10 Questions - Ellen Kuzemchak

We are kicking off 2016 by reinitiating the 10 Questions series. We have a lot of new members and we don't get to talk to everyone each month. This series of posts will help us get to know each other better. You can read the previous interviews here.



Today we are getting to know Ellen Kuzemchak. I met Ellen a few years ago and honestly don't know how I met her. What I quickly learned, though, is that she is really talented, prolific and I think almost every quilter in the area knows her. She's taught at Bernina and worked at Sew Refreshing for a time. She belongs to several guilds/clubs and her Stitchers For A Cause group makes hundreds of quilts for charities every year.

1. If you live in Hanover (or the area), how many generations of your family have lived here and how did they come to settle here? If you moved here, where are you from and what brought you here?

I was born in Charleston, WV and moved to Henrico County in 1985 and have lived here since that time except for a 2 year move to PA. 

2. When you were young what did you plan to be when you grew up and what happened with those plans?

The only thing I remember were the teenage years....to perform (sing) and to be famous!  Well, that all kind of fell to the wayside when I had to pay the rent.  Most of my work experience has either been office work or working/teaching in sewing machine dealerships.

 3. What are your favorite things to do in the area?

Visit with friends and family.  Sew with friends.

4. What’s your favorite meal?

 I enjoy a variety of foods and feel the company you are with makes a meal more special than the food. But steak, salad, and baked potato is my favorite.

5. What hobbies or activities do you do other than quilting? Where do you do them? How did you get involved with.

My hobbies seem to revolve around quilting and sewing.  I co-facilitate a charity quilt group (Stitchers for a Cause) every Thursday and 3rd Sunday of each month at the Glen Allen Church of Christ at Staples Mill Road and Springfield/Mountain Roads.  A dedicated group of quilters meets to make quilts and other items for donation to various groups.  Please come stitch with us!   

6. What’s your favorite vacation spot? Where do you want to go next?

 "Staycations" with daytrips seem to be the most recent trips.  Colonial Williamsburg, Charlottesville, and always Mid-Atlantic Quilt show.

7. What saying best describes how you like to live your life?

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Romans 12:18

8. Show us a photo (or photos) of where you create.

 

 

 Everything is crammed into the master bedroom of a townhome.  The goal is to sew up the stash to make more room in the closet.

 

 

9. Show us a photo of the quilt that’s on your bed right now.

 

 

10. What is your all time favorite quilt and why?

 

My favorite quilt is "GO! Be Dazzled" by machine embroidery designer, Sarah Vedeler.  I made this quilt when I purchased a new embroidery machine and taught the class (BOM for a year) two times.  I love the colors, loved the process of each block, using a die cutter for the appliqué shapes in the embroidered blocks.   It was a labor of love and even though it doesn't fit anywhere in my home, it is still my favorite quilt.