I’ve got a special guest for you today as part of the latest What’s in Your Sewing Bag series!
If you’ve been curious about garment making and diving into stitching your own quilted coat, then you’re going to love meeting Megan from Megan Nielsen Patterns 😊
Meg and I first met about a year ago when I dove into sewing garments for the first time when she was releasing her Hovea coat! I was so new to fashion sewing that I even shared my Top 10 Tips to help encourage you to give it a go too!
We had so much fun with that project that we decided to collaborate with the release of the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension.
Since this series is all about inspiring you by learning through other makers’ creative journeys, I thought it would be fun to shake things up a bit and look at things from the perspective of a fashion designer (Meg quilts too 😉). Are the notions similar to what you typically find in a quilter’s sewing kit? What fun new things are hiding in there? I was super curious too!
Good thing Meg is a sweetheart and agreed to give you a no holds barred view inside her sewing kit!
*This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.
INTRODUCTION
Introduction – tell us a little about yourself! How did you get started on your quilting journey?
My name is Megan Nielsen and I design sewing patterns for contemporary wardrobe staples that work with your lifestyle, not against it. I’m an Aussie, a mum of three kids (who are growing bigger way too quickly!), and a passionate Christian. I live in sunny Perth, Western Australia and I’ve been sewing since I was 10 years old, when dissatisfied with my Barbie’s wardrobe, I began cutting up my own clothing to make her new outfits.
I only discovered quilting after my husband Chris and I were married and we moved to Iowa, USA. Iowa has a beautiful quilting tradition, and every home we went to was full of intricate quilted pieces. Every barn we drove past had a quilt design painted on it and is one of my favourite things about the Iowan countryside. When my eldest daughter was born I wanted to make her a special quilt and tried my hand at making my first quilt (it was really bad haha). Since then I have loved making quilts for my family, and it’s become a beloved hobby of mine!
I didn’t know you lived in the US for a bit! How lucky to have been surrounded by the rich quilting community and history in Iowa. That would have definitely left me inspired to dive into quilting as well!
SEWING BAG
What kind of sewing bag do you have? (e.g. did you make it? Buy it?)
I actually don’t have a sewing bag – I have a sewing basket! I’m a bit of a homebody and do most of my crafting at home, so a basket works really well for me as an attractive place to quickly place my work in progress. I love that it’s sturdy, large, holds its shape, and has nice big handles. My basket originally belonged to my eldest daughter who won it as part of a hamper in her school raffle. She was much more interested in the chocolate and stuffed toys that were inside, than the basket itself and very sweetly gave it to me. I think that makes it extra special to me!
The contents of my basket change pretty regularly based on what hand project I’m currently working on. Right now it holds one of the first quilts that I made – and that has been falling apart over many years due to poor fabric and thread choice. I’m carefully taking it apart so that I can recut the perished triangles and requilt it using pearl cotton. It’s a labour of love and is taking a very long time to unpick. But I’ll get it done eventually and get onto the fun hand-stitching stage!
I love that you use a basket!! So clever! I And easy access too 😊 Also, I don’t blame your daughter for being more interested in the chocolates, my sweet tooth is agreeing with her choice! On the fixing front, my initial reaction was “Wow, that’s dedication, Meg!”. I love that you’re taking the time to save the heirloom quilt you created for your family. A well-loved quilt is the best praise for all the hard work and love that goes into the making of each one!
ALL-STAR ESSENTIALS
What are your all-star essentials? Your tried-and-true must-haves that you can never run out of?
Ecru pearl cotton*, nice long quilt basting needles, thimbles in various sizes, my seam ripper and beeswax make up my favourite quilting items. Oh and of course my Hera marker* and embroidery scissors! Though I’m not using them for this project yet. The Hera marker was really life-changing to me, as was the discovery of pearl cotton for big stitch quilting. I hate it when my thread tangles, so I obsessively wax my thread. I’m in awe of anyone who can hand sew without a thimble, but I can’t live without my many different thimbles. I love using really long quilt basting needles – the more stitches I can load up in one go the better!
Yes! Ecru is such a versatile pearl cotton thread option. It’s one of the few balls that I’ve made my way through and had to repurchase – ha! I’m a multi-thimble user too! Why use only one when 3 work like a charm, especially for those bulkier sections 😉
FAVOURITE ITEM
What is your favourite item in your kit? Why?
That’s a hard pick, but I really love the pink heart ramekin that I use to hold the small tools and notions that I’m currently using. When I was engaged to my husband Chris, instead of a bridal shower my mom threw me a kitchen tea, which I believe is more common to my South African heritage.
