For the past several weeks I have been participating in the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. We were gathered together by Yvonne at www.quiltingjetgirl.com, Cheryl at www.Meadowmistdesigns.com, and Stephanie over at www.latenightquilter.com to hone our blogging skills. It is a great group of new bloggers, and I am learning a lot. I’ve critiqued some blogs, and had my blog critiqued in return. One thing I have learned is that it is hard to hear criticism, even when I know it comes from a good place. I was oddly defensive about some of my choices, which surprised me.
I was raised in a family with women who sewed. My mom was handy with her sewing machine – making drapes, clothing, and other projects. My grandmother taught me to embroider and knit when I was very young. I was always making little projects. As an adult I did counted cross stitch, but like many others, I have more than enough cross stitch pieces.
I began quilting when my oldest child was three years old. I must have stumbled across an episode of Simply Quilts in between episodes of Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues. I quickly developed a near fatal case of quilting obsession. I was just going to make one quilt for my son. I haven’t looked back. My family and friends have become targets for random acts of quilting.
This is the first quilt I made for my son. I titled it “Sleeping with the Fishies”, despite some negative connotations to that phrase. He used to fall asleep staring at a fish tank in his bedroom. I pieced the binding from scraps.
I have made so many quilts over the years. It is hard to pick three favorites, but for right now, this is what I have come up with. My style goes all over the place. The one thing that remains fairly constant is my love for scrappy quilts.
This is “That’s No Moon…”, my homage to Star Wars. My husband is a big fan, and he has reeled in the rest of us. I finished this one in 2015, right before the new movie was released. I did a post explaining the process – you can see it here.
This is one I made early in my quilting career. It was included in an Australian quilting magazine. It is made with rectangles and squares – there was no cutting of triangles for this one. I have been itching to make another recently. I love making lots of scrappy blocks, then sorting by color.
I had a fling with triangles a few years ago. I made this for my king sized bed, right before we decided a grey color scheme would be perfect. It took every inch of my design wall and then some to lay it all out. I had to do some shopping to fill out my color scale, but not as much as you might imagine. Reds and yellows are a stretch for me.
When I started to think about blogging, choosing a name took me a long time. I went through a bunch of options, until finally, Dizzy Quilter popped into my head. The tagline, “sewing in circles” is especially appropriate. I hop from one project to another, and it is a real struggle to make myself finish them. Having the blog has forced me to buckle down and finish projects off, so that I can have something to show off and share. Show and tell is one of my favorite parts of quilting. (I learned to generate graphics with the new bloggers. I used Canva.com to generate this image.)
Blogging Tip:
Set a schedule for yourself. I have committed to myself to post every Friday. I work on a post during the week, and schedule it for release Friday morning. I have a few “seeds” I keep in a draft folder if Thursday comes around and I don’t have anything compelling to contribute.
Quilting Tips:
Organize your quilting studio. It is fun to rush around and just throw things everywhere. I found that once I took the time to clean things up I became much more productive. I had an acquaintance observe that I can’t have any fun unless everything is in order. I was offended at the time, but I have come to accept that chaos doesn’t lead to success for me. (It didn’t work out so well for them, either.)
Make your cutting and piecing as precise as possible. Mine is not where I want it to be, but the more I focus the better I get. Quilting is so much more rewarding for me when my points line up the way I want them to.
Favorite Books (Non-quilting):
My all time favorite books are The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. It is a series of 14 books. They are huge, and the story line is engrossing. I have re-read them many times, and the story still carries me away. Usually reading through the whole series takes about six months.
My question for you is why do you follow the blogs you follow? To be honest, I didn’t follow many blogs before I started my own. I had a few designers I liked and I would to to them for inspiration when I was losing my mojo, but I didn’t subscribe to their blogs. Now I subscribe to lots. Some because I love their designs, some because I like the personality of the blogger.
I am a member of the Sewcial Network hive. Here are the other bloggers in my hop – check them out, too!
Blog Hop Week 1 – June 13th
Amanda @Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.
Paige @Quilted Blooms
Tish @Tish’s Adventures In Wonderland
Melva @Melva Loves Scraps
Carrie @Beri Bee Designs
Blog Hop Week 2 – June 20th
Carole @Carole Lyles Shaw
Anne @Said With Love
Beth @Plaid and Paisley
Jennifer @RV Quilting
Blog Hop Week 3 – July 11th
Sharon @Yellow Cat Quilt Designs
Amanda @This Mom Quilts
Laurel @Quilts By Laurel
Marla @Penny Lane Quilts
Blog Hop Week 4 – July 18th
Seven @The Concerned Craft
Mary @Made By Marney
Amanda @Quiltologie
Be sure to visit the sites of the Blog Hop hosts to find out about our sponsors and be entered into a drawing for some wonderful prizes.
