Quilting Adventures ~ The Friendly Store for Everyone Who Creates With Fabric!

Joyce Hartley

Where were you born?
Sellersville, Bucks County, PA. Not exactly Pennsylvania Dutch Country, but still very heavily influenced by that culture. My grandfather spoke "dutch" (which is really just American-ized German); my grandmother wore a net
"covering" on her head (they were Brethren) and no jewelry. And I remember sitting under the big quilting frame at her church. :-)

How long have you been sewing?
Pretty much almost forever, I think. I did all kinds of crafty stuff as a kid - knitting, crocheting. My mother was a professional seamstress, doing custom work including lots of weddings, so it was just natural for me to learn.

What is the first thing you made?
No idea. My memory is lousy.

What is your favorite sewing technique? Hand or machine?
I love handwork but have precious little time for it. I'm surprised that I love free motion quilting as much as I do, but it's hard on my body these days.

What is your favorite color?
Black - it makes everything else pop.

What color do you have the most trouble using in your quilts?
White - it's against my religion. ;-)

What inspires you?
I'm most inspired when I'm actually working on something else. When I sew, whether machine or hand, the creativity flows. When I'm now sewing, I'm absolutely without inspiration.

Favorite book?
That's tough; I have too many favorites.

Favorite movie?
That's tough, too. Some of the Star Treks; the A&E Pride and Prejudice; You've Got Mail. And okay, I confess, the three Star Wars movies that came out first.

Favorite band?
Peter Gabriel.

Favorite song?
Mostly anything by Peter. Steam, DIY, Signal to Noise....

How long have you been working for QA?
Forever, in terms of the shop. I started working ON QA in the summer of 2004, doing planning and market research. And it's been my life ever since!

Joyce with her family - Back to front - son Max, daughter Theresa, husband Rick, Joyce, daughter Phoebe, son Ricky Jr., DIL Jennifer, and Alyssa the wonder grandchild :-)

Phoebe Guider

Where were you born?
I was born here in Richmond, at Henrico Doctor's Hospital. I have lived in Richmond or one of the surrounding counties my entire life.

I have a huge family. I live with my mom Joyce(the boss), my step-dad Rick(co-owner), and my younger brother Max. My dad Paul also lives here in Richmond. I also have a sister, Theresa; another brother, Ricky; a sister-in-law Jennifer; and my niece Alyssa! I also have a nephew on the way! I've been dating the sweetest guy, Brendan, since 2002.

How long have you been sewing?
I've been sewing since I was about 5.

What is the first thing you made?
The first thing I remember making was a small wall hanging with my mom, a "portrait" of the house we were selling, and at the same time a portrait of the house I wanted.

What is your favorite sewing technique? Hand or machine?
I really love handwork. Lately I've gotten back into embroidery, but my true love is applique!

What is your favorite color?
My favorite colors are cool colors, however I do love anything that is bright!!

What color do you have the most trouble using in your quilts?
WHITE!!! Oh, and BROWN!!!

What inspires you?
The things that tend to inspire me the most are good music, good books, good photography, and good friends.

Favorite book?
Anything by Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey, or Elizabeth Peters. Oh, and Harry Potter. I really love fantasy books.

Favorite movie?
I could list movies for days. I love Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and almost anything with Gene Kelly in it. But I think my absolute favorite is Clue.

Favorite band?
The Beatles! I also really like Peter Gabriel, and a bunch of other things……the list could go on and on.

Favorite song?
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by the Beatles or Beautiful Day by U2. I love music and almost always have something running in my head, so my favorite song will occasionally change to something else depending on what I’ve heard recently.

How long have you been working for QA?
I've been working at Quilting Adventures since the very beginning. I started working for mom in April, and we opened in July. I was the only employee for awhile, so I cut a lot of Fat Quarters! I also helped enter at least a third of the original inventory into the computer.

Phoebe and her boyfriend Brendan in her
hand made prom dress.

