Stories Behind the Quilts
Inspirational stories of quilters who have learned, enjoyed and mastered their craft in their own fashion.
Meet Sue Carlson and her 2008
Innova Longarm Quilting Machine.
Innova Longarm Quilting Machine.
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Sometimes a day just seems an ordinary day until someone walks through the door and changes your whole day. That is exactly what happened at AQ Indy today when I met Sue Carlisle.
Usually we are closed in this location on Mondays but, because I was here catching up on work and I was assisting a renter who wanted to work on her quilt while I was working, I came to spend the day in the store. I am certainly glad that I did. As we were both busy working, the renter at the quilt and me at my computer, in walked Scott, our southern tech. He has his own keys and can come and go as needed. Still, it was nice to see him and as I found out, he was here to do a service call. I offered to help him get the machine in. AND THAT IS WHERE THE STORY GOT INTERESTING.
I know that we can’t have certain machines come through the front door because of carpet and the oil leakage from some machines on the market, so I casually asked him what kind of machine was coming in. He told me a 10-year- old, 26” Innova. My ears perked up because of that! Innova’s don’t come in every day especially ones that are 10 years old.
I was fortunate enough to write the story about an Innova from 2004 that came into the Tennessee store a few years back. It was one of the first ones on the market! It was actually signed by Neal, Swarzberger, owner of Innova. At that time, I asked why the machine had come to the shop. The owner stated: no real reason other than for a health check up because it had never been in! In fact, after a complete health check, there was nothing wrong with that machine!
Showtime! The machine arrived, we lifted it out of Sue’s trunk and rolled it into the store on the service cart. I offered water and the restroom to Sue and told her about the sandwich shop in the corner in case she was hungry. I also told her about Quilts Plus right next door in case she needed some fabric. Finally, after getting a bite to eat and buying some fabric, Sue came back to wait and it was then that I had a minute to talk to her. In talking about quilting, she pulled out her phone and showed us (a renter that was in the store) some quilts and I caught my breath! This lady was not just a quilter but a true master in her art! After our Oooos and Ahhhhs, Sue offered, “I only started quilting 15 years ago.” I was astonished! Her quilting was so absolutely perfect and beautiful!
At the beginning of this interview, I just wanted to do a Facebook post about her visit to our store but in conversation, I knew that I had met someone very unique and special.
Sue started to tell me about when she bought her machine 10 years ago and what a bargain she got! She only paid $8,000 because this was one of the first machines that were for the home market. Realize, ABM INNOVA was designed by an Industrial family who had been in the industrial business for 70 years. Even the instructions were written like someone from the factory would be putting the machine together.
I thought that I had heard her incorrectly when she said that and asked who put her machine together and she replied, “My husband Jon”. I was blown away!
She explained back then that the machine base and the sewing head were crated separately and shipped from Texas to their house along with the assembly book. That is how the machine was to be put together! Sometimes a day just seems an ordinary day until someone walks through the door and changes your whole day. That is exactly what happened at AQ Indy today when I met Sue Carlisle.
Usually Mondays we are closed in this location but because I was here catching up on work and a renter wanted to work on her quilt while I was working, I came to spend the day in the store. I am certainly glad that I did. As we were both busy working, the renter at the quilt and me at my computer, completely out of the blue, in walked Scott, our southern tech. He has his own keys and can come and go as needed. Still, it was nice to see him and as I found out, he was here to do a service call. I offered to help him get the machine in. AND THAT IS WHERE THE STORY GOT INTERESTING.
I know that we can’t have certain machines come through the front door because of carpet and the oil leakage from some machines on the market, so I casually asked him what kind of machine was coming in. He told me a 10-year- old, 26” Innova. My ears perked up because of that! Innova’s don’t come in every day especially ones that are 10 years old.
I was fortunate enough to write the story about an Innova from 2004 that came into the Tennessee store a few years back. It was one of the first ones on the market! It was actually signed by Neal, Swarzberger, owner of Innova. At that time, I asked why the machine had come to the shop. The owner stated: no real reason other than for a health check up because it had never been in! In fact, after a complete health check, there was nothing wrong with that machine!
