We carry a wide range of high quality fabrics by various manufacturers, as well as batting, patterns, notions, sewing machines and longarm machines. Basically everything you need to make a quilt from start to finish. We offer piecing classes of all sorts from bags, BOM, beginner piecing, home décor, techniques and quilting with rulers. I am a longarm and sewing machine dealer for Handi Quilter, the top-selling longarm machine of the world.
Hello, my name is Cheri Lewis, the owner of All N Stitches Fabric And Quilt Shop. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I grew up in a single parent home in Florissant, MO. My mother was a very crafty lady. She enjoyed crocheting, embroidery and sewing. My mother made all of my clothes when I was growing up and YES, I was the best dressed child in school. She never made quilts, but truly loved them.
Later in life, she came to live with me for a time due to her being disabled from a car accident. Every summer, she would ask me to take her to Branson, Missouri, so she could see all the beautiful quilts. I guess that’s when my love of quilts first began, though I still had no desire to be the person to actually make one since that would mean I would have to learn to use a sewing machine and that wasn’t happening!!! Sadly to say, my mother passed away in 1996 before I decided to learn to sew.
Some time probably in 2002-2003 I went to my in-laws to see my sister-in-law who was home for a visit from Alaska. When I got there they were in the basement all working on making quilts. I said, “I want to learn how to make them”. Dana said GREAT!! , when can we go shopping?. They picked a pattern for a quilt that they felt would be a great beginner. Dana and I went shopping to purchase my fabrics. She returned home and my mother-in-law was going to help me with my first quilt. Unfortunately, their home caught fire and burned to the ground. They lost everything. So for the next few years they were so busy rebuilding that she really didn’t have time to help me start my quilt.
In August 2003 I took my fabrics with me on vacation to Alaska, so Dana could show me how to start cutting them. Once we returned home, I pulled out my mother’s old sewing machine and started sewing. I took my first strip sets to my mother-in-law, all excited about what I had done, only to have her tell me my tension was drastically off. Tension? What’s that and how do I fix it? I went and bought my first used sewing machine. I worked on my quilt every day, I was addicted!!!
This first quilt I made for my beautiful daughter and her husband. It was far from being perfect, and my points didn’t match up, but it was finished. I got it back from the “quilter” and cried. Not having any idea about the quilting process or having any knowledge of batting I allowed the quilter to make the choices for me, this was someone in the family. I didn’t like the design or the batting she used, so after who knows how many hours, and with the help of my mother-in-law, we ripped out all the stitches (QUEEN) and sent it to another quilter. I’m pleased with it now. After many quilts, I now had a desire to also learn the “quilting” process. My husband found a used longarm in 2009 and purchased it for me.
Also in 2009 my family started attending a new church that had opened in our town. I was asked by Pastor Jeana to start a quilting group to help ladies of the church get acquainted. I did, and we started with making quilt as you go Christmas stockings for the youth detention center in our town. After a few years our stockings became too small to hold all the gifts, so we quit making them and our group slowly dissolved. After a few more years, our church started various small groups for fellowship.
We would go for a few months, then new and different ones would start. Again, Jeana asked me to offer quilting as a small group, since now our church had grown so much. I didn’t want to since the last one no longer existed, but Jeana, whom I love dearly, kept pushing and just kept telling me to pray about it. Meanwhile, I joined one of the small groups and during one of our meetings our leader asked, “what did you want to be as a small child?” My answer was a school teacher. Our leader then said, how are you fulfilling that dream. This is when I realized that I had been “teaching” most of my life. Not as a school teacher, but as a “trainer” at my career job. Again, Jeana approached me about “teaching” ladies to quilt. As I walked away from her another lady stopped me and said, “Cheri, when are you going to teach me to make quilts.”
I went right back to Jeana and said, sign me up. I began leading a small group of ladies in my basement. Sharing with them everything I had learned along the way. Not because I have a quilting degree of any kind, but as a lover of quilts and as a way to fellowship with others who had a desire to learn. Our group lasted for well over a year. During that time, I began to have a desire to open a quilt shop of my own. A few people were saying it wouldn’t make it (my husband was one), that quilt shops everywhere are going out of business.
I believe it was in 2014, when our first sermon of the year was about the desires and dreams of our heart, and that the LORD has given us those dreams. Our Pastor said now is the time to start following that dream. I nudged my husband and he agreed. So we began looking for our building. In OCT 2015 an acquaintance said I have a building. It was an automotive shop before, so when we met the owners to view it and my husband started talking about building a building inside of it, I think the owners thought we were out of our minds. Needless to say, we did just that and opened for business FEB 2016. I have met so many wonderful people and now share my love of piecing and quilting with them.
The best part of owning a quilt shop is all the awesome people you meet, so If you’re ever in the area, we would love for you to stop in. I’m located on the north side of I-70 between mile markers 170 and 175 in New Florence, MO
Have a blessed day and happy quilting!!!