We hope that you had a fabulous holiday! This is the very last Desire To Inspire for 2014. We want to thank each challenger for stepping up and making some amazing projects. We hope that it has inspired them to try something new and to inspire you to make something with our beautiful collections. If you want to be a challenger for the program, see the details below.
We sent our December challenger, Nancy Jez, a bundle of fabrics by Kim Diehl. Kim's latest collection, Heritage Hollow , arrives in quilt shops December 2014. This latest range is the inspiration for the Simple Whatnots Club - Collection 2.
HG: Welcome, Nancy. Thank you so much for accepting our challenge.
NJ: Thank you so much for choosing me for the Desire to Inspire. I just love Henry Glass fabric because Kim Diehl's lines are my favorites.
HG: Where do you live?
NJ: I live in South Hadley, a small town in western Massachusetts.
HG: Tell us about your family.
NJ: My husband Steve is very supportive in my quilting career/fabric addiction. I have wonderful sons, daughter-in laws and the best grandchildren I could ever ask for.
HG: How long have you been quilting?
NJ: I started in my mid-twenties, which is now 40 years ago, boy does time fly. I started sewing doll clothes and my own clothes when I was 6. My grandmother taught me how to sew and knit and be a perfectionist.
HG: What’s your favorite technique?
NJ: I love to add appliques to all my quilts, it brings them to the next level. Using a combination of wool and cotton appliques and Kim Diehl’s buttonhole stitch by hand with her favorite thread, it really makes your quilts pop.
HG: Who taught you how to quilt?
NJ: I am self-taught. With my experience in designing my own quilts, I have learned to think outside the box to create new looks.
HG: Do you belong to any guilds?
NJ: Not at this time. I always said when I retire I would join, but now life is to busy.
HG: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
NJ: I have my own business Nancy’s Quilts. I have been teaching for 15 years and feel so blessed to be passing my skills onto my students. My advice is to make sure you press everything, measure twice before you cut and keep ¼” seams perfect. The quilts you make will be heirlooms for generations to come. My love of designing, quilting and teaching is never ending. Besides my family, quilting is my life. Thank you Henry Glass for giving me this wonderful experience.
HG: Thank you for designing and quilting this gorgeous project.
Happy New Year!
-HG