Well, what in the world is a quillo? After Barbara Wilson retired from her postmistress job in 1992, she had the time to invest in creative endeavors. She had seen a pillow/quilt combination at a craft fair, but wasn't impressed with some of the details. Her mind started to work on a design of her own. She really didn't have an idea what to call a quilt that tucks away for storage in its own pillow case, but a friend who owned a fabric store coined the term "quillo" which turns out to be a fine description.
Quillos are made in one piece so that you never loose the pillow case; the case is sew to the quilt so that you can sit in your recliner and use the pouch for a foot warmer. When you are ready to tidy up, the quilt folds into the pouch to make an attractive throw pillow. Barbara says she likes to make her quillos extra long to accomodate people like her 6'7" son, but there are lots of designs for the kids in the family as well. Barbara has spent much time and effort in collecting fabric that will reflect just about everyone's hobby or particular taste. Antique cars, bears for the mountain cabin, horses and dogs for the animal lover. The list goes on and on. Barbara says the favorite theme of customers seems to be eagles and her collection is full of the great symbolic birds.
In addition to her quillo business, Barbara appliques, paints and decorates T-shirts. She does about four craft shows a year, but has many repeat customers or referrals from previous sales that keep her busy all year long.
What follows is a little slide show of Barbara's work and a glimpse into her studio, filled to the brim with quillo materials! Click on the white arrow to start the show.
What a vast collection of fabrics. The work space looks pretty good too.
ReplyDelete