Measure Twice, Cut Once

Karlee Porter - the Queen of Grafitti Quilting

#machinequilting #artquilting #grafitti  Over 10 years ago Karlee Porter invented and made wildly popular her signature style of quilting - Grafitti Quilting. Machine quilting has never looked so gorgeous! Basically, it's a mashup of all kinds of unexpected designs in the same quilted area. But that's not all. Oh no! It also involves breaking lots of quilting "rules" to achieve a very unique, and extremely personalized look. In the first edition of her book "Grafitti Quilting", first publ...

Amy Freyn - Quilting in Quito, Equador

Amy Freyn is one of only TWO longarm quilters in the entire country of Equador! She's a professor by day, and an avid quilter by night. She credits quilting with saving her life - twice! Her story of change and pivot and taking chances is truly remarkable. Amy's also the #dancingquilter. Take up her challenge and post your own videos with the hashtag. Let your happiness show ❤️ You can find Amy and her dancing REELs on Instagram as @quitoquilts. Want to try free motion quilting but don't...

Carly and Lydia - The Shopping Channel Reimagined

Carly Brush and Lydia Kao are representing WHATNOT, which is a community marketplace all wrapped up in an app. They are both so excited to be building the Quilting and Sewing category of WHATNOT, and it is growing at a tremendous rate. It has been designed to serve small business owners, with simplicity and convenience and, really, it's a virtual store front for small businesses and individuals. You'll hear some really creative ways that crafters are getting involved. Carly and Lydia weren...

Adria Good Audio Only

Adria Good - the growth of a longarm quilter

Adria Good has been quilting for a very long time! She's quilted through getting married...kids...homeshooling...basketball coaching...all the things. Her story is one of learning and growing. New idea?  Research and learn. New upgrade?  Practice, and expand capabilities. New challenge? Take it one step at a time. You CAN do the hard things. Listen to hear all these stories and more.  Adria has grown from sewing simple plush toys with her first sewing machine to working at an industrial lo...

Being Candid - there are HARD days!

Today I'm talking about a slightly uncomfortable topic - what to do when everything’s just going wrong. Just last week, I received a schooling in this! I regularly live stream quilting a project on YouTube and Facebook. I’ve dubbed it Live & Unscripted, and sometimes Quilting’s First Reality Show because it’s just that - real time process without any edits or “cleaning up”. I’ve always included the rough bits, like thread or needle breaks, or second-guessing design decisions, because my goa...

Sam Alberts - building and pivoting a crafting business

Sam Alberts was one of my very first podcast guests - see Episode #4. Now she's back to give us an update on her Quilting Curve Studio. Sam's been (of course!) quilting, lo, these many months. But also, she's made significant pivots in her business. She was finding that      a) there are only so many hours a body can quilt, and that translates into a ceiling on income      b) she has a wealth of experience to share with other quilters who are earlier in their journey      c) she missed th...

Dixie Thue - Quilts & St Bernard Puppies

Dixie Thue (pronounced too-ee) is a fellow Canadian, and a quilter with broad experience, and stories to match! Listen in as we chat about her ranch life in northern Canada, raising St. Bernard puppies, and her collection of sewing machines. Quilters seem to be multi-talented people, and Dixie is no exception. Skim through her feed on Instagram and you'll find sourdough bread,  garden abundance, those ADORABLE St. Bernard puppies, grandkids, and so much more. You can find Dixie right here:...

Tiny and Snail - Creating Cards With a Mission

Leah Nixon and Grace Nixon Peterson are a powerful duo - two sisters that create greeting cards rich with meaning.  The word "card" seems too simple - their artwork, the thoughtfulness of every word, their passion about writing to each other by hand - all these come together to create one-of-a-kind snail mail. We chat about the themes behind their annual collections, their personal stories that play hugely into their lives today, and the remarkable power of the written word. Plus, we dip ...

Dara Tomasson - "Love Yourself Thin"

In Dara's own words - "If you can make a quilt, you can do anything. That includes taking control of your life and losing weight that has been holding you back." Dara Thomasson is a longarm quilter and a quiltmaker.  She teaches all these skills, but also coaches and teaches women to love themselves thin. Her approach is positive, holistic, and REAL! Dara is based in Canada, and travels and teaches at many quilting guilds. She also has a podcast dedicated to helping women in their weight ...

