Newbie intro and "roll call"

Hi Edna Pearl,

Welcome!

By way of introduction: I'm Hanne, I live in Denmark, although when I first joined the group, I lived in Virginia (near another RCTQ member, who may introduce herself later), and in between I've been in London.

I love quilting, but don't get to take the time too often at the moment. I nearly exclusively work by machine (a Pfaff), just out of preference. Current projects: 1 baby quilt, one brown/brown shoofly quilt, 2 handpieced smaller quilts, and then there are all the ones that I haven't touched in the last year - UFOs probably, although I try to not give them this status for fear that they might never be released from it :-)

Just yesterday I started my new job, teaching high school (Y10-12) Maths and Computer Science.

No significant other, no QI (quilt inspectors aka pets).

Hope you enjoy the posts!

Hanne in DK

Hey Edna Pearl

I'm Kate T. and want to welcome you to the quilt frame of the world. I don't pop in much, but have decided to rejoin the land of the quilting.

I've quilted since 1990 and am now using the Hinterberg Machine Quilting Frame because I can't wrestle anymore. Quilts that is.

I retired from the Space business and now only fly when I can watch NASA TV. Seven more flights and I will be permanently grounded.

I have only one QI (quilt inspector) now. Miss Lucy. She's about 8 years old and lived through Katrina with me. We live about 30 miles north of ground zero for the hurricane.

I visit Foley AL quite a bit. There is a quilt shop right on the main drag. It's small but stuffed with wonderful play things.

I use a 1932 electric 128 Singer for most of my piece work and a Brother 1500S for my machine quilting.

My first quilt was a 9 patch and the second was an 8 pointed star full size quilt. I plunged into the 8 point with eagerness. I must say being as dumb as I was about quilting and not knowing this was not a beginners quilt pattern, I succeeded in matching all the points quite well. Still have it after all these years.

So pull up a chair and bring us your questions, thoughts, pictures of your quilts when you get them, and maybe a few recipies of Cajun food.

Maybe those of us that live in the coastal area can all have a meet up at a quilt show.

Kate T. South Mississippi

Hello & welcome! I live in southern Minnesota. I'm a retired software engineer and have been quilting off and on for 35 years or so. I like machine piecing and hand applique. I hand quilt some things (especially my hand appliqued pieces) and machine quilt some on my regular Elna machine -- mostly because I don't have time to hand quilt everything. My hands and wrists complain if I do too much hand work at one time.

I have a friend who, with her husband, has spent the last couple winters in Fairhope. She first heard of the town from a book she read (fiction, I think). I read it too, but unfortunately, I can't remember the title.

Julia > Jennifer in Ottowa requested personal info in response to my first post, so

Great to meet you, Edna. Welcome to the group! I'm too short of time to do much beyond say Howdy and run. But I'm sure we'll get to know each other better as the days go by. Can't wait to see your garden themed quilt.

Sunny

Hi Edna! I'm from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I've been quilting for a bit over 10 years. I've done lots of bed quilts and am now doing more art quilts since our beds are well covered. The part I like best about quilting (besides fondling my stash, of course) is that there's always something new to try. I live with a DH, 2 QI and 2 daughters (who are mostly moved out but come back for occasional suppers and laundry LOL). Not yet retired - which is generally a Good Thing but sometimes not - depending on how things are going at work. :) Nice to meet you, Allison

Edna Pearl wrote:

Hi Edna Pearl, I'm new here also although I lurked for awhile. I'm a new quilter and have just done a few myself. I've gotten the BEST tips here and I know it's helped me avoid some really dumb mistakes. lol I'm 62, married for 43 years and live near Madison, WI. I'm an antique dealer and have sold antiques for 15 years. Before that I was a florist.

It was time for me to find some new way to use my creative ideas and quilting seems to have captured my imagination. I think its the color that gets me...that and the feel of the fabric. Frankly, I could just sit and feel the stuff between my fingers and that would probably be enough. My husband always did say that I shop by feel.

We've been to Fair Hope and it's just the lovliest area! So nice to have you here...Donna

Welcome, Edna Pearl. The vast majority of us use our real names, but there are a few who are incognito, as you are. I don't have time to write my bio right now, but I suspect you'd be able to find bios for many of us if you did a search in Google groups in the RCTQ group; we've done this numerous times before now. :)

I've been in this group for over twelve years now and have tried lots of different quilting techniques, the results of which you can see if you'd care to take a look at my web site (URL below).

