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Thursday, November 27, 2014

A book release and BERNINA ambassador!


Wow!
This  week has been totally awesome!

The highlight of the week is something I have been working on for almost 6 months now!

My first ebook!!!

Yes!

I'm nervous, excited, anxious, happy, scared, delighted, and utterly terrified ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I never would have thought you could be all those things together!

So here's presenting to you, my first ebook

ABOUT face : Portrait quilts using reverse applique technique!


 Alex Veronelli of Aurifil generously agreed to be the subject for the book! I loved making his portrait! I'm calling it Mr. Aurifil!


The quilt itself is @36" x 36"

I have used Aurifil monofilament thread, both white & smoke to put together the quilt top and Aurifil #50 and #40 threads in assorted shades of Grey to quilt it. I have used 5 shades of fabrics from Kona cottons and Ross (my Bernina 710) had absolutely no trouble sewing through all the layers!



 Writing an ebook was a super experience! I have no idea how people are going to receive the book! But I'm doing it for me! It will make me happy! 


I am really proud of my work, as well as the fact that I came up with this technique by myself. Making portraits using applique is a pretty common but highly time consuming method. I wanted something that is quicker! And this book will teach you how to make Portrait quilts, quickly! Want to know how quickly?

Well, Dada Ajoba's portrait took me 3 months with about 3-4 hours of work everyday (do the math). But Steve Jobs took me a week with about 1-2 hours every day (@10-14 hours). Alex took me 3 weeks with about 5-6 hours every WEEK! (@15-18 hours)

Go buy the book in my Etsy shop here! Or click the "My Etsy Shop" button on the bar above!


Quilt Stats
Name : Mr Aurifil
Size : 36" x 36"
Material : Fabric - Kona cotton - PDF Bleach White,Silver, Ash, Steel and Jet Black.
Backing fabric - Block Printed Indian Cotton from stash
Tulle
Thread - Aurifil monofilament Clear & Smoke
Aurifil 50 & 40 weight White, Dove, Grey, Very Dark Grey and Black 
Technique : Reverse Applique
Experience : Ranging from utter helplessness to ecstasy!!! Making the quilt was totally awesome, writing the book was, at times, terrifying!



And now coming to the second part of why this week is awesome!

I have been chosen as a BERNINA Ambassador! It is a HUGE honor! I have always loved Bernina and right from the first machine that I bought, I have been amazed by not just the quality of the machines, but also by the excellent service provided by Bernina India - specifically Mr. Ajay Gupta.

Be it my Bernette e56 (the lowest machine on the price ladder) or my 710 (somewhere near the top), they have been equally attentive and have always advised me generously. I still remember my call to Mr. Gupta when I was looking to buy a new machine. I told him my budget and then asked his advice about which machine I should buy, and he told me not just the features and limitations of the Bernette e56 that I ended up buying, but also of the machines of the other brands within that price range. Every trip to Mumbai, now, includes a heart to heart conversation with him where he guides me like an elder brother would guide his sister. He has been supporting and encouraging me right since when I was a novice! He believed in me even when my own belief was breaking down into pieces. 

And now, to be made a BERNINA Ambassador!!! Wow! You will find me blogging on the official BERNINA international blog very soon. I am actually working on my first project to be put up there, right now!



Saturday, November 1, 2014

20 Random things about me!!!


Hello all!!!

This has been a long due post! For the past few days, I have been having a lot of new traffic to my blog. So I thought this would be a great time to tell you guys something about me! So here are 20 random things about me!




1. Thats me!!! And my favorite sewing machine Ross - my Bernina 710!!! I took a major financial decision and brought Ross home in May this year. It was the best decision I have ever taken!!!

2. I dont like muddy colors. I have tried to use them in my quilts, but I just end up feeling low!!!

3. I'm an architect by profession! I spent 5 years of my life studying architecture and then 5 years practicing it before I found my calling!!!

4. I have been quilting for 5 years only. I took up quilting as a means to occupy myself on a sabbatical following a bout of Chikungunya. I fell in love with it, and haven't looked back since! Nothing can take me back to my job now! I am, and always want to be, a full time quilter!

