When HollyAnne was caring for her babies and in the throes of post-partum depression, quilting was what she did to “feed her soul,” and her online quilting community was her soft place to land. Once she discovered modern and modern-traditional quilting, she quickly fell down the rabbit hole, and upon watching a free motion quilting class online, her passion took on a life of its own. “Something about it really spoke to my soul. It really reminded me of the motion of brushstrokes and Impressionism and modern Impressionist paintings, which was always my favorite era of art.” 

While she was building a small business selling t-shirt quilts through her Etsy shop, she continued her exploration of modern quilting, going to her first QuiltCon in 2017. It was there she witnessed free-motion quilting in person. She describes her time there as magical and managed to pass out a box of business cards to start building community. The event, which she refers to as a “breath of fresh air,” was the thing that set her education company String and Story into motion. As a result of her passion, commitment and love of teaching, the community quickly attracted an international following. (3:46 -10:35)

HollyAnne soon created a blog on Instagram followed by Quilting Rock Stars, a String & Story community on Facebook, which attracts people from around the world. “What started as my little feeble attempt to just have a place to talk to other people who liked quilting, turned into a real community where folks would share about stuff going on with their families, their health challenges… and it's been incredible.” She talks about the power of community, and how this virtual community has been a lifeline through some very dark times. (13:30   – 17:38)

HollyAnne views her live String & Story sessions on YouTube and her Rock Stars group as an old-time quilting circle gone viral.  It’s a place where people can pull up a chair, tell stories and be real. “I really believe that if I can be leading with love, and how I lead my community, then we can navigate all the hard things that are gonna come our way.” (13:30   – 24:54)

As she continues to share her journey with us, HollyAnne talks about making quilts for kids with cancer, the genesis of String & Story, her inspiring Rock Stars, and her new store in Duluth.  During this casual conversation, her humanity and love of quilting shine through. You won’t want to miss it! You can connect with HollyAnne at stringandstory.com, on Instagram and her Quilting Rock Stars group on Facebook. 

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