Hi there and welcome to my blog. This year, I’m part of the Blog Hop organised by the very sweet Beth from Plum and June.
I’m so excited to be part of this new quilter blogger group. It is now my turn to present myself: my name is Alice, I’m 30 years old and I’m French.
First of all: a big thank you for being here! I’m starting to discover the online quilting community and I love all the connections I have made so far (I have even registered to a Round Robin, go Possum Magic!). I can’t wait to discover more about the Blog Hop members.
Let me tell you how I started quilting and what quilting means to me. I made my first quilt in 2012 when I was living in London with my, then boyfriend, now husband. It was for the first of my friends having a baby, and thought it would be a nice baby gift. I bought a charm pack from Moda and simply sew all the squares randomly together. I didn’t know what I was doing or suppose to do but loved it. I loved the process AND the result.
Later that same year, one of my friends was getting married and I wanted to offer her something handmade to celebrate this amazing milestone with her. She lives by a lake in France and often has picnics and little gatherings along the lake. So, of course, a quilt was ideal. This time, I researched a bit more what I could do with quilting and even registered to a Craftsy class with Amy Gibson (BOM 2012). I loved the Half Square Triangles class and went on experimenting with this technique (you can find more about this quilt here).
Since then, I have created 15 other quilts while moving country twice, changing career path, getting engaged AND getting married with my lovely husband. Phew, what a busy two years it has been!
I love travelling and living in different countries with my husband. We lived in Australia for 3 years, England for 2 years and now in New-Zealand. We have been in Wellington, in a share accommodation since December 2013. I brought some sewing essentials and a small fabric stash with me but didn’t travel with a sewing machine. Luckily for me, my flatmate has a Bernette 56 that she lets me borrow whenever I want.
One of the quilt I really love making and gifting was the maple leaf quilt that I made for my sister. She now lives in Canada. I haven’t had the chance to visit her yet, but my cousin has. When he came back, he shared some pictures with us and I was so impressed by the beautiful vibrant colours from the forest during fall. I tried to recreate this feeling on a quilt that would keep her warm during the cold months. This quilt has already well travelled as I started it in France just after the wedding, left it at a long arm quilter while honeymooning in Bali and did the binding it here in NZ before sending it to my sister in Canada.
When I offer a quilt, for me, it means much more than just offering a random object. It also means: “I care about you”, “I care about your comfort and your well-being”. It is offering a bit of your presence during tough times or happy times. It means “I might not be here physically but I’m here for you”. I’m here when you are sick and cuddle under my quilt in front of crap TV, I’m here when you are having a picnic in the park with your friends, I’m here when your baby just smiled back at you, I’m here when it’s snowing outside and it’s so cold that you just want to lie down with a cup of tea and read a book. There is something so emotional about quilts and that’s why I love them so much!
Two things I want to challenge myself “quiltwise” this year are: free motion quilting and paper piecing.
I recently bought a freehand embroidery foot and registered to “Start free-motion quilting” class on Craftsy (conveniently on sale at the moment). If anyone from the Blog Hop (or outside the Blog Hop) is keen to join me to discover free motion quilting, it would be rad. I will share my future progress (and potential failure) on this blog.
I also registered to a paper piecing class, as I have never tried it before and I am quite intrigued by the technique. If anyone wants to join me, we could do a “paper piecing for beginner along”. The class is with Carol Doak and is also on sale now. She has 4 different blocks, and seems to explain every step very well. So, I guess it’s manageable for beginners.
My Blogging Tip: include a picture of yourself on your “About me” page. I find it really hard to relate and connect with people if I don’t know their faces. Also include your name, it will be easier to be remembered if you share your name and face to the world. I don’t really enjoy commenting on blog post if I can’t mention the person’s name. I find it awkward. I prefer saying “Nice choice of fabric Stephanie”, rather than just “Nice choice of fabric”. I feel I’m talking to the person mentioning their name rather than just saying general comment.
My Quilting Tip: I am new to the quilting world, so I can’t really provide tip. Instead, I will share a tip that changed my sewing habit recently: use thread catcher (small piece of your fabric scrap). Simple yet SO genius. It will prevent you from wasting thread and avoiding this annoying tangled up when you forget to put your threads away.
Just to finish off, something random about me: I do NOT have milk with my tea! To the horror of my family, I’ve adjusted pretty well to some of the English speaking countries culinary queerness (Vegemite, chutney, fruits with cheese, crackers and cheese, beans on toast, mint jelly is border line but still ok-ish) but milk and tea remains and will remain forever a big no no for me.
