Friday, 12 July 2013

Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop 2013

I can't believe this week is my week on the Blog Hop!

I have been focused on getting ready for Scout Camp that starts this afternoon, and it passed me by!

So..... me....

Well, I am lone mum to 3 wonderful and totally gorgeous boys:


We have lots of adventures together, including to the Olympics 2012, camping and tramping through lots of National Trust houses!

Apart from my 3 boys, fabric and quilts are my passion!

I started quilting 17 years ago when I was an undergraduate student in Leicester. During my time at school I only took one sewing lesson - I was much more focused on maths and physics. But during my first year of a degree in Physics with Astrophysics and was visiting a friend when I saw a quilt design in a magazine, that moment changed my life!

When I got home I bought a cheap sewing machine and started making a king size quilt - I cut out all the shapes with a pair of scissors! It took an age to complete, but I was bitten by the bug!!

The rest as they say is history!



Since then, through lives ups and downs I have always had a fabric stash, a sewing machine or 16 and now a passion for sharing my fascination with as many people as possible through teaching!

I had always hand quilted my quilts, which takes time. But at the beginning of last year I needed to make a quilt super fast, so I taught myself Free Motion Quilting. Now I am obsessed with the texture and design FMQ can give you. The way it changes the quilt!

My focus moving forward is to complete a City and Guilds in Machine Embroidery Level 3 through distance learning. I am hoping it will feed my addiction to surface design and texture!

If you want to see more of the quilts I have made, have a look here.

Don't forget to check out all of the fabulous other quilters on the Hop today:

Thanks for stopping by!


Ps I am very sorry I haven't been able to post the winner of the give away on my blog. It will be on Monday when I get home from Scout camp!
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40 comments:

  1. Sonia12 July 2013 at 12:26

    Enjoy Baden Powell house - it will be a very different experience next weekend!!!!!! Very exciting about the C&G x

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  2. Julie12 July 2013 at 14:06

    Nice to get to know you better. FMQ is fun and there are so many designs to perfect.

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  3. Julie Hirt - 627handworks12 July 2013 at 16:31

    I can't believe you cut up fabric for a king size quilt with scissors. No way could I do that! Nice to meet you and I'm glad to be a new follower :)

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  4. Anonymous12 July 2013 at 21:30

    Your free motion quilting is inspiring. I have done a few projects free motion but it scares me. You make it look so easy!

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  5. Anne12 July 2013 at 23:40

    Nice to meet you! :D I'm so impressed by your FMQing! I've tried it once and it went pretty poorly, and I know i need to just practice more, but I find it intimidating. I should just give it another go, you've inspired me!

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  6. Paula@TheSassyQuilter13 July 2013 at 00:04

    There are worse things we could be addicted to, right? Can't believe you taught yourself and studying embroidery, cool!

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  7. Elise Lea13 July 2013 at 01:48

    So Great to get to know you a little better! I had a similar experience with my first quilt and not having the proper tools - lets just say I was living in the Caribbean using a very old sewing machine a pair of scissors and a magazine to try and measure out even sized pieces lol! Love your swoon quilt so far!

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  8. Ashley @ WasntQuiltInADay13 July 2013 at 02:33

    anna, that bookshelf quilt is to die for! i love that you jumped in with a king size quilt! awesome! hope you had fun at camp!

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  9. sarah elizabeth :: {no} hats13 July 2013 at 04:21

    Enchantee! I am so curious to see or learn more about that one magazine design that started it all for you! Also - handquilting quilts and raising three boys (!) you are a saint!

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  10. Vicki13 July 2013 at 05:49

    So nice to meet you, Anna! Your quilts are awesome.

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  11. Lisa13 July 2013 at 07:47

    Your embroidery class sounds wonderful - great goal - best of luck!!! Great to meet you on the blog hop!!!

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  12. Rachel13 July 2013 at 21:18

    Good to meet you. I am always amazed at how people get into quilting unexpectedly, start small and then go on to create amazing things.

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  13. Lorna McMahon13 July 2013 at 21:54

    Glad you shared the pic of your three (piratey) boys! It has been wonderful to get to know you through the hop this summer, Anna. Your free motion skills are great! I think it's great that you are continuing your education and practice in that direction.

    Lorna:)
    http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com

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  14. Erica13 July 2013 at 22:42

    I enjoyed your post so much and stopped to read your About Me - so nice to meet you on the hop! Looks like you are having fun with your boys - I used to be a Girl Guide leader and have fond memories of going to camps with my girls. Lovely projects! Thank you for sharing.

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  15. JB14 July 2013 at 13:09

    Great Blog Hop post Anna! Your FMQ is great, I love all the practice squares! I do that too, except I just have the one square and use different colour thread to see what I'm doing. It is a bit messy, but I'm not as diligent in practising first as I should be! I really like the hexagon flowers too.

