Tuesday 15 July 2014

Let's get Acquainted

Hello and welcome to my little part of the blogger universe. Today I wanted to share with you a little bit about myself as part of the Plum and June 2014 New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop.


My name is Jenny, I am a mum of 3 boys and I live in Sydney, Australia. I have always been a handmade crafty person thanks to my mum but I didn't get into quilting until a few years ago when I visited my local quilt shop and saw a quilt hanging up and thought I'd love to make that for my son's bed, so I bought the kit, made it and have never looked back....it still sits proudly on his bed.


Fast forward 2 years and I am embedded into the quilting world. I love the online community and the generosity of fellow quilters who are always more than willing to help with advice on just about anything. I started my own business Jack's Room where I take quilt commissions from both customers and recently Australian magazines the first being published next month yay !! Take a look at a sneak peak here.

My style is still developing but I always work to showcase the fabric being used, often taking traditional quilt blocks and putting my own spin on them. Here are some of my quilts..

 



I have also just begun teaching at my local quilt shop and am in the process of publishing my first pattern for a baby cot quilt. My most challenging quilts at the moment are my baby clothes memory quilts difficult to work with so many different fabrics but so rewarding in the end.


Now for some tips...

Blogging Tip
"Post when you want to." When I first started blogging I was trying to post at least 3 times a week and keep to a schedule but what I found was my posts were forced I was trying to come up with things to talk about all the time and it was hard work and not such an interesting read. I find that it's easier to post when you want to, when you have something you want to share, and others will really appreciate an honest and thoughtful post.

Quilting Tip
" Change your rotary cutting blade often and I mean OFTEN". It's amazing the difference a sharp blade will make to your finished product not to mention your sanity !!

And lastly a question for all my readers....

"How did you get into Quilting?"

Follow Jack's Room on Bloglovin

Be sure to check out some other fantastic new bloggers who also have some tips for you.

Elli @ Lovelli Quilts
Marcie @ 
Marcie's Quilt Therapy
Sharon @ Motherdragon's Musings
Cynthia @ Cynthia's Creating Ark
Jane @ Jersey Jane Quilts
Sally @ Wonky Patchwork
Bee @ Pink Almond Quilt
Debbie @ Quilting Makes My Heart Sing
Leanne @ Devoted Quilter
Karen @  Capitola Quilter

29 comments

  1. I love the purple churn dash quilt. I my grandmother quilted and I always regretted that I didn't learn from her. I took a class as a way to get out of the house and was hooked.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jenny - great tip about changing your rotary blade! I once got stuck with a dull blade and no replacements on hand, now I'm sure to always have a fresh blade available. I really like your churn dash quilt. So pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely to get to know you a bit more! I first started quilting after the birth of my first daughter. It's nice to wrap them up in something handmade :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm actually putting off changing my rotary blade at the moment because I only put it in a few weeks ago and I only have one left as a spare. If I use that one, what will I use next?! I do need to change it soon though.

    My mum has always quilted and when I decided I needed a hobby away from the computer, quilting just spoke to me in a way it didn't when I was a kid!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Jenny, I look forward to see your work in the quilting magazines, well done. It was only a matter of time before I got to try quilting I think after trying so many other crafts. I now wish I had tried it sooner.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have never thought about posting three times a week. I know as a blog reader I couldn't read that many!
    How did I get into quilting? It just evolved from other sewing. I started my first EPP quilt when I was 15 and didn't do any other quilts until friends started having babies when I was in my thirties. I made two baby quilts. They were OK. Then, I thought a class might help. That was the start of the slippery slope!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree about posting when you want to. It it's a blog for fun, and you're not being paid by the number of posts you put up, why stress about how often you're posting? I made my first quilt as a wedding gift for a friend and slowly just kept making more. It's only in the last 4 or 5 years that it has become such an obsession though.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Jenny! I got into quilting in high school. As I was preparing to go off to college, I pieced a quilt top and my paternal grandmother hand quilted it for me. It was the most wonderful experience, and I made several more quilts quickly after that (gifted to boyfriend, as a senior design project in high school, a larger quilt to use in college). I got busy with life and set my hobby aside, but I picked it back up in 2008 when my friends all started having babies. I love getting to make something that gets used, loved, and worn out! Congratulations on your recent quilting milestones on getting commissions and published. I look forward to following your quilting adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi there, fellow blog hop host! Seems like there are quite a few Aussies in this week's group! I couldn't agree more with your blogging tip. Too many people get all caught up in posting a certain amount. I try to hit link-ups, but some weeks it just doesn't work. And that's okay!