Please make sure to visit my new Blog Hop friends:
- Carole from Fresh Off The Frame
- Camelia from The Recovering Perfectionist
- Nurdan from Hug-a-Bit Quilts
- Paula from Mud, Pies and Pins
- Lori from SewPsyched!
- Kitty from The Night Quilter
- Christina from Wips & Tuts
- Diana from Sew Crafty Chick!
- Marcia from Cozy Capatiller
- Judy from Quilt Paradigm
- Jasmine from Quilt Kisses
- Beth from Cooking Up Quilts
PS: if you missed the first round of amazing new quilt bloggers, you can check them up here.
Blossom Quilts & Crafts 
i really love the color scheme you chose for that block of them month quilt. and i can’t believe you have made 15 quilts in two years! let alone all the other stuff you had going on too. i’ve only been quilting for a year, but have not completed even half as many as you, lol. i also completely agree with and appreciate what you said about quilts being emotional. it takes so much time and and thought to make a personalized gift for someone…so much more special than just picking something up at the store. nice to meet you and i hope you’ll stop by!
I LOVE your sentiments of what giving a quilt means to you. I absolutely agree. A quilt is a gift that IS love and comfort and joy, and can be used at any time, in any place. That is a big part of what drew me into the world of quilting–the giving of a quilt gift is unrivaled. There is no gift like it! Thank you for putting those feelings into words! Best, Kitty
You have lived so many places. I have lived in the same state my whole life. I love the quilt in the first photograph.
Hi Alice – what a lovely introduction you’ve provided. It was interesting to read about how you started quilting. Your going to leave quilts all over the world at this rate! I’m really looking forward to getting to know you better during the Possum Magic round robin.
My goodness, Alice, you have moved to some interesting places! If you come to Canada you will see that we generally don’t take milk in our tea either. Your sister will feel your presence when she wraps up in her beautiful maple leaf quilt. Good luck with your Craftsy classes! Isn’t it fabulous to be able to sign up from anywhere in the world?
Your description of what gifting a quilt means for you is beautifully said and wonderfully accurate :) You sister’s quilt is absolutely stunning!
As you begin your FMQ adventure, just remember, practice practice practice :) And you will learn in your class to doodle on paper your designs. Sounds weird but it really really does help! Can’t wait to follow along on your adventure!
Great post, enjoyed it! How lucky you are to have lived all those places.
I love your explanation of the sentiments behind quilt making and giving, Alice. Well said.
Your maple leaves are beautiful. I also have a maple leaf quilt, which I made for my Canadian husband. In fact, I think I might snuggle up on the couch under it and watch some crap TV.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on gifting a quilt – so true! They can speak volumes; do you feel the influence that living in different areas has had on your designs and fabric choices? I love that you move around the world. It gives a new meaning to quilt-as-you-go! I found that using gloves to FMQ helped more than I thought it would! I started paper piecing a while ago and quickly became addicted. Also, great intro picture!! -Karin
Je prends la chance d’écrire en français…. Bonne chance avec ton cours de FMQ sur Craftsy. J’en ai fais quelques uns, et une fois qu’on commence, on ne peut plus s’arrêter. Les premiers essais sont parfois laborieux, problèmes de fils, de tension… j’ai appris à connaître ma machine comme jamais auparavant. J’ai hâte de voir ta progression.
Chantal,
Bonjour et merci d’avoir laisser un message sur mon article.
Je suis ravie de trouver enfin un blog de quilt en Francais!!!! Ca fais pas mal de temps que je cherche envain. Le quilt n’a pas bonne réputation en France.
Il y a tellement de termes que je n’arrive pas a traduire: “walking foot” (pied marchant?!?!), “HST” (demi triangle carre?!?!) or “press seam open” (repasser la valeur de couture ouverte?!?!?!). Tout sonne vraiment bizarre. Je vais lire attentivement ton blog pour me familiariser avec les termes français.
A bientot,
Alice
What a wonderful story! I love your maple leaf quilt. It is so lovely.
Thanks. You are so out of my league though with your compass block. It looks stunning but so hard to do! What a great job! I wish one day, I will be able to do that!
I whole-heartedly agree with your feelings about what a quilt means. Perfection! I am an avid tea drinker, but milk gives me migraine headaches so I will never add milk to my tea, etiher. Besides, I love it black. Hmm… time for another cup this morning! You have done so much in just a few years, and I look forward to following your journey!
Alice, you have been so productive in just two short years! Can you explain a thread catcher a little bit more to me? It sounds like something that I could use to my advantage :)
I love that you made your first quilt on a whim as a present! That takes some guts! And I totally get what you mean about quilts being more than just things… they’re comfort, they’re art, they’re your own love all stitched up. Oh, look at me getting all philosophical in a blog comment. Yikes!
