Sewing Machines Etcetera
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
info@sewetc.com
905-639-5525.
Our Hours of Enjoyment are Monday 10-4, Tuesday-Friday 10-5:30, Sat 10-4. Sunday is for church and family!

www.SewEtc.com

We have classes for every level of sewer: Learn to Sew for children and adults, Learn to Quilt, machine training courses which are given free to people who purchase a machine from us, special technique classes like creating a lace scarf in the sewing machine, dimensional applique, printing on fabric, embroidery techniques and more. We also teach many software classes using the Husqvarna Viking 4D Embroidery Software, Quilt Design Wizard and EQ6.

One service we offer that is unusual is a quilt frame rental program. We have the Husqvarna Viking Mega Quilter 18×8 set up on a large frame. Quilter’s take a short class with us to learn how to load the quilt and use the automated quilter. Then they can rent the frame in 3 hour time blocks. We have hosted Quilts of Valour in making quilts for wounded soldiers.

We also run special classes for the local quilt guilds. In April, we will be hosting the Burlington Quilt Guild for a special class on different applique techniques.

We were awarded the Ontario Dealer of the Year for 2009 by Husqvarna Viking. This is a proud accomplishment as we just took over the business. Our “Do before we’re 30 list” has another checkmark!

WE WANT TO KNOW:

Advice for someone who wants to begin quilting:
If you want to start quilting, yay! Surround yourself with inspiration, start with the right tools, and ask lots of questions. If you can, take a class to get you off on the right foot. Nothing is more frustrating than starting a project and have something go wrong. So often the problem could have been avoided by changing a needle, or using a different presser foot. Find inspiration and share your successes with online galleries, like ours. Use quality fabrics. They will inspire you and be a pleasure to work with. Most of all, just have fun! You will be so proud of your finished quilt, and eager to move on to the next.

What’s your favorite part of the day?
It’s not a scheduled part of the day, but it is something I can look forward to every day. I love it when a customer comes in with a project that is just stumping them. Being able to say “do this, then this” and have them go away confident in the answers is wonderful. Just today, I overheard someone say to her husband, “they always have the answers here”. What a pat on the back!

What’s the best part about working all day in a quilt shop?
We aren’t only a quilt shop. We are a family owned and operated sewing store where “Your Sewing Success Matters Most, Since 1992″. My husband and I (Nick and Erika Kottelenberg) just purchased the business from my parents in the summer of 2009. My mom, Elsa still teaches, and my dad Bert services the machines as he has been doing for over 25 years. The family environment includes the staff and customers. At a recent Husqvarna Viking Convention, staff made up name tags for themselves with an embroidery of a chicken and chicks, saying “Nick’s Chicks”. They snuck one onto Nick that was shaped like a speech bubble saying “I’m Nick”. Everywhere he went, ladies were saying “so you’re Nick!”. He’s sure he met 80% of the people there because of those surprise name tags.

The love we have for each other and what we do translates into a passion for fun and service that our customers always appreciate. That’s why I love working all day in our sewing shop.

We were awarded the Ontario Dealer of the Year for 2009 by Husqvarna Viking. This is a proud accomplishment as we just took over the business. Our “Do before we’re 30 list” has another checkmark!