Son’s handcrafted sign breathes new life into local quilt shop

February 24, 2019 | 3:01 am

Updated February 24, 2019 | 3:01 pm

Ann Simpson at Simple Stitches | Photo by Owensboro Times

The property that sits at 102 W. Byers Avenue was once home to Bratcher Vacuum Supply as well as a local thrift shop. But, in 2015, after retiring from a career in nursing, Ann Simpson and her family spent a year transforming the space in order to make her quilting dreams come true.

Simple Stitches Quilt Shop has found a home at the corner of Byers and Allen, with the only recognizable signage being the navy blue awning bearing the shop’s name and building number, until Feb. 10.

Ann mentioned to her husband and son that she had seen a black and white sign that she liked for the outside of the shop and was considering ordering. Wanting to ensure his mother had exactly what she was looking for, her son John quickly went to work on a design.

John, a 2007 graduate of Owensboro High School, went on to earn his Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Speed School at the University of Louisville. Aside from owning his own Louisville-based company, John is also an instructor for Maker13, a makerspace in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

“I spend a lot of time in makerspaces,” John said. “It’s like a gym, they have all the tools you need to work out — we have all the tools you need to build something — table saws, 3D printers and laser cutters.”

Photo by AP Imagery

Using the tools available to him at the makerspace, including a computer numerically controlled cutter, John carved out the wooden letters to spell “Quilt Shop,” and his cousin added the finishing touches by painting each letter a different vibrant color.

“That’s her business and I love helping her out,” John said. “She wanted signage for the building and I thought I could help.”

Although Ann is the quilt shop owner, she is not a lifelong quilter.

“I had a friend that I grew up with that quilted and I wanted to know how,” Ann said.

After quilting for about six or seven years, Ann and her friend Rachel began to joke about opening a quilt shop someday.

“We would drive by this [thrift shop] every day – until one day it was up for sale,” Ann said. “It’s like it was a God thing because things kept happening and falling into place.”

Ann said the building was originally very expensive but suddenly became affordable. And the adjoining apartment was already rented, which would cover the cost of the mortgage for the quilt shop.

The remodeling of the property was a family affair, Ann said, as her husband and children did everything from tearing out windows to putting up drywall so the store could be ready to open for business on June 18, 2016.

Ann said John has been a big part of putting things together from the floor to the ceiling to the sky, referring to the fact that the sky was actually visible from inside of the building at one point.

In its current state, there are no signs that the concrete and pegboard structure that once held Bratcher’s vacuum shop still exists. Instead, the walls are lined with shelves full of colorful bolts of fabric.

“It was a man’s place — now it’s a bunch of old ladies,” Ann said, referring to the women that volunteer at the quilt shop for enjoyment and those that attend quilting classes.

“Quilters are special people. We just cut up fabric so we can put it back together – it’s an art form.”

One of those ladies is Gloria Woitke, a former Hancock Fabrics manager who now spends much of her time with Ann at the quilt shop. When Woitke was asked about continuing to work with fabric after leaving Hancock, she answered honestly.

“I’m not working, I’m playing,” Woitke said. “I just sit and sew. I do it at home, so I might as well do it here and have fun with other people.”

The shop offers quilting classes, including a beginner class every other month that takes the quilter through the process of picking out fabric to binding and finishing. Both ladies remark that there is something special about receiving a handmade quilt as a gift.

“Homemade used to be something you did because you had to,” Ann said. “Now you do it because you want to. We love what we do so it’s not a problem going to work.”

Simple Stitches also offers long arm services, using the computerized, state-of-the-art Innova MACH 3 quilting machine to stitch together the three layers of the quilt for finishing.

Visit Ann at 102 Byers Avenue any days but Sunday and Wednesday or visit her website.

February 24, 2019 | 3:01 am

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