Ron Wanless does a lot of woodworking projects, specifically making things like quilt racks, coat racks, and wall hangings. His wife Julie Wanless helps him with this and also does quilting of her own.
What makes it extraordinary is that Ron and Julie Wanless are able to do all of this work even though Ron is on dialysis three days a week in Monroe. He also has lost feeling in his hands and feet due to diabetes.
One of Ron’s favorite aspects of his work is being able to create something unique for people.
“I love doing new blocks. I like it when people send me a block that they don’t see on our sheet that they really like, and then I get to make it. Otherwise, it gets kind of boring making the same thing over and over. We do about 130 blocks,” he said.
These projects got started mainly from Ron needing something to do and Julie helping him find an activity.
“Ron’s had a lot of health issues, so I took a Saturday Sampler class. We went every month and they’d give you a pattern with the material, and then if you came back, your next month was free. He wanted something to do, so I said, ‘Why don’t you make this block out of wood, and I’ll make it out of material?’ It just kind of grew from there,” she said.
They weren’t originally selling the things they made, but when they wanted to change some things up in their home, they decided to sell a quilt hanger Ron had made.
“Julie said something about making a quilt hanger with different blocks. So I made one for her, and not long after, she said something about wanting something a little different and thought, why don’t you just sell it?” he explained. “So I went and put the ad on Marketplace, and I did not understand that it went all over the world, so all of a sudden I had like 300 responses of people wanting to buy this. I couldn’t figure out how to get the ad off. Finally, I got the ad to stop, and I told her that I was going to respond to every person, even if it takes me months, because they took the time to say they wanted to buy this.”
While Ron doesn’t have a favorite type to make, they do have varying pieces that are more popular in some years. They attend only a few events to showcase their work, and the popularity of their pieces varies.
“We go to the Airing of the Quilts in Orfordville, and we did Cheese Days two years ago. Some years it’s the ladders that are most popular, and the next year it’s quilt hangers and coat hangers,” she said.
The two have been making these pieces for about 12 years, and it’s been quite beneficial in keeping Ron moving.
“It started out and I never thought it was going to catch on like this. Now I’m getting to the point where I just don’t know how long I’m going to be able to do it,” he said. “It’s important for me to be able to get up when I’m not going to dialysis, which I do three days a week. I get up, and I go out to my shop. I’ve got two cats that live in my shop, and they help. If I’m drawing patterns, they’ll lay right down on the board. If I’m working on piecing something, they’re right there watching.”
Ron doesn’t have a set thing that inspires him, but Julie has really helped him with starting and continuing his creativity.
“Julie is probably the most inspiration because of her coming up with these blocks. Then she got me this book that has 5,500 blocks,” he said.
They will also find inspiration from people who ask them for something unique and specific that they hadn’t thought about before.
“With the swinging arm hanger, someone reached out and asked if he could make a quilt hanger like this using his blocks. I think that’s kind of how the ladder got started, too,” she said.
This craft is something they can undertake together as they split up the work on the pieces.
“I do the woodworking, and Julie does all the finish work because I’m not patient enough,” he said.
Even if it might be a bit more difficult for him, Ron still makes all of his pieces by hand, which definitely gives them a more personal touch.
“I don’t use CNC machines, I just use the bandsaw and the sander,” he said. “I draw them up and then put the letter of the kind of wood I’m going to use in that space, like cherry, walnut, aspen.”
While the two might not have a set favorite piece to make, they will make some special pieces either for family or to donate to benefits in Albany.
“He’s made this, like rocking chair with a cradle attached so when they rock, it rocks their doll with them. He’s made three of those now. I’d seen it on Pinterest and then he made the pattern up himself. Albany has had a few different benefits in town, and we made them and donated them for their silent auction,” she said.
Julie also does a lot of her own work with quilting. She and a small group of people at her church try to do what they can to help their immediate and surrounding communities.
“We do mission quilts at our church here in Albany. There are about five of us. We make some smaller quilts and take them to the Monroe Hospital, we give some to our EMS, and then some to the ER that are used if a little one needs to be Medflighted or something. We also have some smaller ones that are used in the NICU so the parents can lay them over the incubator,” she said.
They ship all over the country, with many out east, but also quite a few out west too. To see more of what they do, as well as get in contact with them, visit their Facebook page: Sugar River Quilting.
