Feature Friday - Ruth Quinn @ Stitching Impressions

Hello, my name is Ruth Quinn.

Stitching Impressions is the name of my long arm quilting service and my blog.
Before getting married, I had gone to college and worked for 6 years. After getting married at 29, I decided that I wanted to stay at home with my kids. After the birth of my first son, I quickly realized that taking care of kids, a home and a husband didn't leave me much time for myself or my interests.
 
And I needed something just for me - to keep me sane. My next door neighbour offered quilting classes, in the evenings, so it fit into my schedule perfectly. Crafting (crocheting, cross stitching, and sewing) had previously been a part of my life. I never expected the quilting bug to bite me as hard as it did. After several years of quilting, I discovered that I wanted to make more quilts but I wanted to finish them instead of having them piling up, unfinished. I tried hand quilting (which I loved but it was time consuming and I wanted finished results) and machine quilting, on my domestic machine. The puckers on the backs always drove me crazy though. I can't remember how I stumbled upon long arm quilting machines but I did. I knew I wanted one but how to get my husband on board?  It took  me one year to convince him and thus Stitching Impressions was born.  To say I was "green" is an understatement. I had no idea of what SID (stitch in the ditch) was or how to even quilt feathers on a quilt. I remember when my first customer showed up in my studio. She wanted feathers in the white area on her log cabin quilt. After she left, I stood there staring at the quilt and thinking "how am I going to quilt feathers onto this top?" 

That was 10 years ago!! Since then, I have jumped into the quilting world head first. Hard work, a determination to learn, change and grow has helped me improve immensely.  I am proud to say that in the past 6 months, I have quilted 2 "Friends of Baltimore" quilts for customers. One of these quilts was recently accepted into the Canadian Annual Quilt Show, 2016. And the other one just won Viewer's Choice Award at The Hilton Head Island Quilt Show, in South Carolina. 

I also have quilted for Northcott Silk Inc, in Vaughan, Ontario. The quilts I have quilted are samples that they hang in their booth at the International Quilt Show, in Houston, Texas. Even though I have been long arm quilting for customers for 10 years, I still love it, although, I long to find the time to work on my own pieces for myself.

The only problem with this is that I can't seem to settle upon one type of quilts. I love applique quilts, modern quilts, applique, and art quilts.  But who says that I have to settle upon one particular style anyway?

Slowly, I am learning to follow my heart and see where that leads me. Maybe one day, I will see one of my own quilts hanging in Houston. Who knows?  All I know is that I want to create my own designs, whatever style or method that may be. 

Currently, I m in love with gradated colour quilts. I have one hanging on my  wall that I hope to complete within the next year, so stay tuned. 

My blog is also another avenue that keeps me on my toes. I love writing, showing what I am working on , and showing off the quilts that my customers have created. I love the quilting industry. There are so many creative people out there and I love how there is always something to learn or try. Sometimes it is over whelming but it is also so fascinating and enthralling. 

In regard to that very first quilt, I did mark the feathers onto the quilt with an air erasable marker and slowly quilted in the feathers. The lady, who owned the quilt loved it and that is all that really matters, in the end.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know me.