14: Vicki's First Stitch Story + Making Progress When Life Gets in the Way

First Stitch Story: Meet Vicki

In this episode, we meet Vicki, whose creative life started before she could even hold a crochet hook the 'right' way. (More on that in the episode!) From a childhood filled with crafting alongside her talented mum, to starting to quilt 12 years ago and never looking back, Vicki's story is a beautiful reminder that creativity is part of who we are, and that our quilts are made of so much more than fabric and thread.

Vicki also shares how she crafts through chronic illness, why her sewing room is lovingly named Area 51, and the impressive lineup of meaningful WIPs she is working through right now. 

WIP-Finishing Tip: Document Your WIPs to Regain Your Momentum

Today's WIP-finishing tip is all about getting unstuck when you have so many projects going that you've lost track of where everything stands. I share a quick, low-pressure way to give yourself a starting point so you can sit down and actually sew instead of spinning your wheels.

I also mention my free Simple WIP Inventory, which is one of those tools that takes just a few minutes to use and makes a surprisingly big difference. Grab yours as part of my Quilting Freebies! 

From My Sewing Room

This episode's feature from my sewing room is one I'm really excited about! Vicki mentioned a QAYG (Quilt As You Go) project on her WIP list, and it was the perfect nudge to share a book I just picked up and cannot wait to try: Quilt As You Go Made Vintage by Jera Brandvig.

Find it at Fat Quarter Shop

Find it on Amazon

If you've been curious about the QAYG method, this book is a great one to check out. I share why I think it's such a great approach, especially for quilters who want to make real progress without wrestling a king-size quilt sandwich through their machine!

Share Your First Stitch Story

Your story might be next! Every quilter has a beginning, and we'd love to hear yours. Whether it's the story of how you got started sewing or quilting, a favorite project-finishing tip, or a "first stitch" moment that changed things for you, share it with me and you could be featured in a future episode!

