Lindsay McKinley of Lulu Belle Quilts Has a Heart for Animals

Quiltsy Team member Lindsay McKinley of Lulu Belle Quilts has a heart for animals in need. Her favorite charity is the Charleston Animal Society. Here's my interview with Lindsay:

Why is the Charleston Animal Society special to you? 

As far back as I can remember I have always felt a special bond with animals of all kinds. I have been bringing home unwanted and abandoned animals since I was a child. Helping a sick pet heal or finding an unwanted animal a loving home is such a wonderful thing to be a part of. The Charleston Animal Shelter recently launched No Kill 2015 which is an amazing program and such a great way to educate the community while saving the lives and offering a second chance at happiness for so many unwanted pets. 

What do you donate to the Shelter? 

Making Crown Royal Quilts is a pretty scrap intensive process. The majority of the bag ends up in my scrap pile, and like most quilters, I never want to throw anything away. My Aunt Nean suggested that we could use the crown royal scraps to stuff dog beds for local shelters. For about 2 years my Aunt and her quilter friends have been using my crown royal scraps (a car full at the time) to make dog beds for local shelters. She said that the Charleston shelters were particularly appreciative of the beds and I started making them for shelters as well. I also want to give a shout out to Donna from DWJ Quilts, a fellow Etsy team member who donated leftover fleece from a recent project to me for the dogbeds. Quiltsies helping Quiltsies is just another reason I love being a part of this team.

Tell us about yourself and Lulu Belle Quilts. 

My shop, Lulu Belle Quilts is named after my sweet bulldog Tallulah Belle. I make all sorts of quilted items but my Crown Royal quilts and coasters are by far my most popular items. When I am not sewing I am tending to my farm. We grow the majority of the food we eat and we have chickens, ducks, rabbits, a mini cow, pot belly pigs, a dog and 5 kitties. We are one big happy crazy family. I recently got married in Oct 2014 and I love our life!

Where do you live? 

I live on Wadmalaw Island right outside of Charleston, SC. 

How long have you been quilting? 

I made my first quilt almost a decade ago!

How long have you been a member of Quiltsy Team?

 I joined Quiltsy about a year and a half ago and just this last week I was promoted to leader. I am so honored to be a part of such a great team!

What is your favorite thing to make in your Etsy Shop? 

As much as they are a labor of love I actually love making my Crown Royal Quilts. They always come with an interesting story as to why the customer wants one and they seem to really mean alot to the recipients and the customers I make them for. 

"Where do you get all your crown royal bags from?" 

EVERYWHERE! Friends save them for me. Customers send them in. Bars and liquor stores save them for me, I buy them online, neighbors put them in my mailbox. My mom's next door neighbors save them for me and people stop by my dad's work and drop them off. Recently someone contacted me on Etsy asking if I wanted her collection since she wasn't going to use them. It's kind of a constant crown royal bag scavenger hunt!

Find Lindsay online here:
LuluBelleQuilts Facebook 
Farm Facebook 
Etsy Shop 
Pinterest 
Blog

This post was prepared by Quiltsy Team member Karen Griska (KarenGriskaQuilts on Etsy).

Featured Quiltsy Member - Lindsay of Lulubelle Quilts

Lindsay is in in charge of our team Pinterest page and her shop is LulubelleQuilts.  She is an active member of our team and a pleasure to work with!  I really enjoy her tales of like on her farm!  Here is my interview with her:

Your name: Lindsay McKinley

Where do you live: Wadmalaw Island, SC

Family: Patrick (husband) Tallulah Belle (bulldog and who I named my shop after) Norbert, Loretta, Karma, Reba and Momma Cat (my kitties) Ouli and Milton (my rabbits) Bam Bam (my mini zebu bull) Annabel Lee and Edgar (my potpelly pigs) and 80 some odd chickens who are lead by my very handsome Roosters - Dexter, Bobbie Bobbin, Romeo and RuPaul 

How long have you been quilting: I made my first quilt in 2006, but have been quilting full time since 2012

How long on Etsy: Since April 2012

What is your favorite technique: I love patchwork. It's what I think of when I think of a quilt. My absolutely favorite quilt that I own was originally made by my Great Great Aunt. She made the quilt top out of old curtains and my Great Great Great Grandfather's shirts and feedsacks and whatever other fabric they had laying around. Its perfectly patchy. My great grandmother discovered the quilt top, along with several others, at the bottom of an old cedar chest. My Aunt took it and quilted it on her Long Arm and gave it to me as a Christmas gift back before I started quilting. I treasure it. 
Who taught you to quilt: My mom, my aunts and my grandmother are all amazing seamstresses. My mom used to make all our Easter dresses so I've always been around sewing machines but I never had any interest in making clothing. When I showed interest in quilting my Aunt Nean really took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. I was fascinated by her long arm and just the whole process. When I decided this was going to be my sole means of supporting myself everyone had nothing but good things to say. I kind of dove into unknown waters and was so lucky to have their guidance and a safety net of people there that really believed in what I was doing. 

Lindsay's Stash!

Do you belong to any guilds: Not Right now. Etsy, our Quiltsy team and daily farm life keep me pretty busy. Maybe one day when things slow down. (Does that really ever happen?) 
Anything else? Quilting kind of came to me by chance. In college I would go to music festivals with all the other hippie chicks and hula hoop and dance barefoot to jam bands for days at a time. I absolutely loved the traditional patchwork spinner skirts many of the girls wear. Instead of buying t-shirts or sweatshirts from the festivals I always tried to buy the handmade patchwork skirts from the artisans at the shows. That kind of sparked my interest in handmade and in patchwork. The idea of getting to support yourself using your own creative talents was really appealing to me. Since making clothes seemed like such a daunting task I turned my attention to patchwork quilts. At first I quilted as a hobby. Making quilts for my girlfriends that had started having babies. It was several years and a few major life changes later, but eventually that little seed of inspiration became my shop.

Lindsay's studio!

Social Media Links:
Facebook
Farm Facebook Page
Pinterest

I hope you will take a few minutes and check out Lindsay's shop!

As Captain of the Quiltsy team on Etsy it is my pleasure to occasionally feature one of my team-mates. This is a lovely group of talented quilters who make a variety of quality quilted and sewn items for sale. I have sold my own quilts in my shop, Pamelaquilts, for almost 9 years now and enjoy quilting and pattern designing. I have been sewing all my life, thanks to my mom, and fell in love with the art of quilting over 25 years ago. I have worked hard at learning the art of quilting and have mastered many techniques, from the time honored skill of fine hand quilting to the modern methods using quick piecing and machine quilting.