Hawaiian Baby Quilts

At Patchwork Cottage Quilting and Camaraderie is Addictive

As you watch the ladies attending the first Wednesday of the month hand sewing group at Patchwork Cottage , located at 2070 Sugarloaf Parkway, one can’t help but reminisce back to simpler times. Back to a time when the popularity of ladies gathering to form “sewing circles” was commonplace. Or your mind wanders back to childhood memories of your mom and grandmother quietly sitting and quilting.

“I’ve been hand sewing, knitting and crocheting since I was seven years old,” said Mita Chatterjee, Patchwork Cottage owner and operator, “but when I learned how to quilt through a friend and a book about seven or eight years ago, I was just hooked.”

In November of 2007, Chatterjee started making plans to open Patchwork. Her plans became a reality in February of 2008.

Patchwork is housed in what was a classroom for Stitch and Quilt, the previous quilting business in the plaza. Chatterjee found outStitch and Quilt was closing six months before they shut down.

When she told her husband that she was quitting her job as an accountant with a local accounting firm to open the quilting shop, he told her she needed her head examined.

“As for the day-to-day operations, I love it (owning Patchworks). I love hanging out with my customers. I love the surprises that they bring in. As soon as I see their stuff I want to make it also. My whole life is one big quilt,” said Chatterjee.   

The passion for quilting is also found in Patchworks’ customers and employees. They all describe quilting as if it is a drug, upon which they have become addicted. And sewing groups and classes are where they come to get their “fix”---of quilting ideas, training, and support from a sisterhood of fellow sewers.

“No boys are allowed,” said Marty Miller, as she works on her appliqué. “We love coming here because it is women being with women; the fact that you make a quilt is an extra added attraction. It is just about being together.”

Miller has been a Patchwork customer since its opening. She is happiest when working with traditional quilting fabrics and doing intricate hand work. In observing Miller in efforts to get her to teach, Chatterjee said that Miller would be good at teaching traditional quilt making.  

Sewing group member Ginny Wineinger multi-tasks during the session to finish the binding on a traditional quilt, while also working on a crimson Hawaiian appliqué. Ginny has a very special claim to fame with two of her quilts.

Hawaiian Baby Quilt @Craftzine.com blog

I have finally finished the Hawaiian baby quilt I've been working on. It's been my back-burner project for, oh, almost four years! The baby it's intended for is now almost three and not really a baby anymore, but hopefully he'll like it anyway.

While it has certainly been a lot of work (the central portion is all hand-quilted), it's the most satisfying project I've ever worked on. The thread color isn't consistent, the applique is crooked, and I have a lot to learn about mitered corners, but I'm ready to start another, this time for my own baby. Hopefully it will be done by the time he goes to college.

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