Hi, I'm Carol.
I spent my 29th year trying to figure out who I was, what I wanted, and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It was the build up to the big 30. After a process of going through the many things I was interested in and thought I could give my life too, quilting came up on top.
I started blogging about my quilting journey at Quilting in India. And this is the story.
I started thinking about quilting about five years ago. My fascination for quilts probably comes from the warm, comforting feeling of my aunt's razai. She used to make them with old bedsheets. Hand sewn mind you. They had no embellishments or snazzy patchwork. They were functional and so wonderful to sleep under on a cold night. Then somewhere in the movies I saw some patchwork quilts and I remember watching a little bit of How to Make an American Quilt - the 1995 Wynona Rider movie. I didn't watch the whole thing (true to my incessant need to change channels) but I remember the older women sewing fabric from their own lives... like a lovely white and red floral print that was part of a dress. And then when the quilt was finished they cover her with it. That part of the movie has stayed with me and I can't help thinking how wonderful it must feel to be covered by a quilt hand sewn by women who love you.
So sometime in 2005/6 I looked up patchwork quilting on the Internet, read a little and got overwhelmed! It seemed way too complicated. So I only looked at images of quilts from then on.
A few years later the bug bit me again. I went to the Internet once more and read. This time it didn't seem too bad. I still couldn't figure what a 1/4th inch scant seam was, or what it meant to baste or bind, but I just kept reading and taking notes. I came up with all kinds of designs in a notebook and decided that I would start quilting once I quit my job. I quit my job and I hand sewed a couple of blocks... not very well I might add... and then I took on another job. And the dream got smothered again.
Now... I see patterns when I close my eyes. I am constantly reading up on quilts and watching tutorials on youtube... I can't get enough. I feel like I will be consumed if I do not quilt! So, I am going to.
That was in 2010. And I lived in India and taught myself to quilt from the Internet and books that my husband would bring me back from Blossom - a bookstore in Bangalore.
I quit my full time job at an Arts Organization and began to quilt full time, learning as I went along. I started Happy Turtle and made and sold quilts in Bangalore.
A couple of years later we moved to Toronto. And after 4 months of searching desperately for a job I wrote to Sew Sisters Quilt Shop and now work there - surrounded by fabric and amazing quilters. It's a dream come true really - from not being able to find batting in Bangalore to being able to pick up notions and fabric and books from work!
Now I'm learning and adding to my stash in Toronto!
You can reach me at: Happy Turtle
Thanks for stopping by.
I spent my 29th year trying to figure out who I was, what I wanted, and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It was the build up to the big 30. After a process of going through the many things I was interested in and thought I could give my life too, quilting came up on top.
I started blogging about my quilting journey at Quilting in India. And this is the story.
I started thinking about quilting about five years ago. My fascination for quilts probably comes from the warm, comforting feeling of my aunt's razai. She used to make them with old bedsheets. Hand sewn mind you. They had no embellishments or snazzy patchwork. They were functional and so wonderful to sleep under on a cold night. Then somewhere in the movies I saw some patchwork quilts and I remember watching a little bit of How to Make an American Quilt - the 1995 Wynona Rider movie. I didn't watch the whole thing (true to my incessant need to change channels) but I remember the older women sewing fabric from their own lives... like a lovely white and red floral print that was part of a dress. And then when the quilt was finished they cover her with it. That part of the movie has stayed with me and I can't help thinking how wonderful it must feel to be covered by a quilt hand sewn by women who love you.
So sometime in 2005/6 I looked up patchwork quilting on the Internet, read a little and got overwhelmed! It seemed way too complicated. So I only looked at images of quilts from then on.
A few years later the bug bit me again. I went to the Internet once more and read. This time it didn't seem too bad. I still couldn't figure what a 1/4th inch scant seam was, or what it meant to baste or bind, but I just kept reading and taking notes. I came up with all kinds of designs in a notebook and decided that I would start quilting once I quit my job. I quit my job and I hand sewed a couple of blocks... not very well I might add... and then I took on another job. And the dream got smothered again.
Now... I see patterns when I close my eyes. I am constantly reading up on quilts and watching tutorials on youtube... I can't get enough. I feel like I will be consumed if I do not quilt! So, I am going to.
That was in 2010. And I lived in India and taught myself to quilt from the Internet and books that my husband would bring me back from Blossom - a bookstore in Bangalore.
I quit my full time job at an Arts Organization and began to quilt full time, learning as I went along. I started Happy Turtle and made and sold quilts in Bangalore.
A couple of years later we moved to Toronto. And after 4 months of searching desperately for a job I wrote to Sew Sisters Quilt Shop and now work there - surrounded by fabric and amazing quilters. It's a dream come true really - from not being able to find batting in Bangalore to being able to pick up notions and fabric and books from work!
Now I'm learning and adding to my stash in Toronto!
You can reach me at: Happy Turtle
Thanks for stopping by.