The idea is quite sweet, you have a tea party where your friends and loved ones bring you a little gift for your kitchen. My mom who is ever the practical one instructed everyone to stick to a neutral colour scheme – which my dear friends promptly ignored. They found me the most adorable crockery and kitchen items all in my favourite colour – pink. I still use them all today 17 years later, but the heart ramekins* were too cute to bake with, so they migrated to my sewing room and now house tools and notions!
What a fun tradition – I love this idea! Having gone to cooking school, I have a true love for cooking, and anything related to the kitchen, so having a tea party focused on gifts for the kitchen is just genius! Good friends know when to break the rules!!! Now you’ve got me wondering if the tea party is similar to high tea (a fave!)?
SURPRISE ITEM
What’s one thing we’d be surprised to find in your bag?
I really love my Japanese Sashiko thimble*! It’s a very different concept to the traditional finger thimble, and I am obsessed with it. I did a Sashiko class a few years ago, and it was an incredible experience that really changed the way that I thought about hand quilting. The Sashiko thimble is worn like a ring on your middle finger with the thimble plate sitting on the inside of your hand where your finger joins the palm. It allows you to stitch very quickly as the back of the needle rests upon the thimble, and the rocking motion of your hand efficiently makes the stitches.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of or seen a Japanese Sashiko thimble! What a beauty! Gosh, what fun to have taken a Sashiko class. Did you take it in Australia or in Japan? I’m wondering if this is why I haven’t gotten into the rocking motion with hand quilting because I’ve been using the wrong thimble? Hmm, something to explore further.
QUILT KITS WILL TRAVEL
When do you find yourself using your kit the most? (Travelling, on the sofa, attending sew-ins?)
I use my work-in-progress basket most when watching tv, or hanging out in the backyard with my kids whilst they play. I find it really hard to rest, and quickly feel guilty or lazy when sitting down and taking a moment. Probably a common problem for mums and an attitude I wish I could kick! Having an activity to work on with my hands forces me to slow down, actively rest and intentionally take a moment.
Taking a moment for yourself to slow down really is a glorious habit we all need to sneak in more frequently. Thank you for the reminder to be gentle with ourselves and be mindful of intentionally taking a moment for ourselves.
TRAVEL MEMORY
What’s your favourite travel memory with your sewing bag?
My favourite sewing bag memory is probably a strange one. A few years ago right after I did the Sashiko course, I used my newly found skills to hand quilt a quilted jacket for my Hovea quilt coat sewing pattern which at that time was in development. My daughter needed to have surgery and took a while to recover, so this basket was full of all the jacket pieces and came with me to the hospital. I’ll never forget moving from waiting room to waiting room working on my quilt panels. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many lovely conversations with strangers who were curious about what I was quilting, and it turned a really negative experience into a positive one. When she came home I finished the rest of the quilting whilst watching all the Harry Potter movies in a row with her. You can imagine how precious that jacket is to me now!
Oh, I love that story, Meg! Not that your daughter needed surgery (that’s super stressful), but that you found comfort, joy and companionship through your hand quilting during a very trying time. I’ve found the same solace in my own hand quilting practice. I can just imagine how precious that coat is to you! Love!
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU?
Tell people where we can find you?
You can find me in quite a few places!
My website: www.megannielsen.com where you’ll find all of my sewing patterns in sizes 0-34, as well as some kids’ patterns in ages 3-12.
My blog: www.blog.megannielsen.com where I share sewing tutorials as well as my projects, and ideas for how to use my patterns.
I’m always contactable by email at hello@megannielsen.com and my newsletter is a great place to stay up to date with new patterns and exclusive discounts.
And of course, on social media! Instagram: @megannielsenpatterns, Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/MeganNielsenPatterns, Pinterest @megannielsenpatterns
Anything else you’d like to share?
Thank you so much to Shannon for inviting me to take part in this very fun feature series!
Oh, Meg, it’s me who thanks you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share so much inspiration! It’s been so fun reading through your responses, getting to know you a little better, learning about kitchen tea and getting the valuable reminder of the importance to slow down and intentionally take a moment for ourselves. Keep doing the amazing work you’ve been doing – it certainly inspires me!
For more What’s in Your Sewing Bag fun, check out these guests:
- Saija from Saija Elina
- Claire from Made Just Sew
- Chery from Cheryl Arkison
- Kathleen from Cowden Quilt School
- Elizabeth from Quilter’s Candy
Happy quilting!
xo
Shannon
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