1. Tell us about you
I’m Emily and I quilt. I’m a wife, and a mother to a silly four year old. I work at a fabulous used book store, and I usually sew late into the night. I blog at Mommy’s Nap Time.
2. When did you start quilting? How long have you been quilting?
I’ve been sewing since I was little, and received my first sewing machine when I was about 11. I found quilting about four years ago when I was tired of dishes and laundry. Unlike laundry sewing stays done!
3. Show us a couple of your projects.
Above is a close up of a doll quilt made for the Doll Quilt Swap last year. I challenged myself by shrinking down the block size to a ridiculous size (that ny beauty is about 4″ finished). The quilt is precious and the recipient of it has since become a good online friend of mine. I’m glad she has this little pretty quilt to make her smile!
Above is a box pouch I made. I’m pretty fond of these pouches – they’re pretty quick and not too challenging. I love making them because everyone has a use for them!
This is Anne Michelle’s quilt – the perfect example of how quilting can be healing and prayerful. It was made for friends of mine, who’s first child was stillborn. I sewed through tears to give them something sweet and precious to hold on to.
4. What (if any) other crafty (or not) activities do you enjoy?
I love reading in my free time, and painting birdy houses with my daughter. I have decided to limit my craft spending to only sewing related things – I used to do it all – knit, scrapbooking, etc.
5. What creation of yours are you proudest of?
From a technical standpoint I’m most proud of my Doll Quilt Swap 12 quilt. I drafted the paper pieced sections by hand and finished it as a circle. I used my favorite tiny piecing and also added detailed quilting to the different sections of it. I even figured out a system for hanging it so that it lays flat!
My Doll Quilt Swap quilt won’t ever outshine Rosemarie and Katee’s quilts though. At the beginning of my quilting journey my niece Rosemarie became very sick – she was spending so much time in the hospital and I knew I wanted to make a quilt to keep her warm. I knew that I couldn’t make a quilt for one niece and not for the other, so I called upon my new quilt friends. Thirty-three people from seven countries sent me blocks to make these two quilts possible! I’ve never experienced such an outpouring of love from strangers. That was two years ago and the girls are still using their quilts every night (they even bring them here when they come visit)!
6. Who or what inspires you the most?
I find inspiration everywhere. I love texture and solids. I read blogs, search Pinterest, and do swaps on Flickr. I like taking one thought and just going with it and creating as I go.