Thursday, March 24, 2016

Quilt Qwazy Queens Blog Hop

The story of my journey to becoming somewhat of a quilter is not too exciting or profound.  It has  went at a moderately slow pace mostly because of the learning curve of several things.   I seem to have started  liking fabric late in life and social media was a total unknown to me.  In fact I have a long way to go it seems,  I've been battling rafflecopter for over a week, we will see who wins by the end of this post.  I have found from the communities of online quilters most of my inspiration and quilting help.  But this little badge and quote I borrowed from the author http://quiltshopgal.com/   seems to qualify me as "QQQ" and maybe some of you too .


quiltshopgal clipart wordart




Please be sure you visit all of today's participants for inspiring stories, pictures and great giveaways
March 24
Marjorie's Busy Corner
Just Because Quilts
Moose Stash
Batts In The Attic
All Things Sewn
http://www.kwiltkrazy.com/

 please remember to visit Marian our blog hop creator at http://www.seamstobesew.com/ after today's visits for the great givaway she has personally provided each day of this hop and leave her a nice comment too.  I want to thank her for all her time and effort to make this enjoyable for all involved.  She worked hard to secure the great giveaways from her wonderful sponsors as well, listed at the end of the post.

On to my journey of quilting.

I  have been sewing and or quilting about two years and not an accomplished quilter yet.  What inspired me to start sewing in the beginning while working as a nail tech, was that a close customer/friend had just lost her husband, they were raising two small grandchildren and I wanted  to so something for the children.   At that time I had not sewn since high school (let's say quite few years ago and leave it there).   I had seen some memories bears on pinterest and thought that would be great gift for the toddlers.  It was my first try at renewing my sewing skills, one girl bear shown and one boy, the same bear but without the sweater.  Made from their Grandpa's cambrey shirts.



That's when the sewing bug bit me and
 after that I started making stuffed animals for babies and friends and small home decorating items.


Meet Maggie, my sewing partner and  this is our first holiday banner.

   


Then I ran across our first blog hop.  http://www.sewwequilt.com/
This table runner entry was where I started getting interested in quilting, now Maggie couldn't care less what,why or how we are sewing.  As long as we sew every day.  Between you and me, I think she like to hear the machine in the background while she's napping.


I also enjoy embroidery and working with wool 
I'm gathering things to make some wool quilting blocks as we speak.
The grey cat is made of a vintage wool jacket and vintage silk ties.
I use repurposed wool when possible.  Some of the black cat is vintage as well.




TaDa!
My first quilt.
Now I realize it is a simple ragged out quilt, but it was my first baby step attempt at making an whole  quilt, but I was pleased and knew I was hooked on learning and experiencing all kinds of quilting..




All of my quilts are small, being throws or crib size and fairly simple at this point.  I work with a small Janome and I FMQ with it too.  Making large quilts at this time impossible.
I'm waiting to win that Milly at APQS before I try to make full size quilts. 8-)


My quilts have all been gifts or fundraisers and that is fine with me for now and will continue to to do so.  I enjoy and am blessed to be able to help others this way. 
 I'm trying to learn how to use ETSY now.  I'm slow but sure.  My positive swing on that is "I'm enjoying the journey".  I just had to go back to work after closing my business and retiring last year. The selling of the building has not happened yet and that is my financial part of retirement.
So eventually I hope to retire again from public work after I become an accomplished quilter  (I think that's where the Queen part comes in)   and not just a Qwazy Quilter.

This is where I'm at in my quilting at the moment.





  









I have always enjoyed thinking out of the box when the need arises,  I was asked to make a quilt out of this shower curtain from Carol a close friend of mine.  It was a memory of her friend that had passed and they shared the love of Christmas.  They always decorated every room for the season.  And this was left to her specifically.  That's all the story I know.  But I gave it a shot.  I kept visualizing it sliding off her lap.





