#100Days100Blocks2019 Community Superstar - Mary Bird

I know the exact quilt that Mary used to capture my heart, it was this one. Never in my life have I ever wanted to replicate a quilt that someone else had made until this quilt. The use of colour and print just captivated my heart and one day I will make my own version using African Wax Prints.

Mary has participated in previous #100Days100Blocks and always did so with excitement, passion and a massive heart for the community that springs up around the event every year. It was a no brainer that I’d want to see what she’d do with this quilt. I’m so in love with the way she sees fabrics.

The Questions

1. Tell us a little bit about you – where you live, what your family looks like, do you gave any pets, is there something unusual/special about where you live, etc.

I married a man who has had an international career. This means our family has moved from Canada to the USA, next to Australia, and then on to parts of Asia. Currently, hubby and I are in Sydney, Aus. We started our young family with the beaches of Rhode Island as our backdrop while my husband did his post grad studies in Oceanography. It was a huge decision to leave North America and our extended family, but we moved to Western Australia way back in 1997, with a 3yr old, 7yr old and 9 yr old in tow. These kids are all amazing young adults now, living on their own with their own partners in Perth, which is now considered “home” (I think)

2. How did you come to be a quilter?

In Perth, we lived on a cul de sac full of young families, all with an open door policy. Kids and mums became fast friends. A few of us joined a local quilting class in 1998. After that, we Street Mums decided to devote one evening a week to quilting together.

3. What is it that you love about being a quilter?

Oh gosh. Following designer’s new fabric lines. Purchasing fabric. Dreaming up ideas for using it. I have more ideas than I have the discipline to execute though. I’m an ideas girl. My favourite part is the idea, planning, auditioning fabrics, cutting and seeing the idea take shape, seeing how the prints play together. I’ve been known to totally drop a quilt once I get the feel for what it would have looked like. Sitting at a machine and constructing isn’t as rewarding for me as all the stuff that comes first.

4. What are you most proud of from your quilting experience?

One of my neighbours opened her own quilt shop and hired me. Then followed 8 years of revelling each day in fabric dreams. I loved helping clients find fabric, I loved curating bundles, helping to “shop” with fabric reps, making store samples, teaching workshops. I felt I worked with my heart and my mind and enjoyed the mutual, daily inspiration.

More current though, I facilitated an Instagram sewalong (with only a few, (but mighty) participants) called #quatrocolourfun #slowsewalong. I stepped out of my comfort zone, I had a creative theme for each week, kept us motivated, inspired I hope, made friends, and there are some amazing quilts generated from this sewalong. Loved every part of the 25 week EPP venture – except when people dropped out, which was sad but to be expected.

5. What’s the one piece of advice about quilting that all new quilters should know?

Start with the best fabric you can afford.

6. Who’s the quilter(s) that inspire you at the moment?

Currently I’m quite inspired by the Ruby Star Society sisterhood. Everything they produce, I want. And from the ranks of the unfamous, I am inspired by my sew-by-my-side girlfriends who share a likeminded quilty passion, we share fabrics, stories, our families, our show and tells. This fellowship always fills me up.

7. What quilting challenges would you like to conquer in the next 12 months?

I have some patterns that I am working toward publishing. The challenge for me will be pattern writing on my laptop. And marketing. And developing a clientele! But very happy drafting up things and sewing samples at the moment, which feels like the comfortable bit!

8. What’s your 3 favourite quilts that you’ve made that reflect who you are as a quilter?

1. 100 Days 100 Blocks 2016. I leaned into the Instagram world through this sewalong. I learned to cheer for others via this platform. I love my quilt – the saturated colours, the quirky additions of Hmong fabrics from northern Vietnam. Colour, eclecticism, a little bit quirky – I like to work in this way

2. X+ quilt for my girlfriend Ida-Mae, and then its’ twin for her sister. these quilts reflect something I do very quietly and don’t advertise – I pray for the recipient as I sew. It’s my extreme pleasure to do commissions. Very rarely am I remunerated, and that’s fine by me. These were both ministry quilts to gladden the hearts of two women hurting very badly. They find joyful reprieve from their current situations as they liaise with me about the quilt, they have something lovely to anticipate and enjoy forever, and I set my hands to work and my heart and mind to prayer for them. For many years I have lived outside of Australia and have been unable to work because of tax status reasons – this prayer/quilt endeavour gives me purpose and brings fulfilment, and I am a believer in the power of prayer, so I find this to be a valuable use of my time.

3. My quilts using the African wax prints which are auctioned for Save The Mother’s annual fundraising gala each November. I believe every quilt tells a story. Last year,s quilt raised enough money to save the lives of 19 mothers in East Africa! If that quilt could speak, imagine the stories it now has to tell! I love that.

9. If you weren’t a quilter, what other creative endeavour would you like to master?

Photography

10. Do you listen to music, watch television or prefer the hum of the sewing machine when you sew?

Sometimes music, often the hum (see answer above re my prayer ministry)

11. If you had to pick any designer to sit down and chat or work with for the day who would it be and why?

I think I’d like a sit down with Kathy Doherty of Material Obsession. I’d love to hear of the evolution from non sewer to quilter to shop owner, international teacher and lecturer, falling into friendships with famous people in our industry… I think she’d have a candid account of how to manage it all with family.

12. What’s your favourite colour combination to work with and why?

Saturated jewel tones, lots of variations in hues, the more the merrier.

13. Do you prewash your quilting fabrics?

Only if they are shot cottons, batiks, or deep tones. Mostly outside of these I just throw colour catchers into the wash cycle and hope my lazy approach to not washing first doesn’t bite me in the butt.

14. What’s the best quilting tip you’ve ever gotten?

You do you.

15. Do you have any favourite tools that you love to use?

It’s a standard machine accessory, called The Lint Brush. No, I’m not good at all about cleaning my machine, this little tool with its tapered end has another use! It’s perfect for sliding that tapered end along the glued seam allowance of your EPP when removing your papers!!

16. Do you participate in online community events, such as SAL, and if so, what do you love about them?

Accountability. I need it. Engaging with others. Friendships can form. Meet new people. There’s so much inspiration. I love being impressed by others work. Anticipation of others posts. Cheering along and being cheered for. Accomplishment – spurring one another on to a finish.

17. What do you love about sharing your work on Instagram?

Mostly I love the photography. I like a pretty feed. I love reading the comments and usually respond. I made a fast rule that I will not criticise my work on this platform, and since I’m actually very critical of my own work, have terrible doubt issues at different stages, I love that I can ignore all of this on Instagram!

18. Do you have anything you’d like to promote? Upcoming patterns, books, fabrics, clubs, BOM’s, etc.

They are still in the works, but I have some patterns I am working on. They all were self published on a very small scale a few years back, so I am revamping, re introducing, rewriting, modernising. Working on that goal this year, and hopefully in the years to come.

Just For Fun

If you could only have one or the other for the rest of eternity what would you choose? You can just choose a word, or choose to elaborate on your choice, it’s just a little bit of fun. Answers in bold.

1. Fabric: Solid or Pattern? I’m (kind of) trying to use more solids though as I love what I see others do with solids and blenders!

2. Quilt Styles: Pattern or Improv?

3. Seams: Open or to the Side? Both! My first try will be to the side, but If I can’t figure out how to nest them, then I resort to open. Or, if I’m a little shy on the block size, I’ll press seams open and this gives just a hairs width in extra size.