Again, welcome!

Hi :)

I named all my pets after musicians and actors I fancied at the time. I am living in British Columbia Canada and work as a social worker in psychiatry at the moment. Single mom with 4 kids three of them teenaged boys please save me someone lol. I like to make quilt tops I think cause I never seem to get around to quilting them sigh... One day... Until then I have a great collection of tops :) I love piecing it all together. Though yes indeed I have quilted a great number of them as well. I also make my own soap and do many things in alternative fashion lol. But that is just me. So welcome and its nice to meet you :)

Carissa

hiya, Edna Pearl! My nickname is Musicmaker, my 'real' name is Cindy. I live in east central IL, on a dead end street in the woods south of a moderately small college town. Just turned 50, or a half century, as my Dh likes to point out, and have been quilting since the early 90's.

Not planning to retire any time soon, I teach Simply Music piano lessons 3 days a week, do all the house and yard work (which really isn't that hard) and co exist with a 60 pound Boxer named Jada Jarhead (JJ for short) and a former Marine. I'm currently working on an actual commissioned wall/art quilt that's 7' long x 3' hi!!

I'm glad you have time for needlework, though I'm sorry it's the result of an illness. I've always done some kind of handwork, ever since I can remember, but quilting has replace them all. I do collect and sell vintage and upcycled jewelry in my etsy shop

Your home sounds wonderful! I live in the same house my husband owned when we married in '82, and at least 20% is given over to my quilting, fabrics and projects! My piano studio is also in my home, built on the end, and will eventually become my sewing studio, with the long arm I hope and pray for! I still do all my quilting/sewing on my little Bernina special 1000, which DH bought for me when I began to quilt. As far as I know, you'd have to go back at least 2 generations to find a quilter, my great granma Nana. =A0 If I had any old sewing baskets or notions, I'd send them to you - but having grown up in an Air Force family, I'm the kind of person who gives it away, throws it away, or sells it if I haven't needed it for

I own a camera camcorder combo - bought it when the 1st grandchild was expected cause I just had to have vids. Now I have 3 grandkids, and there will be no more. Love dark chocolate - hate to cook - thanks for asking!

Musicmaker

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Welcome, Edna. I am a relative newbie to quilting too; four years ago I didn't even know how to thread a sewing machine. I used to do graphic ad design and typesetting for newspaper, but stopped working after a serious illness, which, also like you, I don't like to talk about either. I am 54. I live a very isolated rural life in Oklahoma, which suits me. I don't enjoy traveling! My DH says I'm just a "home girl." My passion in life is animal rescue and have served on the board for our county humane society for the past ten years. Quilting too; gardening. It would be *great* if you could change your camera policy! We love sharing pics and cheering each other on. My first grandchild is due in September and I am afraid I am well on my way to smothering him with quilts before he's even born. :-) Welcome again! Sherry

Hello, I am new here also. Quilting for me has always been a way to use up cloth left from other projects. I use a sewing machine to make simple nine square quilts. The points don't all match, shrug. I use old blankets, poly batting or organic sheep wool. (LOL, I raise a few sheep and hand shear the monsters once a year. I sell some of the wool to hand spinners. Tag wool, the dirty wool from the bottom side of the sheep, gets washed, cards and used as batting or pillow fill.) Mainly I design and make garments. But I have been known to make tents. Also do some jewelry crafting, leather work, gardening, pet breeding, landscaping, wood work, crochet, macrame, embroidery, applique, furniture design and construction, raise and attempt to train horses, raise and milk goats, raise and collect eggs from chicken/ ducks/ geese. I also read a novel or more a week, usually fantasy/ science fiction.

We live on a tiny farm in West central Georgia. Myself, my husband and an adult son, an adult daughter and two more daughters in high school. (Along with some seven horses, a donkey, two sheep, twelve goats, several chickens/ ducks/ geese, too many dogs/ cats, a large iguana, some breeding cockatiels, parakeets, tropical fish, snakes and the mice to feed the snakes. LOL, too many critters and too many hobbies.) Later this month I will turn 54 and be calibrating 50 years of clothing design, LOL.

I no longer make much income from what I do. I more save the family money and pay the expenses for a few camping events each year where I usually sell just enough to cover costs.