Wow that moon quilt is incredible! I follow a lot of blogs, some for the inspiration because I like their style, some for the entertaining way they write and some to keep in touch with the quilting community.
Hello. I really enjoyed reading about you. Holy OMG. I love your StatWars Quilt. I can’t figure out if it’s a Borg cube or a moon. Doesn’t matter, my hubby would sell a big toe to have that in his TV watching room. Great post. BEnjoy your Blog Hop week.
Thank you! It was easy to make – I’ll adjust the post and put in the link to the creation post.
That would be so great. Thanks.
You have a great talent here, both as a quilter and a writer. I’m now following your blog. I follow blogs because I like the work the quilter does, or because I like the writing style, or the sense that I have of the quilter through reading their blog and commenting back and forth with them. I’m also someone who works on lot’s of things at once and I find blogging useful to help me get some finishes done as well.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and for following me, Lisa. I want to be sure my little corner of the Internet is useful.
I really enjoyed reading about you. I, too, have wondered about making money off my blog. I love your moon quilt. What a cool idea.
Hey fellow hive member! Nice to meet you, and I totally understand dizzy quilting…that is me as well. I follow blogs for the inspiration, and for some I really enjoy what they are writing about. Photography draws me into a blog as well. See you later!
And hello to you, too! My photography can definitely use some work. I have ideas for a hanger for my yard, and I want to take advantage of some of the New Jersey shoreline near me to get dramatic photos, too.
I really enjoyed your post. It was well organized, and well written, too! The graphics in your new header look great. We share a love of scrappy quilts. For me, it’s because they allow you to keep making design decisions throughout the process of making the quilt. I read blogs that I have a connection to the writer, be it quilting style, methods or personal. You have a good tip about organizing the quilting space. I work on many projects at a time, often getting interrupted for custom orders or by deadlines. But if the actual working spaces get too chaotic, I need to clean up and regroup. Hope you enjoy the hop!
Naming something can be really hard, and I enjoy knowing more about the reasoning behind your blog name. I can relate! I hope that after it is all said and done that the critiques were OK, we’ll be doing a survey at the end of the hop and please make suggestions if you can think of any way to make that process better in the future.
I will definitely do that. I did enjoy the hop, and I don’t mean to say that the critiques were bad or harsh. They were great. My reaction was just a little odd.
Great post Jennifer. Love your quilts as well as your blog name. I’m right there with you on a lot of projects and going round and round. When I started quilting I bookmarked a lot of blogs and found I was spending too much time reading them all and not getting my quilting time in. I now follow fewer and do it for inspiration.
Yes. The internet kills some of my productivity, too. That is part of the reason I stopped using design software. Too much designing, not enough sewing.
Your Star Wars quilt is AMAZING!!! I also love the Rainbow one. Great getting to know you in your post and i like how you came a crossed the name of your blog. I follow blogs that give me inspiration. Fabrics, new techniques, and ideas. TFS.
Thanks!
Love the reasoning behind your name as I seem to sew in circles too! And your graphic is perfect. Learning the techy side of designing things for my blog has been one of the things I have enjoyed about participating in the New Bloggers Group. Great to get to know you a little better.
Thanks! I was going to hire someone, but I am so proud I could make it myself.
I have a list of favorite bloggers and have subscribed through BlogLoving but find that for the last 4 months I’m not reading as many. I can spend time sewing or I can spend time at the computer. The sewing is what I love. But I do follow some religiously because of the inspiration they give me. Some I find through searches for information or Pinterest and others when they are referenced by another blogger.
Thank you for your honesty in this post. Feelings are very personal and if you don’t “feel” how could you blog? Look forward to reading more.
Such a creative name – really interesting to learn about how you came up with it (and yes, it’s so easy to spin in a thousand directions at once!). The Star Wars quilt is so creative!!
Thank you!
First of all, great intro post. And I love the name and tag line of your blog. I find myself sewing in circles myself 🙂 The Death Star quilt is AMAZING! I can’t wait to show that one to my husband this evening. As far as the blogs I follow, when I’m part of hops I usually add a category to my blog lovin for that hop and add people that participate or people that I meet from linky parties. That way I can keep people straight.
You provided a great blog tip about having a few seed posts ready to go in case you don’t have anything else. I will have to give this some thought. For me, I follow the bloggers I follow for 2 reasons, I’m visual and I love their photos and because they post regularly. Nice job on your post!
