Meet our Talent

John Brady answers the question, what do you get when you look at the current tools and techniques of quilting with a fresh pair of eyes? That’s a nice way of saying that before he started designing quilting tools, John only knew that quilting made bathroom tissue extra soft. Like a wide-eyed kid, he drove every quilter he met crazy by asking why to just about everything.

Why can’t you precisely mark the line you need on a ruler instead of having to pick it out from among all the others every time you line up the fabric’s edge? Why do you have to keep a death-grip on the ruler to keep it from slipping while you cut? Why are the numbers you need to add to the finished-sizes of squares, half and quarter square triangles so different when it’s always a quarter-inch seam allowance you need?

John’s Guidelines4QuiltingTM tools answer those questions with many innovative new features. The Guidelines RulerTM includes an adjustable Fabric Guide that can be locked onto any measurement line. It also includes Non-Slip Strips that magnify the gripping force right along the edges. Simply attach Guidelines Seam Allowance AdditionsTM right to the edge of the Guidelines Ruler and the seam allowance is added automatically.

John’s previous experience includes running the sewing department at his families business for five years. He went on to travel the US sharing his expertise on sergers at seminars on behalf of, what was known at the time as Viking White Sewing.

His first product, after starting his own company, was a video lesson kit on sergers. He then started developing notions and tools including a set of pattern weights called O’WeightsTM that were distributed by Olfa’s North American distributor.

In 2004, John started designing quilting tools and in 2005, his wife, Ritzko, a Sales & Business Development executive in the computer industry, joined his business. Together they launched www.Guidelines4Quilting.com, providing comprehensive instructions on Guidelines4Quilting products.

The product line also includes the innovative, multi-function Prep-ToolTM for trimming points and measuring or marking accurate scant quarter inch seam allowances. It’s great for accurately aligning pieces and even makes quick work of difficult techniques like set-in-seams.

Guidelines4Quilting will soon introduce Guidelines ConnectionsTM. That will let you connect the basic 6” x 12” Guidelines Ruler both end-to-end to make a 6” x 24” or side-by-side to make a 12” square. You can even connect more to make even longer or wider rulers and yet they can all be taken apart and fit in a small bag or drawer.

John says, “QNNtv is one of the best things we’ve done as a new company. Jodie is great to work with and there is nothing like being able to show how a new product actually works. He went on to say, “QNNtv is fantastic for quilters of every skill level. How great is it that you can see anything you want anytime you want and can even pause and rewind at will. Ritzko and I look forward to working as much as possible with QNNtv.”