Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Meet Our Members: Amanda Gaither

Say hello to Amanda! Born and raised in the South, Amanda and her partner came to Omaha 8 years ago and made it home. Amanda is a social worker, activist and lover of rainbows,  bright solids and geometric prints. She has been quilting for nearly 2 years.

How long have you been a member of OMQG? I attended my first meeting when it was still hosted at Sunshine Stitches in September 2016. I was overjoyed by the welcoming group and inspired by the show and tell. As a new quilter, I very much appreciated the demonstrations and sense of community so I became an official member of the group in November.
Tell us about the first quilt you made The first quilt I fully completed was a t-shirt quilt for a friend. It was a little rough around the edges and I learned a lot from that experience.
How would you describe your style? What are your influences? I love all things rainbow! I am most drawn to bright modern fabrics. I get most of my inspiration from Pinterest, Instagram, quilt shows, and fellow quilter's show and tell.
How often do you sew/quilt? I know many folks sew every single day and I commend your dedication but I prefer to sew in large blocks of time on the weekends mostly. I'm sure I could be much more productive if I worked on a project at least 30 min per day but it's just not my style.
What is your proudest quilting moment? I'm strengthening skills with each project but so far my proudest quilting moment has been a llama pillow sham I completed for an Instagram swap. The construction of the llama was tricky and the quilting was nothing special but I felt proud of the final product. I am often too critical of my own work but this time I was confident and it felt great for a change.
Any quilting fails? What areas do you wish you were better in? I am learning new techniques and tricks of the trade with each project so I would not consider anything a fail but simply a learning experience. I wish I wasn't so afraid to free motion quilt on my domestic machine. I have watched many tutorials where the instructor moves so fluidly but when I'm sitting in front of my machine I freeze up and panic. For now, I will continue quilting with my walking foot but I have a goal to practice more free motion this year.
Any recommendations? I love listening to podcasts while quilting. Some of my favorites include Serial, S-Town, This American Life, My Dad Wrote A Porno, Black Tapes, and a variety of TEDtalks. What is your best advice for a beginning quilter? Sign up for as many beginner classes as you can to learn hands-on from experts. Follow quilters on Instagram for inspiration. Buy the best machine, notions, and fabric you can afford because the investment is worth it. Most importantly, enjoy the creative process and don't be too critical of yourself.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Let These Podcasts Inspire You

Podcasts can be a great addition to your sewing ritual. I love them and I am constantly inspired by the interviews or helpful tips I hear. If you've never given them a try, here are some of the best to get you started. Check them out wherever you get podcasts.

American Patchwork and Quilting Radio
Off Kilter Quilt
Sit and Sew Radio-Quilt Addicts Anonymous
The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady-New Zealand Quilt Show
Quilt Cabana Corner
Canadian Quilt Talk-Quilter on Fire

The following podcasts are not about quilting exclusively, but feature quilters often or are full of good information about sewing in general:

While She Naps (This is my personal favorite. Abby clearly has mastered the podcast and she is so skilled at interviewing people. I'm always fascinated.)
Modern Sewciety
Sewing Out Loud
Maker Style
Thread Cult
Craft-ish

Lastly, these podcasts are not sewing or quilting focused, but about creativity in general. They are great for when you are feeling stuck.

The Moment
Magic Lessons
Accidental Creative
Dear Handmade Life
Creative Pep Talk
Design Sponge-After the Jump

Is your favorite on the list? Please share with the group!

Saturday, June 3, 2017

June Meeting!

Don't forget...


Our program will be an interactive discussion/show & tell about members' favorite sewing tools and notions. The more members that participate, the better the program will be! Please bring a few of your favorite, life-changing sewing/quilting tools and notions to share with the group. We'll also have the usual meeting activities of show & tell, a raffle, and door prizes. We are collecting personal hygiene items for Youth Emergency Services throughout the year, so feel free to bring any donations.

As a reminder, the tour of the Youth Emergency Services Street Outreach Center is set for this Monday, June 5, from 6 - 7 pm at the Street Outreach Center located on the northwest corner of 26th and Harney – 2602 Harney Street. (Not at the admin offices around the corner on Farnam.) We will get to see our beautiful community participation quilt hanging on the wall and learn more about YES. Please leave a comment here or on the post on our Facebook page if you are planning to attend.

We'll see you at YES on Monday and the June meeting on Tuesday!