Top quilt shop offers endless options for Siouxland quilters

Brouillette got her start hand sewing clothing for her Barbie and troll dolls. When she turned 8 years old, she was allowed to use her mother's sewing machine, which was a "big deal." 

"My mother always sewed, but that was back in the '50s, '60s. Everyone sewed then," Brouillette said. "She didn't sew because she liked to. She sewed because that's what you did. You had to. I loved to sew."

Although the average age of the customers who walk through the doors of Brouillette's quilting supply shop, 3011 Hamilton Blvd., is likely 60 plus, she said younger people are taking up quilting. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she said they pulled out their grandmothers' sewing machines to make masks. For some, the act spurred an interest in quilting. Others are exposed to quilting through the internet.

"A lot of times, women will start when they have a baby," quilting instructor Jane Vereen said. "A lot of it's generational -- if their mom did or their grandma did."

Retirement is another major life event that brings people to Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company. 

"I've had many beginner students that have literally just come in here with a new machine, not knowing what to do with it and learned to how to make their first quilt. It's a very common thing to take up in retirement," said Vereen, who said making things with your hands can be "soothing." 

Start small

Brouillette advises to "start small" in size when it comes to a quilting project to ensure that you can finish it. Make a table runner instead of attempting the impossible for a beginner -- a double wedding ring or cathedral window. 

"They're beautiful, but it's not a beginner project," Brouillette said. "Those two are very intermediate projects. People see them and they want to start way too hard. You have to learn the basics to get to that."

Since all you'll do is sew straight lines, Brouillette said you don't need a fancy sewing machine. If your grandma's sewing machine works, you can use it to make a quilt. 

"Some of those old machines are the best machines. Just have them cleaned and oiled. They purr, they run so much better than these new computerized machines," Brouillette said. 

Vereen said a good rotary cutter is essential. You'll also need a cutting mat, ruler, fabric, pattern and basic sewing supplies. 

"Nothing's more frustrating than having a rotary cutter that maybe falls apart or the blade won't stay on," she said. 

Both Brouillette and Vereen recommend that first-time quilters take a beginner class or at least come to the shop and ask for help. 

"The people here are here to help," Vereen said. "We go through patterns with people, we try to show them easier ways to do things. We're glad to help anybody who needs help getting through a step."

Endless options 

In 1999, Better Homes & Gardens named Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company one of the top 10 quilt shops in the country. The shop features an expansive selection of fabrics, batiks, supplies and gifts, as well as computerized long arm quilting machines.

Vereen said there are so many different quilting techniques and fabrics to choose from that it's "endless."

"If you're not careful, you end up with 14 or 15 unfinished projects staring at you," she said. 

Moms and grandmothers looking to make baby quilts tend to want simplicity and less of a patchwork look. They opt for gray and tan fabrics. 

"They like solid colors. They use no borders around the quilt, just simple," Vereen said. "In the days of hand quilting, the more intricate the quilting, the more interesting the piece was. But now they want straight lines, minimalist."

Brouillette said customers are "fascinated" by the quilting machine, which she said is "amazing to watch."

"You finish your top and put it together with the three layers and bring it to us and, then, we make a pattern," Vereen said.

Brouillette added, "It does the stitching on top to hold the pieces together."

Quilting doesn't just appeal to women. Brouillette said men do it, too. In fact, a red, black and white quilt on the shop's quilting machine was made by a man.

"They're all about the geometry. We have a lot of men quilters," she said.