Let's Get Acquainted!

Hello everybody!

I am extremely excited to welcome you all to A Note to Follow Sew as part of the Plum and June Let's Get Acquainted New Bloggers Blog Hop 2013!  Let's have a round of applause for Beth, what a star!

About Me

• I named my blog after a line from Do Re Mi from the Sound of Music, my all time favourite film.  I've been to Salzburg and am a card carrying member of the Total Geek Club when it comes to that film.

• I passed my driving test in April 2012 following two previous attempts and the experience of learning a new skill inspired me to do something I had always wanted to do - make a quilt.  I took a class in September 2012 and have not looked back!

• I was keen on sewing as a child but it fell away in my mid teens.  I am so glad to have picked it up again and to have retained some idea of what I'm doing!  I still use my childhood sewing box (she's a hand me down from my cousins) and I love her.

• My aunt lived in America for a while and learned to quilt while she was there.  She's a big sewing inspiration for me and has extremely kindly agreed to make my wedding dress for me. She sewed gorgeous bridesmaid dresses I wore to her children's weddings and I wanted to continue the theme.

• I don't own a sewing machine. I pinched my mother's to go to the initial quilting class and just didn't give it back.  It is a Brother PX 100.  We are more like casual acquaintances than friends, and I'm looking forward to investing in a better machine soon (preferably one with more than one speed - super fast!).  All suggestions welcome - what do you recommend and why?

• To make sure I would stick at quilting before investing in equipment, I taught myself to crochet and knit.  I've had more success with the former and there is occasionally a bit of that in this blog too.  I think I just like making snuggly blankets!

About A Note to Follow Sew

• I started the blog as a means of recording my projects initially but soon made it public.  Blogs had been so helpful in teaching me the basics and I soon wanted to join in with comments, discussions and questions.

• I blog about new quilting purchases under the heading Brown Paper Packages (preferably tied up with string)  because receiving a package through the post is a wonderful feeling, even if you ordered it yourself!

• I have also started a series of posts on helpful things I have learned along the way - the real Eureka moments.  They are called Every Day's a School Day and are by no means the voice of an expert, rather things I have learned the hard way  (the hard way involves a seam ripper).  Of course, I started this before I read all the helpful advice on the Hop about naming posts so they are easy to find on Google.  As they are not really tutorials (more of a virtual headslap) I will continue to call them this.

• Posts about an idea or piece of fabric with so many possibilities attached are called Potential.  I love a blank piece of paper, new ball of wool or fresh fabric and the potential for it to be turned into something special.

A Few of my Favourite (Quilting) Things

• The aforementioned sewing box
• Rainbow quilts
• Scrappy quilts
• The last stitch on neat binding
• Buying fabric, looking at fabric and sorting through piles of fabric
• Solids, and bold but simple patterns, especially together
• FMQ  - this is really fun (she says never having done it on a larger quilt)
• My first completed quilt 

Finally, a picture of a quilt!

A Few of my Favourite (Other) Things

• Lists, especially "to do" and "top five..." (preferably with bullets)
• Stationery (everything from pretty notebooks to office label makers!)
• Photo albums and scrap booking 
• Puns 
• Politics (but that's the day job and won't be popping up here, I promise!)
• Indie bands and 90s Britpop of all varieties 
• Giving presents

Quilting

I am still a novice and have only completed a handful of quilts/quilted items but here they are in all their beginner glory!

Work in Progress - the BIG Quilt

I really wanted to get this top finished for my stop on the hop, but alas it was not to be.  Half square triangle squaring takes AGES - they should have come with a warning.  Anyway, this is it, my first BIG quilt:

Stitch Gathering

The other exciting thing I am doing this summer is attending the Stitch Gathering.  This is a one day quilting and sewing retreat in Edinburgh, Scotland.  I am taking two classes on quilting, one on making improvised blocks and one on making a jelly roll quilt.  I can't wait!

So there you have it!  I'm still very much a beginner but I'm having so much fun.  Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to check out A Note to Follow Sew.  Please also have a look at my Last Week counterparts - we've hopped our legs off for weeks and are delighted to show off our work!

RobinSue @ RobinSue Quilts

Vicki @ A Quilter's Mission

Elisa Lea @ Lovelea Designs

Elizabeth @ In the Boon Docks

Lorna@ Sew Fresh Quilts

Sonia @ Fabric and Flowers

Emily @ Sew E.T.

Em @ Sewing by Moonlight

You can find the list of the rest of the Blog Hoppers here.  I have done a round up post of all their Let's Get Acquainted posts, which you can find here.

Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!