Quilt, Blog, Repeat – 2018 NQB Blog Hop – Week 3
This is week three of the 2018 New Quilt Bloggers blog hop. As soon as the registrations opened I joined in back on February 1st. I am so thrilled to be a part of the fun, meeting new friends and learning some more about blogging. The co-hosts for this year’s blog hop are Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts, Sandra @ MMM! Quilts, Tish @ Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Jen @ Dizzy Quilter. These ladies have put in a lot of time and effort to coordinate and organize this for all of us! There is a giveaway happening via Rafflecopter on the co-hosts’ websites. Visit them to enter – you receive one entry for following each of their blogs and one entry for commenting on the new bloggers websites listed below.
Blog Hop Participants
This week, I join my fellow hive mate Tara from Quilt District, in an introductory post. Also posting today from other hives are:
- Linda @ Cozy Quilts
- Dione G @ Clever Chameleon
- Cate @ Chaos Theory Quilting
- Karen @ Tu-Na Quilts
- Rashida @ No 3 Quilt Studio
Home Sewn By Us Introduction
I have always been a crafty person since a child. I made my first quilt at the age of 10, by tracing around a thick cardboard square I cut from a box. Using old discarded clothes (I asked before cutting them up!) or fabrics I carefully selected at J.C. Penney, my dad helped me sew it together. I don’t know what happened to that quilt but I’m sure it had plenty of mistakes. I would love to see what fabrics caught my eye way back then. None of my immediate family had a crafty bone in them other than my dad sewing a mean seam when needed. I believe my dad’s mom quilted but she was long gone before I got a chance to meet her.
Sue & I enjoying Kenny Chesney
These days, I quilt and sew now with my bestie. That’s her on the left and me on the right. We met in high school and became fast friends. Throughout college, wrestler boyfriends and lots of highs and lows, our friendship has stood the test of time. Back in the 90s we opened a cross stitch shop called Home Sewn. While we had to close the shop, we continued cross stitching and eventually moved into/back to quilting. We added the By Us when we started to blog and opened our Etsy shop, so we are now officially Home Sewn By Us. Oddly enough, I started the blog for Sue as an outlet for her to write and keep her busy in retirement. She didn’t retire and I found a love for the writing outlet (who would have known?!), and now it keeps us busy.
What Do We Blog About?
We try to share our weekly adventures in our quilting journey. Of course, not only all things sewing and quilting are shared here because we have a life outside that! Our young great-nephew, Dominic, has found a permanent place in our hearts and the occasional update on him. Truth be told – it is more of a weekly update that I just can’t help sharing. He is SO DARN CUTE and such a blessing to us. We are not master quilters and will never be, but we do enjoy the craft and are open to learning. What does the future hold? Who knows?! Hopefully a few more great-nieces or -nephews (hint, hint!!) and eventually retirement fun. For now, road trips with our friends, and traveling with family and friends often include quilt shop visits and fabric finds. FMQ perfecting and ruler work are both goals for this current year, while pattern creation is a longer range goal.
Here are two of our favorite quilts with our little peanut on them. His mom’s vision quilt with Ellie the Elephant is one of our own design on the left. While his parent’s met over baseball (and disagree about the Cubs and Brewer’s), on the right is our baseball embroidered quilt. His future will hold many more, I’m sure. Look how little he was!
Tips – Fun Required
When asked for a my favorite blogging tip as a new blogger, I recommend using the schedule-ahead feature. Whenever I get an idea for a blog post, I start a draft with all the relevant links and ideas. As time allows, I fill in the details and then schedule it as a fill-in whenever I need it. My favorite quilting tip is to just relax and enjoy! It’s just fabric – no one is going to live or die if your seams aren’t perfect or your stitches are too big or too tight. If you aren’t having fun, you need a break. Here is an attempt at ruler quilting and some FMQing on a little lamb quilt.
