10 for 10 #1 - Jennifer from Ellison Lane Quilts

***giveaway closed***

Hooray!!! It's finally here - time to start our 10-for-10 series. I hope you all are as excited as I am - we're gonna have fun!





Starting us off is the inspiration behind this series, my friend Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts. Jennifer recently did a similar series called "Big 5 Blog Party" and I loved the idea of getting to know other bloggers. I asked if I could steal her idea and she was very quick to agree, so it only seems right to have her lead us off!





Jennifer is the president of the Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild, which just started in June. In fact, the CLTMQG is what brought us together and we actually got to meet face to face at their first meeting. She's just as wonderful in person as she is on her blog.  She's been very encouraging, too, as I have been working through starting an MQG a little further north - the Triad Modern Quilt Guild.

If you haven't seen Jennifer's blog, you need to take a bit of time to visit.  She's currently in the middle of a Quilt Along - Across the Sea - with Fairy Face Quilts, and I'm sure there is still time to join up!  She has amazing projects showcased on her Finished Quilts page, and I'm always finding inspiration there.  Some of my favorites are:

Dreaming Under Dresdens

Rainbow Cabins

and

Running in Circles

I love Jennifer's bright and colorful fabric choices and the Dresden is high on my "need to try soon" list.  Be sure to go and visit her blog for even more inspiration!

And now....on to the interview.  Jennifer had some wonderful answers to my questions and it was a lot of fun getting to know her better.

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If you won $3,000 today and had to spend it today, what would you buy?
I'd book a vacation for my husband and me. Just something for us - somewhere fun, maybe beachy, maybe a big city. It would be great to have a getaway just us!

What color scheme or fabric line are you loving right now?
Right now it is the Taza line by Dena Designs. I love those medalions. I just bought a bunch of Hope Valley after admiring it for a while (finally) and love it too. My fabric wish list would  be to have some Munki Munki gold fish, add some Echino to my stash, Flea Market Fancy (love!) and a stack of Liberty of London {sigh.} I am trying to build my stash by only buying prints that I love instead of whole lines.


What is one thing from your "bucket list"?
I want to see more of the US: New England in the fall, Montana in the summer, Chicago in the Spring, San Diego anytime! I've been really fortunate to have traveled in Europe but there are a lot of places in the good old USA that I want to see.

Is there a sewing technique or quilt block that you would like to try?
I really want to learn to paper piece. I am so inspired by Ayumi and Penny and everything everyone does in the Ringo Pie Bee. Seriously amazing stuff. I am determined to learn and hopefully one day, make things as amazing as theirs.

What hot trends do you see coming our way?
Goodness me, I'm pretty certain I am not an expert here but it seems that hand sewing is gaining popularity. I think it adds a special touch to something modern. I also love that modern quilting is growing and embraces personal preferences and free form styles and a more improvisational look. While I haven't made a quilt that looks like that yet, there are many in my head waiting their turn.


What kind of movies do you like and do you have an all-time favorite?
Chick Flicks! I am such a girl. :) My favorites are You've Got Mail, The Notebook, A Lot Like Love and yes, Twilight (although I like the books better- they are fabulous).

When you’re faced with a lack of motivation, what do you do to get re-energized?
I take some time off, from sewing or blogging. I blog when I want to, and I sew when I want to. Trying a new project- something fresh that requires me to think in a different way is also helpful. I've found that I like having a couple of projects going at one time is helpful because I get burned out working on only the same one.

What one piece of advice would you give a new quilter?
It's not that long ago that I was a new quilter so my advice would be to just jump in and do it! Creating a quilt is such a wonderful accomplishment and the finished product something you can enjoy for years after you've completed it. Also, don't be too hard on yourself if things don't line up perfectly or your straight line quilting isn't all that straight. You are making something handmade, something personal, something creative. Most likely, others will never notice and learning is all part of the process.

What is your favorite finished project to date?
My Dreaming Under Dresdens quilt.  It took 6 months to complete (with lots of starts and stops,) and I used my favorite fabrics.  I love how it turned out and that it will go on my daughter's big girl bed. It is definitely made with lots of love.


You have an unplanned evening alone with no responsibilities – what do you do?
Sew a little, play on the Internet a little and go to bed early. I still have a baby that gets up in the middle of the night. Sleep is precious!

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Thanks Jennifer, for your wonderful answers and allowing us get to know you better!  I'm glad to see there's another Twilight fan out there (and I prefer the books, too!).  I'm also going to have to check out the Ringo Pie Bee a little more - you're right, gorgeous stuff!

Now, for our first giveaway!  Wondrous Woven Fabrics is sponsoring our interview series and all of our giveaways.  We'll be giving mini-bundles of Joel Dewberry's Heirloom fabrics in the Ruby colorway.  Today's bundle includes four fat-eighths - one each of Marbled Stripe Gold, Paisley Garnet, Ribbon Lattice Gold, and Marquis Garnet.






To enter the giveaway, leave a comment telling me which of Jennifer's finished quilts is your favorite.  

For an optional bonus entry, leave a comment telling me that you are a new (or not-so-new) follower of both Jennifer's blog and my blog. 

Limit two entries per person.  Comments close at 9:00 am EST on Saturday, Sept. 3rd, and I will draw a random winner at that time. 

Good luck!! Be sure to join us Thursday for interview #2.... Cara from Me? A Mom?.  See you then!