By Lindsay Conner

Located in Belleville, Ontario (just north of Prince Edward County), there’s a lovely quilt shop that has created a community around a love of fabrics and creativity. Artistic Quilts with Colors, owned by Jinni Beens is founded on the idea that quilting is more than just an art—it’s a community. Indeed, customers describe shopping here as a “kid

By Lindsay Conner

Jana Wrigley was born into the sewing industry. Her father, Chan Stewart, opened Stewart’s Sewing Machines in 1964 in Decatur, Illinois. After a stint in the Army flying helicopters, Chan decided to start a second career focusing on sewing machine sales and maintenance. His decision laid the foundation for what would become a beloved community hub for sewing

By Lindsay Conner

It’s been more than six years since Cathy Thornton and her brother-in-law Tony and sister, Marti went into business together by opening a quilt shop. Knowing what they know now, they wouldn’t change a thing! “When Tony retired from the military, he was interested in buying a turn-key operation,” she explains.

[Family Photo]

“In his search for a new business,

By Lindsay Conner

Sometimes, the path to becoming a retail quilt shop owner and BERNINA sewing machine dealer might be winding. It certainly was for shop owner Jolene Fitch! Jolene had recently retired from her career in healthcare administration when she wandered into her local quilt shop to purchase a gift certificate for a friend. The next thing she knew, she

In 2011, Robin Laino was working in corporate finance. Tired of “the game” and the drain on her creativity and time to create, she knew it was time to take a leap of faith. That year, she resigned from her job and opened The Quilted Nest fabric store with a goal to share her love of sewing and quilting with

By Lindsay Conner

Late last summer, Linda Glover celebrated the grand opening of her quilt shop, Shakin’ the Tree Fabric Boutique! The quaint shop serves her customers in the village of Homer, located in central New York state close to Syracuse. “This is a very community-focused village, and I am located in the downtown area with a village green, an arts

Quilt shop owner Christie Hughes worked as a police officer for 6 years, leaving the field shortly after 9/11. After several years working in the technology field while running an online quilt shop, she took the leap to open Christie’s Quilting Boutique in Norwalk, Connecticut 10 years ago. This career shift was the change of pace she needed and allowed

After spending 24 years as an elementary school teacher (in both Canada and Japan), Michelle Peters suspected it was time for a career change. “My passion had really shifted to quilting,” she explains. “It was all I thought about!” Today, Michelle is the force behind Watergirl Quilt Co., a quilt shop based in Prescott, Ontario.

Michelle herself is the “Watergirl” in

By Lindsay Conner

If you’re looking for an online quilt shop with a variety of beautiful, modern, and traditional fabrics, swing over to Coneflower Quilt Co. and have a look! Owned by Renee Wald and her husband Harvey, this small business is located in Pierre, South Dakota but is frequented by happy fabric shoppers from across the country via its online

It all started in 1969! Yes, more than 50 years ago, the E-Z Knit Fabrics store was born in Colville, Washington (a small city sandwiched roughly between Spokane and the Canadian border). After taking a “Stretch & Sew” class (based around a line of garment patterns of the same name), Vickie Black convinced her mother to quit her job at