5. I am afraid scared terrified of swimming! I dont say water, because I went SCUBA diving 2 years back and loved it! I tried to learn to swim, but when the time came to swim without any aid, I fell sick!!!



6. When I took up quilting, I started out with modern quilts. That was because it was easier, required less precision (or that's what I thought) and had a lot of online presence! I fell in love with it gradually - modern quilting! I feel like it is an empty canvas that I can fill with my creativity.

7. I cannot cook! When it comes to cooking I have two left hands!!! I wont starve myself and the family in case of emergencies, but I'd rather do ANYTHING else than cook!!! I hate it. Fortunately I do not have to! I have a cook who makes the basic chapati & rice and my MIL lives on the lower floor of the same house and she makes the veggies and dal!!! My husband has started experimenting with cooking on Sundays (the only day he has a holiday) and he makes the most savory dishes to fill me up every Sunday!

8. I use a scooter - A Suzuki Access - a 125 cc bike, to do my errands! I prefer that to the family car. It makes driving through the insane traffic and narrow roads here much easier! Not to add the ease of parking!!!

9. I have been trying to loose weight from as early as I can remember! I just took up a gym membership and i'm working out 5 days a week now! The weight is coming off, but super-slow! I want to be the weight I was when I got married by February.

10. I will be visiting USA for QuiltCon 2015!!! I am so thrilled to do that! It has been my dream since the last Quiltcon! I have been saving up for 2 years for it! I even had to sell my favorite quilt - Apsara Aali for it!


11. I am 35. I am married to Rohit, a wonderful husband - who is my anchor and keeps my feet firmly on the g round all the time! I have a 7 year old son, Aadi! He's quite a handful and loves to play on my sewing machine! He is scared of Ross though, so he plays with Emily - my Bernina 330 (she's named after my quilting BFF Emily from Mommys Naptime)

12. I dont have a favorite color! I love colors and picking one as my favorite does not seem fair to the other fabulous ones! I go through phases of liking 'combinations' though. I loved Grey-White-Yellow, then I went through a phase of loving Red-black-White and then Grey-White- Orange! My wardrobe is full of stuff in Turquoise blue! Most of my sarees are that color too! (though I do not wear them often, I do have a load of them, not to mention that since no 'fitting' is involved, I can always wear my Mom's or my MIL's)

13. I love getting up early. I get up an hour early than I need to be so that I can get some 'me' time!

14. I grew up in a joint family. My father and his brother lived together till recently and I was the only girl in the household with 3 boys! And I was also the eldest of the lot! All our other cousins came over for Summer holidays and we always had a blast with about 10 kids at the house - 8 boys and 2 girls!!!

15. I have an awesome quilting studio! my studio has transitioned from a corner of my living-dining area to a small room which was a part of my master suite to a dedicated sewing room to now a cottage in the backyard converted into a sewing studio!!!


16. I have the most awesome in-laws in the world! My FIL & MIL are my staunch supporters. Without them, I would not have been able to pursue my passion! They take care of my son while I'm out and they also motivate me!!!

17. I was the founder president of the India Modern Quilt Guild. It now is the India Quilt Guild after the membership was regularized!

18. Mr. Ajay Gupta owner of Bernina India has been my biggest support! He believed in my, when even I did not! He has given me my biggest opportunity - to teach! He also is a huge motivator when it comes to scaling new heights in quilting! Every time I visit Bernina India, we spend a lot of time talking about what I can do to improve myself!!!

19. I love ice-cream. Mango is my favorite flavour! And I hate chocolates!!! My favorite spicy food is pani-puri and Maggi!!!

20. My favorite holiday destination is Goa!!! And fortunately, it is also Rohit & Aadi's favorite! We go there at least once every year! Even on the day that this post will be published, I will be at the beach relaxing!!!


I am happy to have all you new visitors on my blog. Please leave a comment so that I know you were here!!!

Cheers!!!