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Liz blev vald till Member Of the Month för Oktober 2006 av QNNTV.com och här är hennes berättelse som även finns på här 

Liz Hoffman
MOM for October 2006

Hi, My name is Liz Hoffman. I live in Sweden in a town called Västerås that’s located one hour from our capital city Stockholm. Here is a photo of me and my love of my life Paul.

This is my story how I got totally hooked on quilting about four - five years ago. I was teaching several clothing classes here in our local Husqvarna Wiking sewing machine shop some years ago. Just next to my room was a Quilt class and they were making a lot of noise all the time. They were running back and fourth to the iron and laughing all the time. And I didn’t see any finished project, but ooh did they work hard. New projects every week, almost. They went on like this for several month and we met once a week. This was the first time I meet quilter’s. I thought they were a bit strange.

Then there was an opportunity for me to go a quilting class hold within the shop. I was not so interested but I thought it was a good way to use up a bundle of quilting fabrics I had grabbed (the bow on the packages was so cute and the fabrics was absolute lovely) in a sewing festival 2 years earlier. Anyway, I showed up for class with a scissor and my measure tape and asked were the paper pattern was? You can guess the rest from here. The result from this Crazy Quilt class is below. It’s my first Quilt related creation.

Thank you Lena Qvarnström (the teacher) She showed me several lovely quilts this evening and it was the first time a saw several finished quilts!

From that day it has been quilting for me. I cannot believe how big the Quilting industry is. You can learn a great deal things and still there is more. I started to read a lot of magazines and books. I said: “-Bye, bye to Burda Magazines and -Hello to Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine”. Off course I visited some local quilt shop. Fist time I visited my favourite local (-Yes we have two shops in our area) Quilt shop Amandaro www.amandaro.se  I was overwhelmed.  It’s an absolutely lovely, inspiring Quilt shop with such helpful professional staff as well. I went home with a bag full of magazines and one book and a little bit of fabric.

The other shop is located in a near town and it’s called Mia’s Quiltbod. www.miasquiltbod.se This is where I got my fabric from for my second quilt. I thought I did a great job picking fabric and went in to Mia’s shop to get the last one. (You never have enough fabrics! Does somebody recognize this phenomenal?). I asked for some help and in five minute’s she had picked out the most wonderful combination of fabrics for me. It was to become a birthday present for my husband so I wanted it to be masculine.

It’s called “My heart to you, Paul”

I continued to read the magazines, books and the www.keepsakequilting.com  little lovely catalogue. Then I ordered their Monthly club and just love when the package dumps in the mailbox every month. I also attended some Quilt classes. When QNN started it was like Christmas every day!! I cannot thank you enough for this lovely initiative. Right now at the same time when I write this letter I have “Quilting with Shar” Country Garden Quilt with Shar Jorgenson to enjoy. I watch QNN daily and have learn a lot from just sitting and watching the show. It is like a private lesson! It so much fun! You get all the goodies right to your own private sewing studio.

 I also enjoy being a member of two Swedish Yahoo lists called “Quilt och Lappteknik”. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quilt_lappteknik/ and the other one is called “Quilt Snack” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quiltsnack/ . The language is off course in Swedish but there are some members participating from other Scandinavian countries as well. If you want to become a member you are more than welcome. It’s a lot of fun. We often get the opportunity to meet and the one that comes up next is an annual meeting for those of us who are a member of any of the Quilt Guilds www.rikstacket.com here in Sweden.  Next opportunity to meet I guess is the Quilt Marathon witch is a weekend in November just with quilting friends.

As I then kept on watching QNN and the program “Perfecting Patchwork” with Jodi Barrows came on www.perfectingpatchwork.com 

and I thought this could be something for me as well, since I seams to love piecing. “The harder, the better” was my melody. But the things she showed was so simple that I bought all the Square in a Square ruler’s and books. “Never cut and sew another triangle again”, she said. I didn’t believe her then, but I do now. It is just that simple, I just love the technique. Since then I have produced a bounce of quilt, mostly tops (I don’t know why?) in a snap. And a lots of these quilt I had never even thought about if I haven’t found the Square in a Square technique. I want to spent my treasured time I have for quilting on other stuff like hand appliqué, hand quilting and make lots and lots of quilts. Rather than hassling around with triangles. The little extra fabrics that are spent using this technique is saved in time spent. My first reaction using this technique (when I saw it worked!) was “Why haven’t anybody showed me this before??” Here are a few of the quilts I have made using this technique and pattern:

