Introduction: Craftstew

Hi everyone! My name is Lynn, and I blog at Craftstew. How did this name come about? I tried to figure something out that encompassed everything that I do, crafty-wise, and I figured a stew is a delicious blending of flavors, so that's what I decided on. In retrospect, it sounds like Chatstew, a segment on The Soup. I guess that works, because I love soup (and that show) too! Recently my blog has been mostly about my puppy, Lucy, but hopefully I will have more time to sew soon! Here is a shot of her helping me iron out yardage...

I started quilting because I had been knitting this blanket (still not finished) and I decided that quilting would be faster. In my knitting group, there is one quilter and she was anxious to get us all quilting too. Now we are more of a small quilting group and a knitting group :P

So I signed up for a quilt class at the local quilt shop, and off I went! This pink quilt was the result of the class, and my first exposure to Amy Butler. I was drawn to the yellow fabric (the border), and I quickly was taught that if you have a big busy border that you want to stand out, sometimes it's nice to have calmer fabrics for the rest of the quilt.

I bought many books, including Gee's Bend, Denyse Schmidt Quilts, and The Modern Quilt Workshop. I love all the books, but I definitely like the look of Denyse's the best. I have not made many of her quilts (yet), but I do love them. The A's quilt is the second quilt I made, based off of one of the quilts from her book.

From looking at the quilts I've posted, it looks like I like taking traditional patterns and using modern fabrics. Which is funny, because that's not how I would describe my quilting, but I guess it is true. Currently, my UFOs include a baby jane, a drunkard's path quilt and folksy block of the month. I would have thought I'd have a bit more wonkiness. I could start another quilt...

I am so excited to be a part of this quilting bee! The creativity in the blogosphere is astounding. I have been lucky enough to be a part of other swaps and groups, but I am super excited for this one. I've got to say I love the internets. Where else can I meet awesome people who can tell me where to shop in Japan, worry about doll quilts, or talk about knitting and dogs? I can't wait to see the quilts we come up with!