Sewist, quilter, thrifter, teacher.

My sewing journey started when I watched my mom sewing.

She, and other moms in our circle made a lot of their family’s clothes when we were little, but I didn’t immediately follow in her sewing footsteps. Decades later, my love and commitment to sewing really started to take hold.

I started by purchasing a second hand sewing machine, and, truth be told struggled with that not-so-great machine. It’s was an inexpensive learning tool, though, and I hacked my way through a lot of very poorly made projects. Eventually my skill level and particularly my patience and desire to make better quality garments increased exponentially. Eventually I ditched the old machine and invested in a high quality sewing machine and a serger. There endeth a lot of frustration!

I enjoy imagining the construction of garments and the pursuit of making each element of each garment as close to perfect as I deem possible. That said, my idea of perfect may fall far short of yours. I continue to create a wardrobe full of extremely wearable and purposeful items that I can be proud of, and feel great and comfortable wearing. I’m not talking about haute couture. Not yet, anyway.

More recently, I have entered the world of quilting. This is turning out to be an interesting adventure. To begin with, I don’t come from multiple generations of quilt makers. In fact, as far as I know, I am the first person in my family to do any quilting. I was never that interested to be honest, because, (spoiler alert! - some of you are going to get offended now,) I really didn’t like traditional quilts. They just seemed stodgy and uninteresting and reminded me of dusty old “country living” that just didn’t resonate with my aesthetic. Fast forward several months, and I have gained tremendous respect for the work, passion, PRECISION, and heritage of traditional quilting. It just wasn’t and still isn’t my taste.

Fortunately, through a favourite podcast of mine, I was introduced to the world of Modern Quilting. Who knew! I have become extremely interested in Modern Quilting, textile and fibre arts and the notion of creating art pieces using fabric and a variety of different techniques.

Modern Quilting, according to a variety of different sources; uses bold colours and prints, is inspired by modern design, steps away from traditional quilting and leans towards asymmetrical patterns, shapes and designs. An improvisational approach to working with fabric and integrating it into wall hangings, cushion covers, bed covers and much more is at the heart of this movement, and by golly, it’s my kind of jazz! Ultimately, Modern Quilting is about letting go, and freeing one’s creative expression. There are no rules, really. Nothing is wrong and if it is, you’ll learn how to resolve it the next time around. Mistakes are learning experiences. This is an open, non-judgemental, and welcoming community. No multi-generational pedigree required. If you love it, it’s a thing of beauty. Embrace it.

Iteach in-person classes in a local yarn shop in Fergus, Ontario and it brings me such joy to share what I know and my passion for fabric arts and sewing . The students are a constant source of inspiration and encourage me to develop more projects and techniques to pass onto them

So, if I haven’t turned you off completely, stick with me and I’ll share what I’m inspired by, what I’m learning, the incredibly talented mentors and teachers I’m drawn towards, what I’m working on, and how it’s all going.

Thank you for coming along with me and providing me your feedback.

Virginia ❤️