Stacy Holbrook
Contributing Writer

(Photo provided – The quilt shop Gold Thimble is now open on Main Street.)

 

Every quilt tells a story, and every quilter has a story to tell. Wendy Stahl’s story is now a new shop in Eaton Rapids.

When Stahl was young, her mother took her to a quilting retreat in West Branch, at a quilt shop called Caroline’s, a place you could rent rooms for the weekend, a place to experience the wonderful world of fabric, a place to connect. Each thread, woven together, colors and patterns, became the instruments of beautiful creations. 

Stahl discovered the joy of creation. She went from never sewing a thing to completing three quilt tops. Later, this became a family event. Stahl along with her mother, sister, brother, niece and now great niece make yearly plans for “mom and me quilting retreats” that happens in March. This allows them to break up the winter blues as well as an opportunity to celebrate the many birthdays that happen near that time.  

Stahl reveals she is from a long line of quilters. Her Great Grandmother, who hand cut and hand stitched every quilt she created, to her great niece that spends time at the store helping customers view material.  She shares there were stitches her Great Grandmother would use that you could not get on a sewing machine.

It is exciting to watch as bolts of fabric with woven threads turn into beautiful, finished products of loving comfortable quilts.

Caroline’s was an amazing shop of patterns and fabrics that Stahl said she found she could connect with. This started forming her dream. Years later, when Caroline’s was planning on closing, Stahl considered purchasing this beloved place, but, due to unforeseen circumstances, it was not in the cards at that time. 

Later, Stahl found a nice building in Dimondale, but again, it did not feel right. With the encouragement and support of her boyfriend, Jason, Stahl’s dream moved into the next phase of planning. She started looking for the right location.

Knowing there were a lot of quilters in Eaton Rapids, Stahl narrowed her search. Her excitement was building as she found a building, made renovations and started gathering supplies, and placing orders for fabrics and designs six months in advance.  

Stahl held a soft opening February 28 to March 1, holding a small quilting gathering with the local quilters.

Stahl received helpful information shared by the ladies in the group, as well as suggestions for the future to consider. Stahl viewed this soft opening with excited hope, as her grand opening was scheduled for March 6.

Stahl looks to the future and holding quilting classes, selling sewing machines and offering sewing machine repairs. There are new and intriguing patterns splashed across fabrics to glamour the faces of quilts to reflect the seasons to explore.

Gold Thimble Quilt Shop is located at 217 S. Main St., Eaton Rapids. Contact Stahl at  Wendy@TheGoldThimble.com, or call  972-489-8547, or visit  WWW.THEGOLDTHIMBLE.COM.