Welcome, a little bit of my story

Hi everyone, first I would like to thank you for giving my page a look. Let me introduce myself. I'm Amanda...aka Amanda Panda Bear...aka Bear...aka...Quilting Panda...aka Mom...aka the crafty one. Maybe you're like me, when a friend or co-worker needs something made or needs an idea, they know where to go! I have a passion for all things artsy and crafty. I particularly love to sew, especially quilting.

I was a very lucky little girl growing up, my grandmother was a seamstress for many years and in her retirement became known as the Barbie Doll Grandma at the local craft show circuit. I still have and treasure many of the outfits she made for my dolls. She was always happy to teach me how to work the machine...she used an old Singer Treadle Machine...one of my most prized treasures in my home now.

My grandma Edith with her trusty Singer Treadle machine.

I remember being about 5 years old and sitting on her lap, cutting, pinning and learning to use that machine. Sadly, she passed away in 2001, but the memories and skills she passed on to me have not been forgotten, but are in my life everyday. I am working on passing those skills down to my own two little boys. You might just see a few of their projects featured here in the future...

That's me fixing a button on a dress.

It all started with that first sewing lesson so long ago. I made my first quilt when I was 16, I had no idea what I was doing and didn't want to ask for help so I just read a few books and dove in feet first. That first quilt was sewn on that old treadle and given to my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) sister, and she still has it to this day. I can't believe it has stayed together all these years, must be about 16 years old now! I was hooked and now I have a sewing room filled to the brim with fabric, trims, notions, stamps, papers, paints and threads to make enough projects and not have to go to the fabric or craft shop, at least that's what my husband tells me. He's only joking, well most of the time.

I can't wait to get to know everyone and share my creative journey with you. I do ask for your patience, give me a sewing machine and I can conquer the world (that might be a bit overstated!) but I am just learning all of the intricacies of this amazing blogging world. This will be a learning curve for sure so bear with me while I learn all these new tricks. Thanks for your follow and Happy Creating!

-Amanda