Meet Ann Simpson of Blue Beagle Quilts in Northeastern Suburbs – Rome

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Simpson.

Ann, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always enjoyed crafts and sewing – even as I kid, I made gifts for my parents and friends. When we had children, I made all sorts of things for them, from Halloween costumes to clothes to little toys and stuffed animals. I didn’t start quilting until my kids got older – once they could drive and I found myself with more free time. In 2008, my first quilt was a small wall hanging that we still have in one of our the bedrooms. I soon discovered my favorite part of the process was the actual quilting, so about two years ago I made a leap of faith and bought a long arm quilting machine and put it in our garage. It was a natural progression to take my beloved hobby and start a quilting business, Blue Beagle Quilts. The name comes from our little dog, who found us and ended up staying – she is a blue tick beagle. After two years of officially being a quilting business, I have been able to remodel a bedroom and move my long arm machine inside. Now, I have an actual quilting studio and I spend many contented hours there!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge for me is the actual running of the business – my bachelor’s degree is in nursing! I have no background or education in business management, so that aspect is not easy for me. I have a sweet friend with an MBA, and she has helped me write a business plan, develop promotional material and gives me free advice! Also keeping up with social media is sometimes difficult – I have to balance the time spent blogging and posting with the time I need to spend actually quilting or sewing.

Please tell us about Blue Beagle Quilts.
I do several things, all related to quilts: I design and make custom quilts from baby size to queen, I do the quilting for other people who have made a quilt top but don’t have the time or desire to do the actual quilting, and I make t-shirt and memory quilts using t-shirts or other fabric such as men’s dress shirts. I even offer monogramming or other small embroidery work to add to a quilt block. My current work-in-progress is a quilt incorporating my mother’s collection of vintage handkerchiefs, and another using my family’s old jeans! I specialize in repurposing and reusing fabrics to turn them into something useful and beautiful – the idea being to get things out of the attic or from under the bed and back into something with a purpose, usually a quilt. I also have a love for the actual quilting – this is another design element to add to the finished quilt. I am a long arm machine quilter – but I don’t use a computer, I hand guide my machine for every stitch. I am most proud of my recent long arm quilting certification through American Professional Quilting Systems. I think what might set me apart from other businesses is being able to combine all these skills – designing, constructing and quilting into a unique and special finished product my customers will treasure.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is from elementary school. We lived in Hawaii, on Hickam Air Force Base back then, and three of my friends and I went Christmas caroling in the neighborhood – most notably to a General’s house. We sang for the General and his wife – and two days later, as a thank you, she invited the four of us to their house for “luncheon”. She treated us like small adults – fancy plates and silverware for our kid food, fancy glasses for our Shirley Temples – and a private showing of an old movie “The Shaggy Dog”. It was such fun! I then wanted to thank her – so, I made those loom pot holders all kids make – and took them to her. She seemed so pleased and thrilled to get them, that the experience instilled in me, at a young age, the joy of giving something handmade.

Contact Info:

• Website: BlueBeagleQuilts.com
• Email: BlueBeagleQuilts@gmail.com
• Instagram: BlueBeagleQuilts
• Facebook: Blue Beagle Quilts
• Other: BlueBeagleQuiltsBlog.com

Image Credit:
Kyle Rubin

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