Carol was very pleased the way it turned out,  I was so relieved.  I think a leprechaun changed the placement of the squares.  I could have sworn they were staggered much better than that until the picture was proof of other wise.


The coloring was off on these two picture, I guess it was the lighting at her house.




And my most recent quilting experience is just beginning,  I was ready to expand my skill a little and joined a BOM... In Our Garden at  http://sewincrediblycrazy.blogspot.com/  Every month's patterns is from a different designer.
 I like the little frog, but want to add a tongue getting ready to catch the fly. 






You have been very patient with this lengthy post.  
I have been given two great giveaways for you.  Good luck.  The first has been provided by
C&T Publishing


Don't you like the blocks on the cover, I love all houses.
I would like to have this myself, and will probably order it.

quilt qwazy queens
 

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And the second lovely giveaway is provided by:
Island Batik
Three, 1/2 yard bundles from Island Batik of their Fire Island Collection
Two Bundles With Six Cuts
and One Bundle With Seven Cuts

Now that a lot of fabric.
Gee, I would like this one too
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Make sure I have your email address to notify winners.


 a Rafflecopter giveaway

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As a gift to everyone,
the htpp://www.fatquartershop.com
is offering a 10% discount during the hop.
This is not good for gift certificates however.

Use this code at checkout to receive discount.
seamstobe316
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


  remember to visit Marian at http://www.seamstobesew.com/


I'm hoping you have enjoyed Marians blog hop, there sure has been some beautiful work shown.

Have a safe and Blessed day
Hugs,

75 comments:

  1. Carol's quilt turned out beautifully, didn't it? If you'd not pointed out there being anything wrong with the staggering, I would not have noticed for looking at the pretty colors and the big smile.

    I've just now discovered the glory of batiks. That is a wonderful give-away.

    nelljeancam@gmail.com

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  2. It's been "sew" much fun seeing your posts from back when we started blog hopping. Love your challenge with the shower curtain quilt. Goes to show that us quilters can do it! :-)

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  3. Thanks for sharing you journey to quilting. I do love applique but sometimes you just want to do something simple for someone you love. The Christmas quilt is beautiful. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway.

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  4. A quilting journey can last a lifetime... they all start with an urge to create and then grow to an urge to share what we create

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  5. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I love the way the colors on your Christmas quilt are displayed. Serendipity is a lot more fun than "matchy matchy".

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  6. Thanks for sharing, looks like your quilting journey is coming along just fine!
    cork@pa.rr.com

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  7. Thanks for sharing your journey with everyone!

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  8. Thank you for sharing your journey. We all came to quilting in a different way and it is interesting to hear how others got to it.

    syvisser@gmail(dot)com

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  9. It has been fun reading your journey. The blog hops really get us all involved and are so inspiring. I am so impressed that you used a shower curtain. I would have never thought of that.

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  10. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful quilts! Isn't it amazing how quilting takes over our lives? Everything I see inspires another idea. The shower curtain quilt is unusual but you made it work.

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  11. Thanks for leading us through your crafting journey, including your ventures with quilts. I'm sure you are enjoying all the things you have learned and will enjoys those new ideas to come.

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  12. i love your journey back into sewing. and doing those memory bears was the best way to get started. you are a very generous person. thanks for showing your lovely projects. i love the idea of fabric give a way. I have not tried applique yet. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  13. You sound so relaxed. I too have furry kitty partners who help with every stage! Lol...
    Thanks for sharing!
    krbassoc@gmail.com in case I am still a no reply blogger....

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  14. This was an enjoyable read...thanks for sharing your quilting story! I love that wooly black cat and the real one is too cute!

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  15. Great post Tonia, and some wonderful projects. I love the wooly creatures, and the raggy quilt, your first one is also very pretty, has a spring like quality about it. I hadn't realized you had only been quilting for such a short period of time, but my gosh, your doing great, I look forward to your future projects.

