Something About Nothing

Frances Holliday Alford and I have been friends online for some time and so it was wonderful when we were finally able to meet in person.  Frances came to Utah to shoot an episode for QNN tv's Quilt it: The Long Arm Quilting Show, and do some promotional shots for Handi Quilter.  We had a day of touring Salt Lake and then a day where I got to watch everything behind the scenes. Overlooking the Salt Lake Valley with a bit of haze Some of the deer population at the Salt Lake Cemetery A possible relative of Frances' buried here? We drove around the upper half of the valley, visiting a few cemeteries, and the University of Utah.  We ate lunch at the City Creek Center , did a little shopping and then took a tour of The Beehive House , before meeting up with other quilters for dinner.  It was a delightful day. Frances had her moment as a model for Handi Quilter the next day.   Look for her in magazines and advertisements everywhere! ...

I attended a SAQA meeting the other night which was held at the Handi Quilter offices in North Salt Lake.  I never realized just how many quilts were hanging at Handi Quilter.  It is a wonderful quilt gallery - traditional, modern and art!  Here is a little tour in case you can't go up and see the offices for yourself (they do welcome visitors!). This is a part of the warehouse floor where all the machines are made and tested.  The second floor of the building is filled with classrooms, a kitchen, meeting areas and such.  There is a room where videos are made.  Handi Quilter sponsors "Quilt it! The Longarm Quilting Show"  and it is filmed in this room.  This is the classroom.  Lots of lovely long arm machines!  As well as a nice area for sitting, learning and watching presentations. There are a lot of quilts hung upstairs but as usual, I got so caught up in looking at them that I forgot to take photos!  I did get a ph...

In the Urban Dictionary Fangirling is defined as: v. 1. the reaction a fangirl has to any mention or sighting of the object of her "affection". These reactions include shortness of breath, fainting, highpitched noises, shaking, fierce head shaking as if in the midst of a seizure, wet panties, endless blog posts , etc.  I'm not sure how I would react if I met a Hollywood celebrity but I do know that I Fangirl when I meet certain quilters!  A couple years ago I met David Taylor, at the Utah State Quilt Guild Quilt Festival.  He was teaching at HMQS this year. He is a fantastic quilter and a fabulous man. I understand that his classes are very informative and entertaining.  I saw him setting up for his class at HMQS and pondered asking him to take a selfie with me but I restrained myself!  I bet he wouldn't have minded but sometimes a teacher just needs a moment to themselves. :D A fellow quilter introduced me to Angela Walter's quilting books a few year...

I know some pretty amazing quilters. They belong to the same guild I do. I wouldn't be doing the quilting I am doing today without them! I'd like you to meet just a few of these great people: This is Alice, she is 96 years old and she is still hand quilting everyday. She just bought herself a new Bernina sewing machine because her two other machines finally gave up on her. Alice is who we all want to be when we grow up.  This is Anne . Anne is a fabulous artist. She inspires, encourages and uplifts me.  This is Florence. Florence used to be in the military and is very regimented in her work. She does some of the most amazing piecing, appliqué and quilting. She was the first person who taught me how to quilt with a walking foot. This is JeanMarie. She is a wonderful person. JeanMarie designed and made this quilt for her grand baby. Hand appliquéd with flannels.  This is Mardi. Mardi is the chair of our Charity Committee. T...

I had the opportunity to take a little tour of the Handiquilter facility in North Salt Lake last week.  Handiquilter makes 24" , 18" and 16" long arm sewing machines as well as my favorite the Sweet 16 sit down model.    All of their machines have parts made throughout the world but they are each assembled and tested in North Salt Lake, Utah.   Darren, the Chief Financial Officer of Handiquilter, was our tour guide. It's not a large assembly plant but it gets the job done. I was impressed to find out that each and every machine goes through hours of testing at different speeds to make sure it will work properly when it arrives at your house. Every machine is also set up and stitched with for at least 20 minutes.  The quilt sandwiches created from these hours of testing are bound and donated to local charities. This gentleman is assembling a new machine. And here is a tester at my favorite Sweet 16 model. I was able to spend about 4...