featured: twin cities quilting

This week I'm excited to feature one of my gals from the Minneapolis Modern Quilting Guild - Faye Hoch, who just opened a new quilting shop on the east side of the river. Twin Cities Quilting is located in Roseville at 1085 Dionne Street, just north of St. Paul off of Lexington. It is a great new shop that offers loads of fabric (focusing on batiks and modern prints), classes (including hand-dying fabric) and long arm quilting services. I stopped by the shop to chat with Faye and drop off my MQG group project (which I will have to share later, since I haven't taken any pictures yet). She generously offered to hang our pieces at her open house this week and I jumped at the chance to feature a quilting craftyother.

I also must say that Faye is a very talented designer and long-armer - the the quilts in these pictures are her's and just stunning!

favorite material/technique:

I love improvisational piecing methods.  There is something to be said for making a quilt totally your own by cutting fabrics freehand or at indiscriminate lengths with your ruler.  No one else is going to do it just like you do!  I love teaching this method too.  Watching to people who play by the rules loosen up and approach their craft differently is fun and rewarding.

what are your big plans/dreams for the shop?

I want to provide quilters with a sense of community and a place to congregate and discuss their craft, gain inspiration, get an education and find supplies that aren't available everywhere else.  I'm the only shop in town carrying an assortment of surface design products and showing people how to use them with hands on dyeing and painting classes.  I'm also going to be having bag lunch viewings of instructional dvds.  This is a way I can thank my customers and give back to our community.

biggest influences:

I've had a lot over the years.  I'm not really a big class taker so most of influences are people who write good books on techniques or have had their quilts so well published that I can really look at their work and gain an understanding of how and why they create.  I've been influenced by three improvisational quilters while I've tried to establish my own style. Nancy Crow, Diane Hire and Carla Alexander have all had a great deal of influence.  Nancy Crow has been creating with this method for years, using her own hand dyed fabric and creating breathtaking works of art.  In her books she not only shares her quilts but also her journal entries.  Getting that close up look at her process is invaluable for anyone trying to create their own fiber art.  The other two women make fun, whimsical quilts and publish books with techniques and patterns.  All three have contributed to my expertise and given me ideas for creating my own one of a kind quilts.

When I'm not crafting myself I can be found in the store helping others discover their craft.  I love helping other women discover their creative abilities.  We all have them.  We just need to be given permission to explore our like, dislikes and abilities.  All that takes most of my time.  I'm trying to stay on top of gardening this year but failing- sorry neighbors!  And I'm not getting nearly enough time to pet the cat or relax in front of the tv.

Twin Cities Quilting is having their grand opening tomorrow - Thursday, July 22 from 4-8 pm. There will be door prizes, food and wine and a 1st peek at class descriptions and samples. Oh - and 20% off all merchandise!

A few other things I learned about Faye while visiting - green is her favorite color and she has a great pair of glasses to prove it; she is passionate about having a direction in her craft - whether it is a quilt or her shop - she encourages everyone to make a bold statement; and finally - she shares my passion for beautiful fabric. And the fabric flowers in the window were made by her sister-in-law and will be a class in the future- aren't they cute!

So go visit her shop if you live in the area - see you there on Thursday!

Thanks Faye for answering my questions and good luck with your shop! It is great to get to know other creative people out there and I feel lucky to feature each and everyone of you! Whether you have a local shop or online blog, I'm always interested to see what others are up to, so let me know if you do something crafty and you would like to be featured!