A love of fabric becomes a thriving business

Beverly Ingram caught the quilting bug in the late '80s, when she found herself taking a class for a church fundraiser.

She and a group of other women made a quilt that raised $5,000 for the church. Then, the losing bidder commissioned a second $5,000 quilt. Ingram worked on that one too, and she was hooked.

Ingram parlayed her love of quilting into a business in 1997, when she bought an existing shop along Colleyville Boulevard and renamed it Quilter's Dream.

She purchased the entire building five years ago, providing space for classes and quilting club rentals.

The clubs are a kind of modern take on tradition — many Texas women can remember grandmothers or mothers gathering to work on a quilt for an afternoon. Back then, the many hands were a necessity for getting the painstaking work done more quickly.

But the iced tea and talk were just as important, and quilters are the same today.

"It's as much social as for actual quilting," Ingram said.

The quilters can rent a room and work at wide tables in a section of the store Ingram calls a day retreat. Smaller pressing and cutting rooms are nearby.

For quilters who want to get out, Ingram takes bus tours to different shops. Some appeal to quilters who like contemporary designs, while Ingram's leans traditional.

In the main room, bolts of fabric arranged by color are shelved along the walls. Quilts hang above the shelves, tagged with pattern names — the beloved "Double Wedding Ring," for example, or the much easier "Magic 9 Patch" Ingram created to teach beginners.

In three sessions, she said, a student can walk in not knowing how to use a sewing machine and leave with a completed quilt.

The shop has abundant classes — the spring schedule lists more than 35.

Ingram said the bulk of her business comes from fabric sales.

"We have a better quality of fabric than you can get at the chain stores," she said. "A lot of young moms come in to get things for dresses."

The real reason many of her customers come in, though, is less tangible. A love of fabric, color and texture draw them to the store as a respite.

"We have people who come here because they need a break from whatever's going on in their lives," Ingram said. "It's not just a business. There's a lot of healthy interaction and therapy going on."

Services

Bus tour — Quilter's Dream is sponsoring a tour April 19-20 visiting six shops each day. Cost: $65, including lunch.

Classes — These range from one called "Scrap Pile Terminator," $15 on May 28, to a strip piecing class for $45 on March 27, April 3 and 10.

Machine maintenance — basic cleaning and lubrication, $65.

Sew Fun Night — March 22, April 27 and May 24, 6 p.m.-midnight at the shop, $5.

Clubs — The store works with 10 different clubs. Some work with a local artist's designs, while one called Quiltsitters includes the prerequisite of "a forgiving attitude about quilting."

Day retreat room rentals — $5 per person per day.

Quilter's Dream, 6409 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, 817-481-7105, www.quiltersdreamtx.com

Hours:

• 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and Thursday;
• 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
• 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.