Amy Freyn - Quilting in Quito, Equador

Amy Freyn is one of only TWO longarm quilters in the entire country of Equador! She's a professor by day, and an avid quilter by night.

She credits quilting with saving her life - twice! Her story of change and pivot and taking chances is truly remarkable.

Amy's also the #dancingquilter. Take up her challenge and post your own videos with the hashtag. Let your happiness show ❤️

You can find Amy and her dancing REELs on Instagram as @quitoquilts.

Want to try free motion quilting but don't know where to start? Here's 3 simple steps to get going.

Transcript

Susan: 0:46

Welcome to Measure Twice Cut Ones, the podcast about life and business lessons. From a quilter's point of view, I grew up making quilts alongside my mom in the very traditional methods, cutting with scissors and cardboard templates, sewing without the benefit of squaring up on a treadle sewing machine. And then of course, hand quilting. Fast forward a few years, and these days I can be found behind my long arms. Stella either quilting or teaching the art of quilting entirely freehand. Quilting has become my livelihood and it is still my joy. So measure twice, cut once will bring you stories from my experiences, lessons learned, and crafting journeys from other makers as well. Today I'll be chatting with Amy Fryan.

1:33

This episode is sponsored by my Freehand Quilting Masterclass. This course is a comprehensive training for mastering freehand quilting skills and navigating design decisions. It not only teaches over 30 specific quilting designs, but also practice methods that advance your skill level and thought processes that enable you to create your own original work with confidence. For more information, I've provided a link in the show notes, or you can head to my. Stitched by susan.com. And from there, the classes tab, registration for a group of quilters opens just twice per year. But you're welcome to join the wait list at any time, and you'll be the first to know when the doors open. So once again, the link is in the show notes or the classes tab on my website stitched by susan.com. amy Fry is a quilting pioneer. 12 years ago, she packed three suitcases and moved taquito Ecuador, where she's a professor by day and a long arm quilter. By night, she credits quilting for saving her life twice. Amy's one of only two long arm owners in the entire country of Ecuador, and that of course presents challenges, but it also presents opportunities. Let's meet her

Susan: 2:50

Hi Amy and welcome to the studio. Hello,

Amy: 2:55

stitched by Susan. Measured twice. Cut once. Great to be here. Thanks for having me.

Susan: 3:02

Yes. This is pretty exciting. We've been, you know, online friends for a while. We've never met in real life, but we see each other's quilting all the time, and I have to ask. I mean, we're gonna back up and talk about more of your story, but I have to ask you, how did you get the moniker, the dancing Quilter?

Amy: 3:19

Yeah, it has mainly because I don't know, as you know, uh, long-arm quilting is very solitary. I'm quite alone up in my studio and dancing has always been, uh, my thing. And so I decided to do a, a few videos and like quilt dance challenge and, and see if I can get other quilters to dance too. Because it makes me smile. It makes me smile when I'm dancing and to see others dancing also. So, yeah, that's how, it's, how it's been happening.

Susan: 3:48

So I wonder how that hashtag's been working for you, cuz I know you've challenged me and I've been a bad quilter. I have not been very Responsive cuz dancing's not my thing, but I need to branch out a little, loosen up a little.

Amy: 4:00

Right. Yeah. I've only received three dance quilt, uh, quilt dance challenges back, and they were all three amazing. And I, I don't know, I think maybe people are shy or dancing's not their thing, but you know, we can just like, shake a little to a song or any part of the quilting process. But yeah, we'll see how it goes. I have a few that are great if you haven't seen them. Holly Ann Knight did one a couple days ago from string and story and pixel quilts did an amazing one of her and her T-Rex outfit and also C B C quilts did one that was great. So I'm patiently awaiting your, your Quilt Dance Challenge Su.

Susan: 4:40

Keep laying down the challenges. We'll, we'll eventually get over ourselves and respond. Okay. Amy, let's hear a little bit of your story. You're a new UR quilter. How did you get into the world of quilting?

Amy: 4:53

Great. So I, I started quilting briefly in 2010. Just, I don't know, I, I hadn't seen. For some reason I just wanted to quilt and I hadn't watched any quilters. I, I don't know, I thought I was bringing quilting back like I thought it was gone. And so I started quilting on a domestic at home. And about a year, a year later, I moved to Ecuador. So then quilting, uh, I, I stopped, I, I did buy a domestic machine in Ecuador and quilted, you know, a few baby quilts here and there, but I, I really started during the pandemic. I needed something. So in, in 2020 I started quilting again. And, and in 2021 I saw a hoop. and on a, with a domestic here in Ecuador, and I had to have it. And so yeah, I, I started for, I spent a year on the hoop frame and a domestic, and then of course I needed a bigger machine and a bigger frame, and so I bought that in 2022. Yeah, so just a year I've been using. well, it's actually a mid arm instead of a long arm. I guess the definition of a mid arm is like 11 to fif no, 11 to 18 inches. So mine is 15, so technically a mid arm. And of course I want a bigger one now at this point. Right.