Showtime! The machine arrived, we lifted it out of Sue’s trunk and rolled it into the store on the service cart. I offered water and the restroom to Sue and told her about the sandwich shop in the corner in case she was hungry. I also told her about Quilts Plus right next door in case she needed some fabric. Finally, after getting a bite to eat and buying some fabric, Sue came back to wait and it was then that I had a minute to talk to her. In talking about quilting, she pulled out her phone and showed us (a renter that was in the store) some quilts and I caught my breath! This lady was not just a quilter but a true master in her art! After our Oooos and Ahhhhs, Sue offered, “I only started quilting 15 years ago.” I was astonished! Her quilting was so absolutely perfect and beautiful!
At the beginning of this interview, I just wanted to do a Facebook post about her visit to our store but in conversation, I knew that I had met someone very unique and special.
Sue started to tell me about when she bought her machine 10 years ago at what a bargain she got! She only paid $8,000 because this was one of the first machines that were for the home market. Realize, ABM INNOVA was designed by an Industrial family who had been in the industrial business for year. Even the instructions were written like someone from the factory would be putting this machine together.
I thought that I had heard her incorrectly when she said that and asked who put her machine together and she replied, “My husband Jon”. I was blown away!
She explained back then that the machine base and the sewing head were crated separately and shipped from Texas to their house along with the assembly book. That is how the machine was to be put together!
Usually we are closed in this location on Mondays but, because I was here catching up on work and I was assisting a renter who wanted to work on her quilt while I was working, I came to spend the day in the store. I am certainly glad that I did. As we were both busy working, the renter at the quilt and me at my computer, in walked Scott, our southern tech. He has his own keys and can come and go as needed. Still, it was nice to see him and as I found out, he was here to do a service call. I offered to help him get the machine in. AND THAT IS WHERE THE STORY GOT INTERESTING.
I know that we can’t have certain machines come through the front door because of carpet and the oil leakage from some machines on the market, so I casually asked him what kind of machine was coming in. He told me a 10-year- old, 26” Innova. My ears perked up because of that! Innova’s don’t come in every day especially ones that are 10 years old.
I was fortunate enough to write the story about an Innova from 2004 that came into the Tennessee store a few years back. It was one of the first ones on the market! It was actually signed by Neal, Swarzberger, owner of Innova. At that time, I asked why the machine had come to the shop. The owner stated: no real reason other than for a health check up because it had never been in! In fact, after a complete health check, there was nothing wrong with that machine!
Showtime! The machine arrived, we lifted it out of Sue’s trunk and rolled it into the store on the service cart. I offered water and the restroom to Sue and told her about the sandwich shop in the corner in case she was hungry. I also told her about Quilts Plus right next door in case she needed some fabric. Finally, after getting a bite to eat and buying some fabric, Sue came back to wait and it was then that I had a minute to talk to her. In talking about quilting, she pulled out her phone and showed us (a renter that was in the store) some quilts and I caught my breath! This lady was not just a quilter but a true master in her art! After our Oooos and Ahhhhs, Sue offered, “I only started quilting 15 years ago.” I was astonished! Her quilting was so absolutely perfect and beautiful!
At the beginning of this interview, I just wanted to do a Facebook post about her visit to our store but in conversation, I knew that I had met someone very unique and special.
Sue started to tell me about when she bought her machine 10 years ago and what a bargain she got! She only paid $8,000 because this was one of the first machines that were for the home market. Realize, ABM INNOVA was designed by an Industrial family who had been in the industrial business for 70 years. Even the instructions were written like someone from the factory would be putting the machine together.
I thought that I had heard her incorrectly when she said that and asked who put her machine together and she replied, “My husband Jon”. I was blown away!
She explained back then that the machine base and the sewing head were crated separately and shipped from Texas to their house along with the assembly book. That is how the machine was to be put together! Sometimes a day just seems an ordinary day until someone walks through the door and changes your whole day. That is exactly what happened at AQ Indy today when I met Sue Carlisle.
Usually Mondays we are closed in this location but because I was here catching up on work and a renter wanted to work on her quilt while I was working, I came to spend the day in the store. I am certainly glad that I did. As we were both busy working, the renter at the quilt and me at my computer, completely out of the blue, in walked Scott, our southern tech. He has his own keys and can come and go as needed. Still, it was nice to see him and as I found out, he was here to do a service call. I offered to help him get the machine in. AND THAT IS WHERE THE STORY GOT INTERESTING.
