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What’s a nice girl like you doing
opening a quilt shop?
 I have always enjoyed sewing and
crafts, from as long as I can
remember. I started sewing and
embroidering when I was 7 or 8. My
mom, Nina, my Grandma Goold and my
Aunt Mary always nurtured and
encouraged my desire to sew. I
remember making my younger brothers
jackets using my own design and
pattern when I was about 10. One
was blue denim and the other was
brown denim. I couldn’t figure out
that collar. The more I worked it,
the worse it got. By the time I was
finished, the jackets were
collarless with huge scooped
necklines. That didn’t stop my
brothers from wearing them. My mom
would have to take them off of them
when they were asleep just to get a
chance to wash them. And then there
was the time I decided to make a
bathing suit out of terry cloth.
Well, you can just imagine what
happened when I jumped into that
public pool …
 Sewing took a backseat to marriage,
kids and a career as a software
engineer. And then, four years ago
the bottom fell out of the dot com
business and I was out of work.
Things were tough, but I managed to
persevere. I made my best friend
from high school a quilt for her 50th
birthday and soon discovered Simply
Quilts on HGTV. Oh, my gosh! There
is a show on TV about quilting.
Every morning I was up at 5:30 with
my sewing machine on the coffee
table, frantically making the Simply
Quilt block of the day. I was
insatiable. Next I discovered other
quilting shows. And oh, my gosh,
retreats and classes! What could be
finer than hanging out with other
people who ate, drank and slept
quilting like I did! I thought I’d
died and gone to heaven. It wasn’t
long before I discovered my local
quilting guild, Piecemakers of
Southern Alameda County.
The employment market was slow to
recover. Its recovery was just the
opposite of my never-ending thirst
and enjoyment of quilting. How
could I combine my need for a job
and my love for quilting? Well,
Sisters ‘N Stitches is my answer and
as they say, the rest is history.
It is something that I could not
have done without the help and
support of my wonderful husband,
son, daughter, and daughter-in-law.
My unemployed sister was going to go
into business with me, but just as
we got the ball rolling she got a
real job … one that pays you money
and gives you benefits. She is my
sister that keeps me in stitches and
I give her the credit for our name.
Quiltingly Yours,
Denise |
