I suggested to my husband back in 1988, that we should start a quilt shop that would build on my sewing experience. I did not tell him I was taking up membership in a tight group of individuals whose loyalty to one another makes motorcycle gang members seem uncommitted. I now see my life mission is to try all new gadgets, thread, and accessories to sort out each item and get the best in the hands of each quilter. This journey has allowed me to develop such skills as stuffing flat rate priority packages with fabric that is equivalent to me trying to fit in my jeans I wore in high school.

We are obsessive about fabric. We brake for quilt shops. We store mountains of materials in our homes. Quilting tools and gadgets catch our eye. Computers, electronics, and digital devices have made their way into the sewing, quilting, and embroidery industry. They typically provide greater options for creativity, higher levels of productivity, and unique methods for accomplishing tasks. Some new methods have even facilitated the process of creating new types of items previously not possible. We pour over patterns, and delight in seeing each other’s creations. Some of us are even quite competitive about these things. We have Janome, Brother, and Handiquilter Longarm machines to amazing computerized machines that take you to another level in the pursuit of creating quilts.