Our mission statement sums it up:
"The number one rule of quilting is there are no rules."
But it's more than that. We are totally committed to providing not just a quilt shop, but a whole feel good experience. The Quilt Shop will be a place where you can just pop in and say hi or stay for a cuppa and a slice of cake. We are so excited about where “The Quilt Shop” journey will take us and the lovely quilters we will meet along the way.
About
Alison
I used to think Quilting was for Nanna’s until I met my friend Jenny while waiting for our boys to get out of school. We’d all be sitting and talking while Jenny would be sewing and talking, for years I didn’t get it and for years she tried to get me to quilt. I didn’t understand what it felt like to create something so beautiful with my own 2 hands (and sometimes a sewing machine). I have no crafty bones in my body, I couldn’t even sew a straight line and what the hell was a ‘fat quarter’?
But still she persisted and thank god she did! Jenny has opened my eyes to the world of Quilting and I have now realised that it’s not for Nanna’s, this is where all the cool kids hang out! Thank you Jenny for giving me the gift of Quilting.
I first met Sharon one night at cricket training where our boys were both in the same team when I mentioned that I would rather be home sewing and that was when our friendship began. The Cricket season didn’t seem so long having another ‘Quilter’ to talk to and the more we talked the more we realised that we like the same things.
It wasn’t until late 2014 that the idea of opening a quilt shop seemed like a possibility. The way I remember it happening is – I rang Sharon one morning on my way to work to tell her I was thinking of opening up a quilt shop and she said that it was something she’s wanted to do for years and did I want a partner? I’m sure the words were out of her mouth before she’d even thought about it and of course I said yes!
Our first meeting was that night to see how serious we were about it and to see if we were on the same page. By the end of that first meeting we were 50% in. It only took a couple more meetings before we decided that we could really do this, we could open a quilt shop!
Sharon
Sewing for me began at a very young age. My parents gave me a large purple sewing box for my birthday when I was about 10 years old. Even though that seems like an eternity ago I remember loving the feel of the fabric in my hands as I hand sewed clothes for my favourite doll. During my teens I enjoyed knitting as well as doing tapestries then venturing on to cross stitch.
It was after buying a Family Circle baby book that I made my first simple rail fence quilt at the age of 21 for a friends baby. I can still remember so clearly the day I walked into the local patchwork shop to proudly show off my cot size topper. The shop owner was either biting her tongue to stop herself laughing or was just totally speechless when she laid eyes on my lilac and green work. Let me explain more clearly. I thought I had done such an amazing job as I had overlocked all the edges and used a 15mm seam. Boy did I have a lot to learn. To that lovely ladies credit, she patiently took me into her classroom and taught me about the basics of quilting. She showed me how to use a rotary cutter and board and gave her time freely. I am ever grateful for her generosity and knowledge as she inspired me to continue making quilts.
Over the years I have made countless quilts using different methods and different fabric themes. I was totally floral for a few years but then was introduced to reproductions. These fabrics and the history behind them became my absolute obsession for many years. I love the fact that the craft of quilting has evolved so greatly into the friendship groups we all enjoy today.
Alison and I struck up a friendship through our sons playing cricket together. During what must have been a particularly boring game the following comment was made, “I’d rather be home sewing”. Neither of us will admit to making the comment but that simple remark opened the door to a new friendship. How nice it was to discover another fellow quilter who was in the same stage of her life as I was. Alison would turn up to games with her basket of hexies and sew while I was scoring. I was so jealous but it made for a lot of cheeky banter.
The idea for “The Quilt Shop” came from Alison casually asking me one day if I would be interested in opening a quilt shop with her. I thought about it for all of two minutes before deciding she was offering me the opportunity to fulfill a dream!