Janel Metsker - Handi Quilter National Educator
Janel Metsker lives in Springfield, Missouri with her supportive husband, two sons, and adorable dogs! She grew up sewing with her mom making clothes, bags, home decor, and furniture reupholstery projects. Her Aunt Carol introduced her to quilting when she was 21 years old, and it was the perfect fit for her creative outlet as she loves sewing, color, math, design, and creating custom homemade gifts. She loves travel, adventure, playing her string bass, and restorative time in nature. These experiences are often inspiration for her projects!
In 2011, Janel started her own company designing quilt patterns called Nite Owl Quilting. She considers her style modern quilting with traditional charm! There have been many amazing opportunities over the years collaborating with Robert Kaufman fabrics, Stof Fabrics, Maywood Studios fabrics, Checker Distributors, Brewer Sewing Supplies, E.E. Schenck, Keepsake Quilting catalog, and Nancy’s Notions catalog. She now has over 25 published patterns with several more on the way!
In 2016, Janel began working at a local high school as a Family Consumer Sciences teacher. She grew the design pathway program, wrote an extensive curriculum for sewing and interior design courses, equipped students for FCCLA state and national competitions, and completed her Master of Arts in Teaching degree for Family Consumer Sciences in 2019.
Janel loves hand-guided quilting and Pro-Stitcher®! Sharing her love of sewing, design, and quilting has been a huge source of joy as she has helped others find confidence with a growth-mindset approach to all skill building processes! Her love of quilting, education experience, hard work, and passion to help others creates a positive and productive class experience!