Hi! My name is Kaye (big surprise, huh?) and I’m glad you found me.
I learned how to sew in junior high where I dutifully made a skateboard pillow and a matched plaid skirt. Throughout junior high and high school I sewed many articles of clothing- encouraged by an older friend who sewed.
I made my first quilt in 1989. It was a simple Fence Rail quilt in very ’80’s colors: cream, dusty blue, and rose pink. I gave it to my mom and I have it now. It was a ties quilt because that was all I knew how to do.
The next quilt came in 1993 for my first son. It should be noted that sons #2 and #3 did not get quilts. Oh well.
In October 2017 I found out I was going to be a grandmother and my whole world shifted. I immediately bought an embroidery machine so that I could personalize items for this grandchild. One of my first projects was the Woodland Friends quilt by Anita Goodesign. It took many hours but I had it done in just over 2 weeks. I realized as I was trying to stitch in the ditch on my tiny Brother sewing machine that it was time to upgrade. I now use a Brother Innovis VQ2400 that I love. I also have a HandiQuilter Stitch 710 that runs like a charm.
I quilt nearly every day. I struggle to follow instructions so I mostly design my own projects. Now I use EQ8 for my designs. I love bright colors and simple bold patterns. I am NOT a perfectionist in any way, shape, or form. I agree with Jenny Doan that a finished quilt is better than a perfect quilt. My goal is to learn something from every quilt that I make and to spread love and joy by gifting quilts to people I love.
April of 2020 was a huge milestone for me- I finally bought a longarm quilting machine. I’d been saving for a couple of years and I am very happy with my purchase of a HandiQuilter Forte. I jumped in with both feet, soaking up every ounce of education available on You Tube University from the amazing Studio Educators at Handi Quilter.
Now, I get to work with a wonderful team of educators at Handi Quilter who teach others to love longarm quilting as much as we do. I hope to be able to travel and teach in your hometown soon, so make sure you come say hello.
I am a member of the Utah County Quilt Guild and the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild.