We got a great welcome from the Handi Quilter people today when we arrived, and the CEO gave us a guided tour of their new facility. We saw the massive assembly area, testing area, TV studio, etc and of course the main training room upstairs where we spent today and where we will be tomorrow too.
There are heaps of beautiful quilts on all the walls in the administration area of the building and in all the offices.
Our training today was the basics of tension, needles, and thread, with 10 practice pieces using all sorts of threads (metallics, monofilament, silk, etc.). After lunch we worked on micro quilting, practising on printed fabrics and then applying that to our project piece.
The lovely people at Handi Quilter served us lunch, provided free water and sodas and nibbles, and put on supper for us too, after an amazing trunk show of antique quilts quilted in a modern style.
Tomorrow we have more training (ruler work and couching), followed by dinner with the team (we have 5 trainers in the room to help us all!).
Here are a few photos from today…
Helen Godden presenting the CEO of Handi Quilter with her couched quilt of Montana for his office
Happy trainers!
Trainers on kangaroos
Trainers, Helen Godden, and Karlee Porter
Busy working
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 
Looks like a quilter’s paradise to me, but why do they use those very uncomfortable chairs?
The more I use it, the more I love my Tiara and maybe someday I can come closer to being as good as you!
I’m really enjoying your travel blog. Utah must not have a very strong animal protection group. If they did, a zoo like that would be shut down.
What is an antique quilt quilted in a modern style? Pictures?
See McCall’s Quilting Heritage Quilts, fall 2014. All that we saw live are in the magazine.
Sounds like so much fun. I saw Karlee Porter on an epiosode of “Quilt It – the longarm show with Jodie Davis on QNNTV. Very impressive! Yippee Yay Yey – love the kangaroo riders!