A little about me, I 've been married for 11 years to a wonderfully supportive husband. I have two adult sons, 25 & 22 (who are still my babies, I don't care how old they are) and I am a step-grandmother to 13 year old twins, a girl and boy.
I began seriously quilting in October 2014 after our move back from the Big Island of Hawaii to Bedford Virginia. I had struggled with not feeling productive since my retirement, but coping with chronic illnesses prevented me from moving forward. My sweet husband set up a studio for me in our new home, which enables me to have everything ready to just walk in and work whenever I feel up to it. Because I'm not able to go out often, besides doctor appointments, finding quilting blogs has been really helpful to me. I didn't find many blogs featuring newbie quilters like me, so I started this one.
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| Hopscotch, First completed bed quilt |
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| Dogwoods and Butterflies |
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I like to post what I've learned at the end of my various projects. The biggest lesson I recently learned in quilting is to use scraps to test instructions that aren't necessarily clear. Do you find ending project tips helpful?
In blogging I've learned to reach out to others when I have questions and not to be afraid to post about mistakes I've made. Are you someone that enjoys offering tips to newbie quilters?
At the beginning of this post, I spoke about moving back to Virginia from Hawaii. We do still own a condo in Kailua-Kona that we rent out on VRBO, which enables us to go back to visit at least once a year. Here's the evening view from our lanai:
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Please visit the other featured Sew Fabulous bloggers for this week, as well:
Again, many thanks to our 2015 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop organizers:
Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs
Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination
Stephanie @Late Night Quilter
Happy quilting!
Hopscotch is a lovely quilt. I have never been to Hawaii, maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilts! I have learned so much from blogs too. You never know what tip may help someone have that ah-ha lightbulb moment!
ReplyDeleteWHAT a view...ahhhh. Something about a sunset over the ocean that makes all the troubles just wash away... You have some gorgeous work here, Jinger! Really love the Hopscotch quilt. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilts! I think sharing any tips to help others is a great idea. Mistakes are not bad things. Just little learning opportunities that we can share :)
ReplyDeleteThat Hopscotch quilt is stunning. I like reading what people have learned from projects and what went wrong. I also enjoy troubleshooting with other quilters when something just isn't working out.
ReplyDeleteUsing scraps to test a block is a fabulous tip and one I should employ more often... ;) I am so glad to hear that quilting is such a great outlet for you, and supportive husbands are such a gift!
ReplyDeleteI really like your hopscotch quilt! And a condo in Hawaii? jealous.
ReplyDeleteI think I've learned something from every quilt I've made - even when I'm doing the same pattern twice! Maybe the fabric choices could have been better, fussy cuts would have made more impact, or I just didn't get the quilting the way I wanted it to look. Even the most frustrating quilts have merits in my memory!
ReplyDeleteGreat to meet you - love your tip and a home in Hawaii not one bit jealous really!!!
ReplyDeleteI love Hawaii, it is one of my favorite places in the world. I have been twice and I hope to get back there one day. I personally love to hear about the processes people go through when making quilts, from design through construction and I love to learn tips other people have figured out.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone in your health challenges, I have developed severe degenerative arthritis in my lower back and left hip. Some days it is hard enough to get up and move around let alone do housework or sewing/quilting projects. My husband is very supportive and helps in every way he can, which really makes me push myself to do the best that I can. Yet, I make mistakes every single day. LOL. Following blogs and connecting with quilters is a fabulous way to discover new ideas and realize we are not alone! Continue to have fun and create quilts that make you happy!
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone in your health challenges, I have developed severe degenerative arthritis in my lower back and left hip. Some days it is hard enough to get up and move around let alone do housework or sewing/quilting projects. My husband is very supportive and helps in every way he can, which really makes me push myself to do the best that I can. Yet, I make mistakes every single day. LOL. Following blogs and connecting with quilters is a fabulous way to discover new ideas and realize we are not alone! Continue to have fun and create quilts that make you happy!
ReplyDeleteHi Jinger. Great Header photo! I also love reading blogging tips and about what others have learned in their process. I also love that hopscotch quilt. You and your husband look so happy in your photo.
ReplyDeleteLove your Hopscotch quilt. I hope to visit Hawaii someday. Good luck with your health.
ReplyDeleteHello Jinger
ReplyDeleteI am sure Virginia was quite the change from Hawaii!! Both beautiful though. Visiting Hawaii is on my bucket list! I love your hopscotch quilt as well and I look forward to seeing more of your creations.
Deb
Lovely quilts and your view is amazing! I look forward to seeing more!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful that quilting has given you some purpose now that you've been forced in to retirement.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't have too many bad sick days. It's certainly tough dealing with chronic illness. I have far too many friends with incurable and barely treatable illnesses. They've always found it great to have things to focus on.
I love you Hopscotch. You've used such fun colors. If you've gotten around to looking at any of my work yet (well, I hope you eventually will in week 4 of the hop if you haven't already) you'll see how much I love color.
I feel as though many of the posts on my blog are kind of tip-like, in as much I try to be honest about what I did wrong, and where possible, what I did to fix it. I try to live with my mistakes where possible though. On to the next project, right? I'll only change something if I'm really unhappy about it.
I'd really like to offer more advice to new quilters, and I'm working on a few helpful posts for when I get the blog up and running properly.