Jenn Geisbrecht - Building a Quilting Business

Jenn Geisbrecht lives in central Alberta, Canada, which means she know allll about long, cold winters. Jenn also knows a lot about building a machine quilting business. In this episode we chat about growing a clientele, building a brand and visibility, using social media to aid in growth, and - gasp - doing new things outside your comfort zone that make you relatable, and in fact, attract new and long-term clients. Jenn can be found in these places: Website: jenngquiltco.com Instagram: jen...

Dee Bradford - Finding freedom in freehand quilting

Dee Bradford is a student in my Freehand Quilting Masterclass.  In this episode she shares her quilting journey, and highlights how becoming proficient at freehand work has both brought personal enjoyment, and opened creative doors of opportunity. Want to try free motion quilting but don't know where to start? Here's 3 simple steps to get going. Support the show ------------------------ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review here. Resources: ADVANCE, my...

Why I Created the Freehand Quilting Masterclass

Today's episode is a little departure from the podcast norm....I'm giving some backstory on why I created a comprehensive course on the art of machine quilting. It was born directly from the need I felt as a novice quilter to have some solid and extremely practical guidance as I got to know my machine and my own style of quilting.  What type of quilter or creator might want that? Who is it intended to help? And of course, what can you expect to discover or learn? And how will it help you...

My take on the dreaded words...Quilt as Desired

We've all cringed at those words. C'mon, admit it! This is my exploration of edge to edge and custom quilting, and why and when you might want to choose one over the other. Custom quilting is specific to areas, or blocks, or borders; may include stops and starts or thread color changes, and is often more complex or intricate. It is definitely more time consuming than edge-to-edge, so that's a huge consideration. But there ARE times when it fits the bill. Maybe you want something very WOW a...

Carina Gardner - Surface Designer and Business Builder

Carina Gardner and I chat about business building and entrepreneurial skills. Tenacity...the willingness to learn and stretch...these are essential. There's no magic - it takes time and determination to establish and grow a business, but Carina's successes will encourage you! Carina has a Ph.D. in Design from the University of Minnesota. She has been a Creative Director for a scrapbooking company and children’s company. She has designed everything from dishware to bracelets under her brand...

Eva and I Chat Up Scrappy Quilts

Does the idea of creating a scrappy quilt just overwhelm you? Where to start? How to choose fabrics? How to make it sparkle? Eva and I both love a good scrap quilt, so we're sharing the things we've learned about fabric selection, scrap storage, even pre-cutting into sizes we know we use often.  We've got some simple tricks for determining color value and placement (hint: your smart phone is an epic tool) and also suggestions for additional support (think sewalongs and dedicated Faceboo...

Eva and I Chat up Quilt Shows

Quilt shows - you gotta love them! There's something new around every corner - quilts in every style, color, size. There are classes and demos. There are dealers with machines you can take out for a spin. There are vendors with delicious fabric! And, usually on the last day, there are ribbons to ooooh and aaaah over. Our local show is coming up in a few short weeks, and we are so excited! The opportunities to meet up with fellow quilters we haven't seen in a spell! The fabulous on-site coff...

Eva and I Chat Up Shop Hops

Shop Hops are a great way to explore a variety of quilt stores - and get free patterns to boot! Eva and I chat about the details; from mapping and planning your route, to snacks and take-alongs, to collecting the free patterns that are unique to each shop, and even the contests that are available for speedy piecers! You'll want to come along for the ride! Want to try free motion quilting but don't know where to start? Here's 3 simple steps to get going. Support the show ------------------...

Eva and I Chat Up Quilt Shows

Quilt shows - you gotta love them! There's something new around every corner - quilts in every style, color, size. There are classes and demos. There are dealers with machines you can take out for a spin. There are vendors with delicious fabric! And, usually on the last day, there are ribbons to ooooh and aaaah over. Our local show is coming up in a few short weeks, and we are so excited! The opportunities to meet up with fellow quilters we haven't seen in a spell! The fabulous on-site coff...

Eva and I Chat Up Quilt Retreats

Quilt retreats - what's not to love? They are a chance to visit and giggle with your friends...a time to get in some uninterrupted work on a challenging project...a chance to finish up some WIPs. My friend Eva and I were recently at a rather rustic retreat, so we'll tell you what we loved best, and what we learned. Plus tools and supplies you might want to pack. Suggestions for organizing meals and snacks. And wine. That's important. It's a pretty casual, and not very linear chat, but I th...

