Hi, my name is Kelly and I am a new member of the Aotearoa Quilters committee. I live in Westport, in the Buller area at the top of the West Coast of the South Island, and I’ve been quilting for about 16 years now. I’ve largely taught myself along the way, learning through trial and error, books, classes and a lot of YouTube watching.

Over the summer I signed up for the Christmas sew along and attended Tara Faughnan’s talk, but despite having eleven days off in a row, I mostly avoided my sewing room, feeling overwhelmed by the disorganisation. This year I’m hoping that a bit of gentle organisation will help turn it back into a place I want to spend time in.

I’m part of a small quilt group here in Westport that meets monthly, which I really enjoy, and I love seeing how creative we can all be in such different ways. As the year gets underway, I’m also looking forward to meeting other committee members in Hamilton and attending Symposium in Christchurch later in the year.

Opportunities to spend time with other quilters in person don’t come along as often, so I’m keen to make the most of them — and I have remembered to book some leave to do so.

This year I’m setting myself a simple goal: not to start any new projects until I finish what I already have on the go — two in the middle of piecing and one waiting to be quilted.

So here’s to organising my sewing room and feeling less overwhelmed, finishing what I’ve already started before beginning anything new — and being very open to tips, encouragement, and good advice along the way, shout out if you have some.

Happy February
Kelly