MONROE - Genevieves Quilt Haven has moved off the Square, but owner Terry Benson is busier than ever piecing together little squares of fabric and creating beautiful quilts.
The move to the former Larry's Chalet and The Shopping News at 1909 11th Ave., gives Benson more room for her classes, her APQS Longarm quilting machine, a larger selection of quilting fabrics and notions, and, as an additional bit of luck, a parking lot.
"The building is bigger with a lot more room for growth, with a parking lot. A parking lot is very important," she said.
The main shop has several small rooms, which Benson has decorated as rooms in a home. A huge cavernous addition is where she now has her quilting machine, an APQS Longarm quilting machine, only one of two or three in town.
Too costly for most hobbyists to buy, the machine can get a quilt backed and sewn together in a day.
"It takes an hour to get pinned together," Benson said. But once that's done, she can make two rows of stitches in an intricate leaf pattern, in about 10 minutes, with the guidance of a laser light.
The machine's arm is light. "It glides like a feather," she said.
Benson does custom work for quilters who bring their top pieces to her for batting and backing. She'll also do a whole quilt for them. One quilt in various shades of blue laid out on a table waiting for Benson to finish was made from little dresses worn by the customer's daughter, who is now 20.
But for beginning quilting crafters and those who like to do-it-yourself, Benson offers classes and clubs.
"I now have a lot more room for classes. Downtown had room for two at a time. Here I have room for eight at time," she said.
In the basic quilting class, Benson teaches six basic quilt designs: the flying geese, the rail fence, the radiant star, the log cabin, the 9-patch, and a combination 9-patch with even smaller squares.
"The class gives you an idea not only how to sew, but how to quilt, too," Benson said. "Once you learn the six basic blocks, you can make anything you want out of them."
The mini rag-quilt club offers a quilt a month, each measuring about two square feet. Each quilt can be used as a wall hanging, a pillow, or be sewn together to make a larger quilt. Members receive a bag with all the fabric, backing and batting needed to make a quilt each month, with a free book with all the patterns. It's possible to make one mini quilt in about two hours, or to take home to finish.
Benson says she can make a large quilt in one weekend, without interruption. To accomplish that feat, she attend a quilting retreat in Iowa. The idea is to get 10 women together in a cabin and just quilt.
"No men, no makeup, no cell phones and no bras," Benson said smiling. There are added perks to the retreat - a hot tub and extravagant food furnished by the women themselves. "We eat well," she said.
Every member of Genevieves, whether in a class or club, receives 20 percent off all fabrics.
Benson is doubling her line of fabrics for quilters to choose, from 400 to 800 bolts by the end of summer.
The fabric room is airy and well-lit with glass blocks on three sides of the room. Benson color coordinates her displays fabrics, making it easy to see how a quilt will come together.
"I love all the windows in here. You can see the true colors of the fabrics," she said.
As a traveling sales representative for 30 lines of fabric to Minnesota, Iowa and throughout Wisconsin, Benson says she knows what fabric is discontinued, what is coming out, what is selling and what's not.
"As an extra advantage, I get to see a whole lot of other shops. I get so many ideas." she said.
Benson is working out a deal with Amish furniture craftsmen to sell their furniture and wants to set up their gazebos in her parking lot this summer. She is adding a line of barn board furniture, also.
Decorated with flowers and signs, the shop looks like a home. Genevieves specializes in Victorian antique furniture, and wrought iron garden furniture, which makes splendid display racks for pillow, quilts and other various hand-made quilted items.
Classes, clubs, fabrics and notions: needles, cutters, cutting boards, fusible webbing, clips, bobbins, rulers, everything a quilter needs, are available on the shop's Web site, designed by Benson's daughter, Dani Johnson.
"We do absolutely great online," said Benson, with as much as $200 to $300 a week in sales.
"There's really a demand for it here in Monroe," Benson said.
Dani also works at the shop and does its brochures, pamphlets and flyers. (She's learning the quilting craft from her mother.) She lives at the store, in the upstairs living quarters, of course, not the shop itself. That luxury is reserved for Charlie, a black, 9-month old, well-groomed and well-behaved cat who sleeps in a basket above the fabric racks during the day and in the quilting room at night.
"In England, black cats are considered good luck in a business," Benson said. "I keep asking Charlie when that's going to happen."