Shannon Fraser - Modern Quilter

Shannon Fraser became a quilter unexpectedly - in fact she says she had discounted quilting as an interest entirely! Never say never! Shannon tells the story of textile exploration that eventually led her to quilting and pattern design. We chat about her love of saturated colors, and graphic designs, and improv as a quilter's version of a palette cleanser. Shannon gives us a glimpse into pattern designing, and how her goal is to make each project achievable, no matter your skill level. It'...

Lorinda Davis - Quilter's Planner

Lorinda Davis loves making pretty things, but she also loves being organized.  We chat about her journey into the art of quilting - the first time she tried it she thought "that's not for me!" but eventually she was drawn in in an unexpected way. And then we explore the wonderful world of planners...organizers...checklists, and how writing things down helps us keep balance and priorities in our lives.  And of course, it's not all about productivity, it's about crafting a life you love. Th...

Courtney Kimball Part 2

Want to try free motion quilting but don't know where to start? Here's 3 simple steps to get going. Support the show

Courtney Kimball - One Common Thread Part 2

Courtney Kimball first learned to sew in special some one-on-one time with her grandmother, and she's been "making" ever since. In 2017 she and her husband and family moved to Honduras to develop their existing business.  And over time, Courtney became acquainted with the desperate needs in the slums right next to their apartment complex. It began by meeting and learning to know one woman, Jocelyn,  and exploring her circumstances, her dwelling, and her struggles. Then came sisters...aunts....

Courtney Kimball - One Common Thread, Part 1

Courtney Kimball first learned to sew in special some one-on-one time with her grandmother, and she's been "making" ever since. In 2017 she and her husband and family moved to Honduras to develop their existing business.  And over time, Courtney became acquainted with the desperate needs in the slums right next to their apartment complex. It began by meeting and learning to know one woman, Jocelyn,  and exploring her circumstances, her dwelling, and her struggles. Then came sisters...aunts....

Pat Sloan - Making Quilting Fun!

Pat Sloan - designer, author, and YouTuber truly has a deep passion for making quilting fun for herself and everyone around her.  She's made over 800 quilts!! Pat has a vast experience of all aspects of quilt making and design, from patterns and sewalongs, to fabric design and teaching online. We chat about some of her most favorite things about creating, and some of the less-favorite. Pat gives some tips for contributing designs to magazines, and also great encouragement for makers who are...

Darlene Girton - the Featherweight Doctor

Darlene Girton has been making pretty things from fabric for a lot of years, but these days she has fallen in love with Singer Featherweight sewing machines. They have some unique qualities that make them beloved by quilters all over North America and beyond. Truly they are time capsules that we get to use and appreciate nearly 90 years later. Darlene does some surprising things on her Featherweights, like freehand quilting, and even sewing light weight leather!  She's a born teacher, and s...

Leisha Farnsworth - Longarmer and Digital Designer

Leisha Farnsworth has been machine quilting for over 17 years! Many, many quilts were done completely freehand, but she now shares her skills and creativity by creating digital quilting designs. She's also developed a set of rulers, born directly from a need she saw, as well as an online course and on-demand classes. Leisha has some excellent tips to share regarding building a business and brand, and setting yourself up for long term success. If you're interested in making quilting your bus...

Bethanne Nemesh - the Devil is in the Details

Bethanne Nemesh is a classically trained artist with degrees in art and art therapy.  She's been mastering the art of machine quilting and creating for over 23 years. She has extensively shown her quilts and won many major awards at national and international levels. Her deepest love, though, is teaching. Bethanne has taught quilters all over the world to love quilting, and to find their own voice of creative expression through the stitched line. Listen as she tells some stories of her crea...

Ann Brauer - Creating Art Quilts that are Landscapes of the Imagination

In Ann's words - "For 40 years I have been making original quilts that use color, fabric and tradition to create abstract landscapes of the imagination." Ann's creations are made one strip of fabric at a time, and are so evocative of wide open outdoor spaces. They range from eyeglass cases to a 140-ft series. She gives us a little tour through her studio (open to the public!) and even her village in Massachusetts, which supports artisans of all kinds.  We chat about creator's block and how...

Karlee Porter - Graffiti Quilter and Fabric Artist

Karlee Porter is an artist! In her own words: "I excelled in the clay pencil holders of elementary school; I dominated the 10 minute drawing warm ups of my inner city middle school art class; and, against my mother’s most polite wishes, I skipped most of my high school core classes to escape to the art studio on the 3rd floor of my art-deco-from-the-great-depression high school." Happily for us, these days she considers fabric and thread her medium. We chat about her first entry at Houston...

