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In reflecting back on 2020, one thing is certain, it’s been a year full of change. We had to learn new ways of living. From the way we work, to the way we shop and even the way we learn. And learn we did!
Learning
We learned how to cook at home, everyday, we learned how to share with our neighbors (toilet paper), we learned how to be together, without actually being together. And we learned how to make sour dough bread.
We learned to Zoom.
And we rallied together (but apart) to take on the unique realities and challenges of this year.
Change?
Many things changed in 2020, forcing us to adapt. Change is stressful. So we used quilting to find calm amid the stress. That’s one thing that didn’t change.
HQ is renowned for supporting and educating our machine owners. That’s another thing that didn’t change.
As a company, we at Handi Quilter devoted ourselves to finding new ways to bring you the quality education you have come to expect from us.
Our celebrated hands-on learning opportunities had to be put on hold, for a bit, while we devised a way to safely hold these events at Handi Quilter headquarters and at shops near you.
Handi Quilter University
We consulted with heath and government experts to devise a way to safely hold classes in the Handi Quilter studio. Now we have a safe event, complete with masks and social distancing and hand sanitizer and handlebar covers, to go along with all the excellent information and fun.
Handi Quilter Academy
The premier annual event, that brings together quilters and world-class instructors from all over the world, was impossible to hold as an in-person event. 300 quilters, (as delightful as that sounds), learning and laughing and eating all in one place just could not happen this year. So we found a way to bring those classes to you in a virtual format. HQ Academy 2020 Virtual Sneak Peek presented classes to ticket holders that they can go back and watch as many times as they would like. It was a hit!
Watch and Learn
Wanting to give everyone the opportunity to grow and learn inspired us to start our weekly video program on Facebook called Watch and Learn. It’s a little mini-class that covers all sorts of topics from ruler quilting, to Pro-Stitcher, to free-motion, to how to use various gadgets for quilting. It’s fun and it’s free. You can find it on our Facebook page every Tuesday at noon Mountain time. Post a question in the comments and you’ll get an answer from one of the HQ experts! You can watch recordings of previous shows on our YouTube channel. And be sure to LIKE and Subscribe so you don’t miss a thing. As a bonus, each week a HQ product is featured at a special discount.
What’s next?
It is your drive to keep learning that motivates us – and in 2021 we will continue to think big and create innovations to keep you learning and finishing quilts.
For now, thanks for learning with us.
There are many things we’d like to forget about this year. But hopefully we will never forget all we learned.
We wish you and your families all the best of health, happiness and quilty-ness in the new year.
by Mary Beth Krapil
Nice article Mary Beth! I am grateful for the at home learning Handi Quilter has offered. I look forward to 2021 looking more normal for everyone and what new learning events Handi Quilter will be offering this year. Thanks for the inspiration for us cooped up at home!
Thanks so much for sharing new techniques and ideas for using our long arms. I love exploring the many ways in using my long arm. I have learned so much from watching and sharing tutorials from HQ and this year did not disappoint. I can’t wait to see what this upcoming year has in store.
I’m going on 3 years now as an HQ owner and I love my Amara. Gina (while she was still with Kingdom Sewing in Simi Valley, CA.) came to my home to help set up and install my new toy. I received about 2-3 hours of training that day and for lack of time, we set up a time for Gina to come back out to my home. With life changes we all experience, that time never happened. Care of my disabled daughter, placement and adoption proceedings of my granddaughter, everyday life, and then Covid kind of put a damper on my learning the full potential of my Amara. I attempted to follow along with the online learning of my Pro-Stitcher, but became more frustrated as I never learned anything about the previous model of the Stitcher. Any suggestions you may have that will help me learn the full potential of my machine would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and a happy and healthy New Year to all.
I am so grateful for the videos especially during this time of COID. I have had a Handiquilter Longarm, recently updating to an Amara. The Watch and Learn videos have allowed me to use much of my free time to learn lots of shortcuts and new tools ( or tools I already had and not used). I will look forward to the tips each week. Keep them coming!
Thanks Mary jo Ilearn best with videos I can g
Help! I SO Need the Handi Quilter Academy! I was hoping to come learn in person, as I still need to get someone in to help put my handles and laser light on, and plug in the electronics. If I can go in person, get CD’s, practice pieces, etc. it will help me so much. We have no dealers here oon the Kenai Peninsula, so closest I can find would be in Wasilla, Palmer or Fairbanks, and none are less than 4 hrs away
Is there going to be an in person Academy this year? Dates?? How to sign
Thank you,
Donna Endresen
Kasilof, AK
Donna, we are hoping to be able to have Academy in 2021. But as we all know, the situation we are living in these days changes almost daily. Time will tell, but we are working on Academy 2021 and are keeping our hopes up. We can’t wait to see you there!
I am trying to find on the HQ website under education where you have your PRINTABLE instructions for different techniques in particular on the Pro=Stitcher where I can find the instructions for Placing a Border between corners. Your website has changed so much since I last logged on. Where is the site for getting PRINTABLE instructions. Please where is this on your website.
Wanda, You’ll find the Pro-Stitcher tutorials at prostitcher.com