Have you ever taken a quilting cruise? Do you take road trips or vacations and then weave in some quilting time or quilt shop visits? This is one of my favorite things to sneak into just about any trip away from home. We like to look for regional, unique fabrics and patterns whenever possible. I do have one parting nugget to share as a thank you for reading this far and a little known fact about Sue and I – we once had to use the phone in a strip joint. And it wasn’t of the fabric variety!
Quilt, Blog, Repeat Hive Members:
Jen and out co-host @ Dizzy Quilter
Michelle @ Creative Blonde
Roseanne @ Home Sewn By Us – you are here!
Jan @ Cocoa Quilts
Tara @ Quilt District
Nicole @ Handwrought Quilts
Karen @ The Quilt Rambler
Becca @ Pretty Piney
Sarah @ 9658 Textiles
Thank you for sharing in our adventure!
Our Linky Parties can be found by clicking the link for more quilting fun or in the sidebar of our website – check out what our friends are up to. Like/follow us on our Facebook page and share your likes/loves there! We love to see them. ~smile~
It’s lovely to learn more about you and how you started Roseanne, what a wonderful journey you are both having, and how lovely to have each other to share it with. I look forward to reading more of your quilting adventures.
Enjoyed your story. I’d love to take a quilting cruise but I don’t do well on a ship when it starts to rock side to side. Follow you on Bloglovin!
I’ve never been on a quilting cruise or any other kind-seasickness-ugh!
Oh Roseanne, I have been following you for a while and I’m so glad…… your blog is fun and you are a generous commenter too. I can always see you’ve commented even before I read them – with your trademark signature. We all love Dominic and all your other adventures, and I love that this blog that you set up for Sue has given you so much in return. xx
No cruises for me, but I always take my needlework projects with me on vacation. It might be embroidery or quilting or crochet or several projects.
Hi Roseanne
You’re such an active blogger and have so much on the go! Where do you find the time?
Cheers
Terry
What a fun intro! You are lucky to have each other – I can’t wait for my mom and partner in crime moves in with me and I will have a quilting partner, too.
I love pre-writing posts, too. Usually I end up with a week where I am desperately busy, and I can sift through my drafts and pull out something interesting.
Love your stories! Sounds like the two of you have some great memories. I don’t do boats, so no cruise for me. But I did travel for work, and I would hit any quilt store near to or on the way to the hotel.
So nice to learn more about you! I wish you all the best with your continued blogging. 😊
Great post, and so nice to put a face to the name now! Yes, Dominic is a darling! And he gets an added love in my books for being a dog-lover too (and I know Zeuss loves him right back). I find it hilarious that you started the blog for Sue and you’re the one doing all the writing now! I always wondered about the ‘us’ since it’s always Roseanne I talk to!
Your nephew is so cute and so are his quilts! Thanks for sharing your story.
You sound like my kind of quilter. Have fun and don’t stress over the little stuff. Such a cute little feller who is lucky to have you in his life. It’s so great you have a best friend from high school in your life.
Dominic is such a cutie! And as a matter of fact, I’m in the middle of planning my next quilting trip with a friend. This summer, I’m lucky enough to have a couple of weeks when both of my kids will be away! Hooray! (I’ll miss them, sure…but it’s only temporary.)
Oh my, yes, I always weave in trips to the quilt shop when on vacation! My husband has come to expect it! LOL Thanks for sharing your quilting journey with us!
Hi Roseanne,
Thanks for sharing your quilting journey with us! I love your hints- having fun is important.
Happy quilting,
Sharon
Thanks for sharing your quilting story. It sounds like the two of you have a blast, whether quilting or not. I think you should go on a quilting cruise. Me, I’ve tracked down fabric on five continents, and it’s a load of fun. Still have South America and Antartica to go. Wonder if the penguins quilt.
Hi Roseanne! Your g-nephew is a cutie! I’ve never taken a quilt cruise. But road trips always include quilt shop stops. I especially love traveling during the row by row, and making a memory quilt from the road trip.
Nice to meet you! I love your tip about fun required!
What a fun post, Roseanne! I’ve known you as a fellow I Like Thursday poster for awhile now, but it’s fun to know more. My quilting group calls itself “The Strippers” because we started out making strip quilts together, but you can imagine some of the comments we’ve gotten over the years!