Jenny Kae Parks - Quilting in COLOR

Jenny Kae Parks came to this (audio only) interview in clothes coordinating with the quilt behind her. That's how passionate she is about color and its appeal! Jenny Kae home-schooled for many years, and has honed those teaching skills to now teach quilters to develop their own eye for color and style. In Jenny Kae's words: "Don't stop until the combination is something you LOVE." We chat about the difference between an OK quilt and one you LOVE, rhubarb pie and chutney, mountain retreats...

Tiffany Groff - Quilting is the BEST Therapy

Tiffany Groff's words about herself: "Insomniac Quilter, Random Conversations, Disabled living with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and still LOVE & LIVE Life!" Tiffany knows all about the therapeutic qualities of quilting.  She has MS, and at one point was wheelchair bound. Quilting became her passion, her motivation, and her joy, and these days she shares all of these on her YouTube channel, Tiffany's Quilting Life.  Like Tiffany herself, it's casual, often impromptu, and a bit ...

Sue Heinz - Kismet Quilting

Sue Heinz is a gem of a teacher, but WHAT she teaches is equally remarkable. Her quilting tools and designs are in a class of their own. Sue shares some rich (and maybe never-before-heard?) stories about personalities and history in the quilting industry. We chat at length about the value of giving credit where it's due, and the life-changing power of connections. Plus we give a good plug for Elmer's sticky stuff (NOT glue, you understand). Sue is absolutely genius in her development of...

Sue Heinz - Remarkable teacher and tool designer

Sue Heinz is a gem of a teacher, but WHAT she teaches is equally remarkable. Her quilting tools and designs are in a class of their own. Sue shares some rich (and maybe never-before-heard?) stories about personalities and history in the quilting industry. We chat at length about the value of giving credit where it's due, and the life-changing power of connections. Plus we give a good plug for Elmer's sticky stuff (NOT glue, you understand). Sue is absolutely genius in her development of...

Audrey Esarey - exploration is key to developing your own style

Audrey Esarey is an artist - no doubt about it! Her quilts are graphic, highly original, layered in interest and details, and, well....just a feast for the eyes. Audrey and I chat about her journey from her first quilt class to here - how that involved exploration, and trying out new skills, and even a complete hiatus for some years. But all those things served to clarify and refine her esthetic. And who knows what other new things may be over the horizon? For now, hand-dyed fabric, radial ...

Audrey Esarey - @cottonandbourbon

Audrey Esarey is an artist - no doubt about it! Her quilts are graphic, highly original, layered in interest and details, and, well....just a feast for the eyes. Audrey and I chat about her journey from her first quilt class to here - how that involved exploration, and trying out new skills, and even a complete hiatus for some years. But all those things served to clarify and refine her esthetic. And who knows what other new things may be over the horizon? For now, hand-dyed fabric, radial ...

Christa Watson - Wearer of Many Hats

Christa Watson's quilting accomplishments are enormous! Pattern writer, fabric designer, quilting TABLE designer, and now host of ChristaQuilts.TV. Her enthusiasm, and heart for teaching and sharing is so evident in all she does. We chat about...so many things! How to chase your dreams. How to take a quilt from bright idea to finished product. How to build a business as a couple. How to refine your quilting style. How to mask mistakes in machine quilting. You'll have to listen to find that ...

PJ Jacobsen - the "Crazy Quilter"

PJ Jacobsen is a quilter with a story! She's been a lot of places in her life, but a massive medical emergency resulted in a complete start-over for her and her husband. They purchased an abandoned church from Ebay, and set out to build a home for their family, and then a quilting retreat, with their own hands. These days the Crazy Quilter Retreat Center (in central Washington state) hosts up to 20 crafters with all kinds of lovely amenities like sauna and hot tub, and PJ even washes the di...

Tammy Thielman - Therapy Based in Nature

Tammy Thielman has a remarkable clinical practice - she offers counselling on her farm in southern British Columbia, Canada. Animals...corrals...forest trails...toy herds...quilts...cabins...fireside armchairs...all these are part of her multi-faceted approach to therapy. Tammy and I chat about these points of connection, and also about how quilting and creating helps fill up HER mental cup. It's so true, the value in creating has nothing to do with skill level, and everything to do with th...

