April Star

Micki asked me to post the April Star, which is Melissa from Ardea's Nest. Isn't Melissa a lovely lassie? I read the interview and really enjoyed it. I also loved all of Melissa's work, especially the shamrock quilt. Gee, I wonder why I liked that one the best! I am sure that you are going to really appreciate Melissa's work and her interview.

A Bit About Me: I am a married mother of two. My son is a student at The Ohio State University and my daughter has a family of her own and is the mother of my lovely grandson. Hubby and I have filled the empty nest with 3 dogs, all Puggles named Frank, Sammie, and Dean after the Rat Pack. Though I work outside the home, my job has me on 24/7. 365 which sounds worse than it is. Some days, I am busy all day and much of the evening, but others go by without a phone call or email! Plus, I have the flexibility of working from home a lot which is really nice on those slow days. I have been quilting since my kids were little. We couldn't afford those fancy bedding sets and I began making them. Back then, I didn't take photos of them for I didn't view them as art, but as simply utilitarian pieces. Now, I know they can sure be both!

What Inpires Me: That is sometimes a problem. I can spend hours surfing all of the creative websites and blogs out there and save more ideas to my computer than I could complete in a lifetime. I have to limit my internet time or I'd never get anything done! Right now, I am having a lot of fun with traditional piecing and am feeling really inspired by bright colored geometric shapes.

What I Love to Do the Most Creatively:I really love to quilt. I am finding my way as a traditional piecer. I am not very good with "rules" and have long gravitated toward more "artsy" type quilts.

My Favorite Fabric and Designer: I have to admit that I really can't answer this without going to a fabric site and looking everything over. I am not that interested in designer fabric for the sake of the name. Rather, I just grab what suits me at the time. I think this comes from my gravitation toward art quilts in which the color and texture matter more than the designer. Maybe as I get more comfortable with traditonal piecing, I will get to know the designers better.However, I have to also admit that I am often influenced by what is on sale. If I see a piece that is on sale, I'll grab it and hold onto it until I find the right use for it. At that point, I just match whatever fabrics are available at the time to it.

UFO I Intend to Finish First: Now you are going to think me really crazy, but I am not a UFO'er. When I begin a project, I work until it is finished or I find it a new home if I honestly can not force myself to get back to it. That isn't to say that I don't have a few WIPs going at once, but there really are never more than two or three of those at once, and they are usually in different states of completion so I can choose between hand stitching binding, piecing, or embellishing for instance.

What's on the Design Wall Now: I am currently collecting fabric for a chili pepper themed quilt. This is one of those projects inspired by a piece of fabric I picked up at a thrift sale one day. I also would really love to make myself a new handbag with a quilt block then.

Who Would I Love to Meet: I would most love to meet my blogging friends and the girls in my Yahoo chat group. Honestly, there are many among the two groups with whom I "talk" nearly daily. The only other person I talk to more is my husband.

If I Had One Wish: Well, I probably should wish for world peace and prosperity and of course I do, but I think you are looking for something more relevant to crafting. And I can answer that one too. I would love to be in the position of not having to work at all. I would love to just quilt all day. One of my greatest frustrations is getting in the quilting groove and having to stop for work.

Plans for the Future: My husband and I are looking to buy a new home and a larger quilting studio is a must have for me. I would like a better space for learning to free motion quilt. I know I can practice on smaller pieces, and I do, but I would love to have the space to quilt a piece as large as a twin, perhaps. I don't know that I'd ever try anything bigger on my own. I would also like to begin keepin a better record of pieces I finish. Blogging has given me a way to record my work which I rarely have done in the past. Now, I miss some of the old quilts like friends I don't see anymore. All the quilts I made for my kids, for instance. They have been washed and worn into oblivion.

Well, Melissa, Micki thanks you so much! You definitely have the gift of the gab and are quite the writer! I hope you get your larger studio. Micki sews in the living room, does her crafting in the dining room....Thus is crafting and sewing in a wee cottage.LOL