I know that we can’t have certain machines come through the front door because of carpet and the oil leakage from some machines on the market, so I casually asked him what kind of machine was coming in. He told me a 10-year- old, 26” Innova. My ears perked up because of that! Innova’s don’t come in every day especially ones that are 10 years old.
I was fortunate enough to write the story about an Innova from 2004 that came into the Tennessee store a few years back. It was one of the first ones on the market! It was actually signed by Neal, Swarzberger, owner of Innova. At that time, I asked why the machine had come to the shop. The owner stated: no real reason other than for a health check up because it had never been in! In fact, after a complete health check, there was nothing wrong with that machine!
Showtime! The machine arrived, we lifted it out of Sue’s trunk and rolled it into the store on the service cart. I offered water and the restroom to Sue and told her about the sandwich shop in the corner in case she was hungry. I also told her about Quilts Plus right next door in case she needed some fabric. Finally, after getting a bite to eat and buying some fabric, Sue came back to wait and it was then that I had a minute to talk to her. In talking about quilting, she pulled out her phone and showed us (a renter that was in the store) some quilts and I caught my breath! This lady was not just a quilter but a true master in her art! After our Oooos and Ahhhhs, Sue offered, “I only started quilting 15 years ago.” I was astonished! Her quilting was so absolutely perfect and beautiful!
At the beginning of this interview, I just wanted to do a Facebook post about her visit to our store but in conversation, I knew that I had met someone very unique and special.
Sue started to tell me about when she bought her machine 10 years ago at what a bargain she got! She only paid $8,000 because this was one of the first machines that were for the home market. Realize, ABM INNOVA was designed by an Industrial family who had been in the industrial business for year. Even the instructions were written like someone from the factory would be putting this machine together.
I thought that I had heard her incorrectly when she said that and asked who put her machine together and she replied, “My husband Jon”. I was blown away!
She explained back then that the machine base and the sewing head were crated separately and shipped from Texas to their house along with the assembly book. That is how the machine was to be put together!
She said that as her husband, who is a pretty handy guy, started to put the machine together, he realized that the instructions were incomplete and made all kinds of notes on the book and sent the book back to the company with his notations telling them that they needed to do this and change that!
Sue said back then when they were so new, ABM worked with the first people in the field closely. She said that she spent hours on the phone with Michael, Neal’s father, learning how to use the machine and how to adjust and take care of the machine. She said that it was easier with the advance of the cell phone where she could take pictures and send them to Michael and he would reply, “No not like that, just turn or do this a little more.” Can you imagine the trust and the patience that Sue and her husband and ABM must have had to go through and endure to the point to get to where they are today with her beautiful machine and Innova?
.
I asked Sue what inspired her to start quilting. She explained that they had moved to Conshocton, OH right near the Amish Quilting country. She had a friend from work that quilted and she had kept that in the back of her mind. Sue is an RN and was head of an OB Unit.
Sue had a granddaughter that was due to be born and she just felt that she needed to make her grandchild a quilt. That first quilt she did by hand.
She was inspired to quilt for another reason. Sue felt that leaving a quilt behind for her children and grandchildren was like leaving a legacy, a part of herself for them to remember her by.
She explained that she never saw herself as artsy. She said,
“Looking back, I never knew that I had the talent that I had until I started quilting. It brought out my creative side.” And then Sue looked me directly in the eye, her eyes sparkling and she said with entheuasim, “Surprising things happen when you start THIS kind of artwork!”.
I asked Sue how she learned how to quilt, expecting the answer that someone had shown her, possibly a friend or family member or that she had taken classes. Her answer: “I got a book and taught myself” Later she went into depth and told me that she bought Alex Anderson's beginner quilting book and watched Simply Quilts on tv daily. Later she found out about the guild in Conshocton and joined. She said that quilting is her “therapy” when not working.
Her first quilt was described as an easy quilt for beginners but the pattern for the border was a checkerboard and when she did the piecing and sewing the corners didn’t match up! She took it to her friend at work and asked what she should do. The lady exclaimed, “This was no beginner quilt!” So, with the help of her friend, she finished piecing it together and quilted the heck out of the it and the quilt looked great!
Since then, Sue has truly become a master quilter. She does all her work from the front of the machine and does not do pantos. All of her work is custom. She gets all the quilts that no one else wants to or will do. That is her challenge!
