Welcome, Leila Gardunia. Tell us a little about yourself.
Where do you live? I grew up in a small town, Gig Harbor, in Washington state (about an hour south of Seattle). I now live in Chesterfield, Missouri (on the outskirts of St Louis)
How long have you been quilting? I made my first quilt when I was about 10. I was inspired by the Little House on the Prairie books and made a hand pieced nine-patch block. In my child’s mind, I thought the “small stitches” described in the book meant “narrow seam allowances” so now my small quilt is literally coming apart at the seams. I didn’t piece again until I was about 25. A friend convinced me to participate in a local quilt shop’s block of the month program.I thought it would be super lame and only went along to hang out with my friends. Boy, was I wrong! I was hooked.I have been quilting off and on since then, but started my quilting blog in 2011.
What is your favorite part of quilting? I love to plan and pick out fabrics.
What is your least favorite part of quilting? Anything that is technicallydifficult. I’m not a fan of flying geese or using templates.
Do you have a day job? If so, what do you do? I studied Conservation Biology in college, but never had a job in the field. Right now, Iam trying to turn this quilt designer thing into a full time day job.
What inspires you when designing your quilt patterns? Traditional quilt blocks are my main inspiration. I like to take something traditional and make it more modern or easier or foundationpaper pieced or scrappy.
Who is your quilting idol? That’s a hard one… I don’t know if I have one.
If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Either an open faced grilled cheese made in the toaster oven (this is what I ate every day when I was pregnant) or chicken salad on toast. (I like toast.)
Instagram name: @leila.gardunia
Website name:www.leilagardunia.com
Get your free copy of Leila’s Granny Square Tutorial. She has developed a way make this large 14″ block with strip piecing rather than the traditional piecing method of sewing each square individually. Click the link for your pattern.
https://www.leilagardunia.com/blog/jumbo-granny-square-quilt-block-tutorial