Brett Lewis - Natural Born Quilter

Brett Lewis (of Natural Born Quilter) is a very talented fabric designer, and a fellow northern Canadian. His fabric collections are rich with flora and fauna from his life and travels, and even family mementos and stories. And color! Lots of gorgeous color! In this episode we chat about the process of creating fabric, from concept to sketch to color, and the "roses and thorns" of being a quilt and fabric designer. Brett's newest collection, WILD, will be coming to quilt shops in August 2...

Connie Kincius Griner serves a delicious slice of Pi

Connie Kincius Griner is a quilt artist with a twist. Word play, puns, and many pi references are the hallmarks of her signature style. She is so gifted at telling a story, or indeed a joke, in her original designs. Even her labels and show ribbons continue the narrative. So we chat about how Connie got started making quilts, where some of her ideas spring from, and her love of quilt shows and the connections that are formed there. Take a quick sec and follow Connie's Instagram feed - you'...

Shereece Spain - @sewhookedontreasures

Shereece Spain combines her love of sewing, crocheting, and pirates in her business name - such an impressive play on words! We talk about all these loves, and how they've grown to provide a source of income for Shereece's family, allowing her to stay closely involved in her kids' lives, and to have them involved in her business too. Her upcoming pattern release was in fact inspired by a Shrek marathon with the kids. What's not to love? Shereece recently designed and donated the pattern f...

Linzee McCray - Feedsacks and Other Treasures

Linzee McCray has a deep love for textiles of all kinds, and feedsacks in particular. She shows them...speaks about them...and has written a book about them with 850 gorgeous images!! Linzee has stories galore, both about her experiences and opportunities as a writer, and about the people and circumstances which made feedsacks the collectible fabric they are today. And bonus connection - she learned to sew on a treadle sewing machine too! Linzee's work can be found in all these places: Web...

Heather Cartwright - a Woman of Many Hobbies

I first met Heather as a dealer of the longarm brand I use. She's joining me to tell waaayy more stories - we cover shop hops, converting a husband to a quilter, raising kids in a barn, and even micro mini cows.  You can find Heather in all these places: www.quiltbarn.blogspot.com www.gammill.com And to see the mini cows: https://www.facebook.com/idahogallowaycattle   @idahogallowaycattle on Instagram Want to try free motion quilting but don't know where to start? Here's 3 simple steps ...

Tracey Russell - Longarm Quilter Extraordinaire

Tracey Russell of Whirls n Swirls Quilting is a dynamo! She made her very first quilt out of triangles, and taught herself to quilt on a longarm machine way before YouTube University was a thing. Now Tracey finds great pleasure is helping new quilters "flatline the learning curve", and find confidence in their quilting. She teaches and encourages both online and in her brick and mortar shop in Whitby, ON, Canada. In this episode we chat about how to approach new skills without fear,  gettin...

Joan Parker - A Quilting Memoir

As we talk, Joan Parker's face shines with warmth and enthusiasm and hospitality.  She has been making (many!) quilts for many years, all while raising and home-schooling 8 children. Her story is one of great creativity, often propelled by financial needs, and the desire to serve and help others.  She has a mother-heart the size of her whole state. PLUS, she's got some great tips for a bullet journal to corral your project to-do list, and some thoughts on creating frugally and finding ways ...

Giuseppe Ribaudo - Man of Many Colors

Giuseppe Ribaudo is definitely a man of many talents. His background is in theater, but over time he has focused his creativity on fabric and pattern design. For sure he brought his storytelling skills into his design process, and I, for one, can't wait to see the lovelies in store for us quilt makers in the coming weeks. In this episode Giuseppe gives us some Andover history, introduces us to his Nonna's fabulous lamps and chairs, and has tips for keeping creativity fresh. Look for the f...

Liz McDade - No Trace, Zero Waste Living

Liz McDade is passionate about pursuing a zero waste lifestyle, and no trace products. In her own words "no trace products are reusable, washable alternatives to their evil disposable twins". So we chat about how that passion grew, how her hobby has grown into a business, and Liz gives great tips for reducing waste in your cooking, and even in your bathroom! Liz has tons of YouTube tutorials for making re-usable storage and shopping solutions, publishes patterns, and if you're in a hurry to...

Maude MacDonald - The Retro Quilter

Get your 70s on!!  Maude MacDonald lives in the gorgeous Niagara area of Ontario, Canada. She's a mom and wife, making and designing modern quilts with retro vibes and flair. She's a newcomer to the world of quilting, but in a short space of time has mastered many skills and is now sharing her passion with others. Sewing...quilting...pattern designing...all with unmistakable retro style. We chat about haircoloring and how that translates into quilt design....competitive roller skating...and...