www.quiltsbycreekside.com

Spooks (1988- 2007)

HOW WE STARTED

We, my husband, Ted, I and Spooks, our 19 year old black cat, retired a number of years ago and moved from a very busy suburb of a large city to live the country life on the west bank of a very tiny creek called Duncan about six miles inland from the ocean. Our weather is ideal. Being a state native, rain, doesn't bother me and freckles are referred to as rust spots. It is neither too hot nor too cold which is perfect for our retirement years.

I took up quilting after we retired and once I learned the basics I was addicted, however, I found through trial and error that I preferred the piecing process and not the quilting process. Shoving quilts through that small hole wasn't fun for me and if I was going to do something in my retirement I decided it would have to be lots of fun. SO...I would just do the part I enjoyed which was selecting a pattern, purchasing fabric, designing the quilt and sewing all the pieces together. THEN.. it would get put in a basket or container to be finished SOME DAY... Well, I had to do something about finances because buying fabric began to take a hefty chunk out of my retirement check each month.

I don't really remember when the thought came to me to sell the quilt tops and quilts I had made to make money to make more quilts but it did and that's what I did for a year or so on eBay (still selling there, check it out judieatcreekside), craft fairs, craft malls, flea markets, Christmas Bazaars. Wow, that was a lot of work and very little success. My latest adventure is our website. If you like what you see, PLEASE pass the name along to everyone you know who is interested in quilting, or to anyone who would purchase quilts, tops, wall hangings, scarves, etc.

My goal is to make as many different traditional and non-traditional block patterns as I can. Each and every quilt/top is a LEARNING EXPERIENCE. NONE ARE PERFECT. Each is ONE OF A KIND HOME DESIGNED AND MADE IN OREGON. I try really hard to create a quality product during my learning experiences however, I will stress again that each will probably have a flaw. The points might not meet exactly, a seam might not be EXACTLY 1/4", or exactly straight, heaven forbid, or the top might not lay as flat as it should.

In the same breathe after all of that I do create a quality product. The quilts and tops I make are not designed to be heirloom quilts or show stopping quilts, they are meant to be dragged around by a child, warmth for a cold evening, a place to lay down on the beach or park. They are designed to be used as wall hangings, table covers, given as loving gifts, In other words, loved, used and abused and of course admired.

I use 100% cotton 99.9% of the time. Sometimes I like to add sparkle to a quilt and will use other fabrics as an accent. This is usually done in wall hangings that are not normally washed. I love sparkle in quilts and it shows in the choice of background fabrics that I sometimes choose.

My home is SMOKE FREE and as of October 3, 2007 our home is PET FREE. We said a very sad farewell to our wonderful 19+ year old beautiful black cat. He was a joy to have around and he is missed terribly especially when I retire for the evening. His spot for 19+ years was at the foot of the bed and I miss the lump.

I have a perfect space to sew with lots of light and space for me to enjoy my craft. I sew, on the average, of about 6 hours each day that I am home.

TECHNICAL STUFF

I have shelves full of books and reference material about quilts. However, if I use these books to MAKE & SELL a quilt, copyright raises it's ugly head. Here I am sewing beside my creek in retirement and copyright says I can't make and sell ONE quilt from a pattern in a book and most of these are copyright free patterns. Some publishing companies say I can't make and sell even ONE! Others say I can make and sell 10 from each book. (Thank you to Martingale Publishing). Yet, others in my research won't even answer email, letters or even phone calls regarding what I can make and sell SO.. that lead me to designing my own quilts from traditional copyright free patterns.

All of the quilts and tops EXCEPT the paper pieced ones are designed by ME!!! I follow no one's instructions, except those I've learned in my experiences throughout the years. I do use quilting manuals from time to time to learn new techniques but each quilt/top you buy will be my own original from an old traditional copyright free pattern created on my computer or on draft paper. Some I mess around with so much they don't even have a name. I've been making pillowcases since grade school and they are probably a combination of many patterns.

REFUND, RETURNS, & EXCHANGES

I try really hard to describe the article to the best of my ability. Please read the descriptions carefully and ask questions if you have any doubts. I don't offer refunds, returns or exchanges. I'm not a major chain store with a money back guarantee. I am a little old lady enjoying my retirement sewing to my hearts content and needing a way to keep doing it without depleting the retirement fund. JUST A NOTE: When I first started selling on eBay, I did offer refunds, etc. Twice!! One quilt came back with cat urine on it and one came back with mud all over it. I refunded the money because of fear of NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. I washed the quilts and gave them to charity. Who was out the money?

PRICING

You have to take into consideration these products are not mass produced items being made in a sweat shop in a foreign country. These are one of a kind home crafted items from the USA. My pricing is simple: Material + Labor + Overhead = Cost of Quilt + Profit = Retail Price of Product. I don't deviate from the formula which is in the form of a spreadsheet. I put in the cost of the material and the spreadsheet tells me what the RETAIL price is. That is why a small quilt can cost more than a large quilt. I don't charge by the size of the quilt. The charge is BASED on the COST of the MATERIAL. If I use material that is $9.99 a yard in a small quilt and in the larger quilt the fabric only cost $3.79 it only stands to reason the small quilt is going to cost much more. I don't get a price break on fabric. I am charged exactly the same as you when you go to a fabric store. In order to get a price break, you have to buy the fabric by the bolt. Since I make ONE OF A KIND items, buying fabric by the bolt doesn't make sense.

SPECIAL REQUESTS

If you have a special request, please contact me. I don't quilt your quilts. I don't make full size, queen size and I certainly don't do king size. I make small quilts, lap size, crib size and twin size. I make scarves, table runners, wall hangings, and some times when the mood strikes me I make placemats for the seasons. I make decorator pillowcases. Kids just love their very own pillowcases. Yes! I will make pillowcases from your fabric OR you can buy MY pattern and make your own.

USA ONLY

I sell only in the USA and my only method of payment is PayPal unless you are paying in person, and then it is CASH. The reason?? Being ripped off. Why people are out to cheat others is far beyond my reasoning but it happens so we honest people have to think of ways not to get cheated. URGHHH!!!

SHIPPING

The quilts are shipped USPS, Priority Mail Flat Rate Box, Insured. Only one quilt is shipped per box. The cost of shipping & insurance is included in the price of the quilt. If you purchase from us directly, physically come to pick up the item, you MUST pay CASH the shipping & insurance cost will be deducted from the purchase price.

TED'S STUFF (WOODEN WORKS)

If you need a quilt rack, quilt ladder or quilt hangers, a craft iron holder, a ruler holder, picture frames, state shaped wooden plaques etc. Ted custom makes them out of wood, on request. Please contact us.