Meet Brandy Maslowski of Canadian Quilt Talk

Hi everyone:

I'm really excited about today's blogpost because I'll be featuring Brandy Maslowski of Canadian Quilt Talk! 

If you don't know about Brandy, she is the creator and host of Canadian Quilt Talk, a weekly fibre arts and quilting podcast. Brandy features guest quilters and fibre artists and talks with them about the Canadian quilting scene. Last week I was delighted to be her featured guest and this week, it's my turn to introduce Brandy to you! Brandy was gracious enough to share stories about her quilting start, her podcast beginnings and her latest endeavour. 

Brandy, how did you first get involved in quilting and what is your favourite technique?

"My first stitches were making Barbie and doll clothes by hand as a child. I was always an avid crafter, but my first quilt was a random request from a friend who said, “You’re kind of crafty…can you make my Gran a little photo quilt for her wall?” So my first quilt was a delicate mix of florals with old black and white photos of her Gran’s life and family with some vintage lace on the sides. I was quite pleased with myself for pulling it off. I was invited to her Gran’s tiny apartment when the gift was given and the look on her face was priceless. That was the early '90s and I’ve been quilting ever since. 

Quilt created by Brandy Maslowski

Like most quilters my favourite technique has varied over the years. I have gone from an addiction to needle turn appliqué, to curved piecing and then raw edge appliqué, but nowadays if I’m not making samples for my patterns, my playtime technique would be working from photo to fibre."

Original Photo by Brandy Maslowski

Quilt created by Brandy Maslowski

Why did you decide to do a podcast and has Canadian Quilt Talk developed the way you envisioned it would?

"There is no better way to bring kindness and generosity into your life than to give as much as you can to your community. The podcast is a way for me to connect and share my quilting passion and as the host I get to learn from the brightest quilters and fibre artists in Canada. CQT has developed in ways I never imagined. I couldn’t be volunteering my time to do anything I love more because it has helped me surround myself with amazing mentors and friends and opened up the doors to wonderful opportunities."

I know you have an exciting event coming up. Tell me about the Aloha Cruise and how my readers can sign up for it.

"I was honoured to be invited by the Flight Centre to host a quilting cruise! I couldn’t believe it actually. The first thing I said was – “Can I bring a friend?” Having never cruised myself I needed an expert on board with me and Cathy Miller was the clear choice. She is a wonderful teacher, she’s been on 8 cruises and she adds a musical whimsy that you don’t want to miss. The second thing I asked was, “Can we go somewhere hot?” And the Aloha Quilt Cruise was born! We have so many exciting things planned over the 15 days including a cocktail party, 2 concerts, a trunk show, 8 days of workshops, 4 days of island adventure and so much more.

The cruise sails to and from Vancouver - Sept. 19^th to October 4^th, 2015 and prices start as low as $2280 per person based on double occupancy. The major sponsor is Janome so you don’t even have to bring a machine!

BOOK YOUR SPOT TODAY by clicking on the ALOHA QUILT CRUISE link or contact Miriam Cloutier at 1-866-420-4410 (M-F from 9-5 Pacific Time).

To learn more about what’s happening on the cruise checkout the info packed ALOHA QUILT CRUISE BLOG by Cathy Miller."

What's the easiest way for my readers to connect with you and Canadian Quilt Talk?

"Kim, if your followers have a question for me anytime, I love to connect. LIKE the Canadian Quilt Talk Facebook page to stay up to date with everything I do or send me an email through my website at Brandy Lynn Designs anytime. I’d love to hear from you."

I hope you'll check out Canadian Quilt Talk and listen to some (or all!) of the podcasts. There are some wonderful discussions with Canadian quilters and fibre artists and you might even find out more about your favourite Canadian quilt celebrity. Check out the Aloha Quilt Cruise too - it's going to be a wonderful event and there are still a few spots remaining. 

Cruising and quilting and enjoying the warm Hawaiian breezes...sounds like quilters' heaven!