She did a guild presentation with pictures of a quilt that was so difficult and so challenged by the quilter not being precise. When asked to do the quilt it arrived rolled into a ball, it was not even close to square, all the edges had waves like there was a storm rolling in with lots of puffiness that would be difficult to quilt down. She presented the pictures of before the quilt was quilted to the guild and taking a poll of the room, there was not one person in the room would have quilted this but Sue! (Thank God for the Sues of the world!)
With some spritzing, extra fabric, quilt surgery by taking off the border, squaring it up and re-sewing, stuffing the puffiness with more batting in strategic areas she quilted away. The next picture that she showed the group was the finished quilt and there were gasps! You could not tell there was ever a problem! It was beautiful!
You can tell when listening to Sue and seeing the excitement and joy, that those problem quilts are her joy and her passion. I am not saying that is what she wants each and every day but she is not dauted one little bit by that magnitude of a challenge. As a matter of fact, I do believe that is what fuels her!
he said that as her husband, who is a pretty handy guy, started to put the machine together, he realized that the instructions were incomplete and made all kinds of notes on the book and sent the book back to the company with his notations telling them that they needed to do this and change that!
Sue said back then when they were so new, ABM worked with the first people in the field closely. She said that she spent hours on the phone with Michael, Neal’s father, learning how to use the machine and how to adjust and take care of the machine. She said that it was easier with the advance of the cell phone where she could take pictures and send them to Michael and he would reply, “No not like that, just turn or do this a little more.” Can you imagine the trust and the patience that Sue and her husband and ABM must have had to go through and endure to the point to get to where they are today with her beautiful machine and Innova?
I asked Sue what inspired her to start quilting. She explained that they had moved to Conshocton, OH right near the Amish Quilting country. She had a friend from work that quilted and she had kept that in the back of her mind. Sue is an RN and was head of an OB Unit.
Sue had a granddaughter that was due to be born and she just felt that she needed to make her grandchild a quilt. That first quilt she did by hand.
She was inspired to quilt for another reason. Sue felt that leaving a quilt behind for her children and grandchildren was like leaving a legacy, a part of herself for them to remember her by.
She explained that she never saw herself as artsy. She said,
“Looking back, I never knew that I had the talent that I had until I started quilting. It brought out my creative side.” And then Sue looked me directly in the eye, her eyes sparkling and she said with entheuasim, “Surprising things happen when you start THIS kind of artwork!”.
I asked Sue how she learned how to quilt, expecting the answer that someone had shown her, possibly a friend or family member or that she had taken classes. Her answer: “I got a book and taught myself” Later she went into depth and told me that she bought Alex Anderson's beginner quilting book and watched Simply Quilts on tv daily. Later she found out about the guild in Conshocton and joined. She said that quilting is her “therapy” when not working.
Her first quilt was described as an easy quilt for beginners but the pattern for the border was a checkerboard and when she did the piecing and sewing the corners didn’t match up! She took it to her friend at work and asked what she should do. The lady exclaimed, “This was no beginner quilt!” So, with the help of her friend, she finished piecing it together and quilted the heck out of the it and the quilt looked great!
Since then, Sue has truly become a master quilter. She does all her work from the front of the machine and does not do pantos. All of her work is custom. She gets all the quilts that no one else wants to or will do. That is her challenge!
She did a guild presentation with pictures of a quilt that was so difficult and so challenged by the quilter not being precise. When asked to do the quilt it arrived rolled into a ball, it was not even close to square, all the edges had waves like there was a storm rolling in with lots of puffiness that would be difficult to quilt down. After viewing the before and taking a count of the room, there was not one person in the room would have quilted this but Sue! (Thank God for the Sues of the world!)
With some spritzing, extra fabric, quilt surgery by taking off the border, squaring it up and re-sewing, stuffing the puffiness with more batting in strategic areas she quilted away. The next picture that she showed the group was the finished quilt and there were gasps! You could not tell there was ever a problem! It was beautiful!
You can tell when listening to Sue and seeing the excitement and joy, that those problem quilts are her joy and her passion. I am not saying that is what she wants each and every day but she is not dauted one little bit by that magnitude of a challenge. As a matter of fact, I do believe that is what fuels her!
