{Quilter Interview} Little White Dove

Today as a part of our Quilting Interview series we are chatting with Rachel from Little White Dove.

And here is what she had to say-

1. When did you start quilting?

I can’t think of a moment when crafting and creating wasn’t in my life. As long as I can remember, my mum was a sewer, and my sister and I picked up bits and pieces as we watched. The very first quilt I made, was a spur of the moment decision at the fabric store, when I found a collection I liked, and “had to have” – I can’t remember exactly how old I was, I know I was older than eight, and no more than maybe 12? So my mum suggested we make a quilt out of it, and I proudly carried my fabric home and started planning.

2. What made you start in the first place?

I think it may have been school holidays, and most likely it was one of those ideas mum’s have to fill in the days that sound like a good idea at the time! But I picked it up and ran with it, and we winged it, despite mum never having made a proper quilt before. I ended up with a cot sized quilt that my daughter loves, and insists is “mine pink bwanky”, in the endearing way two year olds lay claim to that they love! It is completely unquilted, the only thing actually holding it together is the very thick binding, which we attached by folding in half and machining both sides down at the same time!

3. Who/What inspires you?

I find inspiration in lots of places. Other quilters, and craft blogs. I am an incurable collector of crafts, and unable to focus on just one particular thing, so I love eclectic blogs like Claire at MissyMuh (missymuh.com) and Elise Blaha (eliseblahs.typepad.com), their passion for creating and the way they take an idea and run with it is inspiring. I belong to a close knit group of quilters online, whom I count as very dear friends, and they inspire me – though sometimes I think it’s closer to enabling than inspiring when we get one of our hairbrained schemes!

Design-wise, I am finding more often now, inspiration in art, in the wider world. I enjoy samplers like Dear Jane and Farmers Wife, but I also enjoy working the fabric like another tool in my art box, and finding a way to make it express a concept.

{‘Border Living’ mug rug – full story and inspiration here http://thedovenest.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/the-great-divide/}

4. What tips would you give a beginner?

Play with it. Enjoy it. Don’t compare yourself to other quilters. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes – there’s this awesome invention called an unpicker. And don’t be afraid to embrace imperfection.

5. Who are your favourite designers/fabrics to work with?

Can I come out and admit I’m not a big follower of the “big name” designers and collections? For the most part, I wouldn’t know my Kate Spains from my Denyse Schmidt’s. In saying that, I recent got hooked on Vintage Modern, by Bonnie and Camille for Moda, and have started following their work. Their new range, Marmalade, is in my sights for a new quilt for our main bedroom very soon!

I’ll also add a shameless plug – I love working with my own designs. I’ve got two collections under my belt (available via my etsy shop http://littlewhitedove.etsy.com, or in yardage from Spoonflower http://spoonflower.com/profiles/littlewhitedove), with more in the works, and it’s so fun to get the designs from computer, to fabric, to project.
6. What is your favourite quilt that you have made?

Gosh. Hard one! I don’t really have a favourite, all my quilts have such special meaning to me. If I had to pick one, it would be the quilt I made for my mum, just before she went for some major surgery and I couldn’t be with her in person, so I sent her with a comforter “blankie”!

7. What is your must have quilting tool?

This is tricky! So many “essentials”! At the minute, I’m loving my darning foot ($18 from my LQS) for free motion quilting – For so long I struggled, wondering why I couldn’t get a smooth flow…to discover I was actually using the button-sewing-on foot! My friends kindly suggested I was less the goose I felt and more resourceful, but still!

My other “must have” – and this goes for all my craft projects – is my iphone. I know, sad right? But I love connecting with my craft friends via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as we all sew and work together.

Rachel blogs as Little White Dove about creating on her own and with her three small children over at http://thedovenest.wordpress.com. A photographer and obsessive crafter, and unable to limit her creating to just one artform, she paints, knits, sews, crochets, writes, scraps, draws, and has a go at almost anything, including fabric design (http://littlewhitedove.etsy.com). She also can be found on Facebook ( http://facebook.com/thedovenest) and Twitter (@thedovenest)