Texas Pride Quilting Cruise

Sandra's passion is fiber art, especially quilting. She has been sewing since childhood and then made clothing for my entire family after she married. She learned the art of quilting soon after moving to Alaska. Sandra started quilting in 1976 and is always open to new techniques and patterns. She began teaching in 1995 and loves to share the skills needed to pass on this beautiful tradition. She is one of our most beloved local teachers and is Judy Niemeyer Certified!

Sandra joined our Stitchin' Heaven family in 2006 as the Block of the Month manager. She is also a long arm quilter. She does beautiful work quilting many of our shop models, several of which, have been featured in magazines.

Chris began quilting in 1989 when she made her first sampler quilt. Sewing a block a week quickly turned into sewing a block a day and soon sampler quilts and scrappy quilts became her all-consuming passion. “Quilting soothes my soul and has kept me sane many times over the years!” Her eclectic style is inspired by everything from color and texture to architecture and nature and she loves to share her passion speaking and teaching classes for quilt shops and guilds since 1999. Her designs have been seen in Quiltmania, Best Fat Quarter Quilts, Best Weekend Quilts and Quilts from Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks. She was a finalist in McCall’s 2012 Design Star competition.

“My designs may look complicated but they are easily broken down into simple elements. I encourage quilters to see beyond the color and fabric in a quilt and to imagine the possibilities of the design – how to make it suit their individual style.” Chris designs under the name Whirligig Designs.

Melanie taught middle and high school English in Texas for 29 years before retiring in 2011 to follow her passion for quilting and everything it involves. This obsession with quilts started in 1990 when she made her first one. Most of what she learned in the beginning was self-taught. Later, she took some classes at a local quilt shop to sharpen her skills and to be around fellow quilters. Eventually, she used her teaching skills to teach quilt classes in that shop as well as to local groups of ladies. She has designed few quilts and has self-published the patterns.

After her retirement, she started longarming for customers and that eventually grew into a thriving business. In 2013, Melanie and her husband decided to start an online quilt shop and Friendship Cabin was born. They have traveled to several quilt shows as vendors and hope to continue to do so.