Sue said back then when they were so new, ABM worked with the first people in the field closely. She said that she spent hours on the phone with Michael, Neal’s father, learning how to use the machine and how to adjust and take care of the machine. She said that it was easier with the advance of the cell phone where she could take pictures and send them to Michael and he would reply, “No not like that, just turn or do this a little more.” Can you imagine the trust and the patience that Sue and her husband and ABM must have had to go through and endure to the point to get to where they are today with her beautiful machine and Innova?
.
I asked Sue what inspired her to start quilting. She explained that they had moved to Conshocton, OH right near the Amish Quilting country. She had a friend from work that quilted and she had kept that in the back of her mind. Sue is an RN and was head of an OB Unit.
Sue had a granddaughter that was due to be born and she just felt that she needed to make her grandchild a quilt. That first quilt she did by hand.
She was inspired to quilt for another reason. Sue felt that leaving a quilt behind for her children and grandchildren was like leaving a legacy, a part of herself for them to remember her by.
She explained that she never saw herself as artsy. She said,
“Looking back, I never knew that I had the talent that I had until I started quilting. It brought out my creative side.” And then Sue looked me directly in the eye, her eyes sparkling and she said with entheuasim, “Surprising things happen when you start THIS kind of artwork!”.
I asked Sue how she learned how to quilt, expecting the answer that someone had shown her, possibly a friend or family member or that she had taken classes. Her answer: “I got a book and taught myself” Later she went into depth and told me that she bought Alex Anderson's beginner quilting book and watched Simply Quilts on tv daily. Later she found out about the guild in Conshocton and joined. She said that quilting is her “therapy” when not working.
Her first quilt was described as an easy quilt for beginners but the pattern for the border was a checkerboard and when she did the piecing and sewing the corners didn’t match up! She took it to her friend at work and asked what she should do. The lady exclaimed, “This was no beginner quilt!” So, with the help of her friend, she finished piecing it together and quilted the heck out of the it and the quilt looked great!
Since then, Sue has truly become a master quilter. She does all her work from the front of the machine and does not do pantos. All of her work is custom. She gets all the quilts that no one else wants to or will do. That is her challenge!
She did a guild presentation with pictures of a quilt that was so difficult and so challenged by the quilter not being precise. When asked to do the quilt it arrived rolled into a ball, it was not even close to square, all the edges had waves like there was a storm rolling in with lots of puffiness that would be difficult to quilt down. She presented the pictures of before the quilt was quilted to the guild and taking a poll of the room, there was not one person in the room would have quilted this but Sue! (Thank God for the Sues of the world!)
With some spritzing, extra fabric, quilt surgery by taking off the border, squaring it up and re-sewing, stuffing the puffiness with more batting in strategic areas she quilted away. The next picture that she showed the group was the finished quilt and there were gasps! You could not tell there was ever a problem! It was beautiful!
You can tell when listening to Sue and seeing the excitement and joy, that those problem quilts are her joy and her passion. I am not saying that is what she wants each and every day but she is not dauted one little bit by that magnitude of a challenge. As a matter of fact, I do believe that is what fuels her!
he said that as her husband, who is a pretty handy guy, started to put the machine together, he realized that the instructions were incomplete and made all kinds of notes on the book and sent the book back to the company with his notations telling them that they needed to do this and change that!
Sue said back then when they were so new, ABM worked with the first people in the field closely. She said that she spent hours on the phone with Michael, Neal’s father, learning how to use the machine and how to adjust and take care of the machine. She said that it was easier with the advance of the cell phone where she could take pictures and send them to Michael and he would reply, “No not like that, just turn or do this a little more.” Can you imagine the trust and the patience that Sue and her husband and ABM must have had to go through and endure to the point to get to where they are today with her beautiful machine and Innova?
I asked Sue what inspired her to start quilting. She explained that they had moved to Conshocton, OH right near the Amish Quilting country. She had a friend from work that quilted and she had kept that in the back of her mind. Sue is an RN and was head of an OB Unit.
Sue had a granddaughter that was due to be born and she just felt that she needed to make her grandchild a quilt. That first quilt she did by hand.
She was inspired to quilt for another reason. Sue felt that leaving a quilt behind for her children and grandchildren was like leaving a legacy, a part of herself for them to remember her by.
