Business Spotlight: Log Cabin Quilting

Try and spot Log Cabin Quilting on quiet Dell Road in Springfield, and its pretty impossible. The handsome gray cape does have a separate side entrance for this small business but no real signage to point the way.

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Log Cabin Quilting 35 Dell Road, Springfield, Vt. 802-885-1722 logcabinquiltingvt@gmail.com quilting Some of the exquisite custom detail on a Shelly Holley quilt. Photo provided. Try and spot Log Cabin Quilting on quiet Dell Road in Springfield, and its pretty impossible. The handsome gray cape does have a separate side entrance for this small business but no real signage to point the way. That’s just fine with owner Shelly Holley who admits the shop is much more of a quilting studio than a shop for walk in traffic. Holley has been in the quilting business since 2004 but moved to this location on Dell Road in Springfield from Chester just last fall. Her specialty is her skill with her long arm quilting machine, which means that a large part of her job provides the final step of assembling and stitching the projects of other quilters, providing the backing and finishing with her custom stitching. On this day, however, it is her own creation that is on the machine, featuring row after row of colorful folk-art houses. “I don’t get a chance to work on my own quilts very often,” she said smiling, pointing to several customer projects lined up on hangers. quilting Log Cabin Quilting in Springfield. Photo provided. Although the long arm quilting machine can be programmed to do specific patterns, Holley prefers to create unique patterns and designs as she goes along. It allows her to add something artistic and unique to each quilt, often incorporating names and sayings into the stitching as well. “Giving each quilt a personal touch is what I enjoy most about what I do,” she said. Hanging on the wall of her studio is an exquisite example – a flower quilt with each petal stitched with a unique and complex pattern. It’s stunning work and shows off her skill and artistry beautifully. It’s a piece she’s especially proud of and which she plans to submit this quilt to the Billings Farm annual Quilt Exhibition and Awards later this year. quilting Long Arm Quilting machine with Holley’s creation. Photo provided. Although she primarily works alone, three Mondays each month she invites other quilters who are working on their own projects come to her studio to sew and stitch and to seek out wisdom and suggestions from Holley. “I enjoy the company since most of the work I do is pretty solitary,” she said. Holley also holds quilting classes throughout the year. Next up is a class May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for advanced beginners for a 78-inch-squared quilt featuring an adaptation of a Dresden Plate quilt block. Other classes focus on different quilting patterns, skill levels, and other end products such as quilted bags and table runners. This past February, Holley also hosted a “quilting retreat,” intensive all-day quilting classes that spanned from Thursday through Sunday. It was so successful that she’s thinking of adding another one sometime during the year. For more information about upcoming classes or for Holley’s quilting services, contact logcabinquiltingvt@gmail.com.