Susan: 6:16

Of course you do. But I do have to ask how in the world did you get that machine? So maybe first tell us where you live and like how rural or remote or how easy to get to it even is.

Amy: 6:33

Yeah, great question. So, I have to import pretty much everything. And the import tax here is. 42%. So I had to strategically find a long arm that wasn't super expensive that I could afford the, the 42% and the shipping, and then also a frame that I had to import. I even have to import thread. Because the only thread I have found here is gunterman that that works on my machine, but the tiny little tiny spool of a hundred meters and so that doesn't get me too far. No, it sure doesn't.

Susan: 7:08

physically, what did it involve to get the machine into your studio?

Amy: 7:12

Yeah, it took, it took, uh, shipping to Miami and then a nice man to single-handedly carry my machine up three flights of stairs as well as the frame. So yeah, I live in the Andes Mountains in a suburb of Kitto called Kumbaya. Imagine that. I love

Susan: 7:35

that. Tell us, tell us a little bit, because I see this in your pictures and I wanna know more about it. Tell us a bit about your view. I think most of us would just about kill for that view.

Amy: 7:45

I, I do have an amazing view. It, I'm on the third floor and I have big open windows that, that overlooks the Andes. And then I have a, I took a, a balcony that we glassed in so that I could have my domestic and a cutting, uh, station, the cutting table there, and that overlooks. a mountain called ELA Lo and a beautiful mountain. And so yeah, my entire studio is, is uh, the Andes Mountains. It is, I mean, it's amazing. It still blows my mind and I know when I post pic pictures, it's like, this is ridiculous, but it is beautiful. And gosh, when the sun is coming up in the mornings and and so on, it's just beautiful.

Susan: 8:29

it looks absolutely gorgeous. So I'm curious, can I ask, what took you to

Amy: 8:35

ecu? Sure I was a professor and we had a, I used to teach teachers getting their masters and we had a summer class called Teaching in Ecuador. And I came, I brought students three times, uh, to Ecuador and I absolutely fell in love with Ecuador. The, the culture, the, the beautiful views, the, the geography, the, we have four different climates. And, and I just fell in love and I was just tired of, unfortunately, I was just tired of the rat race in the United States and I, I, I moved here with three suitcases 12 years ago, and I have built an entire new life here that I, I love.

Susan: 9:16

That's amazing. It, you know, quilting clearly is part of that story, although that's just the last few years, but, like what difference has that made in your life? I know for so many of us, it has been, well, it's been everything for a few of us in a few situations, but I'm wondering what that has meant to you, like that is a really big life change to change countries in very much change cultures. How did quilting play into that story?

Amy: 9:43

Great question. So I quilting has come into my life, uh, like two times in my life when, when, I guess I just most needed it when I was struggling with depression during the pandemic, especially anxiety. Uh, yeah. And, and quilting I feel like saved me and then mm-hmm. it honestly is, is therapy for me. I was, yeah, it was dark. The, the times during the pandemic, I think for a lot of us, I was super depressed and anxious and, and, and drinking too much. And so I had to, I had to, Susan, I had to check myself before I wrecked myself, and, and that was, it was quilting played a big part of that.

Susan: 10:24

It, it is just so remarkable through, through the years and through the generations, how that is true for people. It's so remarkable, and I mean, kudos to you for, for recognizing a. You know, a place in your life that needed filling, but I, you are right. So many of us experienced that in various ways in the pandemic, and it just seemed like there was no end to it and no light at the end of the tunnel. And we had to do something to keep ourselves. In, in a, in a good place of mental health and so remarkable that quilting could do that for you. Is it, is it the pace of it that does it, is it the creativity that meets your knee? Like what is it about that that just reaches you?

Amy: 11:09

Yeah, it's definitely the, the creative outlet, but then it's also this meditative. I don't know this medi, and I'm sure you know, the meditative, uh, process of it that really takes my mind elsewhere and it, and it helps me in so many ways.

Susan: 11:26

So you mentioned that anxiety was a thing that you've dealt with. Uh, do you find that to be true? Like that process, it's kind of repetitive in some ways. Does that process just literally change how you deal with stressful situ.

Amy: 11:41

Yeah. It's kind of like, a healthy escape where previously I was, I was having some maybe unhealthy escapes from, from the feelings, right? And so, uh, quilting has provided this, this healthier escape for me to, and, and, I don't know, it's, it's just like a meditation almost.

