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CI Ana Blickenderfer
Charles City, IA
Ana started sewing clothing at the age of 9 for 4-H. At age 16, she started hand quilting and binding. By 21, she had started a scrapbooking and quilting business. Making quilts and quilting on commission was in higher demand, so in 2010 she decided to focus on quilting. Since 2008, Ana has made over 600 quilted items for others. She discovered Quiltworx online in 2013, by 2014 she was looking all over for a class to learn to paper piece.
By the end of 2019, Ana has completed over 50 Quiltworx patterns and excitedly shares her love of paper piecing with others.
In September 2017, Ana opened a home training center/studio in Charles City, Iowa to teach and carry Quiltworx patterns, fabric by Judy and Judel, a huge selection of Moda Grunge, along with basic paper piecing supplies. Ana loves to color kits using Quiltster, cuts them down to strips for her students and even offers kit cutting services! She offers classes nearly every Saturday, with Technique of the Month and Judy Support Group alternating years, offers E2E long arm quilting and binding services. AND NOW, she’s building a barn for sewing retreats and a new retail space!
Find the most up-to-date schedule on www.Facebook.com/ SewThat. The training center is closed Memorial Day through Labor Day, while everyone is out enjoying summer, but www.icansewthat.com is always open! With online classes starting soon.
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CI Julie Connell
St. Peters, MO
Julie has been sewing and making garments since 6th grade learning the craft from her Mom. Her passion for textiles has never faltered as she went on to study Textile Design at the University of Iowa, and designed her own dress patterns. Throughout raising her 5 young children, Julie often would sew their clothing and Halloween costumes, and her interests and passion for fabrics, creativity and playing with color continued to expand.
The art of quilting and the quilts themselves were always something admired by Julie, especially the fine hand technique, the attention to detail and the numerous small pieces that it entailed. It was this admiration and inspiration of these skills that moved Julie to take a hand quilting class in 1993, after the birth of her youngest son. She was instantly hooked!
In 2014, while working at the fabric store Batiks Plus, Julie tried her first Quiltworx online class, Craftsy (now Bluprint) taught by Certified Instructor Jackie Kunkel. Soon after, she traveled to Montana to participate in Certified Shop training with Judy Niemeyer. Learning Judy’s organization and step-by-step process became addicting and was a truly amazing training experience for Julie.
She applied to the Certified Instructor program and has made over 40 Quiltworx projects from table toppers to large queen size quilts. She has shared her knowledge of this foundation paper piecing process working with quilt shops, guilds and private groups in classroom settings in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Tennessee. Julie loves sharing her passion with other quilters and looks forward to doing so for years to come.
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CI Tammy Gardner
Cassopolis, MI
Tammy began quilt making in 1989 as a way to continue her great-grandmother’s legacy. She has always been a lover of puzzles and math so quilt making was a perfect fit for her. Around 2008 Tammy discovered Judy Niemeyer’s patterns, her first pattern to experience was Which Way’s North. By the time she made her second Quiltworx quilt, Feathered Goose, she realized she loved the process, organization, and accuracy the patterns provide so much that they quickly became her favorites. She has continued to make Judy’s patterns, has won many ribbons for her work, and has an extensive collection of patterns awaiting her attention.
Tammy’s degree in Education from Purdue University has helped to provide her with the knowledge and methods necessary to be an effective, confident, and patient quilt instructor, able to teach all skill levels from beginner to advanced. Tammy began doing demos and presentations for her quilt guilds and sewing group around 20 years ago. She has taught quilt sampler classes and paper piecing classes at local quilt shops and has been leading a monthly paper-piecing club since early in 2014. While she has taught patterns from several paper-piecing pattern designers in her club, her focus has primarily been on Quiltworx patterns. Her students and club members have successfully completed many paper-pieced projects over the years.
Tammy is willing to teach one day, multi-day, and monthly classes, in order to provide you with all types of instruction, demos, trunk shows or retreats. She is also willing to travel; cruises and long-distance retreats are not outside the realm of possibility. She is looking forward to working with you so you can have a successful class or event.
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