Pattie Bagwell

Where were you born?
I was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, near Eastville. I have lived in Richmond for going on 4 years now.

How long have you been sewing?
I didn't start sewing until my sophomore year in college. When I decided to leave the serious major, Aerospace Engineering, for something a little looser, I took a class called Basic Sewing on a lark. I discovered a whole new world in Apparel Design.

What is the first thing you made?
A horrid little top. I didn't make my first quilt until several years after I watched Simply Quilts a few times. A quilt doesn't have to fit anyone when you draft the pattern!

What is your favorite sewing technique? Hand or machine?
I do very little hand sewing, usually finishing hems etc. I like drafting my own paper piecing patterns. I have been making a lot of skirts recently.

What is your favorite color?
Purple! Followed closely by blue.

What color do you have the most trouble using in your quilts?
I'm not that big a fan of yellow, although there are definitely times when it's needed.

What inspires you?
I look at the shapes of things - skylines, buildings, trees. Bright colors always attract me.

Favorite book?
I read quite a bit, currently Anne McCaffery's books on Pern. I also am a political junkie of the Libertarian sort.

Favorite band? Favorite song?
Music is my other passion. I love to hear live music that will make me dance. I listen to all kinds of music - bands that are currently on my Pandora quick mix: Vampire Weekend, Ryan Adams, Emmylou Harris, Dire Straits, and David Byrne.

How long have you been working for QA?
I started working at QA in January 2007.

Pattie at work in one of her hand made skirts.

Where were you born?
VA. Lived in Va my whole life. I am married to Jeremy , my best friend. I have 2 children. Shelby, 13, and Jonah, 5.

How long have you been sewing?
Sewing since I was 21, I think.

What is the first thing you made?
Halloween costumes

What is your favorite sewing technique?
Hand or machine? Both. I love the machine sewing, but I love hand work to. Embroidery and applique.

What is your favorite color?
Blue/Brown.

What color do you have the most trouble using in your quilts?
Red

What inspires you?
Fabric

Favorite book?
I don't have a favorite book, but my fav magazine is "Quilter's Home"

Favorite movie?
"You've got mail" and "Elf"

Favorite band?
Elton John and Casting Crowns and Christina Aguilera (I know these are 3 VERY different groups/singers/bands....It really depends on what mood I am in)

Favorite song?
"Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman

How long have you been working for QA?
Since January 22, 2008

What do I do when I am not sewing?! (other hobbies): painting. I will paint anything that is standing still and even things that aren't (I've painted the dog twice!). LOVE to camp, we camp about once a month in our VW bus from the months of April to November.

Amy and her husband Jeremy

Amy's first quilt! Machine pieced and hand quilted.

Betty Sanderson

Where were you born?
Believe it or not but there are actually people who were born in Richmond and have lived here almost all of their lives and I am one of them. At present I live in Bon Air with my husband John who is a CPA with Yount, Hyde and Barbour. I have three children. Emily is married and teaches at Flint Hill School in Oakton, VA. John Jr. or Bubba as most of us call him, is married and lives in Richmond with his wife GiGi and daughter Judith. He works for Wachovia Securities. Bill is an Attorney in the Trust and Estate division of McGuire Woods in Richmond.

How long have you been sewing? What is the first thing you made?
It’s been so, so long but I really believe the first real sewing I did was a dress in a Singer sewing class the summer I was 10. I believe I wore the dress twice but did learn much because it had zippers, buttonholes, a collar and a detachable collar, set in sleeves, and pockets. It took all summer, but did get done. Even though I have the quilts my grandmother made when I was born, the first quilt that I worked on was done in 1977 for Emily’s kindergarten teacher. One of the mothers in the class sewed the top and we met weekly and basted and tied the quilt. As a group we continued to make quilts for the teacher’s gifts for several years. More recently taking classes with Laura Blanchard and Darlene Ware taught me much about the correct techniques and methods.

What is your favorite Sewing Technique? Hand or Machine?
My favorite technique is to machine piece quilt tops. I love to cut fabric and sew it back together. I have done lots of cross stitch, needlepoint, smocking, knitting, crocheting and such but really do love to cut and sew fabric back together.

What is your favorite color?
This is hard to answer as I probably have a thing for fabric in that I generally like it all. In looking at things that I keep, probably greens, blues, and purples are my favorites. Because I do a lot of home decorating sewing for people and shops, I get to see many different fabrics and combinations which I really do enjoy. I learned a lot about the use of color from a decorator who always loved to mix plaids, stripes, prints and tone-on-tones whenever possible.

What color do you have the most trouble using in your quilts?
Orange is the one color I probably don’t use much. I do try.

What inspires you?
In general I think I am most inspired by people and watching what they enjoyand like doing which is why I love working at Quilting Adventures. To try to help people find and accomplish a task is a great thing. Inspiration comes from all kinds of places. I am also a great collector of kits as samples with beautiful fabrics also inspire me to get busy.

Favorite Book?
It was Claiming Georgia Tate by GiGi Amateau, but is now Chancy of the Maury River by GiGi Amateau. In case you didn’t get it, she is my daughter-in-law. They are great books though.

Favorite band? Favorite song?
There are many different songs and types of music on the ipod that I have in the sweat shop (mine is not a studio but a sweat shop). Steve Bassett, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Buffet, Ray Charles and the Temptations. Depends on how fast I have to sew.

How long have you been working for QA?
I think it was March of 2006 that I started, but Phoebe should know.

Betty at Work

Cheryl Schenck

Where were you born?
I was born in Detroit. I grew up mainly in Michigan with a few middle-school years in Oklahoma. However, I moved to Wisconsin after college and that's where I consider home. I lived there until I moved to Richmond a week before Joyce opened her shop (I guess it was meant to be)! I have a wonderful husband and daughter, and one dog and one cat, both geriatric.

How long have you been sewing?
I started quilting in 2003, a few months before finding out we were having a baby. I bought my first sewing machine so I could make my first quilt!

What is the first thing you made?
The first thing I really made was a baby quilt in my first beginning sewing class. I was too scared to quilt it myself (I have done every one since, though). But the information sheet for the class said "You must know how to use your sewing machine before you come to class" so I found a very simple skirt and I made it the weekend before class.

What is your favorite sewing technique? Hand or machine?
Machine for sure. I have too little patience and need instant gratification.

What is your favorite color?
Purple!

What color do you have the most trouble using in your quilts?
Beige

What inspires you?
Color mostly, and my daughter.

Favorite book?
Watership Down by Richard Adams (this was a childhood favorite, too).

Favorite movie?
Pulp Fiction, Fargo, The Crying Game, Election, A Fish Called Wanda, Thelma and Louise, Space Mutiny (don't ask)

Favorite band?
The one you've heard of is The Beatles. The one you probably haven't is Sonia Dada. I think I've seen them live a dozen times.

Favorite song?
It depends on my mood.

How long have you been working for QA?
Since January of 2007.

Cheryl with her husband, RT, and her daughter, Molly.

