This week we welcome Nicola Dodd, the Shropshire Quilters' treasurer and a member of the website team.
Nicola has lived in Shrewsbury all her life - apart from a brief stint in Cardiff to study Architecture - is married to Mark and has two sons, Tom & Joe.
How long have you been quilting?
I've been quilting for ten years after discovering a quilting blog (Camille Roskelley's). I am a serial craft-dabbler, but most of my half completed projects end up in the back of a cupboard. Quilting is the only craft that's 'stuck' and has become my day job: I design projects for Today's Quilter and Love Patchwork & Quilting and have an online pattern shop, CakeStand Quilts.
Do you still have your first quilt?
Yes and it's actually one of Camille's patterns: a half-square triangle chevron quilt made with a couple of charm packs and some curtain lining (!).
Nicola's first quilt made in 2010
Do you have a favourite fabric style or colour?
I love ditsy florals, gingham, swiss dots and 30's feedsack prints in soft, faded colours. Duck-egg blue is my absolute favourite and I often use it as a background fabric.
Nicola's To Skye quilt, which was gifted to her niece.
What's your essential notion or tool?
I like to cut all the pieces for my quilts before I start sewing (and arrange the pieces into nerdy little stacks) so I couldn't do without my trusty Olfa splash rotary cutter and Creative Grids 2½" x 12½" ruler. The ruler has a textured back so it doesn't slip.
And your favourite snack (or tipple)?
I get through gallons of tea when I'm quilting and you can't really have tea without a biscuit or two...
Can you share a top tip/online resource?
My top tip goes back to fabric cutting: I always cut my quilts standing at my kitchen worktop, which is so much kinder on my back. My favourite online resource is the Moda Bakeshop, which I've been lucky enough to contribute some projects to.
Nicola's first project for the Moda Bakeshop, Speedwell
Do you listen to anything while you quilt?
I'm addicted to Radio 4 and have it on in the background most of the time, but if I fancy a change I love a good podcast. The Slightly Foxed book podcast is my favourite at the moment.
Can you recommend a book?
This is a tough question as I LOVE books and have quite the collection to choose from (I've written a blog post about my favourites). The one I keep going back to is Gail Marsh's 19th Century Embroidery Techniques.
Have you had any quilting disasters?
Pieced borders are my nemesis, I don't think I've ever got away with putting one on a quilt just the once. The border on my Hearth & Home quilt took three goes! Unfortunately magazine editors love them, so they're an on-going disaster really.
Hearth & Home (with 'that' border)
Do you have a favourite quilt block?
Another tough one, but as much as I love complex pictorial blocks I keep coming back to the humble nine patch. I have a tutorial for a nine-patch quilt, shown below, on my blog and I'm stockpiling old blue and white shirts to make another version.
Where can we find you online?
Website: CakeStand Quilts
Facebook: CakeStand Quilts
Instagram: @nicolajdodd
Thank you Nicola, its been lovely to get to know you!
And we'd really LOVE to get to know our talented membership too: if you'd like to share your quilting story please send an email to info@shropshirequilters.org for the Q&A sheet.
Call in again next Friday to meet another quilter...
コメント