((Left) The Mondo Bag (shown) is one of Quiltsmart’s three most popular patterns. (Middle) Quiltsmart has sold hundreds of thousands of patterns around the world. (Right) The popular Double Wedding Ring is one of 100+ patterns sold via distributors, shops, and online | Photos courtesy of Quiltsmart)
Quilting, which dates as far back as 3400 BC (confirmed by a carved ivory figure in the British Museum of an Egyptian pharaoh who appears to be wearing a quilted mantle), became popular in the United States in the late 17th century — functioning both as a way to stay warm and as an expression of folk art.
Quilting is also tied to American history, as exemplified by its use before the Civil War as a means to raise funds for the abolitionist movement, and as part of the Underground Railroad — where applique symbols allegedly had special meanings that were displayed by hanging quilts outside on a clothesline. A log cabin, for instance, signified that this was a safe house for slaves as they fled to freedom.
According to Mattie Rhoades, who started her family-owned company Quiltsmart in 1994, “Back in the 1800s, women would trace shapes onto cotton muslin, and sew the muslin to quilt fabric on lines they had drawn. The process became less expensive and time consuming after interfacing was invented in the 1950s, enabling quilters to trace shapes that could be fused onto the fabric before the project was sewn together.”
Seeing a need for further improvement, Rhoades invented the technique of printing patterns on a special material that irons on, remaining as part of the quilt’s top (or decorative) layer. With a lightweight version of this material, she perfected her proprietary process of creating variable images with detailed lines to make specific quilting patterns easier and more durable — known as the Quiltsmart Method.
To mechanize the process, Rhoades coordinated the building of a production machine — using a company in Connecticut, along with two talented machinists from Bend’s Machinable Innovations. She and her staff now fulfill hundreds of orders per week and ship them to distributors, shops, and quilt makers around the world.
“It reached the point, due to the volume of orders for our patterns (hundreds of thousands have been sold around the world via distributors, shops, and online), that we couldn’t keep the shelves full,” Rhoades said. “So a second machine is being built, and due to be installed in our local manufacturing facility next month to handle the increased demand.” (As she explained, “We like to ship out our orders within two days. Customer service is my number one priority.”)
Quiltsmart’s most popular patterns — which now number 100+ — are the Mondo Bag, Double Wedding Ring and Lone Star. “All of our patterns, while easy to use, involve a lot of detail in terms of line, shapes, and sizes,” said Rhoades. “I really enjoy that — it’s like a puzzle.”
To encourage others to take up quilting, as well as to become certified instructors, she has taught Quiltsmart techniques all over the U.S., as well as in Mexico, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and Spain. Rhoades’s ever-increasing number of customers is international as well, and includes — in addition to the above — Dubai, Japan, Israel, and all the other European countries. She also offers virtual or live trunk shows, and lectures on the art of quilt making. (“I especially love getting kids to sew,” she said.)
Near-future hopes include customizing interfacing for customers who want to make their own patterns, and printing on fusible muslin, “which is costly but very nice.”
In addition to the individual patterns themselves, Quiltsmart’s website offers products such as washcloth bibs, banner flags, bottle bags, Christmas stockings and ornaments, aprons, tablet totes, and clutch purses — even a cookbook Rhoades wrote for those who “love to sew and hate to cook.” (As the cookbook’s description asks, “Does your iron have more steam than you do at mealtime?”).
Rhoades described her all-women staff of seven as “fabulous — they are creative, energetic, efficient, and very supportive.” Everyone at Quiltsmart has always enjoyed a four-day week. “I believe that we all work a little bit harder when we give ourselves time for all the other things in life,” she said.
Looking back over the years since starting Quiltsmart, Rhoades particularly remem-bers an instance that affirmed her decision and the hard work that followed. “A man wanted to order some of our Smart Bags as Easter gifts for kids being treated in a hospital for cancer. When I regretted not being able to fill those bags myself, he responded that ‘you are developing all these things that make people happy,’ and thanked me for being able to help people. I started crying.”