    You are right about the My Cozy Village book, I personally bought that book when C & T was letting me pick the titles for the giveaways, and I enjoyed the book so much, I wanted to offer it as a giveaway also, I think the winner is also going to really enjoy it, and who doesn't love batiks.. :)

    You did a great job getting the code in to, I know their is a learning curve, but once you learn it, it will be easier the next time around.

    Hugs!!!

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  16. HI,what neat post! Love the Cat! Thanks for sharing!
    msstitcher1214@gmail.com

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  17. Great post. That frog doesn't really need a tongue, he's adorable. I think he could use another couple bugs. I love your bear. Island Batiks are the best, love that fabric, I dream about it. Jmikebalou (at) aol dot com

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    Replies
    1. If there was supposed to be a Rafflecopter for the fabric giveaway I could never get it to load.

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  18. Thanks for sharing your love of quilting. Everyone has such wonderful stories. Great projects. Love your froggy.

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  19. This hop has been fun, and I enjoyed seeing your quilts. So many lovely projects!

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  20. I saw that block with the froggie and almost joined that BOM. But I was doing the Splended Sampler, plus having things stacked on my table to do. :) I also do smaller quilts, but I have larger tops waiting for some kind of quilting. I would love a Millie also!!! Thanks for the giveaway.

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  21. We all had to start somewhere & I'd say you have a great start! I predict that in 5 years you will be teaching us new things! Thanks for sharing your story.

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  22. Super post! Great quilts, lovely story. I know they take a lot of time to ponder the thoughts! Funny, my cat photo bombs my pictures too...or is it that things just look better with them? Heeheehee. Happy quilting!

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  23. I love these blog hops, learning SOOOO MUCH. My cozy quilts looks yummy. crystalbluern at tds dot net

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  24. This is the first time I have been to your blog, and I love it! You are so talented. Thanks!

    Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.

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  25. You are very creative. A person never gets boarded when they make so many different things. Thanks for sharing and having a great give away.

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  26. You are very creative. A person never gets boarded when they make so many different things. Thanks for sharing and having a great give away.

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  27. Enjoyed your quilt show. I never thought of using a shower curtain! I love your frog pillow and block.

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  28. Thank you for sharing, it is so nice to see what you have been making.

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  29. I liked seeing your quilts and hearing your story. 24Tangent@gmail.com

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  30. I love your houses. Can't wait to try them. alexplus4@hotmail.com

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  31. You are so prolific! Such a lot of quilts and so creative. Thanks for taking the time to share it all.

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  32. Your journey is just beginning, but you are doing wonderful quilts. Have fun each day you sew...good to have a sewing partner.

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  33. I Loved your post! Good for you for joining the quilt movement! BRAVO! I think you are doing a tremendous job! I had to laugh about the friends shower curtain ...and imagining it slipping off her lap -- the quilt turned out beautiful! I've been learning at a snails pace in comparison. I started out in 1988 with a babyquilt for the youngest...stopped there until 96 or so...then stopped again...and finally got back into it around 2008 when my man bought me a beautiful sewing machine... more stories on my blog. Thanks for sharing! Margo at onlydiamonds at hotmail dot com

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  34. You have been a busy lady! aynot1983@yahoo.com

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  35. You have been a busy lady! aynot1983@yahoo.com

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  36. I enjoyed seeing your stuffed animals and quilts. I love the cats especially. That was quite a challenge to work with a shower curtain but it turned out great. It will be a wonderful memory.

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  37. You have come a long way in a short period of time! Congratulations! lynnstck(at)yahoo.com

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  38. I enjoyed reading your story and love all your quilts and animals. Your cats are so cute. You sure come a long way fast. I especially liked your idea of the shower curtain!

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  39. Thanks for sharing the story of your quilting journey.I would love to see your frog applique receive a tongue so he can capture the fly.

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  40. Really enjoying this hop! Lots of things to see, and not just quilts.

