Quilter Interview

When did you start quilting?

In February of 2014, my eldest daughter and I went to Joann Fabrics as she had received a sewing machine for Christmas and our gift to her was a fabric shopping spree. As it happened, I spent more money than what she chose, as I had never been to Joann for more than bra extenders, lol. She enabled me by researching on her phone how to make quilts without a machine, and I left the store with a heap of pre-cuts and loads of enthusiasm.

What's the first quilt you made?

Photo from March 2024 when the quilt came home for repairs.

My first quilt was sewn by hand, and I used the cardboard within the fat quarters as templates for my 'squares', although they were actually more like rectangles. A simple running stitch secured the fabrics, and initially I wondered what I was going to do with it once it was finished. Then my father began chemotherapy for prostate cancer, and suddenly I knew my quilt's purpose, as he complained of feeling chilled. We were slated to visit him, so I raced to complete the quilt, the backing's perimeter attached at my daughter's house so I could use her machine. Dad loved that quilt, and after he died, Mom kept it until she passed three years later. My youngest has it now, as the back is an old acrylic throw she adored from childhood.

When did you incorporate English paper piecing into your quilts?

Early on I read many quilt blogs, and one of my faves was Tales of Cloth, Jodi Godfrey's site. As she became proficient in EPP, I was drawn into the notion of hand-sewing quilts even if one owned a machine.

That was back in 2018. Now due to tinnitus, most of my sewing is by hand and EPP remains a fave method. I adore the slow nature of a project, and as I have many EPP WIPs, I can change up the sewing accordingly. Currently I am working on several of Jodi's patterns; Mandolin, Lavender, Ice Cream Soda, Seedlings, Warm Hearted, Myrtle,  and Alexandria are a few of my go-to's, with Mandolin nearing the finish line! I'm a thread-baster, which is as joyous and relaxing as the actual stitching.

What does Kawandi quilting mean to you?

I like to say Kawandi-inspired stitching, as I don't wish to do more than appropriate my take on this traditional Indian technique. What I LOVE about Kawandi is how versatile and pleasurable I find it, as well as a faster way to make a hand-stitched quilt. And that you DO NOT need a machine to make a quilt. I have made two, one being a remake of a dying EPP quilt and both are AMAZING! The recover is heavy, perfect for the approaching cool weather, while my first Kawandi effort, which includes some English paper pieced blocks, is lighter in weight. I've also fashioned a few coasters and a wall hanging, all making me grin widely. I like the quiet that making a quilt without using a sewing machine offers, as well as the sense of not living in the twenty-first century. I appreciate not needing to make a binding strip or sit at my machine, wrestling it onto the front of a quilt (I hand-stitch nearly all quilt bindings when attaching them to the back). I adore the modern look, the scrappiness too. EPP is orderly, Kawandi doesn't have to be, satisfying my desire for both elements within the creative realm.

 

What is the greatest joy of quilting for you?

I balance the solitude of writing with the extroverted nature of quilting; it's so easy to display the latest sewing project, allowing my craftiness some time in the proverbial sun. I also love gifting quilts, sharing tangible kindness with whomever needs a healing cozy. And, I must admit, I LOVE fabric, LOL! Not that my stash is gigantic, but I do have one, and how terrific to gather gorgeous prints, then turn them into beautiful expressions of warmth and care and consideration. Quilts are tactile notions of, "Hey, I'm thinking of you." And don't we all need more of that in our world?

What's the story behind your latest projects?

I am attempting to finish my Mandolin quilt top, then I will quickly fashion a machine-pieced back. Then comes the hand-quilting, which at the time of writing will start out with a Kawandi perimeter. How the rest of the quilting emerges remains to be seen, lol.

Meanwhile I am engaged with completing a Lucy Boston EPP quilt, having appliqued over half the blocks to an already prepped quilt sandwich. Removing safety pins remains a huge thrill as each block is secured, but like the Mandolin quilt, how the hand-quilting will proceed continues to be a mystery. Yet a little mystery is a good thing, hah!

I'm also making a Peace Around the World quilt with plentiful woven fabrics concentrating on the Entwined collection from Guicy Guice. It's coming along rainbow style, and currently I'm awash in oranges - sweet! 

 

Supplies, tools of the trade, and other miscellaneous notions....

My sewing machine is a Brother PQ1500LS, a straight-stitch only machine that has served me well since 2017, although it has seen little use since fall of 2024. My fave paper pieces are those from Jodi Godfrey; I love their weight and flexibility. Paper Pieces here in the US are second; they are a smidge heavier, but they sell papers in ANY SHAPE YOU CAN IMAGINE, which is so handy! My first EPP quilt was made with hexagons by Dritz, and while they were easy to baste, their thickness is a bear when it's time to stitch together blocks, hard to fold them, why I adore Jodi's papers.

I use size ten Clover Gold Eye applique needles for actual EPP sewing, size nine Clover needles for hand-quilting and Kawandi stitching. I like all cotton batting, usually low loft which seems to get thinner every time I need to buy more. Coats and Clark thread is my preference for hand-quilting, Aurifil 50 weight for EPP and machine sewing. I don't use the steam function in my iron as I live along the North Coast in Northern California, but a spray bottle comes in handy when pressing stubborn fabrics.

Over the years I have found that Art Gallery fabrics are better used on my machine, although many are employed in the Mandolin quilt; they aren't my faves to use in EPP, but are fine with Kawandi. I'm a big fan of Kaffe Fasset, Anna Maria Parry, Rashida Coleman-Hale's Speckled line, Guicy Guice, Sharon Holland, Alison Glass, Crystal Manning, Tilda Fabrics, and MODA Grunge. I tend to favor primary and bright prints, but am a sucker for flowers in all hues. I prefer Kona solids, but have found Connecting Threads solids equally nice, and a little lighter in weight, which is beneficial for EPP.

I keep what I call a Hexie Box in my Go Bag; it's a six-cup plastic storage container that houses a pincushion with needles for EPP, hand-quilting, and mending as well as various colours and weights of thread. Scissors, Clover clips (an EPP necessity!), band-aids that I employ as thimbles, spare basted 1.5" hexagons to use as patches, extra earplugs for my tinnitus, and of course extra EPP needles because one can never have too many needles for hand-sewing. I have a second Hexie box with my Peace Around the World quilt; again you never know when additional sewing supplies are required. And I have a Go Bag quilt, LOL, because I'm OCD that way. Plentiful scissors and pin cushions adorn my work table, covered by a thirty-six by twenty-four inch OLFA cutting mat, along with rotary cutters, a six and a half by twenty-four inch Creative Grids ruler, all within easy reach. When fussy cutting, I like to have a mechanical pencil handy to mark corners of an acrylic template on fabric. And I couldn't do without seam rippers, safety pins for basting, and poly-cotton thread I inherited after Mom passed to use for basting paper shapes. A glue stick is also great for large shapes when thread isn't quite enough to keep the fabric in place.

This sounds like a LOT of supplies, but I have been sewing for over eleven years. Something I've found with Kawandi is how simple it can be; all you need is fabric, needles, thread, scissors, something to act as batting if so desired, and space on which to lay out the back. If I only made quilts in this manner the rest of my life, I'd be thrilled! Yet I am grateful for all the accoutrements, if only for the variety and the ability to teach my grandkids and other beloveds how to sew. Sewing brings me IMMENSE pleasure, and if this inspires you to try any manner of stitching, WOO HOO!