Short version
Inspired by her family, her Australian surroundings, and of course the pretty fabric, Alyce has taken her quilting passion and made a career out of it through patterns, tutorials, two books – DIY Block Design and Mini Masterpieces, teaching classes, and collaborating with top sewing brands including Aurifil, AccuQuilt, and Pfaff.
Long version
I started quilting mid-2011, when my husband had seen me reading a lot about quilting (with the plan to make my two little children a quilt each when they turned 5… a few years off still) and told me to stop reading and start doing. So he bought me a little $100 sewing machine, and my life started down a whole new path! With a whole lot of experimenting and assistance from blogs, I taught myself to quilt stitch by stitch, project by project.
When we moved to Japan in May 2012, I had the chance and space to really focus on quilting, both at the sewing machine and on the computer by starting Blossom Heart Quilts. With my background in primary school teaching, something that I had wanted to do since I was a little girl, it was no surprise to me that I soon found my passion in writing tutorials to share what I had learned myself.
Designing my own quilts was something that started early, once I realised that it was the ultimate puzzle – mixing geometry with colour and fabric! That and being able to see something go from an idea, to a sketch, to a finished product. The journey to design quilt patterns was a natural extension of that quilt math love combined with the ability to teach others.
Through all of those processes, I also discovered my love of writing. This lead to exciting opportunities such as becoming a columnist for Make Modern, which gave me the confidence to tackle a dream of mine – to write a book. DIY Block Design was released in August 2015 as an ebook, providing the knowledge, maths and tutorials needed to empower quilters to design and make their own quilt blocks.
Upon our return to Australia in 2016, I continued to write more patterns, teach classes at local quilt stores, and dive headfirst into the Australian quilting community, including joining the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild, and partnering with Pfaff Australia and AccuQuilt Australia.
My second book, Mini Masterpieces, came out in late 2019 through Lucky Spool, as well as a companion set of Mini Masterpieces threads with Aurifil that contains a rainbow of threads plus two basic neutrals for piecing and quilting.
In summary – Alyce loves designing, making, teaching, snuggling, and giving quilts (except basting, she doesn’t like that). She is inspired by her family, her Australian surroundings, and of course the pretty fabric, to quilt according to her motto: create what you love, with love, to love.