![]() ![]() Quilt kits are available, and Kathy’s custom curated kits even include backing so you are spared having to look for a backing fabric once your quilt top is complete. Now the store sells current fabrics from many of the top quality quilting fabric companies. The new store opened in November of 2022, and the Quirky Quilt Shop came to life! While extensive remodeling was being done on the future store, she temporarily operated a compact but charming quilt shop from the yellow shed next to her house. Enough! Our area is bursting with quilters of all kinds and we deserved a quilt store! Kathy had been selling custom curated fabric bundles and kits at pop-up shops, and craft fairs and farmer’s markets. Kathy already did edge to edge longarm quilting as a business and was unimpressed by many online fabric purchases. Just ask us about all the things you can do along the way! Twin Cities quilters, vacationers and our beloved local community all enjoy our rural location. Located in the Saint Croix River Valley, 90 minutes north of Saint Paul/ Minneapolis, the Quirky Quilt Shop is on an idyllic hilltop with pastoral views. Even big box fabric retailers with inferior fabrics were a long drive, and always a disappointment compared to the quality of a privately owned store. After 2 small town quilt shops closed in Northwest Wisconsin, it was more than an hour drive to a reputable fabric store. She says it felt a bit like jumping off a bridge, but she’s never looked back, and she loves her new career.The Quirky Quilt Shop was started by artist Kathy Mellin Grubbs in response to the need in her region. In 2016, Cindy was thrilled (and a little scared) when she quit her admin job, purchased her APQS Millie and Quilt Path and started her longarm quilting business. Thankfully, quilting tools and techniques have advanced a lot since then. That class project took seven years to finish! But she was hooked, finding quilting to be relaxing, creative, and challenging-“it ticks all the boxes for me.” That was back in the days of cardboard templates and hand piecing. When her third child was born and with three kids under six years old, Cindy still found time to take her first quilting class. She progressed through garments, a wedding dress, grad gowns and even a winter coat before finding quilting, adding “that’s when I found my path.” Like many little girls, Cindy started her sewing journey by making doll clothes. She used her APQS Millie equipped with Quilt Path to stitch the pattern “Pink Hibiscus” by Patricia Ritter-how perfect for a tropical theme! Or, start whittling down your own stash by cutting 2 ½-inch strips the width of the fabric to create your own personal oasis.Ĭindy quilted Island Four Patch with Glide Cornflower yellow thread to help bring out more of the yellows in the fabric. Though you may not have a Tonga Treats fabric pack to take you back to the islands, you can use any colorful jelly roll with 40 strips. With the Pacific Ocean a few hours to the west and her home studio tucked between Shannon Lake and Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna, BC, it’s no surprise that Cindy appropriately named her longarm quilting business “ Seashell Quilts!” Nor it is a surprise to know that this quilt hangs in her studio to bring a little sunshine to even a dreary, cloudy day.Ĭindy’s always loved working with bright colors-especially blues and yellows (perhaps the deep blue and turquoise waters and abundant sunshine have subliminally influenced her!) The sharp, clean white background and four-patch blocks create a striking mosaic pathway across the sea of blues-almost like pebbles in the sand. This quilt definitely feels like it should be draped across a beach chair the tropics! A package of Tonga Treats batik fabric strips buried in her fabric stash called “Island Punch” by Timeless Treasures inspired APQS Dealer Cindy Schellenberg to create this simple but striking pattern.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |