Tuesday, September 13, 2016

A Few Lovely Blogs

I recently got an email that made my day. After having been nominated for the Lovely Blog Award, Jayne at Twiggy and Opal passed the torch on to me.

 
Jayne doesn’t know this, but she is one of my quilty crushes. I consider her an artist before a quilter. She likes to experiment and push boundaries, and man, is she prolific. She’ll take an idea and run with it, like the “faux trapunto” technique she’s been perfecting. She unveiled her first project using the technique at the end of July and, within five weeks, had played with it in two additional projects (here and here).

So thank you, Jayne. I appreciate the nomination!

Before I go any further, here are the official Lovely Blog Award rules:
  • Thank the person who nominated you and give a link to his/her blog.
  • List the rules.
  • Display the award image on your post.
  • List seven facts about yourself.
  • Nominate (up to) 15 bloggers for this award and let them know you have nominated them.
OK, the first three rules are taken care of. On to the seven facts about me ...

1. I’m afraid of spiders, but killing them grosses me out. Do you know what got me over that? Living by myself, which I did in my early twenties. When you live alone, you have to learn to cohabitate with the spiders or wield a shoe over them.

Because every post should have pretty pictures, here are some from the archives.
This is Bring On the Dancing Horses in Daysail.

2. There’s something scarier than spiders, though: mayonnaise. For real. I can’t bear to eat it. (Who’s with me on that?!) 

3. Neil Diamond wrote the soundtrack to my childhood. Our gold retriever is named after his “Cracklin’ Rosie.”

Obsession Quilt

4. I used to be a choral singer. Now I only sing in the car or when I’m extra annoyed with my children’s behavior. “Stop. It. Now!” is easy to yell, but it’s just as effectively sung, faux operatic style. When things get really tough, I resort to liturgical Latin. Hearing me sing in Latin stops my kids in their tracks!

Lizzy House Mini Quilt

5. OK, now for some sewing-related facts … I’m a self-taught sewist. My mom has sewed forever, and some of my earliest memories are of her sewing bags for my ballet school or making me clothes for my Barbie dolls. It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties and had to decorate my first house that I caught the sewing bug.

6. There are some sewing tasks that I flat-out refuse to do (hand-binding? ugh!). Others are notoriously dreaded by quilters, but I love them. Half-square triangles to trim? Yes, please! An opportunity to bury threads? Sign me up!

Cosmo Bag

7. Also, I’m crazy about blogging. This hobby combines many of my past professional pursuits (working as a web marketer, writer, and editor) into one geeky crafty pasttime. It’s a huge time suck (to my husband’s chagrin), but I’m committed to it and the friends I’ve made in this space.

Fabric-y cards

Anyway, now it’s my turn to nominate some lovely blogs. I’d like to introduce you to three ladies whom I follow ...

Campbell Soup Diary

I’ve gotten serious about following Allison, an American transplant in Germany, just recently. Her different techniques (wonky half-rectangle triangles, reverse applique) have made me a regular reader. Check out some of my favorite projects of hers: Jeweled Improv Mini, Mini Drunkard’s Path, and Foliage Runner.

Granny Maud’s Girl

Carla is a quilter with a sense of humor! Like Allison, Carla speaks to my more traditional side. Some highlights from her gallery of finishes include her Puppy Mini Mini (which she sent off to Yvonne) and her Whirligig Quilt (so much Bonnie and Camille loveliness in one quilt!).

Sew Some Sunshine

Of the lot, Judy is the sole U.S. resident. (And girl, one day I’ll meet you in real life!) She reminds me a lot of myself in her fabric decisions, in her style. It’s fun to watch her grow as a quilter. Get a glimpse of Judy’s work with these projects: Interlock, Small Projects, and Mini Off the Rail.

The quilt-blog landscape is constantly changing. Now that I’ve been doing it for a while and have made connections with other blog writers, it’s easy to get comfortable and stop seeking out new and interesting blogs. Whom would you nominate for a Lovely Blog Award? Let us know in the comments. : )

Linking up to Let’s Bee Social ...

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10 comments:

  1. I love that we all have our sewing quirks. I don't dread HSTs or buying threads and will happily hand sew a binding... but anything 3D or with a zipper scares me silly! I agree that the blogging landscape changes over time, and I love how things like the One Lovely Blog award can be used for us to find and enjoy new to us blogs.

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  2. I'm with you on #1!!! No hand binding here either. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Shame I don't live near you - I love hand-binding but hate burying threads (and will totally pick my quilting designs to minimize the number I need to deal with).

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  4. I'll hand sew your binding if you bury my threads! I love your work!

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  5. Whoa! How was I lucky enough to be included on the list?
    I love the idea of singing scolds to kids in liturgical Latin. I do not speak Latin or have kids (or know how to sing outside a car), but maybe I can tell my husband off in karaoke-style Japanese?

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  6. Hand sewing binding is so therapeutic. With choosing fabric for a project I have a love/hate relationship. I love it really, but I hate how long it takes me, I can never make up my mind, I so agree about spiders, but you missed wasps from the list. I can hardly bear to type it.

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  7. OMG I am so making you sing our way to our next guild event. Carpooling will never be better! Extra fat quarter if you sing the whole way in latin!

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  8. The mayonnaise one actually made me laugh out loud. I'm still laughing as I type this. I guess because I hated it for many years, but have come to make peace with it. Maybe there's still hope that you can, too.
    Cant wait for you to serenade me in Savannah while you trim some HSTs!

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  9. Learning about you was so interesting! I have no problem killing spiders, love Miracle Whip more than mayo, my dogs howl when I sing, love your Lizzie House Mini Quilt block (so absolutely gorgeous!), love hand sewing and totally enjoyed your writing style! :)

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  10. Yes, we will meet one day!!! I should have known something was up when I actually started to get followers this week...what?! Thank you Michelle, it's super special that it came from you. I'll remember to hold the mayo when we do meet up down the road!

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