Susan: 12:00

I really think that's a good description of it. It somehow helps us to look within ourselves a bit. And for me, the creativity certainly brings that out. I'm thinking of custom quilting right now as we talk. I don't always find that easy, but I find it so rewarding and that process of pressing through. And doing it and then coming out the other side and being thrilled with the result. It's, it's almost like a rebirth sometimes. And it's hard to put into words, isn't it? But there is something really powerful in the act of creating something beautiful. A hundred percent agree. Like I wonder, I wonder if you have any even specific quilts that might tell some of those stories, like examples that you've had where you went into it in a certain frame of mind and then you got through whatever the thing was and came out the other side in a different frame of mind. Do you have any stories like that?

Amy: 12:51

Yeah, the, I, I did a quilt, so I like to call them practice quilts, And a lot of them I d I end up donating, right. To. Venezuelan refugees here. Mainly baby quilts. But I had done a, a, a practice quilt that I was like, I'm going to do this all over feathers. But custom, right? Like this nimish machine technique that I had learned from Beth Ann Neish. And you know, when you see her work, you're like, oh, I can never do that. Like, but I did it. And, and, and. Super proud and, and I even tried applique on the arm long arm, which is something I, I wanted to try and learn. And, uh, it turned out okay and the quilting was just, I don't know. I was like, I did that. Like, I don't know. It was just one of those, those times when you're like, I did do that.

Susan: 13:42

And that is, that is kind of like a rebirth, isn't it? It's like, I did not know that was in me and look at it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Pretty cool. Now, do you do, do you do quilting, Amy, as a business as well? Like you've mentioned that you make many quilts for giving, but is this like, do you quilt for other people as a, as a means of employment for yourself?

Amy: 14:04

I do quilt for other people here. In Ecuador there's only like two people with long arms. One is in Wanka, Ecuador, which is another city. And then I'm in keto and, and so yeah, two long numbers in the entire country. I. However, there's not very many quilters here. I would say a handful in, in my city, maybe 15, 20 at the max, and shout out to my kumbaya quilters, and then some in Wanka too. I have a, a friend who mails me her quilts to quilt for her from Wanka, and so it's a limited. Uh, population of quilters, but I do quilt for them for money. Definitely not a full-time job because it's not an option. I would love to be a long armed quilter full-time one day. Uh, just have to figure out how to make that happen or how to work in the quilting industry would be amazing, uh, for.

Susan: 15:00

Mm-hmm. And I, I did wonder if there's, you know, what those differences look like. Like, do you have guilds? And clearly if there's only 15 quilters, maybe you don't, but maybe you do, maybe that whole group because you're, it you know, maybe that is a close-knit group. What do shops look like? What does, you know, the accessibility of products? You mentioned that you have to have thread shipped.

Amy: 15:25

Yeah, so we have there, I do go visit a group of quilters. Sometimes they meet on Fridays at a woman's house who is their teacher, and she teaches them patchwork. And I like to stop by sometimes just to say hi and to have some community. And there's another group that meets, uh, but I haven't gone to their group yet. I wouldn't call them a. but they do meet and work together basically with a teacher. Mm-hmm. And so we have a couple fabric stores that that, but they do not have a lot of a hundred percent cotton. So fabric here is, is hit or miss. We, we have some imported from United States. We have some from Brazil and uh, Spain every now and then. So getting the a hundred percent cotton. Is rare and, and kind of expensive of course, but it is here. You just have to look for it. Yeah, so I don't know. I've, I've done some quilts with 70 30 not my preference, but I have to make due with what I have

Susan: 16:27

And, you know, speaking from my story, my mom was not a. You know, I don't know if she ever went into a quilt. I'm sure she did, but I don't remember her shopping in quilting shops ever. She was certainly one who made quilts from whatever she had on hand, and it was certainly mixed content fabric and mixed weights and weaves and even very mixed colors sometimes. Oh yeah, and then there's the double knit polyester too. But all of that aside, I feel like maybe there's some opportunity then for you to play. Using other fabrics. Like what about using I don't know, satins or silks, or I've seen people create amazing things with tweeds or even with leathers. So maybe there are other opportunities for you to explore.

Amy: 17:14

yes. Because we do have all of those other fabrics that you mentioned. We do have a lot of leather work here and clothing making here a lot. So, yeah, I need to learn, you know, I'm the type of person that I want to learn everything. And so I get like, I don't know. I wanted, I have like a couple rules. I want to, I want to see if I can do it, and then I wanna know if I. Mm-hmm. So for example, I, I just tried applique on the long arm. I enjoyed it, but, so now, now I, I can do it. I enjoyed it. Now I want to try to perfect it right. Other things I've tried, like, I don't know, English paper piecing, I, I did it. Didn't enjoy it. Uh, foundation freezer, uh, foundation paper piecing, I did it. Didn't really enjoy it. I do enjoy embroidery. So that is something that I tried and that I enjoyed. But what you're saying is, is encouraging to me because I do, I can go buy other types of fabric and give it a try.

