2016 New Quilt Blogger's Blog Hop

Welcome!  Today is the first day of the New Quilt Bloger's Blog Hop, 2016 edition.  This year's activities are hosted by Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs, Yvonne of Quilting Jet Girl, and Stephanie of Late Night Quilter. The blog hop is a way for some of us fairly new to blogging to get to know each other and get creative and technical advice.

Tell us about you.

I'm Emily, and I've spent the last 10 years in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I have also lived in Virginia, Minnesota, Ohio, and Michigan.  I am a librarian at a community college.  My husband is extremely supportive of my quilting and I swear that if you give me 20 years, I will turn that man into a quilter!  Our son is 2 and loves trucks, penguins, and Elmo.

Why did you start your blog and where did your blog name come from?

I started the blog as a way to track my completed projects.  I used to keep a physical binder of photos with project information, but that became really hard to keep up with once my son was born.  I've always liked dogwoods because they are beautiful trees, and they also happen to be the state flower of the state where I was born (Virginia) and the state where I live (North Carolina).  I added the "Darling" because I felt it needed something else, and there was some family history of using darling for me because as a kid my favorite baseball player was Ron Darling.  You can read the longer version behind the name here.

When did you start quilting and who taught you?

I was an undergraduate at Kenyon College in Ohio, and one of the extracurricular activities there was a Craft Center.  I took a class my sophomore year (1997) from a woman named Elaine Hartley.  Her specialty was handwork and crazy quilting, but she taught us about rotary cutters and how to use a sewing machine.  I stayed in that class the rest of my time there and eventually was the student manager of the Craft Center.  I still have a pin Elaine made; it hangs so that I can see it from my sewing machine.

What do you sew on?

I got a Pfaff Ambition 1.0 "for Christmas & birthday" last year, but we actually brought it home in March of that year and I immediately started using it.  She needs a name.

Favorite Parts of Quilting?

Piecing the tops is probably my favorite part, followed closely by choosing designs and imagining projects in my head.  And petting completed quilts!

Least Favorite Parts?

Layering!  I mainly spray baste, out of laziness and the fact that I want that step done.  I'm also not fabulous at quilting, and I don't feel like my FMQ skills are getting any better, though I've come to like straight line designs more and more.

Favorite Completed Quilts?

My obsession for the last 3 years or so has been I Spy quilts.  The first that I finished is twin bed sized, and I did a little over half the piecing while I was pregnant.  It has 192 different I Spys and no 2 objects repeat. (This quilt predates the blog.)

Here is another of my favorite I Spy quilts.  This one was a baby gift for a coworker and the little girl's first birthday happens to be yesterday. Original blog post here.

I've been challenging myself to try new techniques, and one that I tackled last year was paper piecing.  I've done 3 projects so far, and this is my favorite.  Original blog post here.

I also did my first mystery quilt last year, Scrap Dance. Original blog post here.

How would you describe your quilting style?

I am not even close to a perfectionist when it comes to quilting.  I don't do show quilts for that reason.  If everything had to be perfect, I would not enjoy myself.  I don't consider myself a modern quilter but there are parts of the modern quilt aesthetic that I like.  I like I Spy/Novelty fabrics, batiks, purple, scrap quilts, trying new things when I'm in the mood, and have recently become enamored of solids.

Favorite Quilty Charity?

I have been an active member of the Charlotte chapter of Project Linus since January 2015 and have donated 23 quilts to date.

Blogging Tip? 

Don't be afraid to ask! Like a feature on someone's blog?  Ask how they did it!  I find quilters to be extremely generous in all sorts of ways, and what I have learned through this New Quilt Blogger experience so far is that we are all learning from each other.

Sewing Tip?

I cut my scraps down to set sizes that I know I use frequently.  That keeps my scrap bag at a manageable size and means that when I want to make something, pieces are already cut.

The Darling Dogwood Speed Trivia

1. Name: Emily
2. Sign: Sagittarius
3. Favorite Color: Purple
4. Favorite TV Show: Gilmore Girls & The West Wing
5. Favorite Number: 12
6. Favorite Vacation Spot: in the mountains (VA or NC)

My question for you:

If you had to make a monochromatic quilt right at this moment, what color would it be and why?

Thanks for stopping by!  Please check out some of the other bloggers spotlighted this week in the New Quilt Blogger's Blog Hop.  And this is just week 1 of 4, the fun continues through July 18th.

Kate @ Smiles From Kate

Miranda @ I Have Purple Hair

Holly @ Lighthouse Lane Designs
Allison @Woodberry Way 
Sarah @123 Quilt 
Mary @ Stripquilts
Jodie @Persimmon + Pear
Amanda @Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.
Paige @Quilted Blooms
Tish @Tish’s Adventures In Wonderland

Melva @Melva Loves Scraps