But Charlie didn't seem concerned. Perhaps he feels his luck already is working, one little square at a time.
The move to the former Larry's Chalet and The Shopping News at 1909 11th Ave., gives Benson more room for her classes, her APQS Longarm quilting machine, a larger selection of quilting fabrics and notions, and, as an additional bit of luck, a parking lot.
"The building is bigger with a lot more room for growth, with a parking lot. A parking lot is very important," she said.
The main shop has several small rooms, which Benson has decorated as rooms in a home. A huge cavernous addition is where she now has her quilting machine, an APQS Longarm quilting machine, only one of two or three in town.
Too costly for most hobbyists to buy, the machine can get a quilt backed and sewn together in a day.
"It takes an hour to get pinned together," Benson said. But once that's done, she can make two rows of stitches in an intricate leaf pattern, in about 10 minutes, with the guidance of a laser light.
The machine's arm is light. "It glides like a feather," she said.
Benson does custom work for quilters who bring their top pieces to her for batting and backing. She'll also do a whole quilt for them. One quilt in various shades of blue laid out on a table waiting for Benson to finish was made from little dresses worn by the customer's daughter, who is now 20.
But for beginning quilting crafters and those who like to do-it-yourself, Benson offers classes and clubs.
"I now have a lot more room for classes. Downtown had room for two at a time. Here I have room for eight at time," she said.
In the basic quilting class, Benson teaches six basic quilt designs: the flying geese, the rail fence, the radiant star, the log cabin, the 9-patch, and a combination 9-patch with even smaller squares.
"The class gives you an idea not only how to sew, but how to quilt, too," Benson said. "Once you learn the six basic blocks, you can make anything you want out of them."
The mini rag-quilt club offers a quilt a month, each measuring about two square feet. Each quilt can be used as a wall hanging, a pillow, or be sewn together to make a larger quilt. Members receive a bag with all the fabric, backing and batting needed to make a quilt each month, with a free book with all the patterns. It's possible to make one mini quilt in about two hours, or to take home to finish.
Benson says she can make a large quilt in one weekend, without interruption. To accomplish that feat, she attend a quilting retreat in Iowa. The idea is to get 10 women together in a cabin and just quilt.
"No men, no makeup, no cell phones and no bras," Benson said smiling. There are added perks to the retreat - a hot tub and extravagant food furnished by the women themselves. "We eat well," she said.
Every member of Genevieves, whether in a class or club, receives 20 percent off all fabrics.
Benson is doubling her line of fabrics for quilters to choose, from 400 to 800 bolts by the end of summer.
The fabric room is airy and well-lit with glass blocks on three sides of the room. Benson color coordinates her displays fabrics, making it easy to see how a quilt will come together.
"I love all the windows in here. You can see the true colors of the fabrics," she said.
As a traveling sales representative for 30 lines of fabric to Minnesota, Iowa and throughout Wisconsin, Benson says she knows what fabric is discontinued, what is coming out, what is selling and what's not.
"As an extra advantage, I get to see a whole lot of other shops. I get so many ideas." she said.
Benson is working out a deal with Amish furniture craftsmen to sell their furniture and wants to set up their gazebos in her parking lot this summer. She is adding a line of barn board furniture, also.
Decorated with flowers and signs, the shop looks like a home. Genevieves specializes in Victorian antique furniture, and wrought iron garden furniture, which makes splendid display racks for pillow, quilts and other various hand-made quilted items.
Classes, clubs, fabrics and notions: needles, cutters, cutting boards, fusible webbing, clips, bobbins, rulers, everything a quilter needs, are available on the shop's Web site, designed by Benson's daughter, Dani Johnson.
"We do absolutely great online," said Benson, with as much as $200 to $300 a week in sales.
"There's really a demand for it here in Monroe," Benson said.
Dani also works at the shop and does its brochures, pamphlets and flyers. (She's learning the quilting craft from her mother.) She lives at the store, in the upstairs living quarters, of course, not the shop itself. That luxury is reserved for Charlie, a black, 9-month old, well-groomed and well-behaved cat who sleeps in a basket above the fabric racks during the day and in the quilting room at night.
"In England, black cats are considered good luck in a business," Benson said. "I keep asking Charlie when that's going to happen."
But Charlie didn't seem concerned. Perhaps he feels his luck already is working, one little square at a time.