Karen Neuberger

Joyce & Phoebe told me I had to do this so here it goes… Maybe, I can hide when they come around with the camera…
I’ve been sewing in one form or another for a long time. My Polish grandmother taught me to embroider while I was in elementary school. She & my mom made dresses for my sisters and me for everything from Valentine’s Day to Christmas & every occasion in between. Doll clothes followed. Their instruction & 4H got me sewing clothes. A friend's mom taught me to knit in Jr. High & I learned to crochet in H.S. Lots of scarves & hats were given as gifts thereafter. A field trip to a country fair in 2nd grade led to a fascination with spinning & weaving, which I finally learned in my 20’s.
I got into quilting while working in Milwaukee in 1982. A friend wanted to learn & talked me into taking an adult education class with her at the local H.S. The instructor used Georgia Bonsteel’s “Quilt As You Go” method. We used templates & sewed by hand to make sampler blocks. At the time, I couldn’t imagine using a machine to sew all those little pieces! I got over it. In the legal dept. where I worked, we had a lawyer, 2 paralegals, & a secretary who quilted. (At the time, only one of us was over 30!)
Marriage, kids, & moving a lot didn’t allow a lot of time for quilting. But shortly after moving to NJ, I went on the first quilt retreat to the Nine Quarter Circle Ranch in MT. Georgia Bonsteel & Charlotte Warr-Anderson were the teachers. Wow! Talk about inspiration! Not just the teachers, but the other participants & scenery.

After moving to MA, I joined the Rhododendron Needlers Quilt Guild & helped start “Monday Nite Quilters,” a group that still meets every Mon. after more than 10 yrs. I was Co-chair for the guild Block of the Month & Program Chair for 2 yrs. That was fun. I loved coordinating & bringing in teachers from all over. We had Esterita Austin while I was chair & I heartily recommend her classes. I can’t wait until next May!
I worked at the Button Box, a quilt store in MA, until we moved to Richmond in 2003. I did a short stint at Quilter’s Corner here before starting at Adventures. I love helping people bring their ideas to life. I’ve tried a lot of techniques – piecing, applique, felted wool, landscapes, dyeing, beading, - and there are a lot more I still want to try. Working at QA provides a lot of inspiration & its always fun to see how many talented people there are out there. I am just in awe. I quilt with some of those talented people on Mon. nites here, too. (or sometimes Tues.) Besides working with a very gifted group of people
Now that all but one of the girls is in college, (There are 4 of them. The eldest recently graduated) I should theoretically have more time for me. Altho, I do kind of miss all of those soccer & softball games. I love to read – fantasy, historical fiction, mysteries. We have 2 rescued Irish Setters, 3 cats & a hamster. I like to travel but don’t get to do as much as I’d like. That’s about it.
I’m still hoping I can talk Phoebe out of that picture, but she’s kind of sneaky.

Karen and her family. Left to right - Corey, Karen, Leigh, Rian, Kellen, and Ed.

Kristal McKelvey

Where were you born?
I was born and raised in Mathews County, Virginia. Well, technically I was born in Williamsburg because there isn't a hospital in Mathews. But, basically, I'm a true Virginia girl.

How long have you been sewing?
I've sewn most of my life. My mom sewed quite a bit and we always had a sewing machine in the corner of the living room. I started out doing those woven potholder things (with the fabric rubber bands) but got tired of that. So, one day I asked her how the machine worked. She sewed one straight line, gave me the manual, and told me to be careful. She helped me out when I got it all tangled up though!

What is the first thing you made?
Well, I always liked to embroider but never really "made" anything out of it. I did embroider flowers up and down some of my pants but the kids at school laughed at me.. :  ( But then I was digging in the attic and found a bunch of denim bagged up - they were rectangles that were cut to be made for pockets my mom had found years before. Light and dark denim.. So I mustered up the courage to make my first quilt (checkerboard pattern) that I used all through high school and college.

What is your favorite sewing technique? Hand or machine?
I really like to try out all sorts of things. It depends on my mood honestly. I used to say I wasn't patient enough for hand sewing but then Phoebe and Joyce saw some of my embroidery and called me a liar! : ) But I do love to zip away on my Babylock more than anything! Although, now I want to learn hand appliqué for some reason…

What is your favorite color?
I always say deep, dark red to this.. But not the purple burgundy kind.. Working at Quilting Adventures (and hearing Phoebe squeal when we get in any lime green) has made me branch out quite a bit!

