WINNIPEG – Every Wednesday, Susan Stone leaves her business in the basement of her suburban Winnipeg home in search of her fix.
She joins as many as 20 women who share her addiction to the smell and texture of fine fabric, and the fellowship and fun that comes from stitching beautiful quilts.
“It’s just an afternoon where you just enjoy. You laugh, you make a pot of tea or coffee, you sit there and accomplish something, you work together. To me, it’s almost like a high,” Stone laughed.
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It’s an experience she wants to share with others, no matter where they live. So about a year ago, Stone started The Wooden Spool, a mail-order catalogue for women who love working with good fabric, but have problems getting it.
“For rural women, I think you should have the opportunities that women in the city have to be able to access good quality fabrics and not just sort-of OK fabrics.
“You have put in a tremendous amount of time, thought and energy when you’re doing a quilt, and I think … you should work with fabrics that don’t look dead after the first washing.”
Her catalogue comes with packets of matchbook-sized swatches. As she buys new bolts, she cuts new swatches and sends them to her clients.
Stone, who has been quilting for more than a decade, said it’s an advantage to be able to look at fabric at home because customers can be sure it will match their furniture and decor.
It’s also quite handy: “Women are so busy nowadays. They’ve got so many responsibilities.”
Her strategy is to offer prices lower than many retail stores. For example, Stone sells solid broadcloth at $5 per metre, which goes for more than $7 a metre at a leading retailer in Winnipeg.
Starting a home-based business has meant Stone has had to learn to use a computer to keep track of the 200 quilters on her mailing list. She’s also learned to be her own broker and clear supplies at customs, since she works through a wholesaler in Minneapolis, Minn.
Stone said some clients have been hesitant to order material through the mail.
“I think people just have to take a chance and relax and know that if there’s a problem, there’s a money-back guarantee.”
But she thinks it’s starting to catch on. She has clients in towns like Teulon and Beausejour, Man., which are less than an hour from the city. She also gets orders from more remote areas like Cold Lake, Alta. and McBride, B.C.
“I’ve had some absolutely lovely letters back from ladies that have just been so interesting,” she said. It’s also a way to expand her circle of quilting friends. Some clients have promised to look her up when traveling through Winnipeg.
Stone said while her catalogue is convenient for hard-core quilters, there are some needs it can’t fill.
“It still never replaces walking into your quilt shop and standing there and going, ‘What am I going to buy? I want one of everything.’ “
