Over the Christmas/New Year holiday season, the Quilty Bloggers & Instagrammers Support Group have gotten together to swap some interviews and information to post over this period. It’s always nice to have some blogs to read in the quiet times, but this way, the pressure is off to create interesting content – someone else has already done it for us!
Today I am excited to introduce Brandy from M3 Quilts to you all. Brandy is one of those quilters I know from seeing her all over the place, and I remember her commenting on my blog from way back when. You can see more of her work on Instagram – @m3_quilts, Facebook, or stalk her on Pinterest.
How did you come to be a quilter?
I watched my grandma make quilts and hoard fabric my entire childhood – and I even have a gorgeous quilt that she made me – but I never learned how to sew from her. That’s what happens when you have the attention span of a gnat. Fast forward to my Senior year in high school. I decided I wanted to make my own maxi skirts on my mom’s sewing machine, and I was actually rather good at it! I would include panels of lace down one side, but never got beyond making skirts before I got caught up in wanting to be an adult.
Quite randomly, as is normal for me, November, 2011, I decided I wanted a sewing machine, so I picked up a Brother Project Runway Special from Walmart, along with the cutting mat, roatary cutter, and straight edge. I got it home, didn’t bother reading the manual (seriously, who needs directions??), and decided to just go for it! About 5 minutes later, I packed it back into its box and shoved everything else with it in a corner. It made this HUGE scary sound, and I just was so scared that I broke it. In January, 2012, I decided to quit smoking on my son’s birthday. To be successful at this, I needed to find a way to keep my hands busy, so…
What is it that you love about being a quilter?
I love the way it allows me to express myself creatively. There is a lot about my life that doesn’t feel creative. I love my day job, but I work in the Accounting Department for an Apartment Locator. There’s not much creative expression there. Being a single mom, you would think that I would have plenty of time to create with my son, but after working all day and having to cook and clean and take care of general daily needs for my kiddo and making sure he gets to bed early enough, I just didn’t have the creative outlet.
What are you most proud of from your quilting experience?
Being able to create my own pattern, and then it working. I saw a quilt that I loved on Pinterest, but for the life of me, after hours of searching, I couldn’t find the source of the pattern, so I just sat down and started working it out on paper. It was a puzzle quilt and it was the most challenging and stretching quilt I have ever made because it had TINY pieces. After 6 months of wrestling with it, putting it away, and bringing it back out countless times, it came together and was absolutely gorgeous!
What’s the one piece of advice about quilting that all new quilters should know?
Don’t be afraid of anything!!! Buy the cheapest fabric you can find, and just GO FOR IT!!! Don’t be afraid if your machine jams, if your seams are uneven, if the colors don’t quite go together. Throw caution and every other negative thing into the wind and go for it! Make yourself the ugliest quilt block ever made, and be PROUD of it! Hang it on your wall or make an entire quilt out of it and keep it for yourself. Even seams will come, your skills and abilities will increase as you continue. But you have to continue for that to happen. Guaranteed, you will look back at that first ugly block/quilt and love it because it is part of your journey.
Who’s the quilter(s) that inspire you at the moment?
Angela Walters for her amazing quilting skills. I have one of her books and the other is on my wish list. If I could seriously book a weekend with her and just watch and ask and try and fail and succeed…I think that would be my ultimate dream weekend.
If you had to pick any designer to sit down and chat or work with for the day who would it be and why?
Oh gosh, that’s easy! Katy Jones from I’m A Ginger Monkey! I ADORE her style of quilting and the way she puts color together! Her fabric is gorgeous, and her animals are just absolutely adorable! I think I would choose to have tea with her and then play with fabric and ask her about a million questions about everything until she got tired of me. Part of it is just listening to her AMAZING accent (I’m a British comedy/reality show nerd, so maybe I’m biased)!
What quilting challenges would you like to conquer in the next 12 months?
CURVES!!!!!! Holy smokes those things scare me! I also want to rent a long arm and quilt a quilt on it. I currently FMQ all of my quilts on my home machine. I am my own stitch regulator, so sometimes things don’t come out perfectly, however I have noticed that the more I practice, the better I get!
Do you listen to music, watch television or prefer the hum of the sewing machine when you sew?
It really depends on my mood. I find that I am drawn to watching Dr. Who reruns on Netflix while I am FMQing. When I’m piecing, I either listen to music, Modern Sewciety podcasts, or listening to the hum of my machine. It really just depends on where I am in my headspace.
If you weren’t a quilter, what other creative endeavour would you like to master?
I would love to master painting, whether it be a picture of a flower or a giant mural. I was part of the teen mural club as a teenager and just loved getting dirty and sweaty and ruining my clothes and shoes with paint. I loved being able to goof off with my friends and – are you kidding?!?Someone is going to LET ME paint a WALL? Sign me up!
What are your favourite types of blog posts to read?
I love reading how people overcome adversity and use that to help them in their creative ventures. I am no stranger to adversity and difficult situations, and I find it difficult to focus and create when I’m faced with a heavy heart/thoughts.
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