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10/2/12

Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop

 
Hello fellow Blog Hoppers and welcome to my Weekend Doings. I have been looking forward to this day for a few months and it is finally here! My name is Martha.  I live in California with my husband and our two beloved dogs. I am an accountant and  currently work full time as a business administrator for a construction company On my free time (on the weekends) I enjoy cooking, baking, gardening, taking photos, and my new found love: quilting. I'm so glad you are here, please look around and I hope you visit again.
Thank you so much to Beth from Plum and June for organizing the Blog Hop it is such fun event. And for giving us these questions to make it easier for us to get acquainted: 

How long you have been quilting?
Not long. My husband bought me my first sewing machine on January of this year. I was looking for a new hobby to keep my mind occupied to help me overcome the loss of my mother (she passed away last year just two months after been diagnosed with breast cancer). So I decided to venture into sewing which then led to quilting. I learned to embroider and hand stitch from my mom. She was a very talented tailor. Growing up I spent many afternoons sitting by her side looking at her do wonders with fabric, playing with the scraps and rearranging the pins on her pincushion. But I never asked her to teach me how to sew; I guess I figured I had time, and I now regret it... I think it would had been wonderful if we had discovered quilting together.

Favorite quilting tips?
I still have a lot of things to learn, but in my short experience sewing I have learned that is important not to stress out if a project doesn't turn out "perfect" the fact that it is handmade is what makes it perfect and more precious.

Favorite blogging tips?
Be yourself and enjoy the process. 

Favorite fabric?
Oh there are so many... Linen is a must have and right now on my wish list are Aneela Hoey's So Stitchy, Denyse Schmidt and Liberty of London Fabrics. 

Favorite craft book?
I love collecting books and it is hard to pick a favorite, but right now I have been using a lot Pretty in Patchwork: Doll Quilts

Favorite quilting tool?
My rotary cutter. It just makes cutting fabric so easy!

Favorite music while quilting?
I like to listen to a mix of country music, soft rock and  love songs

Favorite TV show while hand stitching?
Re-runs of Gilmore Girls and Friends. The Big Bang Theory and the Mentalist.

Binding - by hand or by machine?
Both, I first attach the binding to the front of the quilt by machine and finish it off by hand.

If I'd had known -  what you wish you knew before you started your blog?
If I had known how embracing the blogging community would be I would had started my blog a lot sooner. I'm amazed everyday at how friendly and talented everyone is.

I prepared a tutorial to make this fabric covered tin can. You can find it here


Thank you so much for stopping by and please visit these blogs that are participating with me this week:
October 2: Melissa from Sew Bitter Sweet Designs 
October 4: Catherine from My Life in Binding and Patricia from Quilting Lines

Martha


28 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post Martha! It is so great learning more about you. I was a big Gilmore Girls fan too - and have been known to watch reruns. I'm sad to hear about your mom - that is good that you were able to find a way to help you cope with your loss.

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  2. So nice to get to know you on the blog hop! Sorry about your Mom. I've been there and it's not easy. Gilmore Girls - oh ya, classic!

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  3. Nice to get to know you! It is always interesting to hear the roads it takes to get people to quilting. Sorry yours involves both good and bad memories. I have found that creativity is a great healer.

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  4. Great tute! I have never thought to cover cans.

    Sorry to hear about your mom.

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  5. Love the can tutorial! I can't believe you've only been sewing less than a year.

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  6. Hello Martha, lovely to learn more about you (but so sorry to hear about your mom). I am always happy to meet a fellow Gilmore Girls fan - I used to watch with my daughter (now 21) and miss it terribly. I wish they would do a reunion movie, I just have to know what became of Rory and Loralei! Your blog is lovely and the covered can tutorial so clever! What a great way to recycle and make something useful and pretty :)

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  7. Lovely to meet you! I'm sorry to read about the loss of your mother to breast cancer, we have lost far too many women in my family to that disease and I feel your pain. I love your quilting tip, and it is one I have reminded myself of many times the last 2 days on my current project.

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  8. It is so lovely to meet you! I'm so sorry to hear about your mom--that's so sad! I imagine quilting is a bittersweet way to remember her.

    I love your can tutorial! And I love love love Gilmore Girls. I didn't watch the series until long after it was out, but I'm so glad I finally found it.

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  9. Hi Martha! Great tutorial - great to get to know you!

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  10. Hi Martha - nice to learn more about you on the hop. I'm so sorry about your mum. It's lovely that you were inspired by all those times sitting by her side and I'm sure she would be so proud of the things you are doing. I love your cans - they are so pretty and I plan to make some. I think they will be a great project to do with my kids.

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  11. Hi Martha, it is great getting to know you. Sorry to hear about you mother and the way you have come to quilting. I find sewing a good way to heal, physically as well as emotionally.

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  12. *shakes hand* nice to meet you.

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  13. Hi Martha, it's nice to learn abit more about you. Love your quilting tip and looking at your beautiful projects, I know you'll go very very far in your sewing/quilting endeavours...

    Sorry to hear about the loss of your dear mom.

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  14. I'm sorry to hear about your mum - it sounds like quilting has been a wonderful hobby to help you through a tough time.

    The covered tin is such a cute idea!

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  15. Nice to meet you on the blog hop. The tin is darling with such cute stitching. I am a new follower.

    I'm sorry about your mother.

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  16. Nice to meet you! My husband and I watched GG religiously! Your quilting tip is a wise one. I love your tutorial. Would make great teacher gift.

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  17. Nice to meet you Martha. Love your fabric covered tin can!
    Amanda

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  18. Hi Martha, nice to meet you on the blog hop. I am sure your Mom is so happy you have her knack for sewing and it is such a great form of creativity! Your can cover is so cute!

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  19. Lovely to find out more about you. I fully understand about sewing being such a comfort since you lost your Mum, my Dad died in May this year and keeping my head and hands busy quilting and blogging has helped me through some really bad days, a big hug to you :)

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  20. Nice to find out more about you Martha, love your tutorial. Look forward to seeing lots more of your projects, can't believe you have been sewing for such a short time! Definitely in the blood, your mum would be so proud!

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  21. Great to meet you, Martha! Your tutorial project is so sweet. I'm a huge fan of Pretty in Patchwork: Doll Quilts, and I'm pretty fond of Gilmore Girls too. :)

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  22. I a so sorry to hear you lost your mother to breast cancer. My mom was lucky enough to survive hers which I am so grateful for. I love your tin cover. I am going to pin it if you don't mind!

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  23. Hi Martha, it's nice to get to know you. I love your patchwork covered can - it's adorable. The photography on your blog is outright gorgeous. I wish I had that talent! Thanks for inspiration!

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    1. Thank you Julie for your lovely comment. I really enjoyed your tutorial as well.

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  24. Nice to meet you! Love your project. I can just picture one of these beauties on my sewing table holding all my pens and scissors. Thanks!

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  25. love your tutorial and it was fun to meet you and learn more about your journey into sewing/quilting!

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Thank you for your comments I really appreciate them. I love hearing from you!