What color do you have the most trouble using in your quilts?
Purple. Although I just used it recently. And I might use it to make a wedding gift for my boyfriend's sister soon. I think I just convinced myself some time ago that I didn't like purple.. But, again, the quilt shop has helped me appreciate all colors!

What inspires you?
I'm really not trying to suck up to Joyce.. But working at the shop definitely inspires me… Getting to see new books, customers projects, etc. I'm also inspired currently by all the blooming flowers.

Favorite book?
I have a hard time with 'favorites'.. It changes.. The first thing that came to mind is Winnie the Pooh. I just read One Hundred Years of Solitude recently which was very good. My favorite quilting book at the moment is Last Minute Quilted + Patchwork Gifts.

Favorite movie?
Princess Bride, and anything with Hugh Grant and/or Johnny Depp

Favorite band?
I've been in a music funk lately (I'm not the biggest fan of Richmond radio stations).. But I really like Nickel Creek, Counting Crows, and lots of girly acoustic guitar things.

Favorite song?
Ode to a Butterfly by Nickel Creek

How long have you been working for QA?
Not even a year yet.. since the late fall.. like, October I think. (Fall of 2007)

You can see more of Kristal's work on her blog at: http://dawnstitches.blogspot.com/

Kristal and her boyfriend John

Mary Noel

Where were you born?
Geez, that is ancient history….suffice to say I was an air force brat and lived all over the states, including Alaska, and the Philippines. I ended up in Richmond to go to college. My future husband and I both lived in boarding houses (mine for girls and his for boys, of course) on the Boulevard where we met thru mutual friends. We have two daughters and they have produced four grandchildren-all bright and very good looking!! I'm part of the sandwich generation: my children live in Richmond and my parents now live in a nursing home near me.

How long have you been sewing?
I started sewing doll clothes when I was eight. Grammie lived with us and she taught me to knit about the same time. I made all my prom dresses in high school. My mother-in-law taught me to crochet. She always had something to work on so my husband thinks it is normal that I do, too. I think I made my first quilt in the early 70's - a baby quilt. I used to enjoy embroidery on crazy quilts and hand piecing. I once hand-pieced an "apple core" quilt on a car trip. Today I prefer really simple quick quilts from beautiful fabrics, which I buy at Quilting Adventures!

Nature inspires me, especially the ocean, trees, animals, flowers. Family history is also a long-time project, and I'm in the process of making a genealogy wall hanging with pictures and computer printed family trees. Lately, I've been on a mission to make charity quilts from my "stash". It feels good to give something warm to a person in need. It also feels good to make friends in the quilting community-they are all such warm giving individuals.

I retired from VCU after 30 years and have worked at Quilting Adventures since January 2007. My husband says I am feeding my addiction.

Mary Noel and her family. Mary is seated far right,holding all her grandchildren.

Mary Terry

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Have been living in Richmond since 1994 with my husband Henry. Our son Chris is 29 years old, our daughter Caitlin is 25 and they live in Brooklyn, NY, a few blocks away from each other.

I started sewing during the summer when I was 13 years old -- that awkward age when you're too old to hang around doing nothing and annoying Mom, but too young to get a job. So my mother sent me to the Singer Sewing School where we made an A-line dress, which actually fit! From then on I was hooked.

I have made clothing for myself and children, as well as curtains, pillows and bed skirts and lots of stuffed animals. I've sewn costumes for several local theater and ballet companies. I even sewed costumes at King's Dominion one season when they had an ice skating show and we had to "rig" all the skaters' clothes so they would stay tucked in at the waist.

All shades of blue and green are my favorites, and I prefer sewing by machine. For hand work I like to knit and crochet. Working at QA inspires me -- both the bright colorful fabrics, and the creative talented staff. All the artsy stuff we sell is exciting, and I'm working on "unleashing my inner artist" by taking lots of classes here.

As a former children's librarian, I love reading contemporary novels and still enjoy books written for kids and teens. I like trying out new cooking and baking recipes.

Mary at work!