Welcome to the Joyous Quilter website!

When I relocated to the USA in 2005 I discovered to my joy that quilting is about many things, but predominantly friendship and sharing. Every time I meet with my quilting buddies we share tips and tricks, a neat pattern, some beautiful fabric and of course show and tell of a finished quilt, as well as lots of laughs, recipes and the name and number of the best handyman or restaurant in town!

As I created more quilted wonders, many of my friends and family would ask what they look like but I was frustrated by the inadequacy of a verbal description which frequently left the listener rather confused (and imagining goodness knows what!). There are many places and methods to store pictures online, but I wanted free and unhindered access for all with descriptions, and so I began this website which is a wonderful way to share, plus I have the opportunity to catalog my quilting progress and share that journey with you all.

If you are a quilter then you will understand only too well the joy of quilting; creating gorgeous but practical gifts that family and friends admire and adore. Or perhaps creating a quilt for a local charity to raffle or auction to raise funds for their worthy cause.
If you are not (yet) a quilter, then I am sure that you have at least seen quilts that you think are beautiful, or perhaps some that are not to your taste but you can appreciate the amount of time, effort and painstaking work that has gone into a quilt?

I shall never forget proudly presenting the first fully completed quilt I ever made to my dear husband for his birthday, only for him to say "It's wonderful darling! But what do I do with it?". He was surprised to learn that it could be:

• Snuggled under on a chilly winter's night (perhaps the most obvious use)
• Strewn decoratively across the bed
• Draped artistically over a chair (which is where his quilt ended up) or other furniture
• Hung on the wall to be admired as art
• Elegantly covering a table top
• Enjoyed as a treasured memory quilt for a special occasion or loved one
• Laid out for a picnic
• Enjoyed by children as a cave, tent or other imaginary escape!

And those are just a few examples!

Something quilted can be made into just about anything you can think of; table mats, totes, teacosies, laptop covers, slippers, casserole carriers, boxes, pillows and so on....the limit is only your imagination!
The wide variety of styles, fabrics, tools and techniques make for endless combinations and so every quilt made is unique and special.
If you are ever the lucky recipient of a quilt, just take a moment to think about how many hours a quilter has lovingly spent choosing the pattern and fabric, cutting and piecing, designing and arranging and finally quilting the three layers together to weave the ultimate magic and then, once the edge is bound, presenting it to you as a gift from the heart.
...and gentlmen, don't think that quilting is the preserve of the ladies...many men are fabulous quilters and designers too! If you like the idea - go for it!

Do visit the following pages to enjoy what is on this site - simply click on the pictures below, or use the menu at the top of this page.

The Joyous Quilter (JQ) hopes you enjoy browsing around this site. There will be more content coming along later as JQ finds additional interesting and useful things to add.  Perhaps you would like to contribute any suggestions, questions, tips and tricks or information on good products that you've found work well - hopefully green products!

Contact JQ via email; joyousquilter@gmail.com ~ JQ would love to hear from you :-)

Or click here to send JQ an email.

Enjoy the site!