Q & A or TMI?

(This quilt has nothing to do with this post, I just think every post should have a photo.)

When I give trunk shows or programs to guilds I notice I get the same questions over and over. I don't know if any of you readers are curious but I thought I would share some of those questions and answers here. So here goes...

Q: How do you have time to make so many quilts, do you ever sleep?
A: Sleep is highly over rated. I believe in the power nap and take one several times a week. I do dream of sleeping 8 hours a night, but that's just not realistic at this point in my life.

Q: When do you quilt?
A: I am a big believer in getting small things done in every spare minute. I sew almost every day. Even if it's just a few minutes to get some four patches finished, or to cut out a new pattern, or wind some bobbins and clean my machine. Those little 10 minutes here and there add up.

Q: Do ever cook or clean?
A: Well, that depends on who you ask. My husband would say, not often enough! LOL But I do try to meal plan and grocery shop to make those tasks as efficient as possible. I love my crock pot! I do at least one load of laundry every day and I occasionally clean the house very thoroughly (my daughter says I'm OCD) but I try to tidy up every day, and deep clean every couple of weeks.

Q: How many kids do you have?
A: I have three awesome teenagers. Kelly is 17 and when she's not riding her horse (English hunter/jumper) she's got her nose in a book or giggling with friends on skype. I also have twin boys David and Danny who are almost 16. Yes they are identical, and no I don't get them mixed up (very often) and they are 15.5 months younger than their sister. What can I say, I've always been efficient. They are both laid back and love to run cross country and on the track team. They also spend time doing various outdoor activities that require helmuts. I actually wanted to have four children but once I realized I could get another set of twins, I decided not to push my luck. Twins run in my family.

Q: What is your favorite thing about quilting?
A: Honestly, that would be hard to choose. I love the designing and selecting fabrics, but I also really love piecing, and machine quilting. I even like binding. I'm not a huge fan of basting, but it is a necessary step so I can hardly skip it.

Q: Do you have a quilt room?
A: Yes, I am very lucky to have an entire room in my basement dedicated to quilting. I know how fortunate I am but do we ever have enough room? I try to keep things tidy and not have too many projects going at once, try being the key word here.

Q: Do you have a longarm?
A: No. I dream of having one some day but currently I quilt all of my own quilts on my domestic machine. I have a Janome Horizon and it is wonderful! I also have a large sewing desk with extension table so I am very lucky in that respect.

Q: How did you first get published?
A: I opened the magazine and looked for the page with contact information and found where to send submissions. That simple. Didn't know anyone at the magazine, didn't know anyone who had published in one. I'm kind of like that...I just try something and see what happens. You never know if you don't try!

Congratulations if you've actually gotten this far! I hope I haven't bored you to tears.
Enjoy every stitch!
Diane