Carie McGhie, Owner

I began quilting many years ago to do something for myself. I had 4 kids, two of whom had special needs. I loved it, but never finished my quilts – all I had were tops! So I began trying different forms of finishing, from tieing quilts, to hand quilting, and finally found the method I liked the best – long arm quilting. I began quilting for others and teaching classes in my home until one day I decided I should just open up a shop. So in May of 2003, we opened Going Batty Quilt Shop on Victorian Avenue in Sparks in the old Gazin’s building. We were located there for 2 years before moving to our current location.

In the meantime, I have won awards for my long arm quilting. Recently I also fell in love with heirloom sewing and became licensed as a Martha Pullen instructor for heirloom sewing, heirloom teaching, heirloom serging, and teaching beginning sewing.

We became the local Bernina dealer in 2005, a company I fell in love with. They are the last family owned sewing machine maker, and have many of the same ideals as we have – selling the highest quality products with great service and education. I was a Rookie of the Year candidate with Bernina of America in 2006, District Dealer of the Year in 2007, Century Award Winner in 2007, and one of five featured shops by Bernina in 2009.

I love to teach others this craft that I fell in love with myself. I saw a need to teach basic techniques, not only to beginners but to those that never learned some of the fundamentals. So I developed a curriculum that has been used around the area in other stores for Quilting 101 and a series of classes for long arm quilters, from beginning to advanced classes, including how to turn your long arm quilting into a business.

I also write my own patterns for quilting and garment sewing under the private label “Simply Adorable”.

Some fun facts about me are that I was in competitive ballroom classes in college, and have taught groups and individuals ballroom and country western dancing. I love animals. When I was a little girl I nursed a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest back to health. I have two birds now, a conure and a cockatiel. I also have a Maltese named Rosie. I’ve been in sales since at least the third grade, raising money for girl scouts and even to save the whales. We have been Foster Parents and took care of special needs children.

Jami Wendell, Lead Sales Associate

Sewing and art is my passion. I have been sewing since I was little, helping my mom make quilts and presents for friends and family. I have always been known as the crafty one growing up. People always said, “Ask Jami how to make that, she’ll find a way!”. I do all sorts of crafts, anything from knitting to painting to even scrap booking. I do a lot of sewing, I sew apparel garments, crafts projects, and home decor. One great talent I have is creating garments by draping, I’ve worked extremely hard to obtain this skill and I love end result. I also do a lot of painting and drawing, I’ve been creating my artwork since I was 13. I love getting dirty in paint creating abstract images. My drawings include a lot of landscapes and clothing designs. I’ve been designing my own clothes for several years and its my true passion, ask me next time you see me to show you some of my work, I’ll be happy to.

Here’s something you may not know about me, I’m in school to become a Veterinarian. My first goal is to become a Veterinary Assistant then work my way up to Veterinary Technician, then finally a Veterinarian. I love animals and being able to work with them would be fabulous. I actually have a dog of my own, her name is Ellsie and she is a 8 month old Chiweiner. I have many interests and talents to share, come by the shop and say hi! I can’t wait to see you.

Cheryl Kay Rotter, Sales Associate

Hello there, going batty! faithfuls. I am the newest member of the sales staff at going batty! I have been sewing garments since I was twelve and I have continued to enjoy sewing many garments for myself and my family over the years. My children are grown and out of the house now, so I needed a new purpose to my sewing. About 5 years ago I was inspired by the Reno Quilt Show and purchased a sewing machine with a walking foot, an Alex Anderson Book, and some fabric and decided to teach myself “how to make a quilt”. After developing some bad habits while left to my own devices, I started taking classes. I discovered going batty! and here I am 5 years later. I sometimes think I might be the Queen of UFOs, un-sewn kits, and stash hoarding. We have many classes that can help with all of those. I love helping our customers with their special projects. It’s such an honor and a privilege to be involved in a customer’s selection process for such a personal expression of themselves. Memory quilts, baby quilts, retirement quilts, wedding quilts; isn’t it lovely that these special events inspire such beauty in fabric? I’ll be waiting at going batty! to help you with your special project.

Cheryl Wagner, Back Office Assistant

Hi I’m Cheryl. I am new to Going Batty and am looking forward to working here for many years with this outstanding group of people. I am attending Kaplan University online for the next four years to earn a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration. My loves in life are my animals, reading, and creating my artwork. I thrive on color and design.I have twelve years of experience as an interior designer and I have a diploma from the California School of Professional Fabric Design in Berkeley, California. I don’t sew, but fabrics are a passion of mine and I feel privileged to be working around them everyday. I am sure I will be sewing in the future: with all of these creative and talented people around me, how could I not?