Colourful And Western Round Bag

What crafts do you do?What crafts don’t I do? Mostly I do quilting and sewing, and I also enjoy embroidery and cross stitch occasionally. There aren’t a lot of crafts I haven’t tried - flower arranging, folk art, decoupage (does anyone else remember gluing bits of tissue paper onto plaster of Paris cats?) and so on.

How long have you been crafting?I have been crafting and making since forever. It took me a while to get to quilting from dressmaking but, when I had my daughter, I needed something to keep me busy and out of trouble. I reached out to my mum who provided me with a glorious selection of scraps and started quilting. It really didn’t take long to get hooked. So here I am, passionate about, and totally addicted to quilting.

Who taught you your skills?My mother and grandmother have always been a crafty lot, however I have had plenty of training as well. When I left school I went to TAFE to study fashion design and I always make time to learn new skills however I can. From going to classes at the local quilt store, quilting retreats, my local guild and online classes. I love making new friends in classes!

Is crafting your hobby or your profession?Both. I have two young children and a day job working for the man. I am lucky to have the support from my family to be able to quilt and blog, which I almost always do at night! I am looking forward to this becoming my full time profession though. Every day I take another step towards making this dream a reality.

Do you teach/publish your skills and projects?I teach around Australia and you can find all of my patterns, projects and workshop schedule at www.raspberryspool.com.

What do you love most about crafting?Quilting is much more than just a craft to me. For me, quilting is about many things. Friendship, legacy, creativity and most importantly, love. I am blessed with friends through my local Modern Quilt Guild and online (some of which have turned into real life friends too!). My quilty friends are generous, warm and supportive. We solve problems, learn, laugh and cry together. I can share my quilting with my children as my mother did for me. My creativity is poured into quilting and it is a skill that I constantly work on and will forever improve on. Quilting is my passion, my labour of love. It’s where I imagine, play and create.

5 words that best describe your craft style?Fun, modern, cheeky and rarely serious. Or in other words, an extension of me.

Anything else that you would like to share? You can also join me in Project48Quilt, which is a year long sampler – you can find more information at www.project48quilt.com.