Are you ready for the next installment
of What’s In Your Sewing Bag series?
Otherwise, grab a hot cuppa coffee (or
tea!) and settle in for the fantabulous and hilarious Amanda Carye – of Broadcloth Studio – a modern quilt pattern designer who shares my love for bold design.
I’m not sure how Amanda and I first met (it was
definitely on Instagram!), but I do know that I instantly loved her gorgeous
designs and felt instantly connected just through our fun IG banter! You’ve
probably participated in one of her fun quizzes that somehow always knows exactly what I am – hello Seam Ripper (you’ll need to take this test to
know what I’m talking about 😉)!
Without further ado, let’s a take a peek
inside Amanda’s sewing bag!
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INTRODUCTION
Tell us a little about yourself! How
did you get started on your quilting journey?
I don’t come from a family
of quilters, but I do come from a family of sewers. I learned how to sew pretty early (family lore
pegs me at about four years old), and like many of us, I learned from my
grandma. I was first introduced to
quilting in middle school, when I tagged along with my cousin to a beginning
quilting class at our local quilt shop. I learned the old-fashioned way by
making a sampler, tracing and cutting my fabric pieces out one at a time using
handmade templates (no rotary cutter for me), and hand stitching EVERYTHING.
Fast forward to 2017: I’m
in the process of transitioning my start up to a side hustle, looking for a job
back in corporate America, and my stress levels have never been higher. I find myself quilting again to cope with my
stress (still ALL BY HAND). One thing leads to another and I start my quilting Instagram
account @broadclothstudio. And that’s when I discover the great wide
quiltiverse that is the #IGQuiltCommunity.
Fast forward to today and
I’ve got a line of bold and modern quilt patterns, a collection of fun quilty
personality quizzes (many stemming from
some quilty shenanigans like the Fellowship of the Quilt and Quiltmas), and am
just about to launch a quilty podcast, Quilt Buzz (first episode goes live Thursday, March 26th!). Oh, and I finally got a sewing machine a
couple years ago, so I’ve sped things up a bit (though I do still love to hand
quilt!).
SEWING BAG
What kind of sewing bag do you have?
(e.g. did you make it? Buy it?)
Because I’m toting at
least two to three quilts at any time, I have a pretty big (but super
lightweight) tote bag from L.L. Bean that is my official quilting bag.
ALL STAR ESSENTIALS
What are your all-star essentials?
Your tried and true must haves that you can never run out of?
It’s a pretty simple
packing list: in addition to quilts and my camera, I’ve got the following
stashed away in there:
-
quilting hoop (got this in middle school: no brand label!)
-
thread (currently I’m obsessed with a set of Aurifil threads by CarolynFriedlander. The colors are just divine and honestly sometimes
I just stare at them and lay them out over fabric to image the possibilities.)
-
¼” masking tape for marking
FAVOURITE ITEM
What is your favourite item in your
kit? Why?
Oof, I can’t pick just
one, I love them all! So, I’ll just say the bag itself is my favorite
item. I love this bag so much, I’ve
converted Wendy @the.weekendquilter to it. And we got Anna @waxandwanestudio her own tote too so we could all match (since we’re
co-hosts of the Quilt Buzz Podcast together, this felt like a legit situation to go all in on
twinning). I also bought every one of my
family members this tote bag for Christmas.
No joke.
Wow – that’s a strong case
you’re making for this tote, Amanda! I may just need to get in on this twinning
situation too – ha!
SURPRISE ITEM
What’s one thing we’d be surprised to
find in your bag?
I know liquids and quilts
don’t mix, but I’ve got a bit of an obsession with iced tea (caffeinated or
herbal: I love them all!), so that water bottle of mine is typically filled
with tea (don’t worry, I put it in its own Ziploc baggie in case of spills!).
QUILT KITS WILL TRAVEL
When do you find yourself using your
kit the most? (Travelling, on the sofa, attending sew-ins?)
I am frustratingly one of
those people who gets car/bus/train sick and cannot focus on anything but
staring out the window while traveling (as an avid reader, this has been the
bane of my existence). So, when it comes
to my sewing bag, it has two main purposes:
- To tote everything with me for a hand-quilting project to my parent’s house up in Boston (they’ve got a killer porch setup in the summer and a cozy fireside deal in the winter: both of which are perfect for quilting the afternoons away)
- To tote at least two quilts and my camera around for #quiltsinthewild photoshoots on car trips
For someone who gets
carsick, we sure do take a lot of car trips!
Ugh, I’m with you on the carsick
front. I wish I could stitch away while we road tripped, but staring out the
window and being co-pilot is how I pass the time 😉
TRAVEL MEMORY
What’s your favourite travel memory
with your sewing bag?
Since my bag plays double
duty as both an on-the-go-sewing-studio and an
on-the-go-quilt-photography-studio, I’ve got to say my favorite memories with
it are less about the hand sewing I do while traveling, and more about the
impromptu quilting photography sessions that happen when we’re on the road. One of my most favorite was more planned and
less impromptu, when Wendy @the.weekendquilter
and I took the train down to Philly to meet up with Anna @waxandwanestudio for lunch. One
thing turned into another which turned into an afternoon running around the
city taking quilt photos for each other, trying to keep a straight face for the
camera (which is hard when you’re out of breath from laughing so hard at stupid
jokes and running away from too-friendly-slash-curious squirrels!)!
Gah – that sounds like SO
much fun! Quilty shenanigans are the best – especially when on the road with
your quilty besties!
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU?
Tell people where we can find you?
I’m always up for quilty
shenanigans and love group projects of all sorts, so if you’ve got a silly
idea, send me a DM @broadclothstudio (or email me at hello@broadclothstudio.com).
ONE LAST THING
Anything else you’d like to share?
Make sure to tune in to Quilt Buzz’s first episode on Thursday, March 26th! And
definitely don’t miss our second episode, which features Shannon as our guest 😊
Yasss – I can’t wait for your
podcast to kick off!! Podcasts are my go-to when basting away and I know tuning
in to Quilt Buzz will be quilty good times!!
Thank you so much, Amanda for
sharing a peek inside your super cool (clearly must get) sewing bag and giving
us a chance to get know you and your kit better.
Happy quilting!
xo
Shannon
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