I am honored to be featured in two different magazines coming out in February, and crazy as it sounds, I am on the cover of both!

Managing Editor, for both “Sewing, Quilting, Embroidery (SQE) Professional” and “Quilting Now”, Beth Vitiritto, interviewed me and wrote up a great article featuring me and my three different businesses in the quilting industry—Cranberry Quiltworks, Threaded Pear Studio and QuiltersBuzz---.

Beth sent me a preview of the article, and then told me that she was going to use the article as the main feature and cover story. WOW!

I never thought I’d be a “cover girl”—wrinkles and all!   And actually, I was pretty uncomfortable being photographed for the piece.  A natural, I am not!  The article is titled “Buzzing Around The Industry With Gina Halladay” and I am pleased with the how the article turned out.  It is a full three-pages long…I never thought I could talk about myself for so long!

Thanks, Beth, for the opportunity to get my “story and my face” out there. This has been a fun adventure…But wait, there is more fun to come…

I just confirmed that I will be a guest on “The Quilt Show” with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.  I will be filming at the end of March—another first for me--- and another reason to lose that extra 20 pounds…

Read an excerpt of Beth’s article on the next page…

 Gina explained, “Amy instantly understood my concept for QuiltersBuzz and I will be forever grateful for her support and friendship. She agreed to become a regular guest writer, giving my readers insight to how she designs, her inspiration and the happenings at her studio.

 On one of her posts, some of my readers questioned her rules restricting the use of her fabric for certain commercial purposes. Amy graciously responded to their questions and a great dialog between writer and reader began. Over the course of a few weeks, the dialog of questions and answers continued. Amy revisited her policies and she revised them. She wrote an article and I posted it on QuiltersBuzz. I am convinced that a blog format can be a powerful place to create an interactive environment where two or more parties can voice opinions, interact with others, and solve or discuss issues, problems, likes and dislikes. It is a place to build a community.”…

 ...In addition, to QuiltersBuzz, Gina has a quilt pattern design company called Threaded Pear Studio. (www.threadedpear.com) She and her business partner Stephanie Goudzwaard design a series of quilting patterns called “Afternoon Delights, Quilts You Can Make In An Afternoon Or Two.” They currently have 23 different patterns. 

 “We both used to work at a quilt shop and we taught beginning quilting classes,” said Gina. “We really saw the need for quilt patterns that beginners could actually complete in a day or two. We felt it was empowering for a new quilter to go home from a quilting class with a nearly finished -- if not finished -- quilt top. Our patterns, however, have had a great cross-over for the seasoned quilter.”

 Stephanie and Gina began a longarm quilting business on a Gammill Statler Stitcher (a computerized quilting machine) at the same time they started their pattern design studio.  It was the ultimate in “multi-tasking” -- doing “hands free” longarming on the Statler at the same time as designing, cutting and sewing up their pattern samples. 

 “We quilted 300 quilts our first year and created our first 11 patterns,” said Gina. “We hope to be designing fabric soon.”

 In January, Gina became a dealer for the Gammill quilting machines at Cranberry Quiltworks. (www.CranberryQuiltworks.com). She and Stephanie moved their Threaded Pear Design Studio to the showroom/studio of Cranberry Quiltworks located in Yorba Linda, CA…

 I guess you can say Gina loves this industry. 

 She said, “I am never at a loss for things to write about. I could write all day, every day and still not get it all out.  I see quilt patterns in my sleep and have a pad of paper beside my bed at all times for those 3 a.m. brainstorms. I really do not sleep much because my mind spins with ideas!”

 Gina’s biggest supporters are her family members. She is thankful for her husband Hal (He owns a business blog publishing company, www.KnowMoreMedia.com.) and their four kids who have all learned to adjust to a sometimes crazy lifestyle.

 “They all now know when I refer to ‘market,’ I mean ‘Quilt Market’ and not the grocery store!” Gina joked. “They have all had to stuff hundreds of patterns, load and unload quilting machines and a truckload of batting, cook their own dinner, and dig through piles of laundry to find the various parts of their sports uniforms. They put up with me, conducting interviews during halftimes of soccer or football games and staying up to all hours of the night writing or designing.”

 Gina’s next big step for the future? She wants to put in a washer and dryer at the shop, stating, “I know it does not sound like much of a career move, but I think it could be a sanity saver for my family!”

 Through life’s experiences, Gina has met wonderful people who have inspired her – to be a better person, to strive to make the world a better place, and to always use her talents to be that “crafty” gal the quilting industry is growing to love!”

(Photos thanks to my photo friend, Beth Lamb)