Introducing a Group Newby

I am new to this blog/list.  My name is Nathalie (yes, you do sound out the "th") and I live in Odessa, Texas.  My day job is teaching Culinary Arts in the high schools.  My students bus over to my kitchen/classroom/restaurant from the two high schools in town to be a part of my program.  I have been teaching this for the last three years and even though I am extremely busy a good part of the year, I really, really love what I am doing.  I get to be creative in the kitchen and help teach my students to learn how to cook, be self-sufficient and hopefully better citizens.  At the end of the day I come home to my 5 fur babies (4 shi tzus and one yorkie - it's a long story) and sometimes if I am not too tired, create with fabric in my studio.  When I get some extra time I design quilts and teach quilt classes.  I have been sewing since I was 5 years old when I made my first dress - zipper, too and have been making quilts since I was a sophomore in high school. I just turned 50 this year so I have been at it a long, long time. Below are a couple of pictures of me.

This picture is the one you will see of me when I post or comment.  It's the one on facebook and blogger. 

This one is of me a couple years ago at family reunion.  Sorry it's so small, but I cropped it from another picture my cousin sent and the pixels blur it when I enlarge it. I will have to work on getting another "good" picture of me. 

How would I describe my quilting style?  Hmmm.  That is hard, but I would have to say, eclectic, modern traditional with a twist?  Does that make sense to you?  I enjoy the traditional blocks and quilt making, but I mix it up a bit or a lot!  I am enjoying the modern quilt movement on the blogs and have even made some of those patterns with my own interpretation, but I really lean more towards Gwen Marston, Denyse Schmidt, improvisational styles.  I love making my own fabric from scraps in the "15 minutes Play" style and then incorporating that into quilts.
I have been a fabriholic from a very young age and have a huge HUGE stash of fabrics.  I don't usually purchase quilt kits (even though I have a couple here waiting to be made only because I loved the pattern/fabrics) but, do purchase lots of fabric, especially when it's on sale.  The majority of the fabric I have has been purchased on sale.  I have made a few "ugly" fabric quilts that have turned out to be some of the most beautiful quilts you have ever seen and you wouldn't know they started out with a fabric no one else, especially me, loved.  I enjoy making quilts with lots of fabric combinations.  The more the merrier, I say.  I will put holiday fabrics in with my other everyday fabrics if the color combination works.  You may say, "hey, I like that orange fabric" and then get closer to it and realize it's spiders from Halloween.  It's all about the color with me. 

I am looking forward to making a block for each of you and getting to know you all this year.  I "met" Beebee this year when she joined in my Stocking Swap from my blog.  When she asked if I would be interested in joining this group, I said yes.  I haven't participated in a monthly block swap in quite awhile and thought it would be fun to get back into that.  I look forward to the challenge everyone will set for us each month and am glad I am toward the end of the year so I have plenty of time to plot and plan my selection.

You can keep up with my from my blog www.wastelandwallowing.blogspot.com
to see what all I am working on from time to time.