Meet the Quilter!

Hello! My name is Ashley and I’m a brand new quilter. That’s right – I’m just beginning! I would describe myself as curious, whimsical, and style driven… all aspects that I hope to bring into my quilting.

I have been around quilts my entire life. Growing up, I watched my Grandma, Carol (but I’ll call her Grandma from here on out), create the most wonderful quilts and I have been lucky enough to have been gifted quite a few of them. To this day, Grandma will excitedly show me her latest quilt top, blocks she’s working, or even a new ribbon she’s won for a prize quilt. And even though I have not quilted a single thing at this point, she has managed to instill a lifelong appreciation for the art of quilting.

Both my mom and Grandma taught me how to sew when I was young, which is something I am truly grateful for. Growing up, I sewed small things like hair scarves, pillow cases, or odd little stuffed toys from a make-it-yourself kit. In my teenage years, the sewing I did consisted of altering vintage thrift store finds and reconstructing band t-shirts into dresses or tote bags. After that, my sewing dropped off and I didn’t touch the Euro Pro machine in my closet for over 10 years… And then COVID-19 happened.

The one good thing that this pandemic brought about was reigniting my interest in sewing, thanks to a sudden need for face masks in a time when there were none. While showing off my mask pattern-making skills to Grandma, we began to talk about quilt patterns that were good for beginners and ultimately, and excitedly, began planning my first quilt!

To top it off, Grandma gifted me her old machine… a Bernina 1130! The first sewing machine with a computer in it! Yes this machine is as old as I am, but it’s still running, and I was so pleasantly shocked to find that this old machine sewed better, and had more bells and whistles, than my Euro Pro. And with that, the quilting bee in me began buzzing and I fell in love before I’d even sewn a stitch. Honestly, I still haven’t sewn a stitch but I’ve already planned out about seven different quilts in my head.

I decided to name my project Giant Quilts after my beloved cat Giant. He’s the kindest, softest, and warmest fluff ball I’ve ever met… he has all the qualities of a treasured quilt.

Now that we’re all caught up, I really can’t wait to begin and share what happens. It’s going to be great!

I’m based in Houston, TX where I live with my boyfriend Aldo and our two cats, Giant and Bones. My other interests include: skateboarding, tattoos, visiting art museums, and all things Disney (especially Disney Parks).