Best of luck with your paper piecing class. It’s not my favourite technique, but I’m not opposed to it like at least one of my quilty pals. I love it for tiny, precise blocks. Nothing produces sharp piecing like paper piecing!
I don’t think I knew that you were French! and I totally agree with your blogging tip – especially to at least include your first name (or a nickname.)
Alice, your maple quilt came put gorgeous and it makes me really feel the autumn colors by just looking at it and not knowing the intent to! Great job!
Thansk Megan, you are so sweet!
Great quilting tip. You should check out Bonnie Hunter’s book Adventure’s with Leaders and Enders. She uses the concept of the thread catcher to build quilt blocks while you’re working on other quilts. I’m working on one now. Oh, and I’m Canadian and your maple leaf quilt is beautiful.
So nice getting to know you Alice! That is a great tip and your work is lovely. I do love milk in my tea though…sorry:) and mint jelly is weird, haha. I did this hop last year…so fun.
Hello Paula! Thanks for the compliment. Haha, I don’t like milk with tea but don’t mind people who do. Well done on being feature by Riley Blake, I’ve noticed your mat on IG today :-)
Alice you’re so right thread catchers are genius! As for FMQ it’s so challenging at first but very rewarding. Also love your modern maples quilt, I have one ready to get pieced too!
I love the colours in your maple leaf quilt and the fact that it travelled around so much before getting to Canada. I think it’s wonderful that you put so much heart and soul into your quilts! Quilts are so much better when they come with a story.
Alice, your blogging tip: yes!!! It drives me crazy when I have to hunt down a name or can’t find one – even on the blog hop there have been a few I only knew from the link list because they skipped it in their intro. And I agree – no milk with tea! : )
Just say no to mint jelly!! I am so glad you are a part of this hop, it has been so nice to read about you and your amazing travels. I cant wait to hear more about what you do and see!
XX! Lori
That’s exactly how I feel when I make a quilt for someone … and don’t worry about no milk in your tea, I like my tea very milky, so I’ll have your portion :)
Haha, I will make sure to always sit by your side during tea time then :-)
I’m with you Alice – milk does not go in tea! I have no idea where I picked this up, but it just seems so wrong… milk in coffee? Sure. Milk in my tea? How dare you. :D I am in awe of your 15 quilts! I’m only up to #11, though I’ve done many pillows and bags, so maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. :D Good luck with the FMQ and the paper piecing! Just remember it takes practice, and if you’re getting frustrated, its okay to walk away for a little while. :D
Haha, I know right? Coffee late, yes sure! I must say that 15 sounds big but I mostly do baby crib size, s it’s not that impressive after all. And I love your yellow quilt, so shining. I don’t do that complicated design either. Your work is stunning, can’t wait to see more of it!
15 quilts is a great accomplishment! Especially while moving and getting married! Beautiful examples of your work, and good luck with your FMQ! I haven’t tried it yet because my machine wouldn’t agree with it, but the results look so great on other people’s quilts!
Thanks Liz, I had my first FMQ session yesterday and mhm, yes I do need practice. I love how it looks too, hopefully one day I can FMQ one of my quilt and be proud of it.
I am with you no milk in the tea! I do think cheese sounds delicious with fruit and now I must try it! Your first quilt is awesome! All your points are perfect! Quilting is such an addiction!
Try grape or strawberry with cheese Barbara, it is so YUM! I think I had a lot of beginner luck for my first quilt as I wasn’t even trying to match thing up. Now that I try, I’m not always that successful :-)
I am amazed that you can keep quilting with all of your moves and changes. There are usually so many supplies involved. You have had a busy couple of years! Your friends are so lucky to get one of your treasures. Thank you for sharing.
Well, I don’t travel but live in these countries so I keep this mindset and bring a sewing kit essential with me. But true, it is so annoying to buy what I might already owned somewhere else. I can’t wait to be settle to be honest now, I’m afraid I might go over the top with fabric stash, haha
Hello there. What a lovely introduction about yourself. I didn’t realized you lived in so many different places. I have moved across the United States several times, which is no easy task. I can’t imagine packing my life up for an international move! I’m glad you have a sewing machine to borrow! What would you have done if your flatmate didn’t have one??
I love the Maple Leaf quilt, Alice, the colors you chose were wonderful. I have to agree, no milk in my tea, but being born and raised in Texas, tea should be sweet and iced as far as I am concerned. :)
Yes!! Ice cream, I’m in for that too :-)
Love your half squares triangle quilt, and 15 of them is pretty impressive in 2 years with so much else going on too. I’ve just signed up for a couple of FMQ classes on Craftsy too, taking advantage of the sale as well. But unfortunately not the one you’re doing, mine are with Ann Petersen I think, someone who was recommended on another blog I read. Quilting isn’t my strong point so it’ll be interesting to see if it helps. Hope you find your class useful. And I really agree with what you said about the emotional nature of quilts. I love giving them as gifts, it always feels like it creates such a personal connection – in the making and then after they’ve been given.
