About

Like I said in my first post, I’ve been a quilter since 1998. I did learn originally from a friend, but after a while, it was time to do my own thing. I watched Simply Quilts faithfully, even recording it on VHS tapes so I could refer back. Years later my husband transferred those many shows to DVD for me. I haven’t ever even looked at them again. Between many magazines, quilting tutorials and teaching my own self what I want to know, I’ve become fairly adept at this amazing craft.

People ask all the time, “how long does it take to make a quilt?” My answer is always the same: it depends. It depends on the size of the quilt. It depends on whether or not I adore the fabrics. I depends on if I waited until the very last minute. There is no ONE answer, and the answer is different for everyone.

I love quilting. It’s a craft that feeds my artistic soul, which I never thought I had until quilting happened. My sister and brother are both artistic in different ways: she’s a fabulous artist and gardener, he’s a musical genius. My husband and daughter are both wonderful singers, and I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

Quilting has been a fabulous outlet for the ideas that fly around in my head and need a place to land. I love it. Overall, it’s just lots of fun. Originally I started out making very traditional quilts, following “the rules” and being very careful to do things right. After a while I found a few shortcuts that I could live with. Now I combine the rules with my shortcuts, so I am not a complete rebel.

Years ago when my mom was trying to teach me to sew, she stressed the importance of pressing. This was a step I skipped as much as possible. I hated ironing! I figured it just wasn’t that big a deal. (This could be why I didn’t sew regularly, just here and there through the teen years.) When projects didn’t look like the pattern, I bailed much of the time.

When I started making quilts, I learned that pressing those seams really made sense. Pressing set the stitches so they’d be flat. Pressing flattened seams so they’d be easier to sew together and it even crisped blocks up! As we get older, we discover how very much our parents know, and how many times they were right. The discovery that all pressing matters became a new/old truth in my quilt making. Thank you, mom.

I am 50 something and I am a quilter. I live in the Chicago suburbs, and have for most of my life. I enjoy reading, sudoku puzzles, chocolate and spending time with my family. I absolutely LOVE puppies and Jesus is my hero. My favorite movie of all time is “The Princess Bride” and my favorite TV show is “Frasier.” My favorite band is the Eagles, my favorite singer is Susan Boyle. I love white tea and pound cake.

My favorite color is pink. (this will become evident as this blog progresses.)

I’m new at this blogging thing but it’s been on my mind for a long time. I sincerely hope to make some friends and share some stuff. AND maybe I will learn a thing or two.

It could happen.

Lynette L