Personal Background

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?  (location, age, educational background, …) Who is behind Sewing Arts?

Hey there!

 We are Julie and Rachel, the mother /daughter duo behind Sewing Arts.  

We are both 2nd and 3rd generation born and raised in the sunny city of Los Angeles. 

Back in the 70s, Julie went to USC for film school, and then worked in the TV and New industry in Los Angeles, both at NBC and ABC. After that, she decided to go back to school and earn a four-year degree in Environmental Design, focusing on Commercial Space Planning. Julie took a break from working to raise three amazing kids, and once they went off to college, she realized it was time to do something for herself. 

She bought an existing sewing machine store and had the exciting idea of turning it into a fabric shop. Everyone I know always said I had always wanted to do that! I’m just drawn to the tactile feel of all fiber arts.

In 2018, youngest daughter, Rachel, joined her in the shop after graduating from USC with dual degrees in Business and Cinema. Rachel is the one who built and manages our website and online end of the store. She also runs the front end of the shop, while Julie has become more focused on the business end and pattern testing for designers 

Quilting Journey

How did you first get into quilting? When did you decide to turn this passion into a business by opening your shop?

Julie started sewing when she was five, sitting next to her mom who made dresses for her and her sisters. Julie would take scraps of fabric and design and sew dresses for her Barbie dolls. She’s always been sewing, and she was making clothes at the age of 12. When Julie became a mom, she turned my focus on quilting. Except for the occasional garment, she’s never looked back. She was totally obsessed with the TV show Simply Quilts and a huge fan of Alex Anderson. She’d love to meet her someday. Her kids would say they felt comforted to sleep at night by the opening theme to the show, and they’d know Mom was in the room next door sewing. They were always welcome to come into the sewing room and play with the fabrics. Julie’s first sewing teacher was Mary Ellen Hopkins of Crazy Ladies and Friends in Santa Monica. She was an amazing teacher, woman, and character. Julie loved to create art quilts with the children at school, which they would then auction off to raise money for school programs.

Rachel started sewing when she was eight. It was just a fun “hobby” for her, but she didn’t really get back into sewing or quilting until she joined me at the shop. She’s really interested in projects done in miniature as well as EPP / FPP. She teaches our EPP / FPP classes as well as the bag classes. She’s a creative mad genius. Rachel is always a sucker for fabrics with faces that aren’t supposed to have them, like smiles on fruit or animals doing silly things.

Shop Story and Style  

What’s the story behind Sewing Arts? When did it start, and how would you describe its personality, style, and size?

The original shop opened its doors in 1955 on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Back then, it was called Bay Cities Sewing, and it was owned by Fred and Barbara. They sold and repaired sewing machines. Julie’s first Bernina was bought for her by her mom, who was also a huge supporter of the business and our biggest cheerleader. Fred and Barbara sold it to someone else, who changed the name to Sewing Arts Center. We had known all the previous owners for years, and one day, in 2017, Julie came into the shop and told him she wanted to open a fabric shop. He said he was selling his shop because after 17 years, he was ready to move on.

Over the years, the shop has changed from a small sewing machine shop to one that sells machines and teaches sewing classes. Now, it’s called Sewing Arts, and it’s dropped the name Center. We’ve brought in over 40,000 yards of fabric, expanded our classes, and reduced our sewing machine brand to become the only exclusive Bernina dealer in Los Angeles. We try to carry what we feel are the best of each product available and only carry what we ourselves would use. 

 Our new space is huge (almost 8000 sq ft) with high ceilings and a cool industrial vibe. The building we moved into in 2023 was previously an old Post Office that we carefully renovated. Everything inside was custom-built to our design and vision, mostly that of Rachel, who has a great eye for design. We wanted a space that was airy, spacious, and paid homage to the industrial heritage of the building. 

We also have a wonderful staff, some who have been with the shop through all three owners.  We are truly a team and each of the six of us has our own specialty which makes the business so incredibly unique.  

Product Offerings  

What types of fabrics do you focus on? How do you offer them to customers—by the yard, as kits, or with custom options?

We primarily focus on 100% cotton, but we also have a selection of flannel, rayon, canvas, and knits. We sell fabric in-store, starting at 1/4 yard and going up. Online, we sell in full yard increments.

We also have kits, custom orders, and one of the highlights of our day is helping someone find that perfect fabric for their for their projects and we love when they bring back the finished project to show us what they made. 

Special Collections and Products  

Are there any collections, brands, or unique products you’re especially proud to carry?