Susan: 18:12

and I think in some ways we're, we hold ourselves at a disadvantage in North America because quilting cottons, you know, are so readily available and there's such a wide variety. And sometimes necessity could be the mother of invention. You could create something really beautiful, like I'm thinking I mentioned tweeds, but you know, wool or flax and linen, those sorts. Uh, fibers, they're natural fibers and they create beautiful textures when they're washed and they crinkle and things like that. So I feel like, yeah, don't, don't take those borders on, but explore. You've got a great opportunity to do that.

Amy: 18:47

Yes. Thank you for the advice and the encouragement because yeah, you're right. There are so many options

Susan: 18:54

there. Certainly. Well, Amy, I wanted to ask you too, and this is how I got to know you, is you were a student of my Freehand quilting Masterclass, and I'm kind of curious, this class is all about establishing a sort of a portfolio of freehand quilting designs and then kind of being able to convert ideas of things that you see into Quilt designs. Going into that class, what were you looking for and did you find it?

Amy: 19:23

Yes. So going into the class, I mean, basically upfront I wanted to learn more designs. Like ultimately I wanted to, to expand my portfolio of designs. And, and it certainly did that, right? And it was, but there were other things that I learned that I didn't know I was gonna learn, that we were really helpful. For me, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a. So your sections on theory were like, I think, written for me, right? Like, I wanna know theory your section on, uh, the theory about steers, like I still think about today, the, the s of soldiers in a row and the primer approach and the variables and the, the change up. So the theory section really, really hit home to me. And of course like all the new designs I learned, We're we're wonderful and the fact that what's most beneficial for me is to be able to go back. So for example, the other day I was doing three baby quilts to donate and I was like, oh yeah, I wanna try that waves and bubbles. Like, let me go back and, and watch the section again in the class on the waves and bubbles. And so yeah. Then you had a couple sections that were. Bonus modules that, that I still refer to as a resource, like the problem quilts, the tension. And I still need to try the applying the binding on the long arm. That's next on my list of things to do and to try. But I know that it's there and waiting for me. So having that as a resource to go back to has been, has been in.

Susan: 20:51

It's nice to have that feedback, Amy. So you know, for me to know that having the ongoing access to the class is beneficial for you. And I love hearing your point of view on the theory, cuz that's clearly how my mind works. I'm a little bit analytical about a quilting design and why is this working and what could I do differently. And to know that that approach makes sense to you is invaluable to me. So thanks for sharing that. I was gonna mention too, on the binding, on the long arm, I mean, you absolutely should experiment with it. You might find that a little more difficult on your mid arm because you just have a 15 inch throat, right? And so you're gonna have to advance your quilt every, you know. But on a smaller size quilt, that should work well for you. But again, use your philosophy of try it, see if you like it, see if it works for you. Cuz it can be a real time saver. Before we go, Amy, I wanted to ask you if you've got a little gem, a little bit of wisdom that you could leave with our listeners, and it can be about your, your quilting or your craft or about life in general, or about things you've learned. Yeah, just a little something you could leave with us. Sure.

Amy: 21:59

Yes. So I think of this quote, Often and it's a quote from The Alchemist by Paul Colo and how it relates to me right now is that I, I do have a dream of working in the quilting industry whether it's long arming or or in education or some other, some other way. But I have this dream, right? I have, I have a great job. I have a great life, but I, I have this dream to work in quilting, and this quote always comes to my mind, and it is when you want. All the universe conspires to help you achieve it.

Susan: 22:34

That's good. That's good. Yeah. I think too often we think everything is conspiring against us, and that's just really not so is it? Mm-hmm. right? Well, Amy, I wish you all the very best in your endeavors and I'll be following you and in the show notes, I will let all our listeners know where they can find you. And everybody you need to follow Amy on Instagram because you need to follow the dancing quilter. And I encourage you, be better than me. Respond to her challenge. Show her your moves. I know you've got'em. Thanks so much my friend for tuning in. I hope you've enjoyed hearing Amy's stories and been inspired by her willingness to try new things. Try them out, see if you like them. You know, I feel like I might like to try living with a jaw dropping view like Amy. And 70 degrees every day the year round. Ooh, I might like that. Listen, if you have friends that you think would enjoy this podcast, would you take a moment and share it with them? You can share this particular episode or all past episodes and easy choices of where to listen. Can all be found at podcast dot stitched by susan.com. I'm Susan Smith, and until next time, may your sorrows be patched and your joys be quilted.