Get to know the QQQ's: Jessica from Sky Dancer Threads

Hi! I'm Jessica Chyko and my shop is Sky Dancer Threads

I live in Bloomsburg PA, USA

I've always had a love of sewing and started when I was 3 years old. When I was 12, I made my first quilt; a pair of baby quilts that I tied with yarn for my neighbor's new twins. I continued making baby quilts for others who were expecting. I always loved star quilts, the broken star one being my favorite. My first full size quilt that I completed was a queen size bear paw that I hand quilted and gave to my husband's parents. 

Looking at it now, I can see how far my stitches have come since then. I continued to make a few queen size quilts for friends and family members as wedding gifts. I always enjoyed quilting. When I joined a local quilt guild, I was introduced to new techniques and ideas. I started machine quilting (a learning process that continues to this day, as I'm always looking to improve on techniques and patterns) and opened up the way for new styles besides traditional piecing. 

One year, we had a challenge at my guild to use a very funky, colorful fat 8th of fabric in anything we wanted. I had a great idea and enlisted the help of my talented friend, artist Kristin Tuberville Haffey, owner of Tree House Illustrator , to help me design a Beatles tribute quilt. 

It was my first applique project and I won 3rd place for it. After that, applique wasn't so scary to me, and I expaned my designs to more art quilts, including a portrait of John Lennon (also a guild challenge project).

When she (Kristin) was going to be married, I wanted to make her a very special quilt. I knew she loved Celtic designs, just like I did. I had always wanted to make a quilt with Celtic knots on it, so this was the perfect opportunity to learn! I checked out a book at the library and went to work. I made er a queen size quilt with matching pillowcases and a throw pillow (first photo top). 

I loved the technique and designs so much that I started creating my own traditional knots and making wall hangings and table runners. It was so much fun! I loved the rich colors of batik fabric and soon expanded to adding inset pieces to make stained glass style designs.

It was after learning all these techniques that I was finally able to finish a quilt I had started 11 years earlier for myself; a broken star quilt that I was hand quilting. I had reached a point where I had blank space in the corners and couldn't figure out what to do to enhance them. Now that I know how to do Celtic knots, I had the idea to add them with some insets to the blank and otherwise boring corners of my quilt. It was well worth the wait, and I'm so happy to have gained all the necessary skills to make it what it is.

I've continued to sew, whenever I'm not chasing around my 6 kids, that is! My friends and family kept saying I should sell some of my creations and it was Kristin's encouragement that led me to open my shop on Etsy. I opened up my shop in Sept 2014 and I love the opportunity it gives me to work with people all over the world to make something that is unique and special just for them!  

My shop: Sky Dancer Threads

Facebook: Sky Dancer Threads