have for it. I've a long way to go. It is ironic certainly that quilting has crossed the seas and back again it seems to have gone full circle! 1985 means that it is still relatively young still but good that it has had its revival for us all to enjoy! Lovely to meet you :)
DeleteI am the first in my circle of family and friends to quilt. Interesting that as a newbie quilter you are already designing patterns but I guess that goes along with your broad-base of sewing knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI certainly think the my sewing knowledge has helped, it means that I am familiar with notions and fabrics and can find my way around a sewing machine so that's the basics covered. The pattern designing I can only describe as dabbling! Although secretly I would love it to take it further, its certainly outside my comfort zone at the moment though. Lovely to meet you x
DeleteWelcome to quilting, your quilts are lovely! I love the fresh new perspectives all the new quilters have brought the past few years, your design process on the Quilt for Remy is great!
ReplyDeleteThank you its lovely to be here. I have learned so much already, its lovely to see all the different styles people have to offer, the variety is endless. I'm still trying to find my 'voice' but enjoying the process :)
DeleteNice to meet you Dianne: You are working on a lot of interesting projects. I live in Canada my parents immigrated from England after the war. My dad's family was from North Wales although he mostly grew up in Birkenhead. My mom was 1/2 Welsh as well so I feel a kinship with Wales and we did go an visit the north about 8 years ago. It's a beautiful country. Welcome to quilting and blogging.
ReplyDeleteHello Lisa, lovely to meet you. You certainly have a strong connection with Wales :) we are such a wee country we are often overlooked but you're right it is a beautiful country. Thank you for your welcome and comment x
DeleteWelcome to the Blog Hop. Your post was lovely just like your marvelous view. I am jealous. I'm also a first generation quilter; my mother was a seamstress and she made all of my clothes when I was young. I always loved going fabric shopping with her and when I started quilting and accumulating fabric, she understood.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rose for your lovely comments. Its great to be part of this community, I am loving it so far. I also used to visit fabric shops with my grandma, she was so knowledgeable and I learned so much from her it has given me the confidence to take on quilting. I'm looking forward to the challenge.
DeleteDiane! As a quilter I am always impressed by garment sewists! Quilting as I joking put is sewing straight but with precision! I'm so glad to have learned more about you! :) I wish you luck on your quilting journey. Dear Jane is a quilt that I've always admired, but I don't know if I'll ever have the guts to tackle it!
ReplyDeleteI love your definition of quilting its so true! I'm just at the beginning of my Dear Jane challenge and so far have picked out all the 'easy' blocks. So it remains to be seen how long it will actually take me to finish it! I predict as I run out of 'easy' ones the time lapse between each one will probably be longer....and longer! I think I took it on as a way of feeling a kinship with other quilters, seemed like a good idea at the time. Lovely to meet you x
DeleteHi Diane! I really enjoyed reading your post. My favorite class in junior high was home-ec sewing (mid-80's) As a Pennsylvania resident it is so intense to learn about the Welsh influence on Amish quilting.
ReplyDeleteYou have a place, keep on going!
~Abbie of the Hive ��
Hello Abbie, I don't believe sewing is taught in schools here any more which is such a shame. Actually its what I went to school for! I believe there is a strong link with Wales and Pennsylvania from the first wave of immigrants in 1682, I find this quite fascinating. Its lovely to meet you thank you for your comments x
DeleteHi, Diane! You live in a lovely country; it's breath taking. Sometimes I can be intimidated when I read other bloggers who seem to push out a quilt a week. My advice for all new quilters is to enjoy the journey of quilt making and not worry about how many you do.
ReplyDeleteI do love the view I have and in particular watching the seasons, autumn is my favourite! I am also in awe of people to seem to produce one after the other relentlessly I can assure you, this isn't me!! I couldn't agree more with you about enjoying the quilt making it's so important to stay in the moment.
DeleteHi Diane, it is nice to meet you, as well! What a beatuiful view you have- wow!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to chack out the rest of your blog and see those projects a bit closer!
By the by, did you know that you are a no reply blogger? If that's how you like it, great. Some people just don't realize it. :)
Have a fantastic week!
Hello Amy, I thought I had fixed the problem of being a no reply blogger :/ must be missing something! I must look into this again, thanks though for bringing it to my attention I appreciate it!
DeleteThat dragon will look so cute!
ReplyDeleteThank you Danette although I think I have put myself under pressure to make sure it looks just like the drawing. I really need to capture the expression, it makes it I think!
DeleteHello Diane! I loved reading your post! One of these days I'd like to tackle the Dear Jane quilt myself, it always pops up on Pinterest to taunt me!
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia, thank you for your kind comment. The Dear Jane is a lovely project to do because the blocks are small enough to tackle when time is in short supply and some of the blocks look quite challenging (I'm skipping these for now!). Also I think how satisfying it will be to actually finish it! :)
DeleteHello! Good to meet you! Good luck on your fabric and pattern designs! A Dear Jane is on my quilty bucket list. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHello to you too :) Thank you, I think design is something I have always wanted to have a go at, I've no excuses now not to at least try! I am in awe of Jane Stickle and the more blocks I complete the more I admire her gift and devotion to finish such a work of art!
DeleteHi! So nice to meet you! Your projects show variety and a great desire to learn. I've never made a Dear Jane, but many of my friends have. It's very popular here in Indiana because this is where Brenda is from. You will learn so much from it!
ReplyDeleteHello Jennifer, thank you for your lovely words. I think I am open to trying anything and really just shows that I haven't found my niche yet OR it could mean that I am open to trying anything! I do like a challenge. Have you any plans to make a Dear Jane? I came across it quite by accident but was drawn to it straight away so I understand what Brenda saw in it. I might even get to finish it if I try to limit my 'oops' moments!
DeleteHow exciting to be just starting out on your quilting journey. There is so much to explore and discover!
ReplyDeleteAw thank you Sarah, its exciting looking at all the possibilities and meeting new people is certainly a bonus, thank you for looking in :)
DeleteLovely picture of my beloved Valleys. It's nice to find someone local to me. If you ever fancy a coffee and chat just yell out. Gina xx
ReplyDeleteThank you Gina that's a lovely idea, I might just take you up on it :D xx
DeleteNice to meet you! My home economics classes taught basic sewing and counted cross stitch, and it was required for boys and girls. That was early 1990s in the US. I didn't take to sewing at that time, but I thought it was great that everyone had to learn.
ReplyDeleteThank you Emily, I think school children are missing out these days. It's good too that boys and girls were included. In our schools the boys had their own craft subjects such as woodwork and metalwork and neither genders were allowed to cross over. I still think I would've stuck to sewing though!
DeleteHi Diane! Home Ec classes were always my fav, too! You are taking on some big projects for being a new quilter--Dear Jane, and designing on Spoonflower. Best wishes!!!
ReplyDeleteHello Nancy, I don't do anything by halves! Whether I actually complete any projects is another matter entirely. I feel like I'm making up for lost time and that I need to run to keep up with other quilters. Thank you for stopping by xx
DeleteI think it's lovely that someone in your family also sews. I adore your pinwheel quilt; one day I hope to make a red/white quilt of my own! Thanks so much for being a part of the new quilt bloggers Diane! Finding other bloggers to connect with is a great place to start and you are well on your way!
ReplyDeleteHello Beth, Thank you for your comment and the time you have taken to put together this hop it's much appreciated! I have yet to quilt the pinwheel quilt so to date it is still a wip I think this is the scariest part :/ I have enjoyed being part of this blog hop and have met some lovely people who I hope to keep in touch with, its been a blast! xx
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