New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop

Hello! I’m participating the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, and this week I’m up for the introductions. If you are here on the blog hop, welcome! I’m looking forward to getting to know you. Settle in and stay awhile!

Let me introduce myself…

My name is Jodie, and I live in New Jersey with my husband and two children. No pets here, but the small people of the house are lobbying for a puppy, so we shall see. I serve as a pastor of a small church, so I do most of my quilting in the evenings.

I’ve been quilting in earnest since late in 2012. My kids were newly 2 and 4 then, and I I finally had my hands free (for a few moments, at least) for the first time in years. Quilting appealed to me because it had beautiful and useful finished products. I also wanted to do something to work on my patience. But mostly…I found I was collecting fabrics — oh, such beautiful fabrics — and I wanted to put them to work. I love making things, but I probably wouldn’t be making quilts if the fabrics weren’t so lovely. I love color, and the endless combinations of colors in quilts is a big plus.

I had tried quilting a few years earlier. I’ve always been a fabric fan. But sewing proved frustrating, and I wasn’t happy with mismatched points and imperfections. On my first quilt, I pulled out almost every seam at least once. It was too much. I think I’m more relaxed about that now. I mean, I still whine about imperfections, but I can keep going despite them. Progress!

In addition to quilts, I occasionally sew other things. I love a small project or a mini quilt every now and then!

  

I guess I’m not quite a brand-brand-new blogger. I started Persimmon + Pear in 2014, but I basically set it up on its first day, and then let it be. I wanted to participate in the New Bloggers Blog Hop to learn more about blogging, technical things and the like, and to meet more bloggers and quilters. I don’t have any local quilty friends (well, I’m working on that), so blogs and Instagram are big resources for me.

Now, a peek at some of my quilts…

Here are a few favorite quilts that I’ve made so far. This one is the Wallflowers pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew. It represents one of my first forays into simple free motion quilting. So fun…mine is not gorgeous yet, but I’m enjoying the process!

Then there’s this orange peel quilt. I like this one because it looks like it did in my mind. You know? It is fun to realize an idea. (Also, you can’t see it here, but it has an amazing Anna Maria Horner print on the back, which I like having around the house).

And then, I like this plus quilt because the colors are my favorites, and there are lots of favorite fabrics in there too. Just seeing it cheers me up (sounds corny, but it’s true).

For future quilts…I want to play with color more. I have the feeling that I want to just cut up colorful things and sew them together in ways that will actually be a surprise even to me. I’m not so interested in geometrical things, symmetry and plans. I guess this mean I will be doing some improv work soon. It’s surprising, because I don’t always like the improv quilts that I see, but I do feel kind of a strong impulse to take my sewing in this direction. Soon, I think.

I don’t have a ton of blogging tips, but one thing that has helped me to blog more regularly is to plan ahead. I keep a list of things that I would like to blog, and schedule them out each month. It doesn’t always work out, but I does keep me on track most of the time.

As for sewing and quilting tips, well I would welcome yours! I always find people are so clever, coming up with ingenious ideas. Share yours! One suggestion I have is…if you are the type of quilter who keeps a fabric stash…consider breaking up those fat quarter bundles. Free them! Organize them by color. It is so liberating to see your fabrics ready to mix and mingle. Doing this helped me a lot, and pulling fabric stacks is one of my favorite things to do — both relaxing and energizing!

Of course, I still keep some of my fabrics separated — like I’m planning to make a big, big quilt with all Anna Maria Horner fabrics, so I’m keeping them all together until I do it. I think it will be soon. I have these stacks taunting me. I mean – the colors! I love them…can’t resist for long.

Finally, some fun facts about me.

I’d like to visit Paris. Soon. Or somewhere tropical. Frequently. I’d like to live abroad for awhile, actually.

When I’m not quilting or playing with my kids (or, you know, working), I like to cook or read (oh — any suggestions? To read or cook? I always keep running lists of things to read and cook…separate lists…yeah, usually).

My favorite movie is You’ve Got Mail. I lived in Japan after college, and had just about one movie with me…that one…so I watched it at least a hundred times. Don’t you just love New York in the fall?!!

I’m a creature of the sun! I can wake by 5 every morning in the summer, but in the winter, I practically hibernate.

That’s about it for me! Thanks for stopping by. There are several bloggers posting today for the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, so give them a visit. Here are the ones from my hive, Hive Society:

Monday, June 13, 2016

Allison @Woodberry Way

Sarah @123 Quilt

Mary @ Stripquilts

And others will be posting every Monday for several weeks to come. Enjoy finding some new gems.

Thanks to Stephanie (Late Night Quilter), Yvonne (Quilting Jetgirl), and Cheryl (Meadow Mist Designs) for hosting this blog hop and for being just all-around inspiring and encouraging! Visit them to find out about the rest of today’s blog hop bloggers.