Meeting Angela Walters!

December is a crazy month for me!  I am finishing up customer quilts in time for them to be bound and given away for Christmas gifts for the first couple of weeks.  I try to be finished by the 15th so that I can prepare for the holidays with family and work on my own projects for at least a week or two before I have to get back to working on customer quilts.
  This year, my lovely hubby decided to take me to Kansas City to see the lights, something that I have wanted to do for many years.  It was awesome!  The weather was great, and we hit the hot spots:  IKEA, Union Station, Country Club Plaza, Joe's KC BBQ, and, or course a few quilt shops!
  When I found out that we were going to Kansas City, I had one thing on my mind...going to Angela Walters' quilt shop and meeting her!  She has inspired me as a longarm quilter so much, and I was super excited to get a chance to meet her.  I even Facebooked her to see if there was any chance that she might be at her shop in Liberty, MO during the time that I would be in town.  She is a very busy woman, and I could only cross my fingers!  Believe it or not, that sweetheart actually responded to my message and told me when she would be in the shop!  My plans were set!
  On the morning of my trip to visit Angela's shop, Quilting is My Therapy
we made our way from downtown Kansas City

to Liberty and were there right when the shop was set to open.   Angela wasn't there yet, so I had a great little visit with her friend that was working.  She was such a friendly gal!  We got to talking about running a quilt shop, something with which I am quite familiar since I have been around and helping my mom at her shop for over 15 years:  The Quilters Cottage.  I was even able to share some helpful tips and ideas with her while we waited for Angela to arrive.  While we visited, I looked around the shop.
  The quilt shop is on the historic downtown square in Liberty, MO.  The building is everything that I love in a quilt shop.  Beautiful 15 foot ceilings, brick walls, historic light fixtures...just a wonderful feel.  The fabrics in the shop are bright and colorful.  They include not only Angela's latest lines, but also her good friend Tula Pink's fabrics are represented.  In addition, lots of other fun, modern fabrics are available.  The usual notions, patterns, and kits line the walls.

Most exciting for me, the walls were also lined with wonderful samples covered with Angela's signature quilting!  I have all of her books, and have taken most of her classes on Craftsy. While I don't generally choose to quilt as heavily as Angela does, mainly because most customers do not want to pay for that type of custom work, I do use ideas from her books all of the time!When Angela arrived, it was like a breath of fresh air blew into the room!  She is so cheerful and approachable that I felt like I was visiting an old friend.  I was just so excited to actually meet her, and she was really sweet.  We talked, took a photo, and she kindly signed her latest book for me.  When I told her that I had brought the book she and Tula Pink did together for her to sign, and then forgot it in the hotel room, she surprised me with a peel and stick label to add to my book signed by both her and Tula!!! I was thrilled!  I asked if I could use the photos and write about the visit on my blog and she gladly gave her blessing, so here we are!

  If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend stopping by the town of Liberty.  The downtown has several really cute shops including a fun coffee shop and a very lovely flower shop.  It is easy to find and in a picturesque little community.  The people were friendly and very welcoming to both my husband and I.

  Angela's shop is on the Row by Row, and she still had license plates, so I snagged one of those, along with a kit for a quilt hanging on the wall that I just had to have.  I bought her latest book which tells her story and is filled with great photos of her work.  I walked away with a memorable experience and some fun mementos, and enough quilty inspiration to last me for quite awhile!