About Me
About Me
Welcome to my website, I am glad you stopped by! My name is Shelley & I am just as crazy about all things quilty as you! Grab a cup of tea or a glass of water & read on to learn more about me~
Crafting in general has been a love of mine all of my life. One of the first crafts I learned (besides making homemade cards for my Mom at a young age) was knitting. My cousin Marge taught me on a day when I was home sick from school & perhaps that was the beginning of the "itch-to-stitch".
I started sewing in 2004 when my husband surprised me that Christmas with my first sewing machine. My first project wasn’t a quilt mind you, it was a chenilled bunny but it was then that I discovered that I love fabric! My love for fabric continues to grow as well as my collection of sewing machines..
My first quilt top was a Buggy Barn called "Crazy Cats" as seen here on my Gammill ready for quilting. At that time I didn't own a Long Arm and after some disappointing experimentation with a mid-arm quilting machine, my husband finally agreed to the purchase of the best machine on the market. Having fed my addiction I can truly say that it is all his fault! I NEEDED a long arm machine which got the juices rolling & low & behold, about 4 years later we took a step out in faith & purchased my Gammill long arm quilting machine.
So now that leads me to the reason behind my website...
First off, I am a quilter, secondly a long arm quilter, thirdly a passionate girl who wants to share my favourite "quilty things" with all of you which means also sharing what tools I love working with & the tips I have learned along the way.
I have been blessed to have the opportunity to learn from quilting teachers that are on the cutting edge. I traveled to Houston to train with Linda V. Taylor and her one-on-one time has given me the confidence to be creative, inspiring my trade.
Linda V. Taylor, I & fellow student(and friend) at LEQuilters, Houston, TX for classes. James evaded photos by hiding behind the camera but he as well participated by enrolling in Rick Taylor's longarm maintenance class.
Judi Madsen & I @ Sparrow Studio, Edmonton, AB
My travels have brought new direction to my work. In 2014, I travelled to Sparrow Sudioz, owned by Matt Sparrow(The Manquilter) and his wife Bradie, for formal training with Judi Madsen. Judi, who is one of the most advanced quilters, has allowed me to think outside the norm of traditional quilting. She has such a different approach and challenges the traditional with new, contemporary designs. Judi's awe-inspiring free-motion craft and designs reflect in the quilting that I am doing now. She has written 2 quilting books, and some of her quilts from her first book, Quilting Wide Open Spaces, are hanging on the wall in the photo of her & I.
In the photo above, I am with Karen Sievert in Vermont @ Cowels Quilting in 2015.
I had the pleasure of being in Karen Marchetti's first teaching class in 2015 @ MQX New England.
If you ever have the chance to take a class with Karen McTavish, I highly recommend it. She is such a hoot & a fabulous down to earth teacher!
In 2016, I travelled back to MQX New England for more training. Above, is Margaret Solomon Gunn & below is Angela Huffman.
In 2016 I attended AQS Syracuse & had classes with Linda Hrcka-such a warm fun experience!
In 2018, I travelled back to MQX New England (what can I say, it's a great show!) & I absorbed expertise from Lisa Calle, Karlee Porter & Sew Kind of Wonderful ladies, Helen & Jenny:
In 2019, I was fortunate to be able to attend Gammill’s Quilting With Confidence (QWC) education & dipped my toes into computerized quilting…I was hooked! Just needed to figure out how to afford another machine!
Fellow longarmer Carol whom I have met up with at other events across North America.
We all know what happened in 2020 so I turned to online training as nothing was happening in person. In 2021, I attended another QWC virtually & although it saved money not having to travel, I definitely missed the in person connection! This time, I wanted to advance my hand guided skills…
By 2024, we were back to in person events so you guessed it, I attended another QWC (Gammill has the BEST education!) locally and I dove deeper into the computerized quilting. In 2023, I was finally able to add a Statler Stitcher 30” to my studio! I was so excited but had to be sooooo patient (that was so hard!) while my husband built on to the studio, more than doubling my space!
So as you can see, I have immersed myself with the best training possible & have been trained by some of the most amazing professionals in the industry. They have inspired me to be the best I can be at what I love to do. I am forever grateful for all of their insight, their ability & willingness to share their skills & talents! Thank you ladies!!
If you would like to see my current works, be sure to follow me on Instagram @QuiltingStitches or like my Facebook page Quilting Stitches.
So will you join me? I will bring your quilt-top to life!!!