When cold and frigid winters like these come around, there’s nothing quite like cozying up in a warm quilt or blanket to warm up during the season. Handmade quilts often bring a lot of comfort or even nostalgia for those at home. For reasons like these, Owner Clare Schueren looks forward to opening the doors to her upcoming quilt and fabric boutique, simply called Stitched.
Bringing the artistry of quilting and fabric creations to Cobb County, Stitched will serve as a high-end fabric store and quilt boutique that also provides personalized products and services. However, she also wants to ensure that her employees have the knowledge and experience necessary to connect customers with the perfect gift or creation.
“We will have everything from solids to blenders [fabrics] to the hottest names in the quilting industry with all their lines of products,” Schueren said. “There will be specialized people who will work that know how to cut fabric, match fabric, and to help people with their patterns and advise what fabric goes along with those patterns.”
In 2001, Schueren began actively quilting, taking it up as a hobby initially. After an extended hiatus, she returned to creating quilted projects around 2014. But when a friend requested that she create a particular memory gift for his wife, it was then that the requests began to grow, and she found her passion. It was then she began also quilting for others.
“I got back into quilting and creating just for myself and a friend came to me asking if I could do a t-shirt quilt for all of his wife’s marathons and triathlons and sporting events that she had participated in,” Schueren said. “That snowballed from one request to the next for sure: quilts, memory pillows, memory gifts. And so, when I retired about two and a half years ago from corporate America, that business [Stitched] kept expanding and grew at the time. That’s where Stitched started.”
As business was booming, she quickly began to realize that her own home simply wasn’t enough space. Schueren found a local gym that had been empty and collecting dust. With some elbow grease, the spacious location was perfect to house the growing business.
Now with an official place of business soon on its way to opening its doors, she hopes to tackle a multitude of projects for customers including t-shirt quilts, memory gifts, blankets, pillows, clothing, sports team uniforms, and even products for pets. When entering the retail space, shoppers can expect to see handmade items from creators in the local area.
“We are so excited to feature creators who normally may only get their items of the public during craft/holiday fairs,” Schueren said.
While primarily keeping products local and handmade from her own team, she will also be including top tier quilting goods from all over the United States. Any leftover fabric scraps from various quilting projects will be donated and made into cleaning cloths. But Schueren has a core va
lue that she hopes will serve as the driving force behind the business’ success.
“One of the reasons why I started this whole retail and production space, and event space is because in East Cobb, the sense of community isn’t always there,” Schueren said. “It’s hard to find places where it brings the community together. Stitched is dedicated to building a vibrant community where creativity flourishes, memories are made, and lives are positively impacted. It’s a beautiful journey to witness our community grow, and we strive to ensure that everyone feels valued and welcomed. Join us as we create lasting connections together.”
To make this a reality, Stitched will serve as a free space for creators to bring their own materials for their own projects from noon to 3 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. And to ensure a strong team of quilting experts are assembled, Schueren is currently hiring experienced quilters and those cutting fabric for the retail side of the store.
Local artists and customers can expect much more out of this space as well in the coming months. While shoppers and quilters can enjoy the retail space providing high-quality quilt and fabric products, the new location will also offer workshops for a variety of crafters including sewing, quilting, painting, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, candle making, journal making, and so much more. Stitched will also be hosting classes such
as “Learning How to Play Mahjong”. For local groups looking to utilize the space, rental opportunities will be available for monthly meetings, private parties, or even baby/bridal showers.
Stitched opens its doors on March 4 and will be located at 3822 Roswell Road, Suite 101 in Marietta. Business hours are from 10am to 6pm Tuesday through Saturday and 12pm to 4pm on Sundays while Mondays will be by appointment only.
For more information, visit their website at https://www.stitched.gifts/ or follow them on social media at www.facebook.com/StitchedTogetherGifts or www.instagram.com/stitchedtogethergifts.
