I am My Own Beta Tester

So by now maybe you've noticed the button over there -------->, proclaiming the start of a fun new monthly column of sorts here at QHH, where I will attempt to bring you the down and dirty about random members of the quilting professional community. For purposes of this little division of QHH, "random" will be defined as "Anyone I can get to agree to do this" and "professional" will be defined as "anyone with some sort of quilt related business, or whom has ever made a quilt for money or for raffle." That should pretty much cover us all. I even have a separate page up there ^ to keep links to all the posts for you. I'm nothing if not helpful and efficient.

The purpose of the Hottie Hotseat is really just to get to know the quilt professionals featured in a more personal way. I know I love buying from companies where I know the owners as people, and with the quilt industry being a pretty low key, friendly atmosphere, I'm hoping lots of hotties will step forward and let us into their every waking thought by choosing five questions to answer from a list of 20 they are given. That way every month will be a totally different combination of questions to keep things fresh and fun.

By way of showing you what a typical post of "Hottie Hotseat: The Burning Questions" will look like, I'm using myself as an example. Because I am very conveniently located to myself and have a hard time turning myself down.

December 2013 Hottie Hotseater - Beth Helfter, EvaPaige Quilt Designs

It's lights from a disco ball. I know you were wondering.

Title: CEO of everything from Fabric Acquisition, Accounting and Finance, and Hey Mom, What's for Dinner
Location: The basement dungeon studio, Pepperell MA
Current project: Drafting this year's group project block and prepping for DaGMT 2014

What is the ugliest piece of fabric in your stash? Why did you buy it or how did you become its owner?

I think that honor would have to go to this crazy thing. I guess it isn't traditionally ugly, but it reminds me of NASCAR, which is so not my thing, and also Hot Wheels cars, also not my thing, and the combination just makes it unappealing. I procured it when it was wrapped around a jar of spiced nuts at a show I recently attended. I wanted to try the nuts, and the booby prize was the ugly fabric.

Three things on your quilting bucket list:

1. Go to Paducah with Tina R and leave all six girls home with the husbands for three days.

Clearly they are all the shy quiet type. They will be no trouble at all.

 2. Back to back lecture bookings out of state.
 3. Design and run a cool mystery on line.


Nerdiest thing about you:
I love Civil War history. My husband and I recently re-watched the entire North and South miniseries. (Fair warning: Book Three still sucks.)  I'm currently reading a book that can only be described as a thesis both in style and in highbrow language, "They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the Civil War", just because the actual facts, though weirdly organized, are crazy fascinating to me. In college I taped the Ken Burns documentary on the beta VCR. Party girl.


Worst job ever held:
For three fateful days during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college, I worked in the Wegmans grocery store meat packing plant. The setting featured 34 degree constant temperatures and hanging carcasses of beef suspended from the ceiling in every room. For several hours a day I plunged my gloved hands into a freezing cold bucket of briskets swimming in blood in order to fish them out one by one and package them. When not diving into the bucket o' brisket, sometimes I got to package hot dogs. I swore my children would not be allowed to eat hot dogs and none of them have ever had one, for which I am quite proud.

When I told the shift manager at the end of the third day that I would not be back, her response was "We were surprised you lasted this long." CEO of everything at EPQD is WAY better!

Who is your quilting doppleganger? How about your famous person doppleganger? 

It is amazingly common for me to hear "Wow, you are like a younger Mary Ellen Hopkins!" when I am done with a lecture. I'm sad that I will never meet her. The only time I came close was when she came to our guild, but I had four month old twins and a traveling husband, so I missed it. I vow to continue what she started when it comes to making sure quilters don't take themselves too seriously.

As for the famous person, Geena Davis wins. She's so lucky to look like me.

Thanks, Beth, for being my first Hottie to sit in the Hotseat! 
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I've lined up a victim for January, and am looking for more hottie hotseaters! Do you have a quilt related business or a love of quilting to share along with a little bit of yourself? Contact me at evapaigequilts@charter.net and let me know - we'll get you on the calendar.