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Saturday, July 5, 2008
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Quilts go high-tech
Senior Reporter Loft space in a downtown Brainerd yarn shop is serving as a business incubator and is expected to benefit two businesses owned by women.
Cindy's Quilt Loft recently opened in the loft of Between Friends Yarn Shop on Laurel Street. Owner Cindy Williams is a long arm quilter. The term "long arm " comes from the long bed commercial quilting machine used in the overall quilting process.
Quilters take her quilt tops they created and with Williams may pick a stitch pattern that best matches their theme. She recently worked on a quilt in earth tones with an autumn leaf stitch pattern that is even more readily visible on the quilt's back.
Williams works part time as a dental hygienist, but the partnership with Between Friends Yarn Shop means she can offer regular work hours at the loft since people can drop off quilts during the yarn store's hours. Williams is usually in the loft Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and available by appointment for additional hours.
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Cindy Williams, owner of Cindy's Quilt Loft, worked with a quilt on her computerized long arm machine, which produces precise stitching. Williams opened her business in the loft of Between Friends Yarn Shop on Laurel Street in downtown Brainerd this spring.
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Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
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Williams' mother is a quilter and her loft is currently a showcase for those quilts, which are draped over the loft railing. When Williams started thinking about opening her own business, she looked at machine options and fell in love with the scale of the long arm machine.
"So I decided to go with the computerized machine because I don't know of anybody in this area that has it, so I wanted to offer something different and I wanted to offer convenience."
Productive quilters may have a stack of projects completed but find it difficult to schedule time with a machine quilter to finish the job, Williams said. Others may have a quilt top ready for a fast approaching deadline of a wedding or birth. Williams believes there is a demand in this area for a long arm quilter who has the easy access of a store front. Cindy's Quilt Loft opened in May.
Customers may take her their own batting or purchase it from Williams. They do need to purchase thread from Williams. She provides quotes for the work. She doesn't sell material because there are stores already in the area offering that service.
She has customers who are planning their next quilt after looking through the book of stitch patterns filled with thousands of options - suns, scrolls, flowers, feathers, holiday images, picture frames, and athletic moods like soccer. Williams offers custom work and all-over quilt stitching. If a customer has seen a pattern they like but it's not in the book, Williams can download it online.
"With my machine I have so many different designs they can customize their all-over to what's on their quilt and they are having a lot of fun with that," Williams said.
With the computerized machine, Williams said the biggest difference is the machine is controlling the stitch pattern so it's precise and consistent.
"It's going to be the same every time," Williams said.
Some people continue to stitch quilts by hand, but many utilize a machine quilter.
"Think about the evolution of what quilting is," Williams said. "I mean quilting started out as the best recycling program that was ever established and everything was done by hand and it was a group thing. And now with the machines it's not as much a group thing but there are great clubs."
With a large project doing the stitching by hand or on a small machine means wrestling with a lot of fabric, Williams said. Smaller projects may take eight hours to complete on a home machine. Williams said she can complete those projects more easily with the long arm machine.
People who are not traditional quilters may take in material and have the patterned detailed stitching for cloth grocery bags, table runners and lap quilts among other options.
If someone has two pieces of material and wants to make an inexpensive gift for someone, a lap quilt, they can take in a couple of yards of material for a top and a plain back. Williams said for $50 they can have a nice gift with a personal touch.
"It is so fun," Williams said of the business. Williams said with her two children Jessica and Jake growing up, now 13 and 16, this was a project that could tap her creativity but she couldn't have done it without their help at home. Her husband gave her the nudge to go for it.
"This is really something I did for me," she said. "You used to think of a quilt as something you just put on your bed. But there is the most beautiful art work that is done in quilting, but instead of paint it's done with material."
Williams' friend, Lynne Sexton, owner of Between Friends Yarn Shop, said knitting and quilting have a cross-over for creative people who like to keep their hands busy.
In a challenging economy, Sexton said people often turn to handiwork for gifts.
"The loft is perfect for Cindy," Sexton said. "It benefits both of us. I think it's going to be good. The work she's done is awesome. I think she is going to do really well."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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