Coffee Talk "Tuesday": Angela Chard

This month we are featuring Angela.  She holds a very dear place in the heart of the guild as a founder and the person with the drive to keep it going and flourishing.  I believe I can speak for all of us when we can say that we truly admire her drive to keep it going when it seemed like it might not be going anywhere.  She is a lovely person and we are so thankful for her!!!  

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Hey, Angela!  Thanks so much for being our November interview.  First I want to let everyone know that you have a little shop called Amused Boutique on Etsy as well as a Facebook page.  

Having seen the cute clothes you make for your shop or for yourself on sew days I was wondering how you learned to sew?  Was it always something you were interested in learning?

 I have been sewing for 27 years I think.  My grandmother, Nonnie, taught me.  Teaching me to sew was the greatest gift she ever gave me...though at the time I didn't think so.  And I have been quilting for 3 years.

Ha!  I think that may be the case for many of us out there.  We so appreciate a skill learned later in life that at the time didn't seem like something we were all that into.  I also see that we have been quilting about the same amount of time.  What or who inspired you to learn how to quilt?

Quilting didn't appeal to me at all.  It just seemed like this huge, tedious, boring project.  A few years ago I become very active obsessed with a few fabric and sewing related groups on flickr.  At some point I began to see these gorgeous quilts popping up all over flickr with blog links.  That did it for me...really cool people making awesome quilts using the same amazing fabrics I'd been stockpiling.

I love that you went from being someone who was totally uninspired by quilting to a person who starts up a quilt guild!!!!  Oh the irony!  So, since you're a lover of fabrics, what designer do you admire?

My favorite "icon" of the modern quilting world is Anna Maria Horner.  She just has such a beautiful aesthetic in terms of color and design.  I love that she speaks on a personal level as well as professional on her lovely blog.  AMH is just such a powerhouse of productivity constantly cranking out tutorials and patterns, new fabric designs in many different fabrics, books, etc.  Of course there are countless others who inspire me but she's my main.  :)

Like...?  :)

I suppose I'm most smitten with fabrics with colorful large-scale prints, such as Heather Bailey, and fabric lines with a mixture of unexpected color combinations. Lotta Jansdotter is another designer I adore.

So, when do you get to work with all of these stunning fabrics?  Is there a time when you're most productive or the most ideas strike you?  You have quite the busy household!

When my house is empty...kids at school, husband at work.  Seems like when I'm falling asleep is when a good flow of plans and ideas get going.  Apparently quiet time is the key component.

Oh no!  Christmas Break is coming!  lol  So, what projects do you need to squeeze in before the kids are off from school?  ;)

The top of my list includes a large-scale zig-zag design and a Film in the Fridge pattern called "Converging Corners."  Otherwise I'd like to do some quick projects involving simple patchwork and hand-tying.  I love those just as well as the more involved designs and works great for the immediate gratification thing I'm usually suppressing.

You're too funny!  Would you recommend that blog as a great place for modern quilt inspiration?

I think Film in the Fridge is a fantastic blog for modern quilting.  She has tons of projects with beautiful photos and great tutorials and info...great source for inspiration!

Angela's Anna Maria Horner quilt.

So what quilt is your favorite?  The one that you just love seeing every day.

I'm pretty proud of my Anna Maria Horner quilt.  The fabrics are the best part of it, but I cannot take any credit for that.  What I feel great about with this quilt is that it's fairly large and I free-motion quilted it in, what I think is, a really cool and unique way.  

And, just like with everyone thus far, I must ask, what is your quilty mishap?

When I was putting together a quilt for my daughter's bed I didn't know exactly what I was doing.  I put the layers together poorly, pinned it in a few places and then tried to quilt it.  There were many stitches that had to come out of that thing...actually it wore me out and I put it away and never finished it! 

Oh no!  Well, maybe someday it will make it out of the depths of the closet.  Or you can start anew.  

Just one last question for ya.  What would your advice be to the budding quilter out there?

If you know how to sew then you can certainly become a quilter.  Just research the steps of putting your blocks and layers together properly (yes, there are a few rules we must follow!) and start with a fairly simple design that you absolutely love.
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Great advice, Angela.  Start simple and do your research.  You sound like my mom!  :)  Thanks again for being our November interview.  I think it's apropos that your interview falls on the week of Thanksgiving as we are all VERY thankful for what you have done for our guild!  :)