Fantasy Star Quilt from the “Border’s by the Square” and “The 10^th Anniversary edition” book

Triangle Galaxy Mini Quilt from the “Blocks by the Square” and “The 10^th Anniversary edition” book

Constellation quilt

About “the harder to piece, the better”, here is the quilt I just had to make as my fourth quilt. It was the covers quilt in one of the first the Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazines I bought. In the magazine it’s called “Bushfire Birthday”. It was hand pieced in the Winding Ways block so I put the magazine away. I did try to hand piece one block and it took my about three and a half hours from template to finished block. Too much of my time, I thought. But I couldn’t forget the Quilt.  So a few months later I was trilled when I found a book that made the Winding Way block easy to piece by machine (four blocks in an evening) so I decided to make the quilt anyway. I call it “Dream values in red”. I have used in wool batting and enjoy hand quilting it. It feels just like butter to hand quilt thru this structure.

My Winding Ways quilt “Dream values in red”

The most exciting part right now in quilting for me is that I try to tech myself machine quilting and it goes very slowly. But just keep on practise is just the right way to go I think. “Rome was not build in one day” as somebody stated.

I also hold Quilt classes and particularly in the Square in a Square technique. At quilt Shop Amandaro www.amandaro.se we have started a Block of the Month club and the interest is big so I think we have to start a second group as well. Here is a photo from a beginner’s class from this autumn when I visit a quilt guild “NärkeKviltarna” in a town called Örebro. We had so much fun! I’m standing to the right in the picture. Thank you Malin Gotemo Hanell for the picture!

 I will become a certified Square in a Square teacher next spring and are visiting Jodi Barrows to take her Certification class in Texas. This is going to be lots of fun and I will enjoy the southern hospitality. I hope to learn a lot. I’m always eager to learn more.

Beginners Class from Närkekviltarna learning the Square in a Square technique

I have a big Sewing room (Quilting Studio) in my home with lots of machines and lots of space. (Off course I had to buy a new Quilting machine Janome).  This room makes it possible for me to quilt every day. I like making quilts as present to all the family members. I haven’t made one for everone yet so I keep on quilting. The first picture below is a quilt I made for my friend Irja.  It’s made in Batiks and pastels. Machine quilted!

For the moment I’m working on my second quilt of the “Shakespeare in the Park” designed by Judy Martin. www.judymartin.com I just love all her designs. Then I have a blast on my design wall as you can see in the second photo! This is to become a present for my son. But I can’t decide if he wants to have it in blue or brown so I making booth. I tried to combine the two colours but I didn’t think it looked good. Making it this way I can keep one for my self! I hope he picks the blue one!

A quilt I made for my friend Irja

Part of the Shakespeare in the park in action on the design wall

I work at a big company called ABB here in Vasterås and we develop a complex automatic control system that can run an oil platform or a paper mill or some other automatic control system. I work in the developer department and it’s amazing every time something really works. And even better when we get the opportunity to visit the customer site and see it in reality. It’s most stimulating work, but not so creative. That’s why the quilting is so important to me. I work a lot better after have been quilting. Don’t’ ask me why. And I have to stay in shape (exercise) to be able to quilt as much as I like. That’s just an other reason to keep on Quilting!                  

All this could not been reality without my supporting team. My family. Here they are. My husband Paul and our oldest son Wictor 19 year old is in the first picture. Next picture is Wictor again and our youngest lovely daughter Wictoria who is becoming a young lady next year. She become 18 year in February. Live goes so fast! Next picture is Wictoria holding the quilt I made for my mother in law as a present for her 75th birthday this summer. I have to show you a picture of my mother and father in law as well. They are the sweetest you can imagine! So I have a big supporting team at home to count on.

I was very surprised but a little bit flattered when Natalie asked me to become the next QNN Member of the Month. So when she insisted a second time I thought: “This can be fun; maybe I meet some new friends”. So I hope you want to become my quilting friends as well.

Don’t hesitate to mail me if you have anything to ask or just want to respond to my little Quilt related presentation. I do love to get mail from quilting friends. You can contact me at my mail address: lizhoffmanse@yahoo.se or maybe I see you in Texas next spring! Or at some exciting quilt Retreat for QNN. Hope to see you then!

Best regards and lots of Quilt hugs from Sweden wishes Liz Hoffman