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  41. This hop has been an enjoyable journey. Thank you for sharing.

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  42. Great post! I enjoy making smaller size quilts too. I am able to finish them faster! I have been following the Garden BOM also, lots of fun blocks. Thanks for sharing! sewgood414athotmaildotcom

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  43. Quilting is a journey full of learning and creating. Enjoy your journey and your soon to be full retirement. May your days be filled with as much creativity as you can handle. Love the stuffed animals also.

    tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  44. Don't you just love making baby rag quilts. They are so much fun,and we don't have to be too perfect. I also love pieceing too,I'm getting better with every quilt. Good luck on the long arm giveaway. I entered that too. I sent my last quilt our to be quilted but I would love to do it myself. Thank you for sharing your story,this has been such an interesting blog hop.
    Dmac5958ataoldotcom

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  45. Ty for your storys....I love the breast cancer quilt.....I have the bra fabric and have made a few wall quilts........... happyness04431@yahoo.com

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  46. You have come a long way in two years. Great job

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  47. It was great to read your story. I am glad to know that not everyone has been quilting forever, as I just start my quilting story. I am hooked now. Love your frogs!

    debbygrawn at yahoo dot com

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  48. Enjoyed your quiltshow! Thanks for sharing! mumbird3atgmaildotcom

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  49. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  50. Oops! LOL I just wanted to say I really like your stuffed animals, as well as your other projects as well. Thanks for sharing. raydeer@memlane.com

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  51. Slow and Steady is a great motto, grecomara at gmail dot com

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  52. You've made a lot of progress in your work! The one with the doilies reminds me I have a bagful of my great-grandmother's that I'm going to make a quilt with someday.

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  53. Thanks for sharing all of your work. I like those cats!

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  54. Rafflecopter can be a pain sometimes, can't it? Love the cats and bears you made. Thanks for sharing your story. vickise at gmail dot com

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  55. Nice selection of projects. Thank you for sharing.

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  56. Enjoyed reading about your quilting journey. Love the animals you make as well as all your different quilts.

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  57. Maggie is adorable but so are the other stuffed animals. That's a bummer that you had to return to work but it sure doesn't look as though it's slowed your quilting. Only 2 years...amazing!

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  58. Beautiful quilts,Thanks for sharing

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  59. Enjoyed you quilting story. Your animals are darling! ray.joan.hanson@gmail.com

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  60. Thanks for sharing you story! I love the I Support You quilt! :)

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  61. I enjoyed seeing your projects and I adore your frog quilt! Thanks for sharing your story.

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  62. Your memory bears are great and I think a tongue would be a perfect addition to your block.
    jen dot barnard at btinternet dot com

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  63. Your denim teddy bear is "sew" cute!

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  64. Great quilt journey. Love the stuffed bear and cat.

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  65. You've made some great pieces and I have to say that the Black Cat is something I would love to make!!! Thanks for sharing!

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  66. You have come so far in the few years you have been quilting! Your quilts are beautiful! I like making small quilts, too. Thank you for sharing your great story.

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  67. Thanks for sharing your quilting journey.

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  68. The stuffed creatures are so neat, I especially like the frog. I did not see a place to enter for the batiks, hope I'm doing this correctly. mtmom57@gmail.com

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  69. Loooved your Post! Thanks for sharing your Story & pictures! (Hugs to Maggie! soooo pretty!) You are very creative!!! The shower curtain quilt is AWESOME!!! Love the Frog & the Bear in lil' sweater too! :)

    Reading this Post was like I had just have a great visit with a dear Friend! Thank you for sharing...

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  70. You've done a lot in only two years. It will just keep getting better. And, I agree, rafflecopter is very frustrating. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Thanks for sharing your journey.

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  71. I got here late tonight, and the rafflecopter is shut down. I did enjoy your story.

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    Did you know that you can get them ON AUTO-PILOT & ABSOLUTELY FREE by using Like 4 Like?

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