We’ve got a fantastic collection of canvases from Japan, and we’ve been stocking the complete Ruby Star Collections since the very beginning. There’s even a whole section of the shop dedicated to Ruby Star, so you’re sure to find something you love!  Like we said, there is over 40,000yards of fabric in the shop, not to mention pattern, notions, embroidery kits and specialty items. 

Inspiration and Trends  

What inspires you when choosing fabrics or products for your shop? Do you follow any specific trends or themes?

Julie is lucky to have not only her daughter as my full partner, but we have a very talented staff who are all present when we choose fabrics for the shop.  Since we range in age from late 20’s to late 60’s and everything in between (I’m in between) we have our fingers on the pulse of what customers like.  However, we do pick what we like and try very hard not to follow trends or themes.  I would say our selections tend to lean more towards the modern.

we will always restock solids and basics, but once a print is gone, it’s gone for good.  Our customers know “if you want it, buy it, as it will not be coming back”

Additional Services

Do you offer any other quilting-related services, like pattern design, long-arming, or classes?  

We’ve got a packed schedule of classes, from garment and quilting to bags and specialty workshops. You can find all the details on our website. We also offer summer camp for kids and private lessons for ages 9 to 99.

We provide long-arm services on a Bernina Q24 Qmatic and will train customers to use our other Bernina Q20 long arm. They can even rent time to use it themselves.

We’re also the home shop and meeting place for the LA Modern Quilt Guild, the original modern quilt guild that started the modern movement and QuiltCon. We’re also the home shop for the Westside Quilt Guild and the Santa Monica Quilt Guild. On Thursdays, many members come to the classroom to meet, stitch, and hang out.

Our goal was never just to be a retail business; we wanted to build a community of makers.  A place where everyone was welcome and we can all learn from each other. 

Online Presence

Where can people find your shop online? (Website, social media handles, online marketplaces). How do you use online platforms to connect with your audience and fellow quilters?

www.sewingarts.com

@sewingarts Facebook, IG, X, Threads

We like to show current merchandise, products, announce class schedules and sometime to show off projects made by our customers.

Upcoming News and Projects  

Are there any exciting new projects, events, or collaborations coming up that you’d like to share with the community

We are always collaborating with designers and the LAMQG and will be hosting a workshop with Veruska later this month.  Veruska recently took Best in Show at Quiltcon 2025

We are always looking for new and different events or projects to share with our community.

QuiltInk Experience

How has QuiltInk been useful for your shop or customers? Any favorite tools or ways it’s made things easier?

QuiltInk has been helpful as we test for two different pattern designers and it allows us to try out our fabric pulls before we commit.  We have shared this with customers and have used it to help them visual as well.

Personal Background

Erin, as we dive into your story, could you provide a snapshot of who you are and take us on the journey that led you to where you are today?

I design my quilt patterns in the evening, as I balance a full-time career in educational publishing and life as a busy mom. Home base is in eastern Pennsylvania where my family resides in a historic stone home. My husband and I have quite the rambunctious household with two daughters and two rescue dogs. Our house has been a labor of love over the past couple of years as we are slowly restoring it to its former glory with historic touches of the 1800s. 

Quilting Journey

When and how did you start quilting? What drew you to quilting as a form of expression?

As a seasoned educator, I was inspired to create quilts for our daughters. Each handmade quilt designed around their favorite storybook characters. Through quilting and books, I quickly realized the power of handmade. My passion for my family, children’s literature, and cherished heirlooms set in motion my love of quilting. My artistic expression started with whole cloth applique quilts and then quickly evolved into traditionally pieced quilts. As soon as I figured out quilt math, everything seemed to click. 

Pattern Designing

What inspired you to start designing quilt patterns? How do you approach the creative process of designing a new pattern?

My style changed over time as I learned more about the craft. With a background in graphic design and education, I desired to bring my own quilt designs to life. I quickly discovered that writing quilt patterns allowed me the freedom of self-expression and creativity that I craved. I released my first pattern in June 2024 and have been hooked on writing ever since. My creative process often begins with design spurts, inspired by history and/or the world around me. When I have these spurts of creativity, I quickly draft my ideas on paper or on my computer. These ideas are then refined over time and grow into a design concept for a complete quilt pattern.

Style and Aesthetics

How would you define your pattern style? Are there specific themes or elements that consistently appear in your designs?

