Fabric store survives by following trends

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Published: September 5, 2002

KINDERSLEY, Sask. – A wall of muted nature colours and fabrics that

resemble river pebbles, grass and autumn leaves are revealed when one

walks into Veronica’s Sewing Supplies.

The fabric store is celebrating its 23rd year in business with an

attention to detail as probing as a quilter stitching a pattern.

The 616 sq. metre shop, located in an old Saan store in downtown

Kindersley, is the largest quilting supply store in west-central

Saskatchewan, said owner Veronica Longmuir.

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While other fabric shops closed as home sewing declined, Longmuir has

survived by riding the trends. She attended seminars in cramped

sweatshops in Toronto and the United States to keep aware of the latest

trends. Her store attracts people from Saskatchewan and Alberta with

its large inventory and reasonable prices. But the guest book also

lists names from other provinces and countries.

“We started with the stretch-and-sew trend,” said Longmuir.

Making T-shirts is no longer cost effective for home sewers, but the

store then rode the crest of the serger wave. A serger machine not only

sews twice as fast as conventional machines, but also trims and

finishes so that handmade clothes look store-bought.

While craft items were popular for a while, quilting is the current

trend. Veronica’s stocks 1,600 bolts of quilting cotton from 70

suppliers across Canada. While Longmuir had to prove herself in the

early years, the supplier’s sales staff now visit her.

Quilting used to take up a two m space in the store, but it now

represents a third of the supplies.

Longmuir sees a growing connection between sewing machines and the

internet, where customers can pull off patterns or personalize them,

and then download the instructions into the sewing machine’s computer.

“They can even quilt their child’s face.”

She said quilting has become popular as a stress reliever and a

creative outlet for women age 35 and older.

Even though home sewing can save people money, Longmuir said that no

longer seems to be the motivation. Baby boomers are having

grandchildren and are spending lots of money on baby quilts and room

décor. At Halloween, “non-sewers come out of the woodwork” to create

unique costumes, without fretting about the cost of the material. And

many people are doing simple draperies that they can change every five

years and not have to spend thousands of dollars.

“We try to be a general store,” Longmuir said.

She carries flannels and fleeces for cozy clothes, dressy materials for

graduation and weddings, glitzy fabric for dance schools and the figure

skating club, a baby materials section and one that appeals to children

with brightly coloured animals and cartoon characters. There is also

wool and embroidery thread for other needlework, plus a large range of

notions. The buttons range from the plain that Grandma might buy, to

ones that look like John Deere tractors or Ritz crackers.

Longmuir, who started the store in the front area of her husband’s

radiator shop, said one of her business’s advantages is its present

space. One area is for fabric and sewing machine sales, two areas are

for fabric and finished item displays, and a fourth is the classroom.

In this bright, large room, Veronica’s hosts seasonal events, fashion

shows and the Kid’s Club.

The latter is creating future customers as girls and boys aged seven to

12 come weekly to learn to sew their own projects. A former club member

was driven an hour from Altario, Alta., each week to attend the 36

classes. She now is sewing her own wedding outfits.

Longmuir said sewing is taught in Grade 9 but “by 14, a girl is almost

embarrassed” to have to learn to sew on a machine. As a former home

economics teacher, she knows the difficulty of educating 22 teenagers.

“Some of the seven year olds are so little, their feet don’t touch the

floor, so we put a pattern book under the presser foot.”

Members who dropped in during their school lunch break said they are

already planning for this winter. Shelby Ervine, who has been sewing

for six years with the club, said the most fun things she made were

gifts for others. But this year she plans to decorate her room with

handmade curtains and pillows.

Adelle Sutherland said in her three years with the club she has sewn

pajamas, sweat pants and a nightgown, but looks forward to trying denim

jeans this year.

The Hammel kids, twins Adam and Kyla and their little brother Raymond,

were encouraged to join the club by their mother, who sews. The boys

have sewed body pillows – Adam’s is a zebra stripe and Raymond made a

sweater top. Their sister, working from her six years in the club, is

trying a quilt this year.

Brother and sister Jordan and Alyssa Tumback are also making plans, one

for a long sweater type jacket and the other, something for his dog.

When asked why they are in the club, Jordan said it’s because he likes

making stuff and saving money. His sister added: “It’s just all fun.”

About the author

Diane Rogers

Saskatoon newsroom

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