Monday, September 29, 2014

Around the World Blog Hop!

I was tagged for the Around the World Blog Hop by Anna at Woolie Mammoth. Thanks for the tag Anna! If you haven't already visited her spot, be sure to do so.

The Around the World Blog Hop is kind of like a chain letter except it's w/blogs on the internet.  It's a great opportunity to meet and learn about other bloggers.  When tagged, the tagee has to acknowledge who tagged them, answer 4 questions and then tag 3 different bloggers. If you can't find 3, one will do! And they don't have to be quilting bloggers neither.

So here goes...

What am I working on?
I am currently working on several projects, all of which I'd like to get completed by Christmas or sooner. 

The 1st is a gift for mom's birthday which is November 3rd. It's a quilt top I finished quite sometime ago that was intended to be for my bed, but in order to make it big enough I added very generous borders  and hated the way it turned out.  FFWD 8 months and now it's a large lap quilt top waiting to be quilted.



A quilt for my kid sister. 4 blocks down, 38 more to go.



Diamonds and Purples I'm keeping all the points and making it a quilt w/o binding. I'm excited to see how it turns out! 



Plus, I want to make several small quilted gifts, approximately 40 of them, for coworkers, family and friends.

So yeah, I have my work cut out for me. 


How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My work isn't all that different from others. I make quilts just like the lot of you. I would say that 99% of my quilts are made from patterns since I have not yet had the desire to design my own quilt.  But what does differ is the fabric I use. I cannot afford to buy the latest and greatest lines or collections and am not super picky about color/print.  I believe all of my fabric is 100% cotton though; the majority of it has come as donations from friends or was purchased at Goodwill.  I'm very fond of scrap quilts but I think I do a great job of coordinating colors/prints from my 2nd hand stash for the quilts I've made that aren't so scrappy.  With that being said, I have purchased brand new fabric, either on sale or clearance...and usually at Joann.   I also adore pieced backings and I don't think they have to match the front of the quilt at all.   


Why do I write/create what I do?
Truth be told I started writing this blog because I think my family, friends and coworkers were getting tired of hearing all my “quilty” talk.  And...I wanted to share my incredible, God-given, quilting passion with others who love and appreciate it as much as I do. I have a few friends who quilt, but they are not nearly as obsessed passionate as I am. The funny thing is, I absolutely LOATHED writing in school. During my senior year, I elected to take a general English class to avoid having to write a senior paper in British Literature. However, when I start or finish a new project, find a new pattern or tool, or make a great fabric score, I just have to write about it and share it with the world!


How does my writing/creative process work?
As for my writing/creating process, it's a simple 4-step process.
  1. I see a quilt/pattern I like. It's usually something already in my queue.
  2. I pick out my fabric and start cutting. (I already had most of the fabric picked out in my head AND have 1-3 other projects already going)
  3. I write about it and post pics of my progress
  4. Write about it and post pics again after completion.
I'm working at establishing my blog and increasing my follower base. After 1 year of blogging I'm pleased w/the number of followers and the amount of interaction I've had.  My 3 kids are grown but I work full time and don't have a ton of time to dedicate to it.  Several months ago I committed to writing 1x/week and I have been meeting this commitment. 

I follow a bunch quilters via Blogger, G+ and Instagram, many who are mothers of young and/or multiple children and it seems like they quilt and post constantly! I have no idea how the heck they do it!  I think many of them are stay-at-home moms. But even then...how they juggle motherhood, homeschooling, quilting/crafting, AND still have time to blog and post so often, truly AMAZES me! KUDOS to you ALL!

I like to end each post w/something encouraging; be it scripture, song lyrics or just words of wisdom from devotions or other quotes.  

I call it A Thread for Life.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Feel free to look around and leave lots of comments.

Now, hop on over to visit these other fabulous women on their blogspots.

Greta at Material Detachment
Stephanie at Imperfectly perfect quilts and more...
Bellezza Squillace at Every Stitch a Prayer


A Thread for Life
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col 4:6

Linking up with
stitch by stitch

Sew Fresh Quilts

15 comments:

  1. Thanks for linking me up! I also tried the Anything Goes Mondays.

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  2. Hi Zenia! I just had to sign on tonight and see how you did on writing up your Around the World Blog Hop homework assignment. LOL You did a great job. Between that and your new About Me page I feel like I know you a little better and that is wonderful! By the way - that is one of the most beautiful One Block Wonders I've ever seen! An OBW was my very first quilt and I love them.

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  3. Hi Zenia - I love reading these Around the World posts as it's a chance to learn a bit more about bloggers you like, and this was no exception.

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  4. Lovely post Zenia - thank you. xx

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  5. Also, Zenia... I will be cleaning up my sewing room tonight, separating out some fabrics for you to take home with you. Love, and sorry for sloppy communication!

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  6. It was interesting learning more about you, Zenia. I blog pretty much for the same reasons - my friends who don't quilt are tired of me talking about it. Thanks for following. I'll do the same.

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  7. What a great post! It is wonderful to get to know you a bit better, Zenia. Love the lap quilt top you have made for your mom. It's beautiful!

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    1. Thank you Lorna. I hope to start quilting it this weekend.

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  8. I make clothes,but have thought about making a quilt to use up some of my many odd pieces of fabric. This blog is inspiring me to have a go.Please read my blog, I am passionate about passing my knowledge of sewing on. Sewangelicthreads.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Hi Angela, thanks for stopping by. I'm happy to hear I'm inspiring you to make a quilt from your odds and ends. It's a great idea! I will check out your blog sometime. You can also check out my friend Greta's blog, it's called Material Detachment. She's a seamstress and a quilter who sometimes integrates/repurposes clothing and such in her creations.

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