Yvonne Menear is my guest quilter this month--an independent educator for quilting and machine embroidery from Langley, B.C. I first met Yvonne, at the Victoria Sewing and Crafts Show this past February where she gave lectures on quilting and bobbin work(!), which made me take notice. It was great to see another educator being passionate about helping others achieve success with this underrated and worthwhile skill. It takes special patience to teach bobbinwork, which reveals she loves and appreciates Thread. Aside from all these great qualities, she's delightfully friendly, which helps keep her busy teaching and traveling. Below she shares a cross section of her class topics and personal projects. Enjoy! Cinderella...

How would you define your style of quilting? I am more of a traditional quilter.  Art quilts confuse me.  I can sew, but drawing and designing from an artistic viewpoint is hard for me.  I am artistic in color, embellishment, and adding machine embroidery.

What is your favorite workshop(s) to teach?  I prefer to teach tips and techniques classes.  If the students understand the techniques, they can apply that to anything they make.  That way there is individual expression in what they do.  I also like teaching classes involving computer technology.  I teach quilt design programs, photo programs for transfers, basic computer skills classes, and machine embroidery classes. 

Apple Core Die Cut 

Trees 

What are some of your favorite quilts or projects you’ve created?

You can see some of my more recent quilts on my blog webpage at www.yvonnemenear.com .  Recently I have been adding more appliqué to my quilts.  This is quick and easy using my AccuQuilt Go die cutting machine.  But, I also have a deep love of machine embroidery.  The intricate stitches are highlighted with my favorite Superior Threads.  I have attached some photos for you with this mini-interview.

Fun Flower Tulip Snowflake Feathers Appliqué

 Rose of Sharon

Do you have a favorite sewing machine(s)? I love all machines.  They basically are all the same—the needle goes up and down and the designs are created by movement of the fabric in multi directions.  Having said that, I like a machine that is user friendly and I have local support for the machine repairs and maintenance.  I have several Brother sewing machines.  In the classes I teach, a lot of the students have the Janome.  They are both great machines.

How many machines do you have? I own 10 machines and I keep at least 5 of them running all the time.  When I was in the market for a machine I would buy a machine based on the sewing techniques I was doing at that time.  If I grew in the techniques I wanted to use, I often would need a new machine to meet my needs at that time.  Trade ins on machines is not good so I kept my older machines as backups.  Now I recommend to people to purchase the biggest, best, machine on the market with all the bells and whistles that they can afford.  In this way you can grow into your machine as your needs change.  Machines are very expensive and you don’t want to keep buying new ones all the time.

Which instructors or workshops have most inspired you? I have had the opportunity to take classes with Ricky Tims, Jane Sassaman, Libby Lehman, Karen Combs, Penny Muncaster Jewell, Becky McNeill, and many more.  I always enjoy learning new things.  If I come away from a class with one new idea or a new way of doing an old technique then I am happy.

Sassaman Inspired (cropped)

 Arabesque Flowers (Ricky Tims Inspired)

What other things inspire you to teach and quilt?  I get inspiration from everything.  Quilt shows and embroidery clubs give me lots of ideas.  I watch for quilts to show up in the backgrounds of TV programs and movies.  Old architecture with its intricate geometric designs inspire me.  Lately I have been designing embroidered quilts based on things I played with as a child.  Making string art pictures and playing with a spirograph toy is having an influence on my quilts.  Color is always an inspiration for me also.  My husband likes Asian designs so I am inspired to try some of them also.

Whom is on your ‘instructor/quilter wish list’ to meet and why? I have met many of the top name quilters and machine embroidery people all ready in my travels.  I find as much inspiration from individuals in local quilt groups as I do big name instructors.  I enjoy internet interviews with top quilters and you-tube video instructions.  I also love meeting with vendors at quilt and sewing shows that are selling the products I use. 

What would you like other quilters or stitchers to know about you?  I am not one of those instructors who believe their way is the only way.  I love sharing a technique and then standing back and seeing what the students are doing with the idea.  I take great joy in seeing individuals express themselves through an idea I shared with them.  I am very flexible and would rather do everything I can to help others meet their own needs than to tell them what I think they need to know.  I love public speaking and doing hands on classes and power point presentations. Also, I love writing and have been doing small articles for national magazines.  I was recently published for the third time in the Quilters Connection magazine.  Maybe a book will be in my future.

"Here are some embroidery projects I taught recently in my embroidery club. You can see more of our projects at the Ft. Langley Embroidery Group blog page." Yvonne       http://fortlangleyembroiderygroup.blogspot.com/   

What determines your Thread choices in your projects? Thread is like candy to me and I have a real sweet tooth!  I like good quality threads that hold up well to repeated laundry.  Intense colors attract me more than pastels.  I also absolutely love variegated threads.  I prefer polyester for most of my work, but I also use rayon and cotton blends.  I had a chance to visit a thread mill in North Carolina a year ago and watched the process of spinning threads onto spools.  My favorite brand of thread is Superior Threads.  I also like the Brother/Pacesetter threads.

Whole Cloth Thread Painting 

www.yvonnemenear.com  

Thank you so much for sharing your passion and projects, Yvonne. I invite anyone to comment below and visit her website for details on her classes, workshops and lectures.   

Cindy Scraba  Cindy's Threadworks

• Please click below (Focus on Quilters) for past profiles in this guest series.

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