A brief backtrack on how I got hooked on this crazy thing called quilting.
Back in 2002, I was still living at home with my parents since shifting back from university in 2000. At that time I was in my early 20s, and my mother, frustrated about my lack of having something to do, suggested I get a hobby – specifically, a crafting one, perhaps. So, trawling through her craft/embroidery magazines, I came across quilting, found an ad for a local shop that did beginner courses in patchwork and quilting, booked in for classes and away I went.
Coming along for the ride was my (yet-to-be-realised) trusty Bernina sewing machine which Mum had sensibly rescued from my old high school for about $50, and which had sat on my bedroom floor for some time (prior to using it, I'd half-heartedly thought, "maybe, one day..."). Dusting it out, and decking myself with some sewing materials I thought I might need, I began my first class.
The beginners class was a Sampler class – essentially, we’d learn how to cut, piece and sew all different types of blocks, then join them together to produce a sampler quilt. Learning imperial measurements took some getting used to (1/4 inch!) although in retrospect, it makes so much sense (quilting measurements in metric seem so alien). I finished the class with a bit of knowledge, some new skills and a crazy addiction to this old-fashioned hobby. I was hooked!
Back in 2002, I was still living at home with my parents since shifting back from university in 2000. At that time I was in my early 20s, and my mother, frustrated about my lack of having something to do, suggested I get a hobby – specifically, a crafting one, perhaps. So, trawling through her craft/embroidery magazines, I came across quilting, found an ad for a local shop that did beginner courses in patchwork and quilting, booked in for classes and away I went.
Coming along for the ride was my (yet-to-be-realised) trusty Bernina sewing machine which Mum had sensibly rescued from my old high school for about $50, and which had sat on my bedroom floor for some time (prior to using it, I'd half-heartedly thought, "maybe, one day..."). Dusting it out, and decking myself with some sewing materials I thought I might need, I began my first class.
The beginners class was a Sampler class – essentially, we’d learn how to cut, piece and sew all different types of blocks, then join them together to produce a sampler quilt. Learning imperial measurements took some getting used to (1/4 inch!) although in retrospect, it makes so much sense (quilting measurements in metric seem so alien). I finished the class with a bit of knowledge, some new skills and a crazy addiction to this old-fashioned hobby. I was hooked!
I’ve never finished that first quilt – the sampler (above) in blue and yellow and cream – but I’ve finished many more, and I’ll tell their stories as I go.
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