2022 Longarm Seminar At Sea

Adam Rateliff grew up in a family of fiber artists. His grandmother could create anything with a needle and embroidery floss; his mother is a very talented sewist, especially with garments and costumes. He remembers, at a young age, sitting and watching his mother create, and one day asked her to teach him how to sew. He retained those skills and built on them throughout his life and finds his joy and happiness helping quilters realize their quilting goals. 

Adam began quilting in 2012. As a beginner he was in awe of longarm quilters, imagining what it would be like to have the freedom of finishing his quilting projects himself and the creativity it would inspire. After much thought and some good friends for support, he purchased a HQ Infinity® with Pro-Stitcher®, and has been quilting professionally ever since. 

Adam enjoys teaching quilting classes at local shops, guilds, and in his home studio. His students are those who are usually found laughing the loudest while working on brand new skills. Adam excels at getting quilters outside of their comfort zone, teaching the best ways to use rulers, free motion, or blending Pro-Stitcher designs with free motion work. His relaxed fun style in and out of class, inspire others to have fun with their journey in quilting. 

Adam is also a member of the Handi Quilter Inspiration Squad, and can be found making how-to videos on his YouTube channel at AdamSewFun. He also inspires others through multiple social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. A native of California, he spent four years in Eugene, Oregon and he recently spent two years in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his family (including dogs Duchess and Barry) look forward to his upcoming relocation back to California in the summer of 2021.

At age five, Susan Manry’s mother taught her to thread a needle and make a running stitch. Before long, she had taken over the sewing machine. Growing up, Susan’s interests included textiles, drawing, design, and a broad range of arts and crafts. While raising three busy children and running an insurance business with her husband, her hobbies expanded to include digital drawing, web authoring, and computer technology. 

Yearning for a career using her creative talents, Susan was smitten after discovering the combination of her creative joys in one activity, long arm quilting! Fabric, drawing, design, and sewing all in one complete package was simply too enticing to resist, and soon she was happily partnered with her HQ Fusion® and Pro-Stitcher®. Mastering Pro-Stitcher and Pro-Stitcher Designer™ and seeking innovative ways to use both, Susan now enjoys quilting professionally with the HQ Infinity®. She has also added the HQ Sweet Sixteen® to her studio, expanding her skills and talents to include sit-down quilting. 

Susan believes she was meant to quilt and she relishes any opportunity to share her love and knowledge of the craft with others. She lives in Central Texas with her husband, Mike, and their two pups.

Micki Chappelear resides in Hillsboro, Illinois, a rural farming community where she has lived her entire life. She was introduced to her love of sewing through 4-H and doing alterations at a men’s clothing store at the young age of 16. Growing up in a family of five children, Micki shared the joy of creating crafts and sewing with her mother, who always made the family’s clothing. 

Later in life, Micki found her passion for longarm quilting while at a Mothers’ Day outing with her sisters, taking their mother to a quilt show. While there, Micki’s sister spotted a Handi Quilter machine and said it looked like something she would like. Micki tried the machine and was hooked! After two months of dreaming about the machine and the possibilities of what she could create, and after doing her research as a consumer, she ordered the HQ Fusion® with Pro-Stitcher® and never looked back! Each day she quilts, she looks forward to turning on her machine and spending the day doing what she loves. Micki now also owns the HQ Sweet Sixteen® and all three models of the HQ Stitch machines. 

Micki and her husband have a married daughter and two darling granddaughters, Gracie and Piper. Gracie already has her first sewing machine and when she comes to visit she always asks to quilt. Micki stays busy making memories with her family and of course, with Handi Quilter