I can not believe it has been 5 years since I started sewing/quilting and blogging. I did not start out to be a quilter. Last time I sewed anything it was a pillow case in home economics when I was 13. However, I have always been someone who dabbled in all art medium and baking//cooking, where the blog started. I was always had a diverse range of interests from Art to Science to Languages. Quilting really has been one of those “hobbies” that has integrated the love of art and math.
I am lucky to be inspired by my own family. My Dad and Aunt are amazing artists, and my mum a highly skilled seamstress with a career in science. My only regret with starting quilting so late is not being able to actually sew with my Mum, but I love that I was able to gift her with a quilt.
Just to show you how far I have come, my first quilt was an original design of the 4 season of an apple tree. I would do this so differently today – and PS its still not finished. Yes, those are buttons and glittery snowflakes all hand stitched onto the top.
The first finished quilt, was for the MQG Madrona Road Challenge. It was loosely inspired from tiles and a Turkish bath (inside the blue square). I still love this image today.
The quilt now hangs in my studio, to remind me of my journey.
In 2014, I joined Quilt Design a Day on facebook….a game changer for me. It moved me away from a multi-subject blog to mostly quilting. The designing of quilts and bringing them into reality is my passion. (so thank you Anne @playcrafts :-))
I am so appreciative of the opportunities that this group has led me too. This is my first design for QDAD and it also won a quilt design competition. I gained enough courage to submit an idea, shortly after, to Sew Mama Sew and do a mini blog series on design to reality. Sew Mama Sew directly directly influenced the wonderful opportunity I got to work with Love Patchwork and Quilting. Eager for the opportunity to have a magazine submission, I committed to delivering a quilt in 10 days (while working a full-time job and being a mom). I was so shocked, it paid off though, as my first submission was a quilt cover.
While I look back, it makes me smile. Seeing some of my favorite quilts I have made. Two of which are Sunday Best and Altitudinal Ecosystem which represents my bi-polar quilting interest; Improvisation and Minimalism.
A couple of the big challenges I gave myself this year were:
- To enjoy my blog and just post when I have content I want to share. Very different to posting to gain followers and following a fixed schedule.
- Write a book. It is underway but I will say it is a much slower process than I expected. Life is always in the way (and definitely not in a bad way).
- Be bold and submit for an exhibit, which I am still working towards. This idea though, led to me submitting to an art curator. They purchased 3 of my quilts yesterday (you can see my digital portfolio I submitted).
- Lastly, setup my own business. I am hoping to have it all complete in a couple of weeks.
I have learned so much in this process, and still work on most of these every day:
- Be you and don’t worry what others think. If you try to please others you are likely not going to enjoy things.
- Be adaptable, things are always changing and new opportunities become available.
- Don’t be afraid of rejection. A no is just a no.
- Be bold, email manufacturers to discuss fabric and possibilities, submit to magazines, submit to quilt shows, etc. The worse that will happen is they so no.
- Experiment, find you. Give yourself permission to just play and enjoy the process.
- Enjoy your people. Support others and give back. We learn so much now-a-days via the internet and others in the community. Share experiences, techniques, support others, give feedback and if you don’t have anything nice to say – don’t say it.
Give Away
Thank you for all your support in me and my blog. In the spirit of giving back I am doing three things:
- Posting fabric postcards to individuals (over on my IG account: ml_wilkie , tutorial coming later this week)
- Giving one of my blog followers a $50 gift card to Hawthorne Threads. Leave a comment below telling me what one of your goals are for this year. Leave a second comment if you are a follower. I will randomly select a winner next Saturday.
- The winner of the giveaway, will also designate a charity of their choice, where I will also donate $50 (Please make sure they accept online contributions).
Factotum of Arts 
I am a follower by email and am very glad to be one!
One goal for the rest of the year is to finish the binding on more than one quilt. I am also reviewing my quilt tops for finish or donate.
congratulations. your projects show how far you have come. way to go!!!
I follow you on email
one of my goals this year is to work on my free motion quilting
HAPPY TO FOLLOW YOU!
HI,one of my goals is to improve my FMQing. Working at it but it is not as nice as I’d like, Thanks for a great giveaway!
My goal this year is to finish all UFO’s. Thanks for the giveaway.
I follow you by e-mail.
Am being realistic and will be glad to get 4 more projects finished this year. Anything plus will be a huge gain though too!