Nope no quilting cruises for me unless I win the Mega Bucks..I”m great right in just visiting craft fairs in are great state of michigan.I have been seeing ads about a big thing in Grand Rapids Michigan that’s an hour and a half away I will see…lol…ty for hopping it’s always a learning experience…
Not a cruise, not a retreat, and the only blog hop is the internet variety.A strip Joint, tell more, please.
No quilting cruises for me but I sneak in quilt shops all the time.
I’m so amazed you’ve been friends with your bestie for so long, and now I know why your blog is called Home Sewn by Us! What a lovely story. As far as your question, when I travel, the first thing I think about is finding destination quilt shops, and I always need to bring some hand sewing along. I’ve yet to go on a quilting cruise, but I hope some day I will be able to!
Hi Roseanne! Nice to see you here as part of the hop! I like that you and your friend share this blog and scheduling posts is a great tip. It all adds to the “magic” of blogging that a post can go out while you’re away on holidays!
I’ve just started using the schedule ahead feature of my blog site. It truly is a great tip! Thanks so much for the reminder that I should keep it in mind.
So nice to have a good friend to share your quilting with–the quilting cruise has not happened for me, but I did enjoy a Quilter’s bus trip to Des Moines, IA for an AQS show some years back. Would really like to attend the big show in Paducah, Kentucky sometime (I have visited the quilt museum there and it was great!).
What fun to have someone to share with over so many adventures.
I have never taken a cruise. We sometimes stop at quilt shops when vacationing, I always take along some hand work; applique, binding… Something.
All of my quilting friends are online, sew I really enjoy blogs. Thanks for sharing 💚💚💚
A cruise and me, not a great match. I live in Delaware not many quilt shops close by. it is always a road trip to the fabric shops.
How fun to share the blog with a friend. Great stories!
Its so great to do what you love with your bestie. Unfortunately, I have not been on a quilting cruise, but always have been envious of those who do :). Thanks for the tip on how you manage your schedule ahead blog post. I will definitely try it out.
You are so very lucky to have your bestie there! I’m jealous! My quilting bestie is 6 hours away, so we only get together a couple of times a year. Luckily I have a nearby Guild where I teach, so I do have wonderful friends nearby that share the love of fondling fabric. Your little peanut is so cute. I have 10 grands now and 2 greats! There just aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up with family quilts!
How fun to have a shared interest with your friend! I love having a quilting friend who understands my joy when discovering something new in the quilt universe. Baby quilts are my favorite and I firmly believe that baby photos can never be shared too much. Nothing is better than a baby.
Not a cruise…yet. But have done a 29 store shop hop a few times- 120 miles in either direction from me. Thank you for sharing your creativity with us today.
just checking in to see how you are doing with all the traffic……amazing isn`t it.
What a lovely story. What could be better than sharing your journey with your best friend
Love the pictures of your quilts and Dominic. I have never taken a quilting cruse, but I always have handwork with me while we travel. We will be driving from Alabama to Virginia next week, and I am already what I will work on while gone. The main project will be an EPP project.
Hello Roseanne and Sue! I sew enjoyed reading a bit more about you today:) It’s funny how when you start blogging you realize you are lover of the written word or not. I’m glad you are. I love reading about your adventures. And of course I like to bring a project on a trip. That is half of the fun and relaxation on the cruise or road trip:) Enjoy the blog hop! –Tracy
Love your down to earth, laid back approach to quilting. I’m still trying to beat the perfectionist out of me so it never hurts to be reminded! I think I would enjoy getting to know you two. 🙂
Hello, Thanks for the introduction. I’ve never taken a quilting cruise (bet I’d get seasick), but i do love a good road trip to see quilt shops. I look forward to following your adventures.
The little baby quilts are so cute! And, of course, little Dominic, is adorable! He looks so comfy on his quilts.
how lovely that your friend and yourself not only quilt together but blog together. My bestie from school read together, after a fashion. Can’t get her into the quilting but she does have the wherewithall to get it!