Hi, Edna Pearl. I'm a retired elementary school teacher, living in the rural foothills of NW GA. You can find out more if you want by going to the website in my signature.

Carole D. - Retired and loving it in the foothills of NW Georgia

My quilts, crafts, QIs, and more -

Hi Edna,

I'm Michelle from Nevada. Like you, I've got the extended family thing going--parents, grandparents, and myself all living on the same property. I've got one black cat named Charley.

I've worked in healthcare and real estate, but now devote my time to my family.

I've been quilting since 1994. I was inspired my great grandmother. As a kid my bed always had one of her scrappy quilts covering it. Scrappy quilts are my first love. Hand-piecing and hand-quilting are my favorite modes for quilting, but I also use the machine.

I've always got several projects going at once. At the moment, I've got

So glad you could join us! Michelle in Nevada

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Here goes. I live in central NJ with DH and 2 chocolate labs and am closing in on 54. Have only been quilting for about 8-10 years. Not overly prolific as I only hand quilt. Most of what I have done are all queen or king size quilts to date. A couple of baby ones thrown in for good measure. I usually machine piece on my Viking but also have an older White and picked up a featherweight about a year ago. But I've done hand piecing as well. I have sewn and done just about every other type of needle art for as long as I can remember. Currently unemployed although can't quite say retired at this point. We've been doing quite a bit of travelling this summer, so once that is over I'll have to admit to defeat and seriously look for work.

We're on a 'family compound' as well, although it sounds a bit smaller. We have 2 of my husband's brothers and their families on either side of us. About 5 acres total with the (pretty defunct) family business as well. It's right in the middle of a very small, lovely town. We're also lucky to have a very nice LQS here.

DH and I are both quite involved with our local volunteer fire department and he is also an EMT with our local volunteer rescue squad. We also fly hot air balloons for fun and a small side business.

Guess that's the highlights for me!

Kim in NJ

Welcome! I live in Louisiana with my DH of 31 years and our QI, Jingles, an 11 year old toy poodle. I have two sons--Tony, 41, who lives in Alabama with his wife and two kids 18 and 15, and Michael, 38, who lives in Florida with his daughter, 5. I work part time as an RN in an eye surgery center but am hoping to retire next year and move back to Pensacola (God's Country, lol). I have been quilting for about 10 years.I usually always have several projects going at the same time-- right now three BOM's from my LQS, Thimbleberries BOM, and several kits that I want to get started on. I also love to read--quilting stories, mysteries, pretty much anything!

Hi Hanne! Here I am ... your former 'neighbor' (all things are relative!) in Virginia. I just want to say good luck on your new job. I hope you'll be back visiting in Virginia next year. Pat

Welcome, Edna!

I first came to the group in 2004, I think, when I was in rabbinical school (second or third career ) in Philadelphia and had just discovered quilting. We'd lived in Minnesota for 25 years and I'd been self-employed as a graphic designer for 13 years. One of my colleagues had gotten into quilting and I'd thought she was nuts--why on earth would anyone cut up a bunch of fabric and just to sew it back together again, and what on earth was she going to DO with a bunch of blankets?? But somehow in Philadelphia, the sewing machine I'd bought because a pile of mending was growing (and because my DH had sold my Bernina to a neighbor for $40 at our garage sale) wanted to do other stuff, and the mending never did get done... After graduation/ ordination in 2005, we moved to Plattsburgh, NY, about an hour from Montreal, where I had a congregation for three years. Loved the work and the people, hated the politics, so took a position doing hospital chaplaincy, my first love, in Carmel, IN (Indianapolis).

Unfortunately, I finished only one small baby quilt during those three years, though I did make several tops.

Happily, I'm quilting again! In December we got a new frame, and in February an HQ16. I'm a spoiled brat (poor DH will be paying for selling that Bernina forever ) and hope someday to grow into all the goodies I have.

We've been married since 1973 and have two kids, (Michael, 44, and Suzanne, 37, who came to us from Korea when they were 15 and 8), and a granddaughter who will be 10 this year.

We are owned by two scotties, Bobbie McGee and Cooper Amadeus.

Because of a need for instant gratification and probably some ADD, I do only lap-size and baby quilts, and am about to start quilting my

DH is currently not working, but not quite ready for retirement, so I'm more spoiled than ever. He takes care of all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.

ah, that's more than enough,

I'm glad you're here and hope you enjoy!

--Heidi