Thursday 20 June 2013

Get to Know Ella's Cottage!


Today is my turn to post for the Plum and June New Blogger Blog Hop.  The last few weeks have been so amazing with this group of friendly bloggers.  It's been a wonderful conversation and I've found some amazing new blogs to follow.  Definitely check out all of the participants and consider taking part next year.  Beth has kindly given a list of prompts so let's do a little Q&A!

When did you start quilting/who taught you?

I am relatively new to the craft of quilting, only doing it for about 2 years now.  But I have always had a love of fabric.  I'm one of those people who has to touch every textile in every store :)  To be perfectly honest, I never liked quilts.  And then I started stumbling upon these modern quilts with graphic patterns and colorful fabrics.  I was pretty much hooked from that point on.  I am self taught thanks to the plethora of tutorials and videos available online these days.  But Amy at Diary of a Quilter definitely got me through my first ever quilt.

What is your favorite type of project?

I love a wide variety of fabric projects and am willing to tackle just about any of them.  But you will probably see more pillows and baby quilts than anything else.


What type of sewing machine do you use?

A Pfaff Ambition 1.0  I'm happy with it thus far but have had some issues with the computer.  Thankfully my local shop has awesome customer service and they exchanged it for a completely new one after the problems weren't solved after a lengthy repair process.

What are your favorite quilting notions?

Hmmmm, I guess my favorite notions are the ones I couldn't create without.  My Olfa cutter is at the top of the list.  I also recently bought my first pair of Machinger quilting gloves.  Oh my god!  If you haven't tried them, go buy some right now.  I put it off for quite some time but I don't think I will ever be without a pair again.  Two good pairs of scissors (one large and one snip).  And a water soluble marker.  Those are the tools I use daily and would replace immediately if there was an issue.



What are you working on now?

Bahahahaha!  I think a better question is what am I NOT working on now!  My WIP list is long ( you can click it up top to see just how long) and for every project I get finished, another three take it's place.  There is simply too much amazing inspiration and awesome fabrics to not be constantly thinking of new quilts I would like to make!  But my immediate priorities are a custom order twin quilt, my daughter's lap quilt and a stack of bibs for a local shop.

What is your favorite/least favorite part of quilting?

My favorite part is the planning of projects and piecing the top.  I love seeing an idea turn into a physical object.  Once the top is finished, I'm ready to move onto the next project.  So the quilting part is often tedious for me.  Although that is getting better as my quilting skills improve.  I don't think binding will ever become enjoyable though.  Absolute favorite part of quilting?  Snuggling underneath one :)


I hope you have enjoyed your visit.  Please feel free to look around and stay awhile.  And while you are at it, stop by and visit the other blogs on the schedule this week.

Friday, June 21
Leigh Anne @ Ella's Cottage
Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt
Sarah @ Quilt Candy
Jackie @ NW Patchwork
Erica @ Happy Fabric
Stephanie @ Simple Sewendipity
Lauren @ Seraphym

54 comments:

  1. Great to know you a little better and I loved seeing all your projects!

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  2. Great to meet you - I'm happy to be a fellow blogger this week. Your projects are gorgeous and I think your pillows are precious, especially the bunting one. Great post!!

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  3. Nice to meet you! I love your mosaics...great projects!! I hated binding to begin with, but I've grown to love it and now it's my favorite part of quilting...but I totally know what you mean!

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  4. Very nice to meet you1 I loved all your projects!

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  5. It's wonderful to meet you! Your projects are beautiful and WOW that is some WIP list. :)

    -Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  6. Wow - I love your projects! I definitely found quilting tedious to start with, but it has gotten more fun over time for me. Good luck with your WIP list!

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  7. Great quilts! It was wonderful getting to know you!

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  8. Gorgeous quilts! Really enjoying getting to know so many wonderful quilters through the blog hop!

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  9. You make such beautiful things Leigh Anne. Nice to learn more about you.

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  10. Beautiful quilts Leigh Anne! It is so nice to meet you. I had the same experience about getting interested in quilting. Modern quilting is what sparked my curiosity about making quilts. While traditional quilts are pretty modern quilting has stolen my heart.

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  11. Great to stop by and learn a bit about you. I LOVE that quilt at the top with all the chevrons, the colours are fab!! I used to hate quilts too as I had a particular image of them in my head, which was not my kind of thing, but modern quilting opened my eyes to new possibilities :)

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  12. Beautiful quilts and such fun pillows:) I'm a new follower!

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  13. Very pretty quilts and such fun pillow ideas - I especially like the one with the bunting running across it. It was nice to meet you and I look forward to seeing some more of your projects in the future.

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  14. I love your stuff!! You make such great quilts and take awesome photos :) Look forward to seeing more.

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  15. Beautiful quilts... I can't decide which is a favorite. Thanks for sharing in the hop!

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  16. What a fabulous collection of quilts. Love the chevrons in particular.

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  17. Love all your quilts! Your pillows are pretty as well! Somebody has been busy, hehe. Great post and nice learning about you.

    usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

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  18. Oh, you have made some lovely things. So the grey one, with the warm-colored wonky stars, hanging on a clothesline--is that a back of a quilt? If yes, which one? Or is it (gasp! amazing) the front!? I'm trying to work up the bravery to do a really controlled quilt top kind of like that, with lots of negative space, and I think that whether that is a front or a back, it is amazing!

