Hi, everyone! We’re Lindsay and Elizabeth, the owners of Happy Hour Stitches! We thought it would be fun to share a little bit more about ourselves and our quilting lives with a little Q&A.
When did you first start sewing?
Lindsay: I started sewing in 2011 after getting hired as an editor at American Patchwork & Quilting magazine. My first sewing project was a pillowcase for their One Million Pillowcase Challenge (my pillowcase needed A LOT of seam ripping). But after that, I was hooked! I started collecting fabric and making sampler quilts to help me learn a variety of skills. I’m so thankful quilting came into my life!
Elizabeth: I had some sewing experience growing up in 4-H, but didn’t try quilting until I was hired as a graphic designer at American Patchwork & Quilting. Being surrounded by beautiful quilts and fabric every day at work inspired me to learn. I had coworkers who kindly took the time to teach me the basics of quilting over our lunch hours. I’m also extremely lucky to have a TON of quilters in my family who have taught me so much over the years. We gather together at least once a year for a family quilt retreat. I love sharing this passion with them!
Describe your style of quilts.
Lindsay: I’d describe my quilts as traditional in design, but not in color. I love showcasing modern fabrics and unique color palettes in classic blocks. And you definitely can’t go wrong with a scrappy, rainbow quilt!
Elizabeth: My quilting style leans more modern. The quilts I make tend to be less scrappy and use more controlled color palettes…I can’t resist a beautiful fat quarter bundle! I also love solid fabrics for ultimate color play and variety. Besides quilting, I enjoy working on smaller projects, including embroidery, cross-stitch, and wool applique.
What’s a quilting tool you can’t live without?
Lindsay: Over the years, I’ve come to rely more and more on my Hera marker. I use it to mark my quilts for machine-quilting, mark diagonal lines on my stitch-and-flip units or triangle-squares, and also to turn out corners in 3D objects like pillows.
Elizabeth: I love my continuous spray water bottle! It’s so handy to fill with starch or water to help me press my fabrics. It has a super fine mist and is especially useful when paired with my travel iron, which has a tiny water chamber.
Describe your sewing space.
Lindsay: I feel so lucky to have a devoted sewing room in my home. It’s painted white with white furniture, which really allows the fabrics and quilts to shine. I have my fabric organized by color in handmade storage bins within cube storage. I use a rolling cart for my supplies. And I have a pull-out desk from IKEA for my sewing and cutting table. I keep my room very clean and organized, because any sort of clutter squashes my creativity.
Elizabeth: My sewing space is small but organized! I love mixing vintage pieces with more modern aesthetics. My sewing table and desk is an antique drop-leaf table that I refinished, and I upcycled metal baby crib springs to create additional storage on the wall. I hang sewing notions and decorations from S-hooks on the wires and magnets around the metal frame. On the opposite wall, I have a several IKEA cabinets that have both shelves and drawers, the perfect combination for storing fabric and displaying my vintage Singer featherweights when they aren’t in use.
What’s your favorite quilt block?
Lindsay: I love the Log Cabin block! I think it’s so fun that a simple block made from strips can create so many different looks depending on the fabric choices and the layout of the blocks.
Elizabeth: I love any type of star block. There are so many variations!
What’s on your quilting bucket list?
Lindsay: I’ve always wanted to make a Lone Star quilt. I think it’s such an incredibly beautiful design. I’m waiting for inspiration to hit me on color and fabrics before I dive in.
Elizabeth: I find the process of making EPP hexagons so enjoyable and relaxing, but have never made a quilt with them. A Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt may be in my future.
What’s a quilting rule you don’t follow?
Lindsay: I don’t use a walking foot when I’m machine-quilting my quilts. When I first started quilting, I didn’t own a walking foot and didn’t have the budget to hire a longarm quilter, so I learned to quilt using the resources I had. Now I’m so used to quilting without a walking foot, that even though I own one now, I never change out from my regular foot when quilting.
Elizabeth: I’m generally a rule follower, lol. However, when making two-at-a-time half-square triangles, I really dislike marking the center line. I prefer to just cut on the center diagonal line and then I can sew together each set of triangles with my quarter inch foot.
If you had an extra hour in your day, how would you spend it?
Lindsay: I would curl up with a good book. Reading is my little escape and helps me relax.
Elizabeth: If I was feeling social, I’d spend it at a trivia event with friends. However, if I wanted to relax, I’d choose to read or learn a new crafting hobby.
What’s your happy hour drink of choice?
Lindsay: I love to relax at the end of the day with a glass of red wine (Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are my favorites).
Elizabeth: My go to order is always a Moscow Mule!
Thanks for joining us for “happy hour,”
Lindsay & Elizabeth