Welcome back everyone!
Last week I brought you up to date on what’s been happening with The Quilting Connection. I also gave you a little background on Rick and me.
But we’d like you to get to know all our wonderful support staff! So, this week I’m introducing you to the remaining Elkhorn staff members.
Meet Kelsey!
Kelsey loves to work in the background, and we couldn’t get along without her!
As office manager, Kelsey handles the bookwork, orders, inventory control, tax work, customer class and rental scheduling, and all the other functions critical to running the business.
But she’s also Handi Quilter trained and participates in pre-setups and setups of the machines we sell. Kelsey admits that she is not a quilter, but she knows exactly how all the Handi Quilter systems go together!
Why does she do it? “When your best friend buys a business, you’re there for her!”
What does Kelsey love about her job? The variety! “I love it all!” she shares. Somedays she’s ruling the office from behind her three computer screens. Other days she’s out in the field assisting with machine setups.
On the personal side, Kelsey has been married since October 2022. Both she and her husband are married to their jobs for now, but they do share their lives with two wonderful pups: Orion, a big Newfoundland furball, and Ruby, a cuddly 35 pound French Brittany.
Meet Tina!
If you’re coming to take a class or rent machine time in Elkhorn, odds are you’ll meet Tina.
Tina describes herself as the “renters’ assistant.” She helps quilters make choices when appropriate and assists them with the machines as needed, but she wants them to feel in control of what they’re doing. She wants them to feel the success of completing their quilt.
Tina’s goal … every quilter having a positive, stress-free experience! She wants them to feel happy and motivated.
What does Tina love about her job? Every day is different! “Every quilter is at a different place in his or her quilting journey,” and she loves seeing the different skill levels and helping each quilter grow. She also loves seeing all of the different quilts and hearing all of the stories behind them.
Tina’s been quilting for about eight years and working for The Quilting Connection for five. She loves every aspect of quilting: picking out fabric, piecing, and, of course, the quilting. And she loves working with precuts.
Maybe most enviable, Tina is accomplished at organizing everything and finishing each project once she starts it!
Tina will be married 23 years in June. She has two sons … one pursuing a career in acting and the other a junior in high school. Tina and her family share their home with a fifteen pound, five year old pomsky named Cora.
A Little More About Our Elkhorn, WI Location
As I mentioned last week, Elkhorn is our flagship location. It’s the hub for all The Quilting Connection’s communication, education scheduling, purchasing, inventory, setup and service.
If you’ve purchased a Handi Quilter machine through us, it’s been pretested in our Elkhorn shop before being delivered.
All of the zippers used in our Quick Zip System™ are prepared, sewn to leaders and packaged for purchase in Elkhorn.
There’s always a lot going on! That’s why Elkhorn’s hours are published as “by appointment only.”
We are usually available Monday through Friday from 9AM to 4PM. But because we travel for machine setups and quilt shows (where we demonstrate using the longarm quilting machines from the shop), there are days Elkhorn is closed.
But whether open or not, we are here for you! If you are having trouble with your machine:
1st – Phone the shop at (262) 723-6775.
2nd – Email us at info@QuiltingConnection.com. Please put HELP in the subject line.
3rd – Call the Handi Quilter support team at (877) 697-8458. As they are based in Utah, their hours are 8AM to 5PM mountain time.
That’s it for this week!
As always, if you have any questions or want additional information, please call us at (262) 723-6775 or email us at info@QuiltingConnection.com.
Visit us online at QuiltingConnection.com or in person at 21 Adams Street in Elkhorn, WI (see above) or 1017 W. Northland in Appleton, WI (W 10:30-5, Th & F 10-4, S 10-3).
And, check out our blog posts at QuiltingConnection.com/blog and on Facebook. Share your thoughts and questions with us!
Angie