    Jenny @ A Note to Follow Sew
    http://notetofollowsew.blogspot.co.uk/

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  16. Laura C @ littleandlots14 July 2013 at 21:19

    I am glad to have met you through the blog hop! I know I am skipping ahead a post, but you've posted one block here so I feel justified--can't wait to see your bookshelf quilt finished up. I really like that color scheme--very suitable for the kind of library I'd like very much to have in my house.

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  17. wonderlandbyalyce14 July 2013 at 21:46

    So good to meet you, Anna! Your boys are very handsome. I look forward to following your blog!

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  18. Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation14 July 2013 at 22:37

    Great to meet you Anna! I agree with you about FMQ- I love the way it texturizes the quilt. I enjoyed your post!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  19. Stephanie @ Quarter Incher14 July 2013 at 22:52

    Hey Anna, It was nice getting to know you better! I gotta give you props on learning FMQ. I started to learn but quickly gave up because I'm so impatient. I usually send out all my quilts to be done. Good for you on going for it!

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  20. Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures14 July 2013 at 23:49

    Hi there, so nice to meet you on this hop! Nice to see your projects...and to know more about you!

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  21. Adrianne @ On the Windy Side15 July 2013 at 02:42

    Nice to learn a bit more about you Anna! I totally agree that the texture and different effects you can achieve with FMQ are very cool. Good luck with your City and Guilds course - they sound pretty instense but really worthwhile!

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  22. Michelle@factotum-of-arts.com15 July 2013 at 04:04

    You have 3 great boys there :-). I love your hexagon flowers, I am loving paper piecing at the moment.

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  23. Camilla15 July 2013 at 08:01

    Those Summerville (I think?) hexies look enticing and your FMQing is great! You're right it does speed up a project, but I imagine there's something really satisfying about hand quilting-something I need to try some day!

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  24. Casey York15 July 2013 at 13:44

    It's lovely to meet you through the blog hop, Anna! Your boys are darling, and (as mom to two boys myself) I imagine they keep you fantastically busy! Good for you teaching yourself to free motion quilt--I'm still working on developing that skill.

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  25. RobotMomSews15 July 2013 at 15:37

    Nice to meet you on the hop! Your boys are so handsome! Your FMQ is lovely along with your projects!

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  26. Unknown15 July 2013 at 18:59

    so nice to meet you. Great job, mum. Somethings are more important. I loved all of your projects. Great hexie flowers.

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  27. Cloud CouCou15 July 2013 at 23:23

    Hi Anna, really pleased to have found your blog it's always nice to meet a fellow UK blogger. Your quilts are amazing...I LOVE the wiggly triangles one! Your boys are very cute, I don't know how you manage to juggle everything! Will be following along... Amy

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  28. RobinSue16 July 2013 at 06:39

    I enjoyed your post and giggled (along with you) about using scissors to cut the fabric for a king size quilt. I just started using a rotary cutter last year and still use scissors for some projects, just because! The FMQ really adds texture, I love it! I'll be following you to see what other exciting projects you create.

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  29. Amanda16 July 2013 at 13:39

    That photo of your boys is adorable! A king sized quilt, cut with scissors. I think you need to tell us more about that adventure.

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  30. Karen@littlebirdiequilting17 July 2013 at 12:50

    Funny how almost everyone refers to their quilt or fabric addiction- don't know what it is but we've all got it!

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  31. Nilya17 July 2013 at 19:54

    Lovely quilts :-)

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  32. Stephanie18 July 2013 at 19:39

    Nice to meet you through the Hop! Your FMQ skills are incredible and I see that you are a Tula Pink fan like me! I can't wait to see what you keep working on from here :)

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  33. Caroline19 July 2013 at 16:22

    I see why you need a creative outlet with lots of boys in the house:) Glad to meet you on the hop!

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  34. Karen21 July 2013 at 10:02

    Great to get to know you a little better! The first quilt I ever started was a king size! Slightly over ambitious as it's still not finished!!! I live in a house full of boys too - it can be a bit 'full on' sometimes! :-)

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  35. ChristaQuilts21 July 2013 at 17:16

    I love that you jumped in there and started a king-sized quilt. That's the spirit!!

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  36. Molli Sparkles22 July 2013 at 04:13

    Sorry I'm a bit late to the LGA party! Throwing some bloggy love your way! Great to see your jump right in and DO attitude!

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  37. Emily24 July 2013 at 19:28

    Your quilting is fantastic! I can't believe you started with a king size quilt - go bold or go home!

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  38. NW Patchwork25 July 2013 at 15:32

    Glad to meet you! Your FMQ looks great :) I just started so the only pattern I can do well is loopdy-doos. Trying to venture past that :)

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  39. Leigh Anne31 July 2013 at 13:34

    Nice to meet you! You have some beautiful FMQ :)

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  40. Liz2 August 2013 at 20:42

    Wow, making a King sized quilt with scissors and a cheap machine. I probably would have given up! Nice to meet you, sorry I'm a little bit behind on my blog hoppin'!

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