I love a good challenge, so I decided to launch Quilt Brew™ which is a “choose your own adventure” pattern series for the modern quilter. My Quilt Brew™ patterns offer a flexible design and limitless possibilities as quilters can mix and match blocks or transform them to create their own quilt designs. Giving quilters the freedom of expression and opportunity really inspires my transformative brand. I write my patterns for a confident beginner because it’s important to me that the designs are accessible to all. You will often find that my designs have sharp lines and points because I love the dramatic effect they exude.

Color

How does color play a role in your pattern designing? Do you have a favorite color? Are there certain color combinations you find particularly appealing?

I usually begin the design process with two colors and over time I refine the look and feel with color. I am drawn towards natural tones and love to design two-to-three-color quilts that are high contrast. Black and white quilts are my absolute favorite! I also love a classic red & white color combination. I’m usually drawn to warm colors instead of cool colors, but I can’t seem to stop designing with greens so I guess my color style is still evolving. 

Business Activities

Apart from designing patterns, what other activities are integral to your quilting business?

(Membership, notions, courses, etc)

This is just the beginning of Hexen Haus’ Quilt Brew™ story as I plan to continue to grow and expand my offerings. With a full-time career and life as a busy mom, I desire to provide an easily accessible community which promotes inspiration and togetherness for the busy quilter who struggles with work/life balance; a place where quilters feel empowered by the craft and can choose their own journey.

Online Presence

Where can people find your work online? (Website, social media handles, online marketplaces). How do you use online platforms to connect with your audience and fellow quilters?
Most of my work is shared on Instagram. You will see little cameos of my family members in my quilt videos, because they love to help; even our two dogs join in on the fun!

Website: www.hexenhaus.co

Instagram: @hexenhaus.co & @quiltbrew

Upcoming Projects

Can you provide a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or designs you’re working on? Any exciting collaborations or events?

My most recent pattern is called MAIDAN, inspired by my childhood stay in Ukraine. All the pattern proceeds were donated to UnitedHelpUkraine.org to assist in providing humanitarian aid. I have two patterns releasing in Make Modern magazine; one in the May issue and the second in the November issue. I feel so honored to have the opportunity to share my work in this publication because it has always been a dream of mine. I am also working on expanding my Night Folly pattern to celebrate Halloween, which is my favorite holiday. By adding to the Night Folly adventure, quilters will have even more freedom to stitch up something festive! 

QuiltInk Experience

How has QuiltInk contributed to your quilt pattern design business? Could you share your experience with the platform and how it has influenced your creative process and connected you with fellow quilters?

QuiltInk is an innovative platform that provides design solutions and community for the modern quilter. As a designer, I love to utilize the private room feature before a pattern is released. It gives my testing community and shop sponsors a space to collaborate during the creation step before a pattern is published. We all love this part of the process; it’s almost addicting! I will be forever grateful to QuiltInk’s Catalina and tech man for welcoming me into this community. QuiltInk’s support means the world to me and I’m proud to be an active member and supporter.

Personal Background

Ann, as we dive into your story, could you provide a snapshot of who you are and take us on the journey that led you to where you are today?

I have lived in the North Dallas area since I was 11 years old but at 48 years old now, I still don’t like to drive in downtown Dallas! I am a SFA Alumni and I have a degree in business. I have been married for 25 years and our son is just about “grown and flown!”

Quilting Journey

When and how did you start quilting? What drew you to quilting as a form of expression?

In 2011, I was diagnosed with several autoimmune diseases. They were all “in a flare” at the same time and I was forced to step away from my role in ministry to care for myself. My grandmother was an avid sewist / quilter and my mother can still sew just about anything! But I hated everything about sewing because I would have rather been outside playing, which is exactly where I was through the majority of my childhood. During my unexpected health journey in adulthood, I inherited my grandmother’s sewing machine and a box of fabric.  Enter YouTube, and a heart to prove to myself that I could sew like my elders did, and the love of quilting was born!

Quilting is healing to me.  When everything else feels outside of my control, I get to control the fabrics, the design, and the finish of a quilt. It gives me a sense of normalcy when my body is struggling. I have great joy through the whole process, although sewing curves rarely brings me joy (wink). Curve are definitely my nemesis!

Pattern Designing

What inspired you to start designing quilt patterns?How do you approach the creative process of designing a new pattern?

In the beginning, following patterns was really challenging for me because I didn’t understand the vocabulary and I needed really good diagrams in order to follow along. Early on, I learned that not all quilt patterns are well written, or even edited for that matter. I found that it was easier to design something of my own than it was to follow what someone else had written poorly. 