I have two sons too. They are 22 and 24. My eldest is getting married this month. My sister would enjoy your blog. She's a newbie quilter with heath problems too. She just moved to Wilmington, NC. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for the delay in responding to you Gayle! I kept trying to send you an email last night, but it wouldn't go through. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment! Please let your sister know about my blog, I’d love to connect with her.
DeleteMy oldest son got married a couple of years ago and I officiated the wedding. It was a beautiful day, as I’m sure your son’s will be!
I am so sorry for the delay in responding to you Gayle! I kept trying to send you an email last night, but it wouldn't go through. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment! Please let your sister know about my blog, I’d love to connect with her.
DeleteMy oldest son got married a couple of years ago and I officiated the wedding. It was a beautiful day, as I’m sure your son’s will be!
So lovely to meet you! I adore your crosses quilt! I cant believe it was your first, so great!! I really like having the learning experience at the end of a post, it's part of what I like so much about blogs. If you ever need any help, just give me a shout, if I don't know how to help I can help find someone who does :) XX! Lori Ps, I have Meniere's Disease, there are many of us 'Chronic Babes' out there!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you! Your hopscotch quilt is great. I like the idea of reviewing at the end of a quilt to see what could have worked better. I am also loving your place in HI! What a dream spot!
ReplyDeleteA Holiday home in Hawaii? How fabulous! Having a studio where you can just go in a pick up where you left off is a wonderful thing, and must help enormously when you're not feeling great.
ReplyDeleteOh I love Hopscotch! And Hawaii...if I ever go back I'll rent from you! Beautiful and inspiring hawaii...so jealous! What a sweet and wonderful thing for your husband to do! One day I will have my grown children out of the house and make a studio too!
ReplyDeleteHi Jinger. Fellow Sew Fabulous Hive member here! I love the Farm Girl Vintage Block. What a cute pattern. Looking forward to seeing more of it!
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome to the blog hop! I was a participant last year and it proved invaluable to me. I just love your hopscotch quilt. So pretty! I think your comment about posting about mistakes is great. Only seeing perfect finishes all the time can sometimes make a newer quilter feel inadequate. I think seeing the process and the "oops" or "aha" moments are helpful too. We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and keep meaning to go back. Would have been so easy when we lived in Seattle but now we live in Florida so it's no longer a relatively short plane ride.
ReplyDeleteJinger, what a great idea sharing what you learned through the process. I think we all learn something new every time (newbie or seasoned). I love your Hopscotch quilt. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Jinger, thanks for being so honest in your post. I think it's a good thing when we let others know about the mistakes we make. That's how we learn and grow and it's a great purpose for a blog. Hopscotch definitely appeals to many of us!
ReplyDeleteHi Jinger! I LOVE that you are sharing your learning process with other quilters. Please consider linking up to my Tips and Tutorials Tuesdays. Your little tips are so helpful, and I think people really appreciate them. Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference to someone else who is learning right along with you. It is a pleasure to meet you though this blog hop, and I am so happy that you decided to join!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Jinger! I love your Hopscotch quilt. I really like that you post about what you've learned. I find those posts to be the most helpful. Looking forward to seeing more from you!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilts! It's nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteLovely quilts, Love theHawaian photo...nice!
ReplyDeleteHi Jinger, nice to meet you! Oh, to live somewhere warm like Hawaii! Loved the quilts too.
ReplyDeleteI saw when skimming through the comments to your blog, that several people liked your Hop Scotch quilt as much as I do. I can relate to being a newbie quilter. I sometimes try things out on scraps. Good reminder to do that more!
ReplyDeleteSo nice to meet you and I am pleased quilting is providing activity and enjoyment for you. Your hopscotch quilt is lovely. I've added you on Feedly and look forward to reading more of your posts
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous view! I love your hopscotch quilt as well. I do find it very helpful when people give tips at the end of their blogs - I've been quilting for less than a year so it's all very new to me, and often prevents me from finding it out through trial and error.
ReplyDeleteHello, nice to meet you! I love hopscotch, great colours! I'm a newbie quilter too, but I also post about my other crafts so I'm not really a quilting blogger. I never think to post tips or things I've learned as I always assume everyone else is more advanced and better than me at quilting. I do post my mistakes though, i enjoy writing those posts the most! I have a "failure" tag on my blog if you're interested in seeing my mistakes!
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you found quilting as your creative outlet! I love all the new blogs that this hop has to offer, and more then that, learning from the other bloggers is such a treat! Hawaii must've been a wonderful place to live:)
ReplyDeleteHi Josi, thanks for stopping by! I'm really enjoying the hop and connecting with other new bloggers. Hawaii was great; but as they say, it wasn't home ;)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I bought that hop scotch quilt pattern (including the fabric, which was a first and only still on that)... yet I haven't done anything with it still! I have other plans for using some of the other fabrics for other things and switching it up a bit... yet I have so many things going - ACK! I don't know if I could have moved from Hawaii to the states... If I ever were to move to Hawaii, I believe I'd be staying. hehe. So happy for supportive family, especially when it is the best one, your husband! Congratulations to 11 years as well! Keep on going strong as you are and I believe you will physically feel stronger as well, I know we are all rooting for you! Your work is beautiful!
ReplyDelete*Stopping by from the 2015 New Blogger Blog Hop - New Bee's