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  19. Wow, you've made a lot in a short amount of time! And it's so true about it being easier to say what you're not working on, isn't it?! Great job:)

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  20. So nice to meet you! And, ack! LOVE that black and white cheveron quilt!!

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  21. Love that orange, blue and green quilt you have wrapped around your daughter. All your creations are very nice! Sew glad you are a part of the summer blog hop!

    Lorna:)
    http://sewfreshquilt.blogspot.com

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  22. Hi There, it's lovely to meet you, you've got some gorgeous quilts there!! I love your use of colour and the bunting cushion is so cool!

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  23. Ella, your quilts are so bright and beautiful!I've enjoyed reading about you and cannot wait to read more as you post.

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  24. Fun to get to know you a little, I love your heart pillow!

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  25. Ella, wonderful quilts. I like seeing your projects in progress - we don't always get to see that, only the money shot. Thanks for sharing all of your projects. I'm a new follower on bloglovin.

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  26. OMGOODNESS - herringbone heart pillow please come home with me!!!! Love it so much. Thanks for sharing - I agree on the quilting gloves, I cannot live without mine and actually have holes in the fingers from using them so much. I need to buy new ones and have been contemplating trying a new type - may just have to take your recommendation!

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  27. Beautiful! I laughed about the WiPs, that's true there's so much inspiration out there. And for me too seeing the idea become a physical reality is the best bit!

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  28. Your quilts are just adorable! My favorite it the one you made for the twin bed. Really really cute and I love the fun fabric colors you used. Great post. It was great getting to learn more about you!

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  29. Lovely quilts. I do agree quilting on a home sewing machine can get tedious at times. You spend more time handling the quilt than sewing.

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  30. I love all the purple bits in the mosaics! I've been collecting purple fabrics to sew a little something for myself for yeeaarrss have yet to make a move pattern-wise. Lovely!

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  31. So happy to meet you on this hop and I am a new follower! Love your projects...the VU ting pillow is so adorable! Nice post!

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  32. Hasn't this blog hop been fun?! You are right...Beth has done a wonderful job of assembling a variety of fantastic and friendly bloggers! Chevron quilts are great.

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  33. Leigh Anne, your quilts are absolutely lovely!!

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  34. Oh, I totally know how you feel! Fabric was my "in" to quilting, too, once I realized the freedom I had, and how I could use every single cute print I've ever seen in a useful way haha. Feels like magic sometimes, after garment sewing. My WiP list is rly long, too...at least one day that's a lot of finishes, right?? Love your quilting style c:

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  35. Leigh Anne, I just love your work! That bunting pillow and those purple quilts really catch my eye, but they are all so fresh and fun:) Nice to get to know a little more about you. Love your list too, I need one of these to help keep me on track I think!

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  36. I agree with you - I love the designing, planning and piecing bits - not too keen on the quilting and i would love it if someone else would do the binding! You're list is longer than mine (just a tad!) and I love how you put it up there to aim towards. Sheep cushion is cool!

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  37. Enjoyed reading all about you and your quilting experiences. I'm fairly new at quilting, so it was fun to read of someone else just a little further along than I am. Your work is exquisite and I especially love the little toothless smile above the hanging quilts. Don't you just love sewing for little ones?! They are so expressive and love whatever you make for them!!
    Thanks for sharing with us.

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  38. enjoyed reading this and seeing some of your projects. loving that star quilt in the beginning and all of your pillows - especially that dog one! so cute! thanks for sharing, xo, ashley

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  39. I love your applique pillows and the Wonky Star quilt near the top! It's interesting that you're doing a custom order quilt--is it for a customer? I'd love to hear more about how you got into doing quilts for other people!

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  40. Beautiful projects, I'm also a fan of baby quilts and completed my first cushion cover on the weekend, I see a lot more of those in my future.

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  41. So great to meet you on the hop! Your quilts are lovely :)

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  42. Great to meet you! Your quilts are beautiful! Binding is my least favorite part too!

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  43. Holy crap! I clicked on your master list, and you sure do have a long list!! How do you do it?? :) It was nice to meet you!

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  44. I love the idea of posting your master list on your blog! I guess you'll always be able to find it versus being hidden under piles and piles of fabric like at my house :)

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  45. Hi Leigh Anne, great to meet you! I love your work. Sarah x

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  46. Those tie bibs are to DIE for - so cute! Your projects are fantastic and I'm definitely going to be tagging along to see what you are creating from here on out :) Nice to meet you through the Hop!

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  47. So great to get to know you better Leigh Anne. Love your chevron quilts! They are so lovely. Also I have to say i love your baby bib with the tie on it! Such a great idea.

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  48. Hey girl! Sorry I'm a bit late in throwing some LGA love your way as a fellow hop member! I love scrap quilts too, there's so much memories built into them. I'm sure your daughter is loving it!

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  49. Beautiful work and excellent blog hop post! As someone new to sewing and blogging, it is great to see what can be achieved in a couple of years. Inspiring stuff!
    Jenny @ Note to Follow Sew

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  50. Sorry I'm late to comment, but I really enjoyed your post. Your quilts all look great, but my faves are the PB&J quilt and the wonky stars quilt. I love the designing, cutting and piecing of the top too, but not so much the quilting and I think that is because I have a small-throated domestic that just doesn't let me maneuver very well. Look forward to following your blog going forward!

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  51. Your quilts are so beautiful and colorful. I love your WIP section, that's how I always feel after seeing people's finished quilts. So many beauties so little time! Nice to meet you :)

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