Thanks!
I love “random acts of quilting!!” Your Death Star is amazing. For me, following is also a recent thing. It’s mostly about personality for me, though inspiration is part of it, too.
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, nice to meet you! I have been following blogs on and off for a while. I always come back to a blog that has great writing and tells a really good story. I also am really interested in blogs with well done photography. You work is lovely!
Your Death Star quilt is AMAZING!!! I love it! 🙂
The star wars quilt is amazing! I follow blogs because I like the way the blogger writes and I like the work they produce – for me that’s modern quilts
Great quilts, thanks for sharing. I know chaos is not good for me either in my sewing room. I love to pull out fabrics and patterns but putting them away is NO fun.
Love, love love your Star Wars quilt! I have sons so I’m always looking for things that appeal to them. Your other quilts are wonderful too. Your logo is very professional and your writing is style is very easy to read. Enjoyed getting to know you as a fellow 2016 New Blogger!
Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, nice meeting you. I absolutely love your star wars quilt! My family is filled with star wars fans and my 6 year old has started asking to have his room decorated with a star wars theme. This project might be in my future. 🙂 I follow blogs mostly because of content and photos, but there are a few things that immediately turn me off and cause me to NOT follow. The first is the text – if it’s too small to or difficult to read it doesn’t matter to me how compelling the content is. The other is not a deal breaker but having a photo of the blogger allows me to put a face to the voice of the blog. It makes it more relatable for me. I’d love to learn a bit more about Canva from you since I’m not familiar with it and oftentimes struggle with graphic on my own blog.
Thanks! The Death Star is certainly easy. I’m flirting with doing a quilt along, but I need to participate in one in real time before I start my own! I agree – if I can’t physically read the text, I don’t stay. I cannot read light text on a dark background. That is the worst for me. I’ll see if I can put together info for Canva. It was really easy to figure out.
Hi Jennifer, I was one of Yvonne’s protogees last year and survived to tell the tale. I enjoyed reading your post, it is interesting to see you your style has progressed and changed over the years. It is hard being critiqued isn’t it? I must admit for me it was useful to stand aside, and my blog became so much better because of it. All the best, an exciting time for you .
Thank you. It is good to hear from someone who went through the process last year.
Like the others I love your Star Wars quilt, and I really like the Rainbow triangles too, you have a good eye for colour. I haven’t read The Wheel of Time but I’m going to check it out. I really enjoyed your intro post Jennifer.
Smiles
Kate
Thank you, Kate. WOT is great if you are a fan of Tolkien. It has a similar all encompassing universe with easier vocabulary.
Oh my goodness, Jennifer. That scrappy Death Star is unreal! All your quilts are beautiful… and I’m really loving the fabrics you used in your rainbow triangle quilt. Just lovely!
I completely agree with setting a blogging schedule. I constantly struggle with having a schedule of any kind. I’m working on it though! 😄
Thank you! If I don’t have a post ready to go Friday morning it eats at me all day. Funny, because I’m pretty sure my mom and I are the only ones who keep track.
That Death Star!! Wow. Incredible. And great post!
I have to be honest I’m terrible about following blogs – as is evidenced by my late reply here.. But I do love newsletters, and those often drive me back to the site which works really well for me.
I especially love your “Star Wars” quilt. Very impressive!
Wow that Death Star is fantastic! As a sci fi fan, I’m over the moon for it! I have to admit we are a lot a like. I didn’t follow blogs until I started one. And starting one has made me finish more projects than I ever did before!
Jennifer, very nice to meet you! Great quilts! I love the king size rainbow quilt, just beautiful. Any Star Wars fan would love to have that quilt! Well done! And thanks for the tips!
Hi Jennifer, I’m a week or so behind reading the New Bloggers. I love your style – that kind sized quilt is so gorgeous. I got a smile from the “near fatal case of quilting obsession.” I too have that disease. I read blogs that inspire me, give me ideas, or of people who make me laugh.
Thanks! It’s been so much fun meeting all of the new bloggers. I’m a little behind, too.
Hello! I’m catching up on the NQBH and I’m glad I found yours. I love rainbows and scrappy too. Hope your week on the hop went well. (I was week two). Cheers, Nicole
Hi Thanks for sharing your blog! I started following blogs for tutorials and fabric inspiration as a new quilter. I also love the online quilting community…. People are so generous with sharing their talents and skills. I like the ‘clean’ look of your blog and your Star Wars quilt is awesome!
Thanks!