A little while ago I did a friendly call out for house blocks so I could make a Bloggy Friendship quilt. You can read about it in this post.. As part of making the quilt I decided I'd like to do a feature of each of the quilters that participate in this quilt. The idea for the quilt started with an exchange between the lovely LeeAnn of Nifty Quilts so it's only natural she'd be my first Friendly Featured Quilter.

I love LeeAnns beautiful, bright, exploration of fabrics. Her sense of colour and form is so innate and joyful. I'm sure you'll enjoy getting to know her. 


Hi LeeAnn, Tell us a bit about yourself , How long have you been quilting?

I've been making quilts since 2005, the year I turned 50.  I always used to joke saying, "When I am old, I will make quilts."  Truly, I was not at all serious about that, and I don't think 50 is "old."  But here I am with a passion that I love.



What enticed you to start quilting?

What enticed me to make quilts was the opportunity to combine prints, checks, stripes and dots in all sorts of ways.  I loved Kaffe Fasset fabrics, and felt I couldn't just leave those on the shelves at the shop.  I HAD to make quilts from them!



What do you love about quilting?

Besides the endless possible combinations of fabrics, what I love about quilt-making is the way we become completely absorbed in color, shape and pattern.  Worries and concerns just fall away.  I also love using odd fabrics, vintage prints, old clothes, upholstery samples and corduroy.

Do you have a favourite sewing saying or motto?

My favorite saying for quilters is,  "Does it look OK if you were seeing it from a galloping horse?"  My quilts usually pass this test.

What model sewing machine do you use?

I use a Bernina 430 and a Singer Featherweight.  I started on my grandmother's 40 year old Viking, and I'll never get rid of it.  Sometimes I want to sew fast, and sometimes slow.  




Do you listen to music while you sew? What is your favourite type or cd?

I like to listen to books while I'm sewing.  Some of my favorites are:  The Birth of Venus by Susan Dunant, Signora DaVinci by Robin Maxwell, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  Currently I'm listening to The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.  

Do you have any furry friends that keep you company while you sew? 

Malti, my 6 year old female Australian Shepherd, is my faithful companion while I sew.  

Tell us about the house block you've made? 

Your house block was inspired by the roof fabric, which came from a mini-skirt at the thrift store.  I thought you'd love the birds, flowers and colors.  Then I picked vintage fabrics to go with it.  It was a lot of fun to make something for you!



Yay!! You can check out more of  LeeAnns quilts and her adventures in sewing at her blog Nifty Quilts. The other thing we should mention is that LeeAnn hosts a really fun Corduroy Quilty Blog Sew Along for Corduroy Day 11/11, So gather up some corduroys and get sewing, you've got until November so there's no excuses! I'm already planning my corduroy creation...  :)