Love your modern approach and would love to venture into that world at some point.
make quilts for the rest of my 22 grands
your follower
A goal I had for this year was to begin to transition my quilting business to being more portable. My husband and I foresee a shift in our life in the next few years, and working to establish a change in my business now to account for that has been a large driving goal for me.
One of my goals is to FMQ every day, an unrealistic goal of course. However, I’m happy with managing to FMQ almost every week and sometimes multiple times a week. Another goal is to finish some old WIPs …and I just finished one and still have hopes of completing more before the end of the year…
I follow you via email.
Great post. I like seeing the photos of your first quilt. What a change in style in such a short time! My goal for the year is to create a quilt with the intent of entering it in QuilCon – as opposed to just choosing something I’ve done and entering that.
I follow via Feedly
Congrats! Thanks so much for sharing your journey. I love hearing how people came to be where they are today. This year I’m hoping to finish more quilts– so many ideas and plans I want to see some complete 🙂
Happily following on bloglovin and IG 🙂
One of my goals is to try and get comfortable with the ‘proper’ way to hand quilt rather than my nonstandard version. It’s going to take a whole load of practice, so it’s just as well another goal is to assemble at least one of the several piles of blocks into a quilt top by the end of the year.
Oh, and I think I’ve been a follower for quite a few of those 5 years. Congratulations on your achievements!
I follow you via bloglovin.
My goal is to learn FMQ. Now I just piece the tops and have someone else quilt them
I follow you on bloglovin.
My this years goal is to try some new techniques on quilts to improve my skills. I already made a mixed media quilt and now going for new ways of labelling quilts with my name.
I’m a follower.
I want to make a quilt for my Dad for Christmas.
I follow you on Bloglovin. My goal this year is to finish 2 UFOs (leaving a half a dozen for next year!
My major goal is to FINISH more quilts that I have started and remain undone.
I am a follower!
Congratulations on five years. I’m currently finishing off a whole lot of projects that have been having around in the to do list because next year I plan to do i on epp because I’m going to start my Masters!!
I am one of your flock, thank you for posting such pretties!
I have so many ufos, if I can just tame the herd with two completions I will be so happy. The one under the needle now is a postage stamp quilt made from vintage sheets. I am so close to having the top done. I also have an embroidered block quilt in that UFO pile and I look forward to a completion by Dec 31st. 🙂
Goals: FMQ 3 tops staring at me! To begin as soon as I finish a custom designed family tribute quilt for Thanksgiving.
You have really inspired me to try improv…realized I can do so with a small project 1st, even though I love your big projects!!!
I love seeing how far you have come since our early blogging days together! I get so excited when I see your name pop up in an article or on another website! Congratulations!!!
That is a really interesting history of your quilting life. Biography, I guess. I love the fact that maths is a part of your inspirational backstory. My goal this year is to do an epp quilt that incorporates tiny embroidery. Thanks for the wonderful blog. Thanks for the giveaway too.
I am following you via Bloglovin!!
It’s interesting to see how far you’ve come!! I still have a good laugh at my early Quilt projects (omg!!!) My goal is to once and for all complete the master bedroom quilt… it’s been about 3 years now!! Lol
My goal is to make my youngest grandson his Christmas quilt. All six of the other grandkids have theirs.
I have been following with bloglovin. I hope you have many more years of blogging.
Congrats on your blogversary. I would like to learn hand quilting.
Michele, congratulations on being published! I follow you on bloglovin
What a reflective recap. You have made noteworthy strides in your creative journey to get your work out in the public forum. I am glad you are still blogging and that I found your blog some time ago. I enjoy viewing your creative journey.
tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I follow your blog via Bloglovin. A goal for me this year is to learn to long arm quilt some of the several quilt tops I have. I plan to rent time and teach myself long arm quilting.
tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Happy 5th blog anniversary! I follow on feedly.
One of my goals this year is to participate in guild challenges and do more charity quilts.
Congrats to you on your five year anniversary. I am just barely six months in to blogging but I have to say I enjoy it very much, especially the people I’ve ‘met.’ My goal is to spoil my soon-to-be-born great-niece or -nephew with as many things as I can, and then get them hooked on sewing too. ~smile~ Roseanne P.S. I follow you on WP Reader
My goal is to make some of my tops into finished quilts and donate them.
I follow you on Bloglovin’.
This year, I’m working on reducing the amount of things in my sewing room my finishing some WIPs and sewing from my stash