    And as for the rotary cutter tip - I'm totally guilty of not changing mine often enough. I think I should buy a blade sharpener... then I wouldn't be so cheap about it!

    I got into quilting when a friend took a quilt class. I said "Great! Now you can make me a quilt" and she said something along the lines of "Forget it... but I'll teach you how!" Fourteen years later and I'm still at it! I love the on-line quilting world... finally I'm not the youngest quilter in the "room"... but that may also be because I'm not a university student anymore!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love your tip about rotary cutter blades. They are extra dangerous when dull and like sewing machine needles need to be changed frequently. I got into quilting, because I always wanted to make a quilt and had never tried it before. I took a class at a local quilt shop and was hooked.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I totally agree about posting when you want to! Otherwise it is very forced and it shows. I still try to do once a week and if I can do more great...if not oh well!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have three boys, too. I loved looking at all the boy quilts you showed. Blogging when you want to is such good advice. I sew when I can, and blog when I have something to say.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice reading about you! I got into quilting because I felt like it! I knew how to knit, but was sick of it. Quilting reminds me of making collages in elementary school, and I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lovely post! I got into quilting from my Gramms... well; she taught me to sew more or less, but I've always admired quilts, etc. and Diary of a Quilter was the first blog read I had done on a quilter and it grew and grew to so many other blogs... now here I am: quilting away!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I too enjoy a modern twist on tradition. Good for you for teaching, it's so much fun although I've only done it with friends and family to get them hooked like me! Life is kind of a blur when it comes to when and why, that's one reason I started blogging about my quilting to help me remember.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That's a great quilting tip! I had no idea when I started how often I needed to change my blades. I bought a five pack and thought it'd last a year, ha! makes a huge difference though. I got into quilting after seeing all of the modern quilt blogs out there. I was looking for a hobby earlier this year, we moved to a new state, and didn't have much to do (or know anyone). Quilting has been a great way to stay busy and get to know a lot of great people, I love it! Nice to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great to meet you. I got into quilting in my early 20s, heavily inspired by a friend's mum who made amazing quilts.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Jenny, Congratulations that you're going to be published in magazine. I can see from the pictures that you did many fabulous quilts. Nice to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Congrats on your publication.. Nice to meet you..

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love your quilts. Congrats on your pattern being published & your teaching at the LQS. That's exciting news. Great tip on the rotary cutter blades. Sometimes I wait to long and once I change the blade - it's amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Jenny. Congrats on your first publication :-) I love your quilts - I have two boys as well and am struggling to find designs and colours that will suit quilts for them. Your photos have given me some ideas :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I know i should change my blade sooner than I do and I don't know why I hang on in there with the old one sometimes! Makes such a huge difference when I do!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I got into quilting because my mom quilted and my grandma... My mom taught me and I fell in love

    ReplyDelete
  24. Three boys? I can totally relate! Cute quilts! I got into quilting because painting was too messy (the boys kept getting into it).

    ReplyDelete
  25. I started with softies for my girl while being stayed at home mum. Later on I discovered more and more and I got hooked pretty easy. There is just so much outthere to try.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I've had a crazy busy week or two so am only now getting round to visiting on the blog hop. Love your colourful quilts, and both your tips sound very sensible. My Mum loved quilting and sewing, so I guess that's where it started for me. But then it took off after having children and wanting to make them quilts.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I've always sewn and done crafty things since I was a little girl. My Mum always sewed and even hand pieced a queen size quilt in the early 90s when samplers were all the rage, so I'd always done things with her and used her machine. Then just after I got married (13years ago) I saw a quilt shop and really liked the idea of making a quilt. I joined the beginners class and, yes, never stopped!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi, Jenny! Glad to meet you through the hop. I love your tip about posting when you want - I have made the switch and find it much less stressful because I spend more time sewing and less scheduling topics : )

    ReplyDelete
  29. It's so nice to see quilts on actual beds! We're all so used to 'quilts with feet' or 'quilts on a brick wall' or 'quilts on a barn' that it's nice to see them horizontal and in use. :) I was under that 3x per week pressure when I started blogging, too, and my sanity level has improved dramatically since I stopped listening to that advice. My family appreciates it, too! I'd always wanted to make a quilt but it took me until I was aware that there were so many wonderful online tutorials out there - my grandmother and her mother and so on used to quilt but it skipped a generation so I'm self taught. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I love to read all my guests comments and I will try my best to reply.