On one wall of her shop hang framed photos of each of her eight grandchildren with quilts she's made for them, starting with a baby quilt and making a larger one at age three.
Being a beautician in her own home for the past eight years has equipped Esther with experience running a small business. As she got into quilting, she says,"I had to go into Grand Rapids to buy good thread for my "picky" sewing machine and there was no one in the immediate area doing longarming." Several Howard City business people also voiced a need for a good fabric store. So, with the encouragement of her husband Rich, who even gave up his garage, she decided to open her own quilt shop in the fall of 2005.
The rest of her family has been very supportive as well, including two sons and her daughter, Bambi McCracken, who is learning how to do everything and fills in when needed. Bambi just started sewing about five years ago and made her first quilt a year ago, and loves it! "My entire family has been the best! My parents have been great; my dad is always interested in what's going on."
Two walls of the shop are topped with a header bordered in pieces of old quilting frames, displaying samples of her longarm quilting patterns. "The longarming is going real well", Esther observes, "and we're continually updating and adding to our selection of fabrics, we sell quilts and will custom build a quilt."
Esther keeps an album updated with photos of all the quilts she has made or finished for others. It is a testament to her talent and to her ability to realize a goal. She says with enthusiasm, "I'd love to build this business into something I can leave to my daughter and granddaughters." If Patchwork Dreams continues to grow at the pace it has begun, Esther's dream is destined to become a reality.
By Katheryn Fitzpatrick
"The Country Register "
"The Country Register "