I made a t-shirt quilt for my husband and before I knew it I was being inundated with requests for t-shirt quilts. I decided to open a small business making custom t-shirt quilts and I still run that business today! I make an average of 6-10 quilts per month (it’s very busy in the Spring due to kids graduating from high school and college). I also have t-shirt quilt patterns available to quilters who are eager to learn the process from beginning to end. My T-Shirt Tiles patterns are the ultimate in “hand-holding” because it’s important to me that quilters feel successful through every step of the process.

Inspiration for traditional quilt patterns comes from so many places. Sometimes there are gradients of color that I’m aching to use, sometimes I see a design on someone’s t-shirt that inspires a pattern, and sometimes I simply play with shapes in Adobe Illustrator until I find something I love.  Nature is also a big inspiration for me. My husband and I absolutely love hiking in mountains and watching sunsets together.

Style and Aesthetics

How would you define your pattern style? Are there specific themes or elements that consistently appear in your designs?

Even though I just finished writing my first Intermediate Level pattern, I would say I enjoy simplicity. I’m always short on time for “fun sewing” due to my long queue of customer work, so I appreciate patterns that come together quickly.  I also appreciate the ease of using my scraps in quilts. The very first pattern I ever wrote, Linden’s Joy, was created specifically with the scraps from a commissioned quilt. Fat Quarters make my heart happy because sometimes I want 15 different fabrics from a line but I don’t know how much yardage to buy / nor do I have space to store yardage. But I do have handy bins for all of my Fat Quarters, which means I’m more likely to write patterns for the quilters out there like me who have an abundance of Fat Quarters ready to be used.

Color

How does color play a role in your pattern designing? Do you have a favorite color? Are there certain color combinations you find particularly appealing?

There is something about ombre shading and gradients of color (ie rainbows) that truly moves me. It just draws me in and holds me captive! I use ombre or gradient colors in quilts every chance I get.

Business Activities

Apart from designing patterns, what other activities are integral to your quilting business?

(Membership, notions, courses, etc)

Sometimes quilters just need an easy button and quilt kits are exactly that in my opinion! I carry a growing library of quilt kit options in my online fabric shop. Our college aged son fills the majority of the orders and it helps him pay for college. 

Maintaining a good working relationship with local long arm quilters is critical to my t-shirt quilt business. I have been blessed beyond measure with three different local long arm quilters who have shared my attention to detail so that my customers have something that will last a lifetime.

In the wee hours of the day, I enjoy testing patterns for my designer friends because it expands my knowledge of techniques, allows me an opportunity to study someone else’s work, and best of all it gives me an opportunity to show off the incredible talent of my friends.

Online Presence

Where can people find your work online? (Website, social media handles, online marketplaces). How do you use online platforms to connect with your audience and fellow quilters?

Web: www.CraftyMooseQuilts.com

Facebook: CraftyMooseQuilts

Instagram: CraftyMoose_Quilts

Seeing what people have made from my patterns is a delight like no other! I sincerely get emotional when quilters tag me in their posts so I can see their beautiful quilts. Pattern writing takes so much time and dedication, taking 3 months or more from concept to pattern launch. The whole goal behind pattern writing is to design something quilters want to make and when you have tangible evidence that the goal has been met, it’s extremely rewarding. 

Upcoming Projects

Can you provide a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or designs you’re working on? Any exciting collaborations or events?

My first Halloween pattern called “Hey Betty Boo” releases April 11th! Betty Boo, the sweetest little ghost, and her gal pals, are the most darling ghost gaggle in town. 

I have two Christmas patterns in the works, one of which is a little “folksy” and could make for a beautiful cabin quilt.  Charm Packs are a cost effective way to purchase fabric to make a scrappy quilt and I have several more patterns designed and ready to be written that are Charm Pack friendly. 

And of course my Sweater Weather Sampler block is designed and ready to go for this year’s sew-along with The Nine Patch Quilt Collective!

QuiltInk Experience

How has QuiltInk contributed to your quilt pattern design business? Could you share your experience with the platform and how it has influenced your creative process and connected you with fellow quilters?

Listen, if I’m going to overthink something it’s going to be the colors in my cover quilt. QuiltInk has made it so easy for me AND my pattern testers to play with colors and fabrics without having to purchase a single cut of fabric. It has also been extremely helpful for our Sweater Weather Sampler quilters who want to try out different colors to see where they land in each of our 9 blocks.  What an incredible tool!  

The cherry on top is being able to load all of the patterned fabrics I have in my online fabric shop so that I can make mockups with the fabrics I have on hand.  It’s genius and Catalina is a complete JOY to work with!