hUMBLE bEGINNINGS
As with most things that start with "My humble beginnings", my humble beginning is not that different from many others. I started sewing at a young age on my mother's putty green Sears Kenmore sewing machine with my foot barely able to reach the foot peddle, and despite instructions from my mother, I still managed to put a needle through my thumbnail. It didn't deter me from sewing though...just a bit more careful now. My love of quilts came from generations of quilters including my grandmother who quilted, amongst many other needle crafts. I still to this day love the weight of the old quilts that just envelop you in love. I have even been known to add an extra layer of batting to some of my quilts, not for the loft but for the weight. It wasn't till my early 20's that I started quilting. I wanted to carry on that quilting tradition, the love, the history and stories that come with them.
I was flipping through some quilting books at a friend's house and came across one I loved, but it was a wall-hanging and not a bed quilt. She offered up some options like borders and off I went, math being one of my strong suits. I took the pattern and added 3 borders and it now measured 108"x 108", plenty big enough for a bed now I thought. I had no fabric stash except for the scraps in my mother's craft drawers so I kept getting quarter yards of fabric till I had enough. Oh did I mention that the quilt was a shooting star in a color wash from black to white through shades of 3" blue squares and the same with the yellow with a set in diamond star with a friendship star border? No one bothered to tell me that was not exactly the easiest quilt to start with...but if no one tells you, you just go for it! I did, however, learn how important an accurate quarter inch seam allowance was when the star didn't fit. So the wonderful ladies at the fabric store helped the panicked young 20 something find a solution. I think that first quilt was when I got hooked, not just because of the beautiful fabric, but by the camaraderie I saw among quilters and the compassion for this poor soul who didn't have a clue what she had gotten herself into! With my love of drawing and math I started to design my own quilts, but I still wasn't quite satisfied. That's when I found McKenna Ryan’s Pine Needles patterns and my heart sang. It was the combination of art and quilts that I fell in love with and saw all the possibilities and a direction for my work.
I have had many people suggest to me over the years that I should make patterns for the quilts I've designed since I was doing all the work anyway, so I gave it a go. The technical writing came naturally but sifting through all the business stuff was daunting to me. It was uncharted territory. After many calls to the state, the small business administration and some good books, I finally got there, with one minor problem, a name. I enjoy a play on words and have always been a fan of frogs and the like, and Toadally Quilts™ was born. The quilt pattern business was always a second job, out of necessity, not desire. A girl's gotta eat right? This year I am finally able to devote myself full-time to the business and I could not be happier!!!! Well that and I’ll admit it, I just love fabric! Now I have a really good excuse to buy more fabric!
So if you are so inclined to follow the adventures of this quilt centric gal as she starts this new chapter of her quilting journey, full of new pattern lines, meeting new people, new travels and all those treasures: gorgeous fabrics, shiny baubles, doodads, thingamabob and whatchamacallits found along the way, you can subscribe below to get updates on the latest news from Toadally Quilt™ !
I was flipping through some quilting books at a friend's house and came across one I loved, but it was a wall-hanging and not a bed quilt. She offered up some options like borders and off I went, math being one of my strong suits. I took the pattern and added 3 borders and it now measured 108"x 108", plenty big enough for a bed now I thought. I had no fabric stash except for the scraps in my mother's craft drawers so I kept getting quarter yards of fabric till I had enough. Oh did I mention that the quilt was a shooting star in a color wash from black to white through shades of 3" blue squares and the same with the yellow with a set in diamond star with a friendship star border? No one bothered to tell me that was not exactly the easiest quilt to start with...but if no one tells you, you just go for it! I did, however, learn how important an accurate quarter inch seam allowance was when the star didn't fit. So the wonderful ladies at the fabric store helped the panicked young 20 something find a solution. I think that first quilt was when I got hooked, not just because of the beautiful fabric, but by the camaraderie I saw among quilters and the compassion for this poor soul who didn't have a clue what she had gotten herself into! With my love of drawing and math I started to design my own quilts, but I still wasn't quite satisfied. That's when I found McKenna Ryan’s Pine Needles patterns and my heart sang. It was the combination of art and quilts that I fell in love with and saw all the possibilities and a direction for my work.
I have had many people suggest to me over the years that I should make patterns for the quilts I've designed since I was doing all the work anyway, so I gave it a go. The technical writing came naturally but sifting through all the business stuff was daunting to me. It was uncharted territory. After many calls to the state, the small business administration and some good books, I finally got there, with one minor problem, a name. I enjoy a play on words and have always been a fan of frogs and the like, and Toadally Quilts™ was born. The quilt pattern business was always a second job, out of necessity, not desire. A girl's gotta eat right? This year I am finally able to devote myself full-time to the business and I could not be happier!!!! Well that and I’ll admit it, I just love fabric! Now I have a really good excuse to buy more fabric!
So if you are so inclined to follow the adventures of this quilt centric gal as she starts this new chapter of her quilting journey, full of new pattern lines, meeting new people, new travels and all those treasures: gorgeous fabrics, shiny baubles, doodads, thingamabob and whatchamacallits found along the way, you can subscribe below to get updates on the latest news from Toadally Quilt™ !
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