What is the point of business?

People who don't quilt often ask me, "What is the point?" I think they are really asking why I own a quilt shop....after all, "Who REALLY needs to go to a store to buy fabric just to cut it up into little pieces and then sew back together when all you really need is to go to the store and buy a blanket for heaven's sake!"

They don't seem to understand what it's all about. Scottie Dog Quilts is a store like many across the world. It IS a place where you can find beautiful quality 100% cotton fabrics for quilting. Or for home dec curtains & pillows, or aprons or kids clothes or pillowcases or tote bags & purses or jackets or place mats and, of course: QUILTS!. We also sell needles and thread and rulers and cutters and scissors and such. You can find patterns and books and kits and more.

But is this really what the Quilt Shop is all about? In the past several weeks we've heard some stories from our friends and customers: Two women who live but a block apart have been the best of friends for many years. And yet, they met in a class at our quilt shop. Another sweet lady who just retired confided that she never had "girl friends" until she started coming to classes here. Now her social calendar if full of fun events and a shop full of women she feels a connection to. Another gal was telling me she always lived in awe of her artistic family members. She was the only one who wasn't talented. Then someone sent her into our store. Imagine that her mother who paints, her brother who is a sculptor and her sister who illustrates children's books are all clamoring for her to make them a quilt! She's thrilled to have found "her" niche.

Quilting is an art form that transcends so many genres. Quilts are a feast for the eye, a tactile comfort. Quilts are an art form that can exude love and caring, sympathies and delight. There is fabric for every sport, hobby, nostalgia. There's fabric for pizza lovers and chocoholics, for I Love Lucy collectors and Wizard of Oz enthusiasts, for doll collectors, stamp collectors, dog & cat lovers. Are you a guy who likes Pin-Up Girls? How about Pin-Up Guys for the ladies? Do you like polka dots? Last night I sold a gal several 1/2 yard cuts of polka dots...her queen-sized quilt is going to be made entirely of polka dots!

Quilts can be soothing, they can be celebratory, commemorate a birth, wedding, graduation or a life well-lived. Sometimes they are made simply for warmth. But they are all made with love and the process of making them allows us to create, to work through a tough time, to help us grieve, and so many other things.

What's the point of the business of Scottie Dog Quilts? The point is all of the wonderful people we meet and have an opportunity to share our lives with. And they share theirs with us. It is an incredible chance to witness the birth of artistic awakening in so very many people. Liz and I are so very blessed that we come into contact with so many of you. Thanks for the opportunity.