Quilting a popular pandemic pastime

With extra time to fill during the pandemic-induced lockdown, many people have taken up a new hobby they have long wanted to try. For Barbara Meikle, owner of Quilted Angel in Petaluma, that has meant new quilting customers.

“We know how important it is for our customers to have creative outlets like quilting in these uncertain times,” Meikle said. “Quilting has always been my creative outlet.”

Fabric stores have always been a favorite haunt of avid quilters and Quilted Angel is well established, with customers who have grown up visiting the Petaluma shop.

Meikle loves sewing and making quilts. She started working in the shop because of her love of quilting, and she bought the business 13 years ago. Meikle taught herself to quilt in 1970 when there was a resurgence in the craft.

“I first learned how to sew in seventh grade and continued to take every sewing class I could throughout junior high and high school,” Meikle said. She had found her calling.

Meikle also loves Barbie dolls. When she was young she didn’t have many toys and she treasured her Barbie doll.

“I still have all of her outfits and accessories that I bought with my birthday money, and $5 was a lot of money back then,” Meikle said.

She also tried making clothes for her Barbie, but said that back then she wasn’t that successful at it. She is now though.

“Now that I have young granddaughters, I wanted to make them some quality Barbie clothes like I had when I was a little girl,” Meikle said. They were so popular she began selling them in the store. She’s even making a quilt out of commemorative fabric honoring Barbie’s 60th birthday.

Meikle makes clothing for her great niece and grandchildren, as well as purses and tote bags. She makes Australian cloth Tilda dolls. She takes antique china half doll bodies and turns them into unique pincushions.

“Once I taught myself, I knew it would be a great hand sewing class,” Meikle said.

Meikle loves seeing children take an interest in sewing and quilting and always encourages them to pursue it. The shop normally offers classes to help get started with sewing and quilting as well as more advanced classes.

Meikle stopped the classes because of the pandemic and she’s looking forward to resuming them once things are back to normal.

She said they have wonderful teachers for the classes at the shop, like Jill Schumacher who teaches quilting on your home machine. Linda Millerick teaches a color theory and rug class. Fern Royce teaches foundation scrap quilting. Barbara Confer teaches art quilting. Meikle teaches beginning quilting, a New York Beauty class and three different types of appliqué classes.

“Over the years we have created original quilts for the shop and my son Matthew, who is a graphic designer, helps turn them into our exclusive patterns,” Meikle said.

She said her son also makes many of the samples that can be found hanging in the shop.

Not only do they sell the usual notions, designer fabrics and other things that you’d find in a quilting shop, they also sell the supplies needed to make masks, like bendable nose pieces and acrylic templates.

She said they’re trying to make the best of the current situation and they’ve even opened an online shop. They’re offering orders by mail, curbside pickup and customers can make an appointment to come in on Wednesdays or Fridays to shop.

They’ve put strong safety measures in place to keep everyone safe. They’re only letting three customers in the shop at a time, for one hour each. Everyone must wear a mask while shopping. Face shields without masks aren’t allowed and neither are bandanas. If customers remove their mask, they’re asked to leave.

They’re taking customers’ temperature before they’re allowed in the store and providing hand sanitizer as they enter. Six feet distance is required between both customers and staff. Customers bringing in fabric or a project to match must keep it in a sealed plastic bag.

They’re encouraging everyone to have a list ready of the things they’ll need, including notions and the amount of yardage they’ll need for their project. They’re only taking cards for payment. No checks, cash or change is accepted while safety protocols are needed.

Despite the restrictions, the downtown G Street shop remains a labor of love.

“It’s truly a pleasure to come to work everyday, love what I do and be able to work and interact with so many amazingly creative and special people,” Meikle said. “Thanks to them, we’ve been able to remain in business.”