Hi! I'm Nancy Hovland of Hartford Avenue Quilts
How did you come up with your shop name?
My shop name is the name of the street I live on.
Probably not very original but I like the name of my street and I thought it
sounded better than Nancy’s Quilts!
Where do you live?
I live in St. Paul, Minnesota, and have been here since
1981. However, I have lived in 8 states total in the U.S. during my
life. My family did a lot of moving.
When did you start making quilts? Or, when did you become interested in quilt-related items (fabric, patterns etc)?
I took my first quilting class in 1980. I started
sewing at age 12 when I bought my first sewing machine and (tried) to make
clothes. But by adulthood I already knew I loved quilts and wanted to
learn how to make them. Back then it was cut every piece with scissors
and quilt by hand.
Tell us about your first quilt or other important first in your sewing life.
My first quilt was ugly by my standards today! It
was kind of a bright yellow and royal blue and was a sampler. However, it
was a completed project and I had it on a bed for many years. I could
look at it and see how far I had come since then.
What are your favorite colors and quilt blocks?
I’ve always loved reds and if I was making a quilt for
myself I’d always get some reds in there. But depending on the project I
will look at any color or pattern to see what works best. Except for
bright oranges. Not my favorite.
What inspires you?
Others’ work inspires me and I always look at the
quilting. I aspire to get better at machine quilting! I also love
seeing barn quilts whenever I get outside the city into the country. It’s
a fantastic idea and I thank the people who got this movement started.
Do you have a favorite quilting tip?
The only thing I can think of is that when I’m ready to
quilt and not sure what to do, I will Google machine quilting designs and click
on Images. I scroll thru and get some ideas that might work for whatever
I’m working on.
Do you have any other hobbies? Pets? A garden, kids or volunteer activities?
Hobbies include a lot of reading (a lot!) and now that
I’m retired I’ve been going to yoga. I also am joining a local strength
training program that’s for people 40+. Which means I don’t have to wear
spandex! I do some gardening and I ride my bike daily in the warmer
weather.
Do you do any charity sewing?
No I have not done any charity sewing.
Running an Etsy shop means you wear many hats in one day. How do Etsy activities impact your other life activities, such as family, work, other activities?
I spend a lot of time sewing and am so lucky to have a
dedicated space in my house for that. Since I am retired I can pretty
much pick and choose how I spend my day, throwing in errands, and whatever else
needs to be done.
How do you plan your projects?
I have a stack of projects I’d like to try and already
have the fabric for some. I am working on becoming more proficient on
EQ7. I bought it a while ago and took a class, however as with anything
else if you don’t keep at it right away you lose what you’ve learned.
Which I did. But there are videos on the program that are very
helpful. If I could find the class being offered somewhere again I’d take
it.
Do you have any business skills to share?
My business skills are almost nil. I have a lot to
learn still, and sometimes it’s like learning a new language. I was a
social worker primarily in public education for many years, and terms like SEO
and tag words are not part of that environment!
Do you have any organization tips to share?
I finally spent a bunch of money to better organize all
my stuff. I went to the Container Store and bought a storage system that
I love. Still kind of looks like a mess but it
really is better organized. Plus the baskets are metal mesh so you can
see what’s in there. And this is all in a big closet where I can hang
finished quilts, there are shelves, and even an outlet so I can plug in the
iron! Much better than using my son’s old dresser for storage.
Where in the world would you like to visit?
I really want to travel now that I finally have the
time. I’d love to go to Norway as that’s where my great grandparents
emigrated from. All of Scandinavia would be good! Next summer I’m
making a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, during an international art
festival. I’ve always want to go there too. My friend who has
arranged this trip has sent me links to various quilt shops there and I see
that they have fabric that I don’t see where I live. I imagine I’ll be
shipping stuff home!
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