Paige started Ponderosa creative as a new mom, taking a break from the environmental field after being burnt out by academia during her master's degree at Evergreen. In addition to running her business, she works in the enviornmental field - specifically municipal stormwater. She designs her Ponderosa Creative Thread Gloss with both the environment and quilters in mind - creating scents for quilters while designing a product that has a low impact on the environment. She also creates hand-sewn goods, and has a great sense of style.Some quick details about Paige: scorpio, neurodivergent, mother, wife, enneagram 5w6 (investigator-loyalist), and in between meyers-briggs ENTP (visionary) and INTP (logician).

Andi Stanfield is known for creating fabulous designs with easy-to-follow patterns for adventurous quilt makers. She is the self-published author of two books, and teaches classes on her techiques.Her first career was as a high school teacher, and she now uses those skills in the quilting world. And, she didn't stop there. When creating her block of the month "A Little Bit Different" she created an acrylic template to make the process easier.Learn more about this trailblazing quilter in this episode of I Love Notions.

Jessica and her sister Jamie are the creators of SewTites® magnetic sewing pins. One day in early 2017, while working on a bag, Jamie decided to use magnets to "pin" the leather pocket in place while piecing. She called up Jessica and told her about the simple and functional idea. Jessica, who is a career marketer and graphic designer, replied "That has to be a problem other people have – we should market it!" The idea went by the wayside, however, for about a year while we were working on another business. But Sew Tites were too good an idea! They created prototypes to use as a giveaway in their 2018 QuiltCon booth. The response was overwhelming.Within a few months, SewTites were available through distributors and in local quilt shops, and today are availabe in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, and worldwide through SewTites.comTheir mission is to empower themselves and others to "Live Magnetically" – as fully and intentionally as possible. As a part of that mission, they donate 5% of annual profits to FCCLA, an organization that teaches teens life skills, including sewing, on their path to adulthood.

Patti lives in Southern Ontario, and has held many roles in the marketing department since she started with Northcott in 1986. She is currently their Vice President – Public Relations. She travels to quilt guilds and shops to inspire and educate quilters with interesting and entertaining presentations on how fabric is designed, and how to use it to our best advantage.Her quilting journey began in 1987 when Northcott made the transition from fashion to quilting fabric. She has designed many quilts for Northcott and for numerous quilting magazines since 1995 including The Quilter magazine, Love of Quilting and Easy Quilts and continue to contribute to the Golden Peak Media group of publications including McCall’s Quilting and Quiltmaker. In 2008 she started publishing her comprehensive line of quilt patterns that utilize efficient and time-saving techniques.  She specializes in designing quilts using panels and border stripes.Her first fabric collection released in 2019, and she is the inventor of the E-Z miter tool!

Debbie is a home economics teacher by profession. She began quilting in 1986 after taking a Continuing Education class. Growing up she was enthralled with her grandmothers and their abilities as seamstresses. When fitting clothes took the fun out of the sewing, she turned to quilting.  It was a great way to collect fabric and continue using her sewing skills. Her quilting passion grew when she moved to Egypt. With her friends, she began a quilting group that was later named “Quilters in deNile”.  Now a resident of Massachusetts, Debbie continues in many quilting endeavors. She designed the tool “Brilliant Bindings”.  In 1999, a dear quilting friend Lil Griffin showed her a binding ending technique so the seam was the same as all others in a continuous binding.  She made her own template to simplify the process and used it to teach others for years.  She was encouraged to put the idea into form and had Brilliant Bindings made in 2007.Her Brilliant Bindings tool shape, a trapezoid, proved to be a great jumping off point for many unique quilt patterns.  Any of her patterns with "Brilliant" or "Tool" in the title uses Brilliant Bindings as a cutting template to make the quilt.In 2017, Hex-a-ma-jig was created.  A 3 1/2" half hexie shape template with more lines for more cutting options - Half Hexie, Full Hexie, Partial Hexie.  The Hexie family grew in 2018 with Hex-a-ma-jig Jr. for 2 1/2" strips and Hex-a-Mini for 2" strips was introduced in 2021.Her self-published books include:Construction and Production – Making and Binding a Quilt on a Longarm, Midarm or ShortarmChenille Made Easy on a LongarmHexie Speak - Say it with Hexies  A Design Workbook

Jane Hauprich is an award winning quilter and quilt instructor living on Maryland's Eastern Shore. She started piecing quilts in 1998. She specializes in free motion custom quilting and believes that each quilt is special and deserves quilting that accentuates it’s beauty and uniqueness.Jane offers free-motion quilting classes using home machines, mid-arms, or longarms.  These classes enable quilters to finish their own quilts. And offers private long arm quilting lessons. She is a Handi Quilter Ambassador, an Island Batik Ambassador and a Superior Threads Certified Threadologist.She offers free motion quilting workbooks, wholecloth panels, and quilting rulers.

