Around The World Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Around The World Blog Hop!! Let's jump right in!!

Who asked you to join the blog hop?

Katy Cameron of The Littlest Thistle,
Check out this incredible improv! Katy is innovative, kind and funny. I love her quirky sense of humor and greatly admire her drive and professionalism. You gotta see her work!!

AND,

Sharon McConnell of Color Girl Quilts. Woohoo! Sharon is a modern quilter and designer with a unique aesthetic. Her new webpage says it all. Oh my goodness, you'll be so glad you stopped by!!

These two exciting Modern Quilters exemplify what I believe to be the heart and soul of the online quilting community; Its Quality, Humor and Kindness. And what more can you ask of a world, than that?!

A little about you:

I first came to Alaska when I was 10 years old, and immediately became enthralled with its history, its peoples and most importantly, its stories. Oh, the stories!! Stories of Dogs, Men and Their Dogs, Dogs ditching their men to live free lives among the wolves, Men stumbling about the wilderness inconsolate… you get the idea. Stories of caribou, narwal and the origin of the Aurora Borealis. Stories of people from here, and who have come here, to live lives as close to True Adventurers of old as it is possible to do in this modern world. Stories that play themselves out in front of my eyes on a daily basis and which are woven, by their very possibility, into the days of all who live here. I love to tell stories of life here and to share the wonder and excitement of travel into worlds little seen by those Outside. 

Here are my most popular blog posts to date, I hope you enjoy them, too!

Terrible Triangle Trauma Tutorial

Binding-triumph-at-laaaassst

Bee-Inspired

A Quilt for Kate

If you would like to participate in the Quilt for Kate, please leave a comment at the end of this post, and I will add you to the mailing list. And, thank you!
I believe in paying it forward in life, and that is a big part of this website.

What are you working on now?

 I am participating in two quilt-alongs, the Polks Dot Bikini Quilt Along at Color Girl Quilts, (I fully expect to come in a year behind everyone else because I am having so much fun with color choices), and the Tesselations QAL with Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness. I will post pics of the tesselations quilt as I go along, along with a tutorial for you. As you have probably seen throughout the blog hop, joining in quilt-alongs (QALs) is an important way to meet other bloggers, learn about how online communities and businesses are run, and increase your sewing skills; all in a non-judgmental, supportive environment. I highly recommend them.

I am also participating in the Instagram #verycherryswap hosted by @EmilyAnnskloset (Tina of One Little Pooh)

A sneak peek of one of my gifts for @Evil_Moogle as a part of the Instagram #verycherryswap. Come back in a week to see more! ;)

Instagram is an excellent way to meet people from all over the world, who share the same interests, and who have vastly differing styles. For instance, my partner in the cherry swap is @Evil_Moogle. She lives in Scotland, loves gaming, and is a roller derby queen!!! How different is that from Alaska?! I am making her several items (which I will have to show after she receives them, so come on back!), that have a Rockabilly theme with cherries. Woo! I’m having a blast!

This Pollen-Nation pillow is a part of the Finish Along hosted by The Littlest Thistle. Such fun and so great to see what so many other people are working on. And the prizes!!!!!!!

A close up of the quilting on the pillow. Inspired by the matchstick quilting of the fabulous Leanne of She Can Quilt. 

I was in a car accident the last day of July and haven’t been able to sit to sew or stand to iron, so I haven’t finished much to show you. But I sure have been inspired!! I want to make a string quilt for a Halloween quilt. I’m thinking a very dark teal or peacock blue background and oranges, maroons and whites as the webs, OR a black background and shades of grey, white and black for the webs, OR… you see how it goes! Check out these beauties from Instagram and Pinterest!! I cant wait to show you what I make!!

Tall Grass Studios spider web selvege quilt.
Wowsa!!

Mmodern Quilt Guild September pattern designed and pieced by @PoppyPrint, Krista Hennebury. Incredible!!!

Michael Miller Challenge Quilt by CristyCreates. I adore her classes and tutorials!

An incredible version of the MQG September pattern, by Leanne of She Can Quilt. Wowsa!!

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I know folks all have a hard time saying how their work is special or different from that of others, and one of the things I hope to do through this blog is to encourage quilters/writers/crafters to drop the comparison of themselves to anyone else. Just go ahead and enjoy what you do or are currently doing. Use blogs and Instagram and Pinterest as a means of finding excitement, not as a means of negatively comparing yourself to others. Use these sources to aid you in upping your game in a space and time that suits who you are. I love it that there are quilters who live for William Morris, and others who only do Improvisational work, and others who despise Improv and really catch their shine from following Traditional patterns that they have chosen to inspire and delight their recipients. There is room for all, and the more different kinds of quilters we have out there, all delighting in each other’s work and supporting each other in our Quests, the better off we all will be.

Why do I write/create what I do?

I can’t help it. I wrote my first detective novel in the fifth grade, and haven’t looked back, since. I love to Share. Share laughs, share loves and lives and living. I love people. I want to know what they do and how they do it, and what makes them tick. But all if a good way, a Celebratory way.

How does my writing/creating process work?

I take walks. I pick berries with the dog. I chat with my quilting ladies. I have to be moving and interacting. Very little happens as far as idea generation, while I’m in the sewing room. I record ideas on my phone, and listen to them, jotting them down onto billions  of post it notes that are placed in order according to category (i.e. quilts: baby, improv, Halloween string: Skills; piping, edge stitching, EQ7: Blog; logo, menu…). Then I can shift the sticky notes around as I need, and cross off and remove items as they are completed. I also have a bulletin board of ongoing projects and what stage they are at, near the desk in my sewing room. It is a very good idea to keep a visual list of what you have accomplished so that you are not only seeing what hasn’t yet been done!! 

Then, after the idea is burning brightly, I walk among the stash and dream of colors, then pull out colors I think will work, put them right back if they don’t, and sort thru others. If I get stuck, I leave the pile with the idea drawn on top and sure enough, the next day, or a few days later, the answer is there. Sometimes the answer is I CANT WAIT!! and sometimes the answer is, never mind, I’ve decided to do something else, and that idea goes back into the idea notebook (one of those little pocket notebooks that you keep with you at all times so that when inspiration strikes, you can write it down), to be pulled out and started another time.

I find that, lately, I feel the need to tell stories with my quilts. For instance, the Bee-Inspired Quilt, and the upcoming Empower Yourself quilts. Even if I am making a quilt for a friend, I like it to tell a story. Their story, or another story, but I am finding that I require meaning if I am going to make a huge Queen sized quilt. The book, Modern Quilt Perspectives by Thomas Knauer, is an example of this ethic. A wall hanging, now, that can be just FUN!! Woo! And mug rugs and improv practice, all provide a means of story-free play.

I care very much about my followers, and the quilting community. And I hope that comes through very clearly in my work.  So long as I am entertaining, informing and delighting other people, I will keep writing, and crafting and quilting, and I hope you do, too!!!

Now check out these other fabulous bloggers on the Around the World Blog Hop!!

One Wee Bird

Renee Hoffman

Upcoming stories here at SewPsychd include adventures in Chile, on Easter Island, In Santiago, wandering about in northern Argentina, and London, Paris and Rome. And a story of my search for the Ravens’ Lair! In between the stories there is a huge amount of quilting and experimentation with fabric. It’s a big world, let’s get out and explore it!

XX!!

Lori