Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Shoepe.
Hi Alison, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started quilting about 18 years ago. A friend walked me through some simple patterns and taught me the process. I was quilting exclusively as a hobby and all my quilts were donated to charity when finished. About 10 years ago while on a summer day trip with my kids, we stumbled upon a quilt shop in Brenham, TX. My daughter saw a t-shirt quilt hanging in the shop and asked if I could make one when she graduated from high school. I bought a book that day with several patterns and held on to it. Two years later, she collected her high school shirts and chose her pattern. Her Class of 2013 t-shirt quilt was the first I had made.
Working with t-shirts was very different than working with regular cotton fabric, so it took a little time to finish that first quilt. It’s still one of my favorite quilts from all that I’ve made so far. Once finished, I posted a picture on Facebook because I really loved how it turned out. That one post basically started my business. I immediately got questions from people asking what I charged and how long it would take to make one.
In the beginning, I had mostly friends asking if I could make one for their seniors. I was so new to the process, that I had to find someone to do the actual quilting since I didn’t have a long-arm quilting machine to do it myself. This added about 4 weeks to each delivery time because she was usually backed up. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to turn things around as quickly as I would have liked.
In June of 2015, I found a quilt studio in Cedar Park called Over the Top Quilting Studio. I stumbled upon them completely by accident while at a hair appointment next door. After my appointment, I went in to look around and they explained they teach classes and rent time on their long-arm machines for people to quilt their own projects. I ended up taking the class not long after I found the studio and I have been able to finish everything in-house since then! In the 6 years that I’ve been going to the studio, I’ve taken several classes and learned new techniques to be able to offer a wider variety of patterns and options for people. It’s owned by two sisters, Susan Rubino and Christine Wenz who are patient and knowledgable teachers and fantastic at what they do. They both have taught me so much and I’m so grateful to have found them.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In the beginning, I struggled with delivery time. Again, this was because I didn’t have the equipment (or the knowledge at first) to be able to quilt all of the tops myself. Most people don’t understand how much time goes into the process of making just one quilt and having to send the tops out to be quilted made delivery times even longer.
Advertising was also a challenge early on. I didn’t know anything about Facebook (and later, Instagram) marketing and was relying solely on word of mouth. The money I started spending on online advertising didn’t turn into more orders, so I felt like I was wasting the budget that I really didn’t have.
I was also still raising teenagers and volunteering with their school PTAs and booster clubs. I wasn’t really able to give the business the time it needed to grow.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Though I specialize in t-shirt quilts, being able to offer memory and memorial quilts is something that I love being able to do. Having lost loved ones, I know how important it is to people to be able to hold on to a tangible piece of that person’s life. Having the ability to help someone preserve the memory of their loved one is an honor. I can give them the finished quilt made from t-shirts, clothing, aprons, etc, and they have a piece of that person to treasure and hold on to forever. It’s always an emotional pick-up day when someone comes to see the finished quilt.
With the t-shirt quilts, it’s a great way to preserve your own memories or your child’s memories from school. I’ve done elementary, middle school, high school, and college quilts. I’ve also done quilts with concert t-shirts, athletic jerseys, military shirts, and scrubs. Most people aren’t going to wear all of their college shirts again, but still want to hold on to all the memories attached to them. This is a useful way to do that and still be able to use and see them every day.
I think what sets me apart from others is that, as a small business, I can take the time to give more personal service. I know there are larger online businesses that offer a similar service, but once you ship your shirts to them, you don’t see any of the process until you receive your quilt. I’m able to ask questions via text/email with my clients and send them pictures throughout the process if they ask for that option. That isn’t something you’ll normally get with one of the bigger online companies.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is that my clients always love the finished product. If that means having to work with them a little longer on layout, colors, etc. then I’m happy to do that to ensure this is something they will love and use for years to come.
Pricing:
- Quilt pricing starts at $15 per block and goes up from there, based on style and design
- Most popular option is 20 shirt blocks with sashing, which runs around $330
Contact Info:
- Email: ashoepe@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.mypersonaltherapyquilts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mypersonaltherapyquilts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mypersonaltherapyquilts/
Image Credits
Alison Shoepe