Latifah Saafir is a modern quilter known for her bold and innovative quilts. Her quilt patterns feature clean designs with a twist. She adds challenging techniques such as curves and half-rectangle-triangles to her quilt patterns which make them stand out. She also has designed notions to help quilters master these techniques. In this episode we talk about the templates she has already launched, as well as what she has coming up (spoiler alert)!Those who have been in the modern quilting world a while may be familiar with Latifah's name because she was a co-founder of both the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild and the worldwide Modern Quilt Guild, Latifah currently teaches workshops to guilds around the country.

Kate Colleran is a quilt pattern designer as well as a fabric and surface designer and a notion designer! She loves color and fun designs, and that is evident in all of her work! Her quilts are a mix of modern and traditional, with bright colors and simple shapes.Seams Like a Dream Quilt Designs, started in 2003 as a collaboration between Kate Colleran and Elizabeth Balderrama. Kate did the quilt pattern designs and Elizabeth did consultations, pattern testing and was the shipping maven. They designed quilts for patterns, for quilt magazines, for fabric companies and for their book, Smash Your Precut Stash, with C&T Publishing.When Elizabeth retired in 2015, Kate changed the name of the quilt pattern line to match the official name of the business, Kate Colleran Designs, LLC.Kate has also designed several specialty templates... which we talk about in this interview.

Heather Snow is the mastermind behind Purple Hobbies, family owned and operated business.  You're probably familiar with some of their fabulous notions, like the BladeSaver Thread Cutter and Magnetic Pin Cup. Heather creates all of their innovative designs with her sons.Purple Hobbies has embraced 3D printing to make fabulous quilting notions! They have an entire "farm" of 3D printers that make their products, and the most popular products become 3D injection molded overseas to keep up with demand.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Heather as we learn about so many of her fantastic notions!

A creative lifetime quilter, Annie Unrein of ByAnnie.com and Patterns by Annie has been designing patterns and teaching since 2000. Her easy-to-understand patterns include complete instructions to guide makers every step of the way.With a focus on practical and useful projects, Annie's patterns appeal to sewists of all ages and levels and serve as a great base for classes. Annie is the creator of ByAnnie's Soft and Stable, an innovative product she designed to add body, stability, and a professional finish to purses, bags, home dec items, and more.A popular Bluprint/Craftsy instructor and BERNINA Ambassador, Annie has a broad range of information to share from using the proper supplies and equipment to easy techniques that give professional results.

Doohikey Designs® is the work of artist Shari Butler. Since childhood she has always been involved with the arts and crafts. Whether it’s from tickling the ivory keyboard, singing a song, or doodling on a piece of paper, She always has something brewing in her creative mind and spirit. Shari’s beautiful work is populated with vintage like characters and whimsical designs that are inspired from her childhood. With the opportunities of freelancing with some national companies, she was inspired to follow her own dream and to search for her own creative niche. Shari fell in love with quilting, sewing, and the idea of fabric. She loves and is inspired by the idea that someday when someone makes a quilt with her designs it will be passed down from generation to generation.Her style is vintage with a modern twist in her surface designs. She is always exploring the arts, and how to increase her skill set through all different types of media. As a surface designer, she’s always in the creative mode. You never know what she will be designing next.When she discovered the community of quilting, she found her passion and dream job in designing fabric. She now is pursuing creating notions, embroidery patterns, pet products, and more under her brand name, Doohikey Designs®.Shari is the creator of Binding Babies® a new craft and quilt notion.Shari has become a business nerd, and has taken after her father's entrepreneurial spirit. She is excited to serve you better by bringing, and creating products that you will love.

Wonderfil Thread is a family owned company founded in 1988. They're a Canadian business that began with a single rayon embroidery thread line that has expanded to include threads as fine as 100wt and as heavy as 3wt! Now an international company participating in over 100 events worldwide each year, you may have visited the Wonderfil booth at your favorite quilt show. Their current thread lines include cotton, polyester, rayon, metallic, and wool. And, they've expanded to notions as well! We hope you enjoy this interview with Calista Ngai of Wonderfil Specialty Threads!

Natalie is a former Army Nurse Corps Officer turned (self-proclaimed) tree hugging, granola eating "hippie". She creates patterns for sewing and quilting projects, lots of tutorials, and other quick makes that are modern and fresh, with the aim of helping everyone through - no matter their skill level. Sewhungryhippie is all about MAKING. Just get started and stop worrying about the rest. FOR REAL.Among other things, she is known for her COLORFUL and easy to sew vinyl selection -- she has you covered if you're new to sewing this material! She also carries amazing hardware, zippers, and notions! She has great style, and will only sell what she would use and would buy herself.Please enjoy this fabulous interview with Natalie of Sew Hungry Hippie!

