Hey there, 

How are your Community Sampler quilts coming along? The girls and I  love seeing our progress each week as our quilt slowly comes together. This past week  I got to sew with Kelly from the Production and Design team.  Kelly and I both went to Fashion Design school together at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. We both were introduced to quilting when we started working for AGF.  It was a lot of fun sewing up the Fairground block with her and sharing quilting stories of our first quilts and how much we have grown as a quilters in the past couple years.  Learn more below about how Kelly started sewing and her advice for first time quilters. 

When sewing up the Fairground Block you get to learn how to make HST's, flying geese using the no waste method and a square in a square block! If you are digging the fabrics we are using for our Community Sampler quilt we used the yummy Creme de la Creme Pure Element for our background and the bright, bold prints from Splendid Fabrics. 

This is Kelly! Read more about her below.

How did you get into sewing?

My Grandma used to work as a seamstress sewing all the costumes for a theater, so sewing was always present in my life. I grew up knowing that I wanted to study fashion design and never really got to touch a sewing machine before I went to school for it.

What is your favorite thing to sew?

As a fashion designer, I started with the construction of garments, but when I discovered quilting I realized how much I enjoyed sewing patchy things. So anything patchy and quilt as you go is my choice for sewing.

Tell us about your first quilting experience… If you could go back and tell past you any advice what would you say?

It was five years ago when I started working at AGF.  I sewed the free quilt pattern for Gramercy and Pat was directing me, it was fun just like a puzzle. My advice will be to pay close attention to the seam allowance and make sure you are precise. It will save you a lot of fixing when you are moving forward with the top.

What is your favorite quilting technique that you use all the time?

There are so many that I love and I keep discovering new techniques all the time but if  I had to pick one, I would say that reverse applique is one of the ones I enjoy the most.

Having the right sewing supplies to get the job done right saves a ton of stress. What is one sewing tool you could never live without?

My Clear rulers ♥

Finishing a project gives all sewers a rush of happiness. What is your all time favorite sewing project you have completed?

The Plenum quilt. It is made out of lots of flying geese, so it got to a point that I was doing the same thing over and over and felt like I was taking longer than usual. By the time I finished I felt so happy about it that it became my fav.♥

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The weeks in this Sew Along are going by so quick but not quick enough! I am so excited to see our finished quilt but for now I better sit back and relax and enjoy the process. I hope you all are doing the same! 

Happy Sewing, 

Meli