TinLizzie

All my swaps are completed so I'm going on "sewing break" until September. See everyone then!

My name is Diana and I live in southeastern PA. I'm a stay at home mom with a wonderful DH and terrific DS whom we homeschool. I am a non-practicing lawyer and part owner of a small stained glass business with a long time friend. We make quilt designs in glass for shows, but also do any type of custom work. I find myself confusing fabric and glass sometimes, since I often use the same tools and have to wander down to my glass studio to find my rulers.

I love doing things with my hands and have been sewing and doing needlework since I could walk. My grandmother and aunt were seamstresses and you could say I learned at the knee. I switched from counted cross stitch and needlepoint to quilting about 6 years ago and have not looked back although I sometimes pick it up for old times sake and to finish some of my UFO's when I'm away from my sewing machine. I recently cleaned out my attic and gathered all my stitchery UFO's into a big bin and have been trying to whittle them down. Some just need finishing, but that is where I lost interest.

I'm mostly a topper although I'm getting a bit better with my machine quilting skills so I have hopes of finishing the oodles of tops I have squirreled away and finally get them on the beds they were made for. I'm a great admirer of Diane Gaudynski's intricate machine work and would love to be 1/10th as good as she.

I gravitate to quilts that appear simple until the viewer starts to really look at the underlying designs or else very scrappy patterns like 1000 pyramids or postage stamps...unfortunately I also like to make them big enough for at least a full bed!

I love reading anything. If I don't have a new book or 3 laying around I have been known to read cereal cartons. My preference is for a good psychological mystery or Victorian (Trollope, Dickens), but lately I've been drawn to a lot of biography and history.

I also like anything I can do with my hands. Aside from needlework, I like working with wood and glass and do most of our house repairs. It's really satisfying to see the results of my labor. I'm almost finished installing a new tile bathroom floor and after that I have to get to work on our rec room (after I find new places for all my sewing gear!).

I'm a traditional quilter, so all my fabrics are 100% cotton and that is what I will be swapping.

My favorite colors are those that are bold and saturated; colors and combinations that look rich and lush from a distance. Or black and whites of any kind. My favorite quilt patterns focus on design rather than the fabric so I prefer tone on tones or batiks or smaller prints that read as a color, rather than novelty prints or reproduction fabrics.

BUT, that being said, my only real hard preference is the 100% cotton part. As for the rest, I like being challenged by new colors and patterns.

If any of my swap partners is kind enough to send any extras, I'd really appreciate it not being food or sweets of any kind. I've managed to lose 26 lbs so far and am aiming for another 14. If it's a fabulous home made treat, please send me the recipe instead.

I can always use thread. I use a lot of neutrals (white, gray, black) for piecing or any color of silk for applique. I love quilting magazines, especially older ones or foreign ones (England, Australia etc.) I collect prints or photocopies of old and unusual quilt patterns for inspiration. I also have a small collection of old, some used, Barbie & Ken doll sewing, knitting, and crochet patterns. And last but not least, I like to read and collect unusual or downright odd cookbooks and recipes. I have all the standard cookbooks for actual cookery, but I always like regional and local recipes for reading.

I'm pretty new to Swap-bot and have noticed a lot of traffic about ratings and flakers. I want to say here that I promise I will fairly rate my swap partners and would hope that they will do the same for me.

I care about my swapping reputation. I always send my swap partner an email when I have posted their package so that they know it is on its way. If for some reason the package does not arrive within a reasonable time, please let me know before publicly marking me a flaker and I will do the same for any that I do not receive.