Hello Roseanne and Sue, Great blog love your sense of humor. Can’t wait to see what you make in the future.
Hi Roseanne/Sue, I’ve been waiting patiently to read your post today. Although with all the encouragement you’ve given me through my blog during the last year, I feel like I know you already. I can tell you are kind and generous ladies. I enjoy seeing Dominic each Thursday. He has been growing so fast. Now “Strip Joint”, maybe that could be a good name for a quilting club or pattern in the future for those who don’t mind the metaphor. Seems like all I want to do on vacations lately is go somewhere to see quilts. Much to my husbands dismay. I need a bestie like yours and I could leave him home.
Roseanne, you can’t just drop a bomb like “phone in a strip club” and not finish that story 🙂 I love your quilting story, because it’s a great story of friendship. Lasting friendships like this are hard to come by and it sounds like you and Sue have definitely had some adventures 🙂 I look forward to hearing about more of them.
Adorable quilts (almost as adorable as your little peanut!). You were brave to use a strip club’s phone!
LOL! Not sure I would have touched anything in a strip club!!!
Love to go on a quilting cruise but currently I am happy finding quilt shops when I go on trips.
A strip joint-hmm I think you’ll have to share more of that story, haha. So glad you are enjoying keeping up your blog(I am going the other way right now).
Fun to learn a bit more about you! I schedule most of my posts too. I’ve only done one quilting vacation, a few years ago to do classes and the show at AQS in Charlotte.
Roseanne – I love reading your posts they always make me smile :). Great tip about the “Schedule ahead”. You and Sue make a great team! Happy Monday!
It was fun to read about you and learning about you and Sue. I think your blog is taking off! You talk a lot about your nephew, but do you have any kids of your own?
Fun post to read, Roseanne! But I want to know, in the picture of you two, who is who? Curiosity, y’know?! Using a phone in a strip joint obviously has a long story — haha! I use the scheduling tool as well, but I’m still trying to get ahead in my posts! I enjoy reading your posts.
Wendy – Sue is the blonde on the left, and I was gray then on the right but now I’m back to coloring! HAHA!
Thanks! You are so funny!
You have a great energy that come out in your writing and It’s nice that you share your quilting love with your bestie. I have a couple of besties that I met through quilting. Are you going to share the story about the using the phone in a strip joint? Maybe in a future post?
Roseanne it is great to read your story. Love that you and Sue have a friendship that lasts over the years. I have a few friends that I am still close with from high school (1974) that we still get together whenever possible. Love seeing pictures of the Peanut!
What fun to learn more about you ladies! Quilting IS best shared with friends – so glad you have so much fun together. Your quilts are inspiring. I’m glad to have met you through this blog hop and look forward to more adventures with y’all!
Thank you for sharing. Awesome quilts. Have a wonderful day! angielovesgary2 atgmail dotcom
Sounds like you all have a blast together!
I hope to see lots more pics of that cutie patootie great-nephew. Lucky you. I agree with your tip about scheduling posts. I do it all the time…and I also start draft posts, even if it’s just a post name and a thought, often I have 3 or more sitting in draft waiting for me to flesh them out a bit. Enjoy this day. It’s gonna be great!
Lovely post, how fabulous to be quilting with your bestie 💕
Loved learning a little more about you and Sue. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to still have that early quilt.
Great post! I especially enjoyed getting to know more about you. I had to chuckle over the thought of you going into a strip joint to make a phone call. That must have been a few years ago as cell phones have been around for quite awhile.
What a tease you are Roseanne! Using your phone in a strip joint? Now … there must be a story hidden in that comment!
I’ve just started doing the “Schedule ahead” thing with my blog … it’s a great tip!
Happy Quilting my blogging friend! 🙂
I love your sense of humor! I enjoyed learning more about you, too. We just sort of fell into each other’s blogs, and I didn’t know a lot, except I liked you! 3 of my favorite blogs are up this week (and you ARE one!) so I’m going to be looking for those posts, particularly. Thanks for sharing!