Meet Liuxin Newman

Turramurra, Australia

All photos courtesy of Liuxin Newman.

I first met Liuxin Newman (aka Thimblelady!) in 2004.  I had heard about her through the quilting grapevine, so I took one of her classes in Houston. 

Liuxin is positively delightful.  I could listen to her sweet accent all day long!!  You will leave Liuxin’s presence confident that you, too, can hand quilt quickly and beautifully without inflicting personal injury to your fingers!  Hooray!  Bloodless/painless hand quilting!  What a concept!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Liuxin.  I hope you do too.

Liuxin, tell me when you started quilting.

Late 1995 was when I first learned the word “quilting”. I attempted hand quilting in 1997.   After dressmaking since I was 14, I guess it was time for a change when I bumped into a quilting book…

Where do you live?

I live in Australia. It is beautiful and creative (Australia has many forms of life unique from the rest of the world). We have a big population of quilters! Many are as passionate about quilting as quilters in the rest of the world.

Please tell me about your family.  What do they think about your quilting?

I have a husband, daughter and a dog. They are all very proud of what I do. They support my passion by sharing all housework to allow me time to quilt.

Do you have any pets?  Do they try to “quilt” with you?

We have a beautiful dog, Snowball. She is a proper quilter’s dog! She likes to sit quietly on a corner of my quilt when I’m quilting. She never took a needle for a bone when it was dropped on the floor – only a quilter’s dog can tell the difference!

What other hobbies do you have besides quilting?  How do these interests affect your quilting?

I love making things - all things beautiful. I have done all sorts of handicrafts from knitting to silversmithing. They broaden my creative mind.

Are you retired?  From what?

I am not going to retire ever! I shall quilt to the end of my life.

Where in your home do you quilt?

I mainly quilt in front of TV with my family around. I only go to sewing room when I need to cut or machine sew something.

What inspires you creatively? 

Nature is the source. But I don’t like to duplicate “nature”. I like to create something artistic out of it…

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

Hand quilting – when I can totally immerse myself in the world of ideas… My designs come from all the wild thinking I do while quilting. 

Please tell me about a project that you are working on right now.

I am working on a butterfly quilt. I first started it as a double wedding ring quilt with a spring garden look. To kill the “quietness of the garden”, I decided to fill some of the rings with butterflies…I had so much fun in making butterflies that I didn’t stop until all the rings had a butterfly in it! Then the rings turned into “cages” – the butterflies were in individual confinement. To set the beautiful butterflies free, I cut each one off the double wedding ring; threw out the rings and made another new spring background and appliquéd all the 81 butterflies onto the new garden flying freely…and added a lot more butterflies on top of the original 81… 

Do you plan out your whole quilt before you begin or do you start with an idea and let it develop on its own? 

Yes, except my mind never stops changing like the butterfly quilt!

Who taught you how to quilt?

I’m mainly self-taught. I am a naughty student and don’t like to take teacher’s statement without logical explanation.

How many quilt projects do you have in progress right now?  How many UFO’s (unfinished objects)? 

Four projects…two large, one miniature and one quick quilt.  No UFO’s. They will all get made eventually.

Do you daydream about quilts while you are doing other things?  Are there certain activities that seem to lend themselves to this daydreaming?  Please explain.

Quilting is constantly on the back of my mind when it is not on the front! So whatever I do and see could spark an idea.

Please tell me about your hand quilting.  What do you like about the process?

I hand quilt all my own designs. I enjoy hand quilting very much and I’m immensely interested in how to make it easier for quilters as I teach. All my discoveries were found through patient quilting and careful observation. There is so much to look for!

Please tell me about the special quilting techniques that you’ve developed.

I have developed an easier hand quilting technique and special quilting thimbles that eliminate all physical pains that the hand quilter suffers when using “rocking” or “running” techniques. I also developed a unique teaching course to make quilter learn the technique in one day! Quilters will find themselves quilting better without any pains.

Please tell me more about your classes.

I focus my research and teaching on two subjects: perfect hand quilting and perfect hand appliqué. These are the two I love most. I have done so much research on the two that I am confident that I have something unique and better to share with fellow quilters.

Do you have any tips or advice for beginners?  What do you wish you would have known when you started quilting?

The barrier a creative beginner faces is the needle skills! Come to my classes, I shall focus you on sharpening your needle skills – they are the wings of your creative mind. You will excel when you can sew everything you want.

Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting time into their day? 

If you can’t find enough time to quilt, just move “quilting” right to the top of the priority list of your life!!

You can learn more about “Thimblelady” by visiting her website where you’ll find her teaching schedule, her remarkable products, and even a video clip showing her hand quilting technique.  (Yes, I have a Thimblelady thimble, but you can’t have it, you’ll have to buy your own!)

www.Thimblelady.com