Today is a day I am answering a question from a reader.
Elizabeth K writes, “I am amazed at how much you accomplish with child care, health issues and family and all beautiful. You obviously have a thing for Bonnie Hunter designs; however, I wonder why you don’t do more of your own.”
I get this type of questions ALL the time….All the time! I’ve talked before about my work ethic and my lack of being able to watch television or sit still but I haven’t answered the last part of the comment….Why do I do so many Bonnie Hunter quilts? Why don’t I do my own?
I’ll start on the first part of the question…Why Bonnie Hunter designs? Several reasons. I like the way she thinks and designs. I love that most everything is based on quilt scraps that are 1 1/2″, 2″, 2 1/2″ and 3 1/2″. I don’t have gobs of money and don’t buy big pieces of yardage. The majority of the fabric I sew with was either donated to me, I purchase at thrift stores, or are left overs from other projects. I rarely sew a project that used large yardage because I don’t typically like those designs AND I don’t want to afford bit pieces of fabrics.
Bonnie does “directions at a glance”. I LOVE that feature. It makes sewing a project so much easier for me to make. I love it.
Typically I don’t even read the directions….I just start in with the pictures. It’s my favorite. I completely have immersed myself in the scrap users system. It makes so much sense to me. Being that’s ingrained in me, sewing her quilts is so natural.
I love simple designs coming together to make great quilts. I love four patches. I love half square triangles. I love string piecing. I love scraps. What other designer does all of that so well?
Scrap quilts are my favorite-My VERY favorite.
I love quilts but the main reason I quilt is for therapy. I am a person who squeals when I read the works make 1289 half square triangles. I squeal when I see that a single block has 45 pieces in it. I love this one.
or 104 pieces…
I love to sit and piece and piece and piece. I listen to an audio book and all my troubles float away. It’s brainless and endless piecing. I LOVE it. It’s an escape for me. Few other designers do that.
One of the favorite things that happens around here is this….Kelli and I will go to the thrift store and buy a bag of clothes for a $1. We wear about the same size. We’ll throw the clothes across the bed and try them on. Often we’re laughing at how goofy it looks..sometimes we find a treasure. This all leads to the same thing every time. We start in on looking at the fabrics on the quilt on on my bed. Kelli has that fabric only in red…I have this fabric in green. This fabric came in a box from the thrift store. This is a fabric that never dies…it seems it makes it in every quilt. We laugh and pet the finished quilt on my bed. This is one of my most treasured moments with Kelli. We love quilt petting….Our favorite quilts to pet are scrap quilts…very often Bonnie Hunter designed quilts.
I work a 10 hour days five days a week not counting the cleaning and shopping responsibilities I have for the childcare plus I write the blog. I’m a busy girl. I have enough to do…I don’t want to design quilts all the time. I want to open a quilt book and simply start sewing. I want my sewing to be relaxing….but sometimes we do design our own and that leads me to the next comment…
…So why don’t I do my own? I do. When Kelli and I are sewing our own, we rarely show pictures of those quilts on the blog. Over the year we’ve done several projects….Right now, we have four quilts out that will be featured in upcoming quilt magazines. We have one that is in process and we have SIX that are out for consideration. We have one that was featured in a quilt magazine already this year and one that is featured in an upcoming 2017 calendar….I’d say we’re sewing our own designs. We just don’t publicize what we’re doing. We want you to be surprised when you see them in the magazine.
This summer I made this baby quilt.
It’s our design. It will be featured in an upcoming magazine….
So that’s about it.
-I want to make the best use of my fabric.
-I like and want scrappy designs.
-I love a bizillion pieces.
-I want to relax and sew.
-I don’t want to buy lots of yardage.
-I want easy to read instructions.
Who does that all the best for me? Bonnie Hunter designs….THANKS BONNIE…you’re WAY cheaper than a therapist.