Jenifer began quilting on a whim. She was a cross stitcher in college and was checking out a new shop in Kansas City for supplies when she noticed that half the shop was fabric. By this time, she was getting bored with cross stitching because she felt constrained by the lack of freedom in recreating the charts. Jenifer noticed that the quilt girls could pick their own fabric and put it together however they liked. That kind of freedom really intrigued her. There was a sign-up for a beginning quilting class and she signed up on the spot. This was in 1993. The rest, as they say, is history; Jenifer never cross stitched again!
Jenifer says when it comes to quilting, “I am kind of schizophrenic. I am equal parts bold and graphic, and equally organic! I have a graphic design background so simple shapes and bright colors have always caught my eye. And the art of the early 20th century has always attracted me. Contrastingly, I live in the country in the woods and love my trees and birds! They often show up in my applique designs.”
When asked what her favorite quilting took was, Jenifer replied, “I keep my tools really simple – machine, scissors, rotary cutter, mat, rulers. I find you can do 99% of what you need to do with those simple tools. I do have one tool I use that isn’t a quilting tool at all that I like! It’s an orange stick, used for manicures. It can be a stiletto, a third hand, it helps cleaning out nooks and crannies in my machine, and it helps in applique. Quite versatile for a small piece of balsa wood!”
The best quilting tip Jenifer has to offer is to spend the money on a really good quality iron. Why? Because “You can’t imagine how big a difference a good iron makes! It glides over the fabric better, helps reduce fatigue, and the heavier weight helps with pressing open seams without making them wobbly.” Though Jenifer also recommends having “a cheap iron with a non-stick sole plate on hand for gooky jobs – working with fusible, lots of starch, etc.”
The best part about teaching for Jenifer is meeting the quilters and getting to know them. She says that she has found that her quilting students come to her classes with tons of knowledge and that she always learns something from the students at every workshop she teaches.
Since Jenifer mostly teaches locally in Missouri, she is really looking forward to coming to Road to California and meeting her students. She hopes that they learn something new and have a lot of fun. Jenifer shared that in her classes, they laugh a lot and she gives out fun prizes throughout the day. But most importantly, she strives to teach something new – no matter how small – to even the most experienced quilter.
To learn more about Jenifer, visit her website.
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