Send an email to: firststitchpodcast@wildplumlane.com

Or use the Quick Submission Form

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello, and welcome to the First Stitch Podcast, where we tell the stories of how everyday quilters just like you got started quilting. Plus, talk about some other fun quilty things along the way. This is your host, Lisa Donnelly from Wild Plum Lane. Let's get started. Hello and welcome back to the First Stitch. We're returning from an extended spring into summer break, and I'm excited to be back here with you today in the brand new Wild Plum Lane studio. In today's episode, we're heading all the way to New Zealand to meet Vicki, a quilter whose creative spirit runs deep. From learning to crochet as a left-handed five-year-old to juggling a beautiful, ambitious lineup of works of progress, Vicki's story is full of heart and a healthy dose of humor. Her story is a fun one, and I think you'll find yourself chuckling along at times as we read through it. We'll also talk about a practical tip for making progress even when life feels like it's working against you, and I'm sharing a book that I'm really excited to try. Here's Vicki's story in her own words. About me. Well, I'm a creative addict. By that, I mean I'm addicted to all things creative and artsy. Not that I'm an addict who makes things. Once you're hooked on stitching, patching, beating, and playing with yarns and cord, there's no money or time to spend on the more harmful addictions. My first creative memory is sitting opposite my great aunt learning to crochet aged probably five or six, because I'm left-handed and could not figure out the moves the right-handed way. I learned to knit around the same age. There was always something creative going on in our home. Mum knitted, crocheted, did macrame, spun her own wool from colored sheep on our farm, wove, and did cross stitch, as well as making our clothes, cooking, making preserves, and being an awesome mum. She even did a correspondence course with the John Tracy Clinic in America to teach lip reading and speech to my older brother who was born deaf. I learned a lot of different crafts from her and she taught me to sew by hand for my dolls. When I was eight, I learned to use a sewing machine and follow a sewing pattern. In the last couple of years at high school, we were allowed to wear what we wanted, so I would make my own outfits at the weekend and wear them to school. I also sewed my own clothes when I first started working. It wasn't until 12 years ago that I went to my first quilting class. I've been hooked ever since. I first quilted with a walking foot, then learned how to stipple, and then went to a symposium where, of the six classes I attended, two classes were on quilting techniques. One class was quilting using stencils and removable markings, and the other class was with the amazing Helen Godin, where I learned how to unlock the potential of free motion quilting in a quiltadoodle class. I have since been to classes that combined applique, free motion sketch quilting, and pigment pencils, and many other techniques. I joined a quilting group 12 years ago and have made community quilts, learned cartonage, note from Lisa, I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly, and met some wonderful ladies who've become good friends and inspiring mentors. I still find it funny that I'm the baby of the group at 58. My hubby and I are Schnauzer parents, as babies didn't have them for us, and they have not received any quilts yet, but my two nieces had quillos when they were 10 and 8, giant crocheted fluffy yarn heart cushions, crocheted blankets, and quilted euro size pillows. Last year, my eldest niece got her university quilt at 21, and I'm working on her sister's quilt for next year. I live with a couple of chronic illnesses that are progressively eroding my ability to work, and craft is my distraction therapy on pain days when I can't go to work. I may actually be out of work in the nearest future, and I want to make my creative gifts work for me and generate an income, as well as making me happy and helping me forget the pain. In fact, I've just tipped my piggy bank upside down to purchase a hoop frame, so I can make my sewing machine work as a long-arm quilting machine. I'm so excited. I have so many UFOs, unfinished objects, aka whips, that I have christened my sewing room Area 51. The problem is it is a chaotic mess as I have terrible brain fog from chronic pain, fatigue, and I have lost track of everything. In fact, when I finally tidy it all, I will probably find the marbles I lost years ago. Before I forget, my current whips are a froggy cushion for my mother-in-law, Mom 2.0, a bumblebee pillow for a friend, a housewarming log cabin throw quilt for friends, and a quilt for my sister-in-law that will have a sassy applique Highland cow on it, plus of course the quilt for my niece, a sofa station, and a quilt as you go camp quilt made from myel jeans, hubby's jeans, and fuzzy flannelette. I also have several other knitting, crochet, and beadwork projects. Vicki, thank you so much for sharing all of that. I love how creativity runs through your entire family. It was clearly in the air growing up on that farm in New Zealand. Your mom sounds incredible, by the way. Spinning her own wool from your sheep and doing a correspondence course to teach your son lip reading and speech? Seriously, amazing. And what I really find impressive is how meaningful many of your projects are while also being therapeutic for you. A bumblebee pillow to honor a friend who passed, a university quilt for your niece, a housewarming quilt for friends. Every one of those projects carries so much love. And that quilt is you go camp quilt made from your jeans and your husband's jeans? Love it. And that project actually leads us perfectly into today's finishing tip and the book I'm sharing at the end of this episode. Stick with me. Vicki mentioned something that I think so many of us can relate to. She felt like she's lost track of everything. Whether it's brain fog, fatigue, or life getting busy and feeling overwhelmed, a sewing room can quietly and quickly become a mess. And you know what? That's one of the most common things I hear that stops quilters from making progress. Not a lack of skill, not lack of time, just not really knowing where to start through the chaos. So today's tip is this write it down, just one project at a time. Here's how to do it. Option one is to grab a piece of paper or open a note on your phone and write down one project. Just one. What is it? Maybe it's a baby quilt for a baby-doo in August or a wedding quilt for this fall. Where are you in the process? Cutting, piecing, quilting? What is the very next step you need to take on that project? Is there a supply you need to purchase, or do you need to take it to the long armor? That's it. You just gave yourself a starting point for that project. Option two is to use my free simple whip inventory. It's a one-page printable that helps you list out your top projects and note the next step for each one. I'll drop the link in the show notes so you can grab it. It's completely free. It takes five to ten minutes to fill out, and it's one of those small things that can make a surprisingly big difference. The goal here isn't to have a perfect, color-coded, Pinterest worthy whip system. The goal is just to know what you're working on so you can actually sit down and do it. Okay, next I have to tell you about a book that I just got my hands on, and I'm so excited to try it. Vicky mentioned a quilt as you go camp quilt on her whip list, and it made me smile because I've been wanting to work on that technique for quite a while now. After checking out several options at my local library, the book I ended up purchasing is called Quilt As You Go Made Vintage by Jared Brandfig. It's all about using the quilt as you go method to create quilts with a beautiful, vintage-inspired feel. If you're not familiar with quilt as you go, the idea is that you quilt each block individually before joining them, which means you never have to wrestle a giant quilt sandwich through your machine, which is my least favorite thing ever and why I typically send my quilts to a long armor. That said, it's a great approach for quilters who want to make progress in smaller, more manageable pieces, and honestly, it fits really well with the kind of stitching you can do on the hard days, on the go, or whenever you just have a little bit of time. Plus, an extra bonus is that you can actually use those leftover bits of batting for something beyond a small quilted pillow or pot holder. I haven't worked through a full project yet, but I'm genuinely excited to dig in a little later this year. If you've been curious about the quilt as you go method, check out that book and we can work alongside each other. I'll drop the link for the book down in the show notes. Vicki, thank you again for sharing your story with us all the way from New Zealand. I know everyone is going to feel so seen by your journey, especially anyone who's navigating crafting alongside a health challenge. You are an inspiration. And to you listening, if Vicki's story reminded you of your own creative journey, I'd love to hear it. You can email it to First Stitch Podcast at wildplumlane.com or use the quick submission form linked in the show notes. Every quilter has a story, and this is the place to share it. Thanks so much for spending a little time with me today and for your patience with me through the spring break while I moved houses with my family. Now let's go make some progress on our quilts. And with that, we'll wrap up this episode of the First Stitch Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, I'd sure appreciate it if you'd hit the subscribe button in your favorite podcast player, write a review on Apple Podcasts, or tell your best quiltie friends so they can listen to you.