As part of our Q & A series to find out a bit more about our LMQG members. Pennie Haslehurst answers some questions…
Tell us a little bit about yourself I’m Pennie, I run a catering and events business with my other half who’s a chef. We have 2 springer spaniels and live just outside Reading. I love sewing and quilting, just wish I had more time!
When did you begin quilting and what inspired you to start? I say I started 3 years ago when my niece was born and I made her a playmate from a cheater panel, hand quilting most of it, and machining the back and making it up using a little E&R sewing machine bought for £49 from ebay. My local sewing machine shop said I’d never be able to make a quilt with it. In fact I’ve made 3 in that time, although OH bought me a lovely new Janome for Christmas last year. I remembered today, from an email conversation, that I had made a cushion cover from EPP hexagons in my early teens, although strictly speaking that was patchwork rather than quilting.
Where do you work on your quilts and keep your fabric stash? I’ve just converted our 3rd bedroom into a sewing room, and my fabric stash is all kept in big plastic boxes at the moment. Although I have the sewing room, I do still seem to manage to spread everything all over the house!
What fabrics do you love right now? I’m really loving getting more involved in the quilting world and finding a whole new range of modern quilting fabric shops in the UK. I’ve recently bought some of the fab Pezzy Print by American Jane and the Ruby Star Shining Typewriters and co-ordinating solids.
How do you start a quilt, fabric or design first? It depends, sometimes I love the fabric first and then find a design to show it off, like my Sherbet Pips quilt, and sometimes I see a design and then go and find fabric to make it with, like the Raw Edge Circles quilt I’m working on at the moment.
What is your biggest quilting mistake? Did I mention the patchwork hexagon cushion cover……..
Do you stick to one quilt at a time or do you have several on the go at once? I tend to have one big project and then smaller ones running alongside, but just now I’ve got two large quilts on the go and another set of fabric winking at me from the stash box waiting to be next!
What are you working on right now? A layer cake quilt for my in-laws in Maison de Garance by French General, and my raw edge circles quilt made from over 40 different fabrics.
You can read more of Pennie’s quilting adventures on her blog – Tuppence Ha’penny Quilts.
Thank you Pennie for sharing your quilting journey with us.
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