It has been a while since I’ve blogged, but one of my new year’s resolutions is to blog at least once a month. The last several months have been busy ones as I started teaching on my own, got more involved with my job at Studio 180 Design, and did some travelling.
In November I travelled to Houston for the International Quilt Festival. It was my first time there, and I had so much fun! I was working the Studio 180 Design booth with Deb and Sarah. Sometimes it still shocks me that quilters don’t know who we are, but Deb is so dynamic when she is demoing, that even the most novice of quilters can’t help but get enthusiastic about our tools. As you can see here, our booth was always pretty packed.
I got the chance to walk around in the mornings with Deb and Sarah. Sarah and I are both knitters as well, so in addition to finding patterns and fabric that we loved, we both bought yarn! It was so fun to have that experience to share with someone again. It has been since before the pandemic that I went yarn shopping with a friend.
The quilts on display were amazing and it was so much fun meeting people who love our tools, as well as demoing to people who hadn’t heard of them before. I was especially drawn to some of the modern quilts on display. I ended up taking several pictures and sending them to my husband who is my longarmer. He was impressed with the depth of talent, as was I. We are both excited that QuiltCon will be in Raleigh in 2024.
When I returned from Festival, I had an interview with BERNINA World of Sewing in Raleigh and I’m excited to announce that I am returning to in person teaching! I will be bringing Tucker Tool Club to BERNINA. I have been so pleased with their support of my classes. They have a gorgeous classroom and a full complement of Studio 180 tools. Not to mention an amazing fabric selection! Their clean, bright store and wonderful staff make shopping there a real treat. This is the quilt that is currently on display at the shop. These Tula Pink fabrics make me so happy!
If you are interested in learning more about these classes, you can check them out here on their website.
My own classes have been doing so well. I am currently in the middle of two series – Tucker Tool Club and the Journeys Block of the Month. I have also taught two sessions of Tuckerizing Alaska, the Laundry Basket Quilts pattern. That one always sells out in a matter of hours. I added another session in February and it sold out in less than a day.
Upcoming this month I have two sessions on the newest Studio 180 Design Technique Sheet called Hollow Cube 60. This cool 3D unit is made using the Star 60 tool. There are still some spaces available and you can read about them under the classes tab here on the website.
Each year we have a Certified Instructor Reunion. It’s so much fun to catch up with others who I haven’t seen in a while and meet new people who I’ve only interacted with online. One of the people I have really hit it off with is Tina Dillard of Quilting Affection Designs. She and I met in 2021 at Reunion and talked some then. In 2022, we ended up spending quite a bit of time together. We have decided to collaborate on a few things. I will have more information about our biggest joint project coming soon, but in the meantime, she and I are hosting a retreat based on her book Poppin’ With Wings. You can read more about it here.
In a couple of weeks I will be taking part in another Studio 180 Design Blog Hop for our newest fabric line, Modern Opulence. Make sure you follow my Facebook page for more information on it and who else will be involved.
This has been a longer post than I intended, but I had so much to share! I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. Happy New Year!
