Rolla, MO October 10 2003-- A Missouri handmade quilt company October 2003 celebrated its fourth year in business by launching a new line of custom gifts. Bluebird Gardens Quilts and Collectibles, http://www.bluebirdgardens.com, headquartered in Rolla, offers personalized, custom and finished handmade quilts, baby quilts and throws as well as collectibles and furniture care and refinishing products.
"This new line is a natural evolution from what our customers have asked from us over the years,” said CEO Charlotte Wiggins. “We have a high percentage of return customers and they’ve evolved into asking us for help not only designing a special quilt but finding unique and specialty items.”
Those requests first led to the company expanding its basic product, quilts, to include unfinished quilt tops. “Several customers wanted to make quilts but didn’t have time to piece them so we started making custom tops so they could finish them.”
In addition to expanding its quilt line, the Missouri company this year launched a line of “gift mitts” targeted at quilters, antique collectors, furniture refinishers, gardeners and animal lovers. Wiggins said the concept started three years ago when a New York customer was picking up a custom quilt and broke her foot. Two weeks before Christmas, the customer asked Bluebird Gardens to shop for gifts for their top 20 customers and to make them “personal.”
“It was a little hectic but we did it,” Wiggins said. “The gifts we made and selected were a hit and she’s been back every year. We keep telling her our secret is any gift can be made personal with a little thought, and a little chocolate.”
The experience led to developing a collection of mitts and products that would interest the company’s customer base.
“A number of our shoppers are spouses and kids who want to find something special and feel comfortable asking us for ideas,” Wiggins said. Customers will be able to choose from a variety of USA-made gift mittens, have names embroidered, and then fill them with specialty times. The mitts can then be shipped to the recipient or directly to the gift giver.
“This is often the time consuming part of gift-giving, trying to collect a number of unique and complimentary items that would appeal to someone who shares our interests, like gardening,” Wiggins said. “Ever tried to find a good quality trowel in the Midwest in the middle of December? We have. It used to be impossible. It won’t be, now.”
In addition to items produced by other Missouri companies, including soaps and gardening implements, enterprising customers have access to recipes they can make on their own.
“We grew up getting handmade gifts as the special part of the holidays,” Wiggins said. “We know our customers also appreciate those so we added our favorite tried and true recipes to the website. If you want to make your own special gifts, you can go there to find recipes and instructions to make your own custom gifts. And if you don’t have time, you can ask us and we’ll be glad to make them for you.”
Originally a spin-off from selling quilts and related items on Ebay, the family-owned company today employs 6 part-time quilters, 1 seamstress, 1 embroiderer and 1 cook to make and customize quilts and other items.
”We get a kick out of this time of year,” Wiggins said. “Really makes us feel like Santa’s helpers!”
For information about cat quilt pattern, visit
http://quiltinfosite.com/catquiltpattern/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment