Jeannette Aspelin - My first quilts were for my Barbie's made from scraps from my mother's sewing. She sewed sun dresses for me that matched all of her maternity tops. I'm not a clothes maker but knew I could sew blocks together. And loved it. From there, experimenting with nine patches, I knew quilting was something I wanted to do forever.

I'm married with three kids, having two still at home. I grew up in and around Kansas City, KS, and moved to Minnesota to go to school, but never finished, so here I am. Before Quilt Yourself, I worked in the corporate world in accounting, systems support and programming. When I discovered the computerized longarm machines, it combined my love of computers and quilting and had to have one! Now I CO-own three.

"Quilts to me are like giving and receiving a giant hug."

• allpeoplequilt.com - I get good tips and reminders of quilting techniques and patterns from this site.
• equilter.com - I've purchased fabric from this site and have never been disappointed.
• Moda Fabric - Did you know that almost every fabric maker has a place on their website with free quilt patterns? Here is one of my favorites.
• Connecting Threads - Inexpensive and quality fabric and kits available. I have joined their "Quilt With Us" and they send out updates with tips and techniques.

Sue Messina - I fell in love with quilts when I was 13. My grandmother brought home a shabby red and white quilt purchased from an estate sale, and after some TLC, brought the color and life back to this quilt. At this same time, I was learning how to sew in school and fell in love the process.

For years, I collected fabric with plans of making quilts, and I made a few, but hated the process of shoving fabric through my sewing machine (grrr...). Jeannette introduced me to the wonderful world of longarm machine quilting, for which I'll always be grateful.

I've been married for 30 + years to John, and have two adult children. My idea of a perfect day is a bunch of "chick flicks" and a quilt in progress.

"I love watching people see their creations come to life with quilting."

• RickyTims.com - His quilts and music are breathtaking! I love his adventurous use of color.
• Maple Island Quilts - Debbie Bowles has fun and fast quilt patterns.
• Atkinson Designs - Terry Atkinson has simple but interesting patterns, and challenges me to work outside my comfort zone with color.

Tammy Erickson - Tammy's theory on quilting: I teach in a very relaxed - no-pressure atmosphere. We all work at our own pace; and, there is no homework or pressure to finish by a certain time.

I teach you to read the pattern; use rotary cutting tools, give you sewing tips; and, help you to finish your quilt top.

There are no "Quilt Police" in this shop; and, you are the only one who needs to be happy with your quilt. I will help you anyway I can to make that happen.

Every quilter is different and we all have different goals for our quilting. You will meet a lot of different quilters including the "Quilt Police" or "Quiltzilla's." These are not really bad people, they just strive for their own version of perfection.

Remember, when someone tells you they can show you a "better way" or "the right way", what they are saying is they want to show you their way. This is not a bad thing and try not to take offense.

What I recommend is to listen and then decide if their advice will work for you. I recommend learning from many different quilters, then take all that knowledge and become the quilter you want to be.

It's all about finding out what works best for you.

Also remember that not every quilt is going to be your best quilt. We learn from our challenging quilts on what worked and what didn't work and strive to make the next one our new favorite.