Let's get acquainted!

Hello!  Today it’s my turn on the Let’s Get Acquainted blog hop organised by Plum & June so welcome back and welcome to anyone visiting for the first time!  My name is Ruth and I live with Gordon and our two dogs, Charly (Jack Russell Terrier) and Wilbur (Basset Hound) just outside Limerick City, in Ireland.

Charly & Wilbur make regular appearances on the blog and are great company in the sewing room,  aka  Kitchen!  I sew at the dining room table and have pretty much taken over that whole room. Every now and again I have to clear up when we have people over for dinner!  My design wall is a sheet strung between a mirror and a bookcase and is collapsible!  (Wilbur has pulled it down twice!)

Limerick is my hometown.  It's a hard working town, founded by the Vikings on the banks of the Shannon river and only an hours drive away from the Atlantic ocean, my favourite spot in the whole world!

The blog name comes from Ben our previous Basset that we had from a puppy. He liked to sleep in an old shop bought baby quilt I had. He also liked to chew on it! Puppy teeth are lethal and very quickly there were multiple holes. Figuring it was un-repairable, I decided to try making my own quilt to replace it.

That was 2 1/2 years ago!  Anybody who is reading this and thinking of making a quilt, don't hesitate!  It's so satisfying when you have a finished quilt, you want to dance about the kitchen singing I made this, all by myself - aren't I brilliant!  Of course self praise is no praise, so luckily there are linky parties and friends to cheer you on!

My favourite linky party ever is coming up in August on Lillypad Quilting: Pets on Quilts!  Last year when I entered Charly there was even a hedgehog!  This year will be Wilbur's turn I think!  Doesn't he make a good model?

I find quilting different from the other crafts I play with in a few ways.  There is something collaborative about making quilts even if only sewing at home at the kitchen table. Quilt-A-Longs, Bee's, Flickr and Facebook groups and lately Instagram makes it feel like a real community sharing the process as well as the finished quilt.   I'm CB Crafty Corner on social media because the blog name is waaay too long to type!

I’m in a sewing group & 3 Bee’s at the moment so I post regularly about the blocks I’m making with links to them to try if you want to.  I try to share as many links to things I’ve found useful or just really lovely to make and it helps me too as a craft journal.  I can see how far I've grown in skills and projects.  I also love swaps and just finished up one last week!

More than any other thing this year I’ve really enjoyed designing my own quilts.  I’ve had great fun on the Medallion Quilt-A-Long run by the Modern Irish Quilt Guild and have been working on this hexie centre baby quilt I designed, not finished but getting there!  This one is definitely a candidate for slow blogger link up!

My favourite quilt so far is this one.  It’s a simple design but I really enjoyed the whole process of designing, making it and the changes that happened along the way!

Wilbur pondering a swap!

My quilting tip is to be brave and cut into your fabric!   When I first started quilting I had no confidence in choosing colours or buying prints. Trying to save money I bought the cheapest fat quarters I could find and it was always a struggle to get the look I wanted from my first blocks.  Now I think just buy the fabric you really like and don't be afraid to use it!  I do still have a few oh I'm going to make a mess of this moments but thankfully they are fewer than they were!  Try something new (maybe not with your most, best fabric – I’ve been hoarding a Kate Spain Fat Quarter Bundle for over a year.  But just the one!)  If you get stuck on something just ask!  I've had so much support and great help when I've reached out for it on the blog - thank you all for all your help!  It is much appreciated.

My blogging tip has to be a photo tip!  Most of the time we try to take photos straight on to be accurate and show someone what we are doing.  Take those shots but try changing up your angle, get down low, hunt around for the shot and you may find something different!

Some random facts about me

• Photographer – Love B&W photos & I collect vintage cameras, bought 3 box brownies on eBay for 12 quid!  Though lately I’m collecting camera fabric instead!  
• Engineer (Mechanical – Materials & Design)
• Love NCIS -  The Gibbs one!
• Books I’ve read more than once – Pride & Prejudice, The Hobbit, I am Legend and favourite writer is Ursula Le Guin.  Love her Earthsea books!
• Love learning – currently addicted to Coursera.org and learning about animal behaviour!  I’m probably addicted to Craftsy too!
• No kids but Godmother to 3 kids of friends and family, lots of cousins!
• Actively trying to persuade Gordon and my mother (who is key in all decision making!) that we need another Basset Hound in the house!
• Hate mushrooms!  (Am I alone in this?  Does anyone else have a food they absolutely hate?)

As part of the blog hop we’ve been helping each other out with tips and I didn’t realise I had the anti-spam number verification thing turned on.  Apologies to all who had to jump through hoops to leave me a comment and thank you for making the effort.  It’s turned off now!

For more quilting and blogging tips and to get acquainted with some new bloggers please visit my fellow blog hoppers today:

Shauna @ Shauna's World

Pam @ Sewing Wilde

Wendy @ Wendy's Quilts and More

Jan @ The Colorful Fabriholic

Carole @ From My Carolina Home

Lin @ Lin's Quilts

Helga @ Green Mill Vintage

Kate @ Thread Everywhere

Cheryl @ Texas Quilting Gal

Jenn @ Sew Crafty Jenn

Heather @ Bobbins and Bullets 

Cornelia @ Pieced With Love XOXO