Thank you for visiting PastimesOnline.ca

My name is Valerie, I've been happily married for 8 years and have a cat name Tig (who is periodically featured throughout my blog and site). I live in a great town just east of Calgary, Alberta Canada and love it here. I'm 32 years old and have been quilting for over 7 years now. 

I got into quilting because as a full time business woman… I needed a hobby and something to take my mind off the daily stresses of work, so I signed up for a sewing class (well 3 actually) and after those I was invited to a pot luck at a local guild one Saturday and absolutely fell in love with quilting. I signed up for every class available and poured my heart & soul into this amazing textile art.

Today, I love to quilt advanced projects. I mostly follow patterns but I usually incorporate some sort of personal spin to help make it my own. I machine quilt all of my projects on my Husqvarna Viking Platinum 770 which I've had for just over 2 years now. This is the second Husqvarna I've owned and loved, but can't wait for my next new high-powered machine.

I belong to two quilting guilds in Alberta.  One in my home town Chestermere called "Lakeside Quilters" and the other is in Millarville called "Flying Needles".  Both guilds I've belonged to for several years where I've taught and organized different projects like Mystery Quilts, Brown Bag Challenges, Christmas exchanges and much more. I attend at least two retreats per year where we all sew like crazy and enjoy the camaraderie and "sister-ship" of the guild.  I love to be around quilters as I learn so much about life and quilting of course.

I decided to start Pastimes Online after I recently sold my other business. I've always wanted to own a quilt store… but the one I was interested in wasn't for sale ; )  I thought a lot about whether to go "online" or just stick to the traditional "brick and mortar" type business.  As a professional working woman, it was always hard to visit stores during traditional business hours and felt more comfortable with the flexibility of online stores.  After much thought about business today and how the internet has evolved, my husband and I and our technical background, and the new chance to learn more about internet marketing, social media and business online - www.pastimesonline.ca was born.  I'm very excited about this opportunity and my husband (web designer and avid photographer) and I have been enjoying every step of the way.

Today I publish 3 blogs which I maintain and update on a weekly basis. My "Photo Blog" which is a collection of photos that I love featuring quilts, quilting and embellishing, etc.  My personal blog called "Vals Quilting" where I chat about my own projects, quilts, magazines I love, articles I want to share and books I read as well as my block of the months, pizza box challenges, clubs I belong to, etc.  The other is called "Quilting in Alberta," which is everything from local quilt shows to shows around the province including quilting guilds, fairs, big shows, etc.  My vision for these blogs is to encourage a quilting culture that will inspire people to want to quilt or to help advance their own quilting on a personal level as well as joining groups in their community.

Thanks for visiting www.pastimesonline.ca and I hope you enjoy your visit here.

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