She explained that she never saw herself as artsy. She said,
“Looking back, I never knew that I had the talent that I had until I started quilting. It brought out my creative side.” And then Sue looked me directly in the eye, her eyes sparkling and she said with entheuasim, “Surprising things happen when you start THIS kind of artwork!”.
I asked Sue how she learned how to quilt, expecting the answer that someone had shown her, possibly a friend or family member or that she had taken classes. Her answer: “I got a book and taught myself” Later she went into depth and told me that she bought Alex Anderson's beginner quilting book and watched Simply Quilts on tv daily. Later she found out about the guild in Conshocton and joined. She said that quilting is her “therapy” when not working.
Her first quilt was described as an easy quilt for beginners but the pattern for the border was a checkerboard and when she did the piecing and sewing the corners didn’t match up! She took it to her friend at work and asked what she should do. The lady exclaimed, “This was no beginner quilt!” So, with the help of her friend, she finished piecing it together and quilted the heck out of the it and the quilt looked great!
Since then, Sue has truly become a master quilter. She does all her work from the front of the machine and does not do pantos. All of her work is custom. She gets all the quilts that no one else wants to or will do. That is her challenge!
She did a guild presentation with pictures of a quilt that was so difficult and so challenged by the quilter not being precise. When asked to do the quilt it arrived rolled into a ball, it was not even close to square, all the edges had waves like there was a storm rolling in with lots of puffiness that would be difficult to quilt down. After viewing the before and taking a count of the room, there was not one person in the room would have quilted this but Sue! (Thank God for the Sues of the world!)
With some spritzing, extra fabric, quilt surgery by taking off the border, squaring it up and re-sewing, stuffing the puffiness with more batting in strategic areas she quilted away. The next picture that she showed the group was the finished quilt and there were gasps! You could not tell there was ever a problem! It was beautiful!
You can tell when listening to Sue and seeing the excitement and joy, that those problem quilts are her joy and her passion. I am not saying that is what she wants each and every day but she is not dauted one little bit by that magnitude of a challenge. As a matter of fact, I do believe that is what fuels her!
I asked her why she chose Innova. She explained to me at that time she was reading a magazine and there was a comparison article on all the quilting machines on the market. The one thing that stood out to her like a flame in the night, was that all or most of the machines needed oiling and some even dripped oil! The Innova did not! She said she could not imagine the risk of putting all the work that she would put into the quilt and see oil dripped onto it. As she read more about Innova, she knew that was the logical machine for her. You must remember, Innova was the new kid on the block at that time. They were almost brand new and trying to make a name for themselves against proven companies. All the other machines were two times the money of an Innova at that time. As I said before, she feels like she got the bargain of her life when she paid $8,000 back then and even still today when she sees that the Innovas start at $10,000 for the basics. Also, she felt then, and still does, that the Innova is study and truly would endure through time. This has proven to be true!
Case in point. Right about then, Scott appeared in the door and was listening to our conversation. I realized as we were wrapping up that he must be here to tell her what was needed with her machine. As curious as a cat and not able to wait for Sue to ask the question, I asked Scott directly, “so what is the verdict? What was wrong with the machine?” He looked at both of us a little mystified and true to Scott’s personality-undauted, and he said, “absolutely nothing”. I just dusted out the inside, put it through all the checks and test-sewed and it is in fine running order.”
I have to tell you, the whole experience of meeting Sue, the witnessing of two Innova machines coming in after years of being in use in the field and seeing this with my own two eyes, was more than enough to confirm the Innova is Built To Quilt!
Sue is one of those rare people where there is a hidden innate talent that lay beneath the surface and when she started to learn on her own, with no one to tell her what she COULD NOT DO, along with her spirit and her sense of challenge, the world of quilting was hers to gain and master and that is exactly what she did. My hat is off to you Sue Carlisle!
In fact, there were two stories here to tell-the story about the amazing spirited quilter, Sue Carlisle, who became a master and the amazing durability and reliability of the Innova Longarm Quilting Machine.
Both are real winners and will continue to be for a long to come!
Sue is married to her husband of 47 years, Jon Carlisle. They have 5 children and 11 grandchildren. I thought Sue was in her early 50’s! THAT is when she began quilting-18 years ago!
Fena D’Ottavio
Accomplish Quilting Marketing
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