New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop-I'm a New Bee!

I am so blessed to be a part of the 2015 New Bloggers Blog Hop this year!

Last year I was a brand spankin' newbie quilt blogger with just a couple of posts under my belt when I applied on the late side for this hop and I got a big ole fat rejection email. So sad...but I understood and I picked myself up, sat back down in my rolly chair and continued to pluck away at my mighty keyboard for the next year. I eventually loosened up a bit and let my personality and humor flow into my posts and I quickly amassed a sizable and loyal following. 

Well, maybe I'm not that humorous because that last part may or may not be true...Ok, it's not true but a girl can dream. But, anyway, I'm part of the hop this year and I may have to pinch myself to see if I'm really dreaming cuz my Bloglovin graph is going up,up,up!

And for that I owe a big thanks to our faithful leaders,

Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs     (My Hive Queen)

Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl

Stephanie @ Late Night Quilter

Terri Ann @ Childlike Fascination

These guys have been so helpful and generous with their time and knowledge. Make sure you go visit their sites and show them some well deserved love. You can say Gayle sent you.

For those of you visiting me for the first time, let me say: 

"THANKS A BUNCH!" 

and now I'll introduce myself.

I'm a Pacific Northwesterner transplanted in the South in 1985. Yep you read that right, 1985. Maybe I need to lose the PNW label after all these years but, gosh darn, I can't help it, I've never felt at home with all the antebellum and chintz charm in these parts.  Other than the predominate southern design style, I really do feel comfortable here. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, I still find the humidity overpowering. I grew up around the sand and tumbleweeds in Southwestern Washington State so I can hardly breath this thick air. Gasp!

I'm a pretty new quilter for my advanced age. I homeschooled my kids from K to 12 and that's about all I could handle during those years. I am not a Super Mom, just the garden variety type mom who couldn't even manage to plant one. So once my youngest was finished I sort of floundered around until my MIL helped me find my quilting destiny. You can read more about that story here. 

This is one of my favorite finished quilts. I made it for my husband but he rarely gets to use it because I seem to be wrapped in it whenever we laze around the living room. My attachment may be a little unhealthy because I turn the fan on in the summer just so I can snuggle under it. You can read more about this quilt here. 

I am also so partial to my car that I made a quilt for it. It seems a number of quilter's share my soft spot for VW Rabbits! This post is worth a read if you are a fan.

Here are a few more samples of my work...

Let me share a blogging tip:

Blog readers love to read about foyers so make sure you share yours. I know this because my first reader spike came when I posted this...

"A View From My Foyer"

But just in case you don't have a foyer to share I'll give you a second tip...

Don't post tiny photos!

I stole that one from Mollie Sparkles. My blogging skills are still in the trial and error phase but that tidbit was an early slap in the face for me.

And a quilting tip...

Get a vintage straight stitch Singer sewing machine. 

I love, love, love my Singer 301A for piecing. So much so that I now have two!

I'm supposed to mention a dream vacation spot here but for me the dream is not where but in what.

What???

I have a confession, Pedal Sew Lightly is my second blog attempt. My first blog was called Ether Bourn and it covers our time with our 2004 Airstream International CCD and our 2005 Airstream Sprinter Westfalia. Both of which are sadly sold and sorely missed. We also have a YouTube channel called FamInACan with some cute videos from our cross country trip in the CCD.

So, my dream is to get another Airstream CCD so that the Hubs and I can bike and camp to our hearts content.

Please visit all my New Bee hop mates too!

Week 1 - Monday June 15^th

Ashley @ www.craftyashleyb.com

Gayle @ pedalsewlightly.blogspot.com (That's Me!)

Hayley @ Www.moobird.blogspot.com.au

Sarah @ http://123quilt.blogspot.com/  

Sarah's the smarty pants with the skills to make that fabulous "New Bees" button at the top of my post. Me, I just copy and paste HTML I find in various locals and close my eyes and pray that my blog doesn't implode when I hit save. 

Week 2  - Monday June 22^nd

Cristy @ www.iloveyousew.com

Patty @ www.walnutstreetquilts.com

Sarah @ www.goer.org/sarah

Eileen @ eileeninstitches.blogspot.com/

Week 3 – Monday July 13^th

Abby @ https://hashtagquilt.wordpress.com/

Shelley @ http://thecarpentersdaughterwhoquilts.com/

Mary @ http://quiltingisinmyblood.com

Megan @ www.sewstitchingcutequilts.com

Week 4 – Monday July 22^nd

Kim @ lelandavestudios.com

Cassandra @ http://thenotsodramaticlife.com

Kathryn @ Ourplacequilts.wordpress.com

Colleen @ https://colleenscustomquilting.com/

Deb @ newcreativestate.wordpress.com

I upgraded my social icons up there in the righthand column this week so feel free to test them out. Just pretend that I'm not trying to trick you into following me. 

Thanks a bunch for stopping by!