Hi Sally, hope you will blog about your FMQ journey. I can’t wait to read it.
Oh, Love them all! Glad to meet you. xxxx
I love your maple leaf quilt and your sister is lucky to get it.
So nice to meet you Alice and welcome to living in the southern Pacific. Thanks so much for sharing and introducing yourself. You’ve got a lovely blog and I’ve enjoyed reading though it very much. Your photos are great and I appreciate your stories about the quilts you’ve made…
Thanks Jen, you are being a sweetheart.
Bonjour! Merci de ton poste et nous montre les quilts que tu as fait. Je suis anglais, mais moi aussi, je n’aime pas du lait avec du té, il n’est pas normale! N’inquiet pas, Paper Piecing est trés facile, vraiment!
Merci Wendy! If you want to read in French, you can check my other blog: blossomquiltsandcrafts.wordpress.com
Hi Alice. Thank you for sharing about yourself. I especially love your maple leaf quilt. It makes me dream of autumn and warm drinks.
Hi Alice, what a great post! I really love your sentiments when gifting a quilt. I completely agree! I can’t believe you made 15 quilts in 2 years. That’s a lot! I am a self taught quilter and learned free motion quilting through Craftsy. I took the Machine Quilting Free Motion class taught by Wendy Butler Berns. It really helped me a lot. I still shy away from paper piecing. Didn’t have the best experience when I tried it before, but I’ll come back to it eventually.
Oh thanks Diana, I might check this class out when I finished mine. I’m really enjoying FMQ so far.
Nice to meet you Alice. I learned to add milk while being in UK many years ago and I still stick to it every morning :-) The colors on leaf quilt are really fab!
Hi Vera!! Your pin-wheel 3D are too darling! (I can’t leave comments on your blog). If I go back to France, I want to do a round robin with you haha.
Alice, nice to meet you. I really like your fabric and color choice in the maple leaf quilt. I love fall. I hope you enjoy your FMQ class, I’d love to try it, but I’m not there quite yet :). I’m kind of impressed that you drink your tea black, no milk, I find it too dry! My husband (who is English) converted me a few years ago, now I can’t have tea without milk.
Hi Kate, I’m so glad you visited my blog. I’m scared at hand quilting, how do you do that? So impressive. I also made the same top as you did for one of your friend’s wedding (the HST star). We are on the same page here :-)
Hi Alice – I am stopping by from the hop. I blogged in the first group. It’s nice to meet you, and I enjoyed reading your blog post. I do not drink tea with milk either. Yuck. Lemon only. I signed up for the FMQ class too, so if you want to coordinate, I’d love to. I also feel the same way as you about giving a quilt to someone. It means a lot. They have to be quilt-worthy. Over 20 years of quilting has taught me that. Some people are just not big quilt fans, and giving them one that I’ve made with so much time and love – they don’t get it. So now I make them for all the babies that are born in my family and extended family. If anyone wants one in those groups, they ask. I like your quilts, especially the half square triangle BOM. Hope to see more of you.
Nice to meet you Alice. Its nice to meet another world traveller and I love how you describe the joy in giving away quilts. I love it too! I am about to start the FMQ journey as well – wishing you luck :-)
Hi Deborah, Have you started FMQ yet? How did you find it? I had some troubles at first due to wrong needles. Now that I bought proper needles, it’s all good and I love it. I need to practice dodeling though :-)
Nice to meet you! Enjoyed your post. You are so lucky to have the opportunity to move about and experience such different places. Your quilts look great, too! I am at fabricsandflowers.blogspot dot com if you want to visit.
Nice to meet you Alice! I know I am three weeks behind reading blogs. You are so lucky to have lived all over the world. I am Australian. Where did you live when you were over here? Your quilts are lovely.
Hi Sarah,
I’m glad you are coming now, I was actually so overwhelmed by all the comments, so it’s great to have them spread out :-) We lived in Melbourne for 3 years. We loved it! Such a vibrant a dynamic city. I actually have a “memory quilt” in mind for that city. Hopefully, one day I can execute my plan.
I love the colors in your maple leaf quilt, and I’m really impressed by how well all the squares line up in your first quilt since you just jumped right in. I want to learn FMQ in the next year (I played with it just a little) and my next project is my first real attempt at paper piecing if you don’t count the one hour workshop that I took in it. So, I’m definitely going to become a follower so I can see how you’re getting along with those two things.