Swan Sheridan lives in Tucson, Arizona with her super hero husband and teenaged daughter.  She has a passion for all things textile and has dabbled in everything from spinning wool to dying fiber.  In 2001, Swan made her first quilt in preparation for the birth of her first nephew.  In the interests of covering a mistake in that first project, she used a little applique at the center of the project and perhaps it was that combination of piecing and applique that acted as a catalyst.  Quilting has been the preferred obsession, ever after.Swan began designing her own quilts from the beginning, making patterns on freezer paper and working to figure out her pieces from scratch.  In 2009, with her daughter in preschool, Swan began to refine her applique skills and set out to push her skills to the limit, but always with unique designs.  Soon after she took a job with Bella Quiltworks in Tucson, offering her the opportunity to be immersed in the quilting world in a whole new way. Swan began producing patterns for sale in early 2013 and regularly exhibits her work in local and national shows.  She teaches in Tucson and around the country, offering classes in appliqué, color, machine quilting, painting, and decorative stitches.On any given day, you can find this quilt artist half buried in fabric, brandishing her needle and thread, and otherwise surrounded by implements of creativity.

In this interview with Daniela Stout, we talk about her Strip Tube Ruler (and Junior!) and how they came to be.Daniela Stout is the owner of Cozy Quilt Shop in El Cajon, which opened in 2003. Daniela was a marketing manager for a book distributor, and dreamed of running her own business with her husband Rick. Rick had the business know-how and Daniela had a passion for quilting. After many months of dreaming, planning, and exploring, they took the leap. And have loved it ever since.Why “Cozy Quilt Shop”? Their kids call a blanket of any kind a “cozy.” When they are cold, or when they are sick, they ask for a cozy. It's a name that means home and comfort to the Stout family. And that’s just what they wanted for their new store.As the business grew, they launched a line of patterns called Cozy Quilt Designs. They also launched the greatest “of-the-month” program called "Strip Club!" Each month they offer a coordinated bundle of about 40 – 2 ½” strips and a new original pattern to help put the strips to use. They have a lecture once a month to debut the new sample and present the pattern. It's a lot of fun for everyone and everyone is welcome. While they put this event on hold because of stupid covid and stupid cancer, it’s back and you should absolutey go and join the fun!As you may have gathered from the “stupid cancer” comment above, Daniela was diagnosed with cancer. It was on her 49th birthday, November 10, 2020. Ovarian cancer. Stage 3b.  It was a bumpy path with some very low lows. As with all cancer journeys, it was a frightening time. But we are happy to report things took a turn for the better, and we are expecting the words "remission" and "maintenance" to overshadow chemotherapy and infusion. Daniela is truly an inspiration to many quilters, and quilt shop owners... we're so happy to share her story this week on the podcast!

Julie accidentally started quilting in 2010 and hasn't looked back. She has taught all across the US and brings a fun, relaxed teaching style to every venue. From publishing 2 books, traveling around the country, inventing new quilting toys to teaching, lecturing and running a business, she brings a wealth of life experiences along with her own style of quilting. Currently, she and her husband live in Florida where they run Off the Wall Quilt, a company specializing in custom rulers and templates.  They’ve raised 3 children, hosted 12 exchange students and moved across the country.  Traveling to quilt shows, they’ve seen most of the USA and in between visited a few other countries.  Julie sees life as an adventure and is eager to see what comes next.

Christa Watson is an enthusiastic, award-winning quilter from Las Vegas, Nevada who enjoys teaching others to find joy in making “perfectly imperfect” quilts from start to finish. She's an author, traveling teacher, pattern designer, fabric designer, occasional quilt judge, and quilting industry ambassador. She is a cheerleader for the "do-it-yourself” machine quilting movement who believes that quilts don't have to be perfect to be functional and beautiful.Christa has been making her living in the quilting industry for over 20 years, and she believes that if you can dream it, you can do it! Follow her online @christaquilts, christaquilts.tv and christaquilts.com.

Hailing from the picturesque landscapes of Hobart, Tasmania (Australia) meet Helen Stubbings—a pioneering force in the quilting universe, celebrated for her ingenious techniques that seamlessly blend innovation with approachability. Helen's journey is a captivating exploration of artistic passion meeting practical brilliance.As the creative genius behind "Hugs 'n Kisses" since 2001 Helen has redefined the art of quilting through her ground-breaking appliqué paper and English Paper Piecing (EPP) iron-on products. These revolutionary methods have transformed traditional quilting into a realm of modern convenience and limitless imagination.With a warm and inclusive teaching approach, Helen has empowered a global community of crafters to embrace her game-changing tools. Her workshops, books and patterns serve as guiding lights, illuminating the path for enthusiasts to effortlessly create intricate designs using the precision of appliqué paper or the ease of EPP iron-on shapes.Helen’s main passion is the ‘therapy of stitching’ and she strives to both provide methods and tools to achieve this, whilst championing the vision of ‘making a difference’ through our craft.With over 500 patterns, 7 books, and several notions developed to make the process enjoyable and achievable by all, Helen has travelled the world teaching, sharing and educating for many years. Her quilts have won many awards across Australia and the USA and her methods and notions are used by quilters in all corners of the world. Her skills have also extended to fabric design, thread collections and surface pattern design.Years of tutorials and how to’s are provided by Helen to assist you with their HNK products and EasyHNK techniques at the links at iLoveNotions.com. Find on our YouTube channel, on our website and at the online academy.

We're so excited to announce the very first Season of I Love Notions is launching August 15th!