Today we’re traveling north to Appleton, WI!
I told you a little about adding a second Quilting Connection location in our first post. Time to add some detail.
The Quilting Connection – Appleton
We’ve had a presence in north central Wisconsin since 2012. That’s when we opened a second location in New London. In January 2022, we had the opportunity to relocate to Appleton.
Many of you have told us Appleton is much easier to get to. And we really enjoy getting to see more of you in the shop!
One of the unique things about our Appleton location is that we’re located right next door to a full-service quilt store, Going to Pieces Quilt Company. You can finish a quilt on one of our Handi Quilter rental machines and simply walk next door to purchase what you need for your next project!
Like Elkhorn, our Appleton store provides opportunities for machine rental. It also has several different models on display for test drives. Renters can choose to complete their quilts using free motion quilting, pantograph patterns or the Pro-Stitcher, Handi-Quilter’s computerized option.
We also sell Handi Quilter supplies and accessories in addition to carrying a full selection of Superior So Fine, Magnifico, Fantastico, and Omni thread. If you’re thinking about buying a longarm machine, we offer upgrade options and take trade ins – even if your current machine is not a Handi Quilter.
The Appleton location hosts several classes as well. These include beginner rental classes, free motion classes taught by award winning quilter Wendy Fuller, classes for new machine owners, and annual classes featuring national educators from Handi Quilter. (This year’s class will be held the last week of September!)
With education as our primary focus, we want everyone owning a longarm quilting machine to feel welcome in our classes. No matter what brand of machine you own, join us to increase your quilting knowledge, skills, confidence and enjoyment!
And our big news … early this summer we’re moving into the space next to our current shop. We’ll be expanding from 860 square feet to 2500 square feet! That means lots more space for hands-on classes, rentals and service! (And we’ll still have direct access to Going to Pieces. They’re taking over our current location.) June 1st is our tentative completion date so watch for more updates!
Now let me introduce you to some of our Appleton team members.
Meet Jennifer!
Jennifer started working for The Quilting Connection when we were in New London. Now, you’ll find her in our Appleton shop on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
She coaches renters through completing their own quilts, providing whatever level of assistance is needed. She also teaches several of our classes, including the beginner rental class and the edge-to-edge Pro-Stitcher class for new machine owners.
What does Jennifer enjoy about her job? Helping our great customers! She loves to see their excitement as they realize they CAN do it. She also loves seeing everyone’s creativity, learning new things from other quilters and talking about our shared interests.
Jennifer has been quilting for about 30 years. She started with hand piecing and quilting, worked up to machine piecing and quilting on her domestic machine, and then started renting from us. Discovering longarm quilting was a turning point!
Over the past 10 years, Jennifer has upgraded from a used Simply Sixteen to an Amara 20 with the Pro-Stitcher. She has expanded her level of expertise to include free motion and custom quilting. And she has been offering quilting services out of her home for nine years.
When not quilting, Jennifer loves gardening, natural cooking and baking, and reading. She’ll be married for 31 years this year and has two stepdaughters and one son. She and her husband also have six grandchildren.
Meet Karen!
Karen began working for The Quilting Connection since
this past February. You’ll find her in the shop on Thursdays, assisting
Jennifer.
Like all our support staff, Karen owns her own Handi Quilter longarm … a Simply Sixteen. Unlike the others, she does not own the Pro-Stitcher so she is learning that component of the system … but she welcomes the challenge and loves the opportunity!
Currently, Karen primarily assists Jennifer with rental customers and assists our customers taking the beginning rental class. She loves seeing the beautiful quilt tops and then watching them transform with skillfully selected thread color and quilting designs.
Karen has been quilting for over 25 years. She and her sister-in-laws have made 16 wedding quilts for the nieces and nephews as they married … with only one more to go. She loves looking at quilts, figuring out how they were pieced and then making modifications to make them her own.
Karen’s other passion is writing. After retiring from full-time teaching almost two years ago, she has been devoting much of her time and energy to learning ways to help businesses with the writing part of their marketing. She is currently assisting with our weekly emails and blog posts.
When not quilting or writing, Karen loves reading, going for walks, and trying to nurture her houseplants. She will have been married 33 years this June and has four stepchildren, one son, nine grandchildren, one great-grandson and two large, furry grand pups.
Okay, I need to stop here for this week. Next week I’ll introduce you to a few more faces you’ll see in the Appleton shop.
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.
You can also visit us online at QuiltingConnection.com or in person at 21 Adams Street in Elkhorn, WI (usually M-F 9-4, please call to confirm we’re open) or 1017 W. Northland in Appleton, WI (W 10:30-5, Th & F 10-4, S 10-3).
And finally, check out our blog posts at QuiltingConnection.com/blog and on Facebook. Please share your thoughts and questions with us. We love to hear from you!
Angie