Quilt Shops, Community, and Finding Your Creative Home Base with Sandy of Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop

Originally recorded as an episode of The Quilt Scouts Podcast

Some quilt shops are more than places to buy fabric.

They’re the spot you pop into after dropping something at the post office. The place where someone helps you pull twelve half-yards for a baby quilt. The place where customers become friends, where people bring finished projects back to show them off, and where a regular Tuesday can turn into a tiny creative reset.

In this episode, I sat down with Sandy, owner of Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop in Arvada, Colorado, to talk about what really happens inside a local quilt shop.

Yes, there’s fabric.

Obviously.

But there are also friendships, stories, life transitions, late-night badge meetings, stargazing with quilts, and the kind of community that sneaks up on you in the best possible way.

This episode was originally recorded as part of The Quilt Scouts Podcast, before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound. You’ll hear the old name in the recording and transcript, along with references to Base Camps. In the current Quiltbound world, those local groups are now called Chapters, but the heart is the same: quilters gathering in real life to learn, connect, and cheer each other on.

Listen to the Episode

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Episode Overview

In this conversation, Sandy shares the story behind opening Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop, what surprised her most about running a quilt shop, and how the shop has grown into a community hub.

We talk about how customers become friends, why quilt shops can feel like safe spaces, what it’s like to host Quiltbound-style badge gatherings without a classroom, and why shopping in person still hits differently.

Sandy also shares one of my favorite local meeting ideas ever: a stargazing night where quilters brought chairs, quilts, and telescopes under the Colorado sky.

Honestly, I’m still jealous I didn’t think of it first.

Meet Sandy of Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop

Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop is located in Arvada, Colorado, between Golden and Boulder.

The shop opened in June 2023, but the idea started during the pandemic when Sandy was sewing with her mom while her baby napped. As she started visiting quilt shops again, she realized she couldn’t find the kinds of fabric she loved locally.

So she joked to her husband that maybe they should open a quilt shop.

And then, in very classic “well, now I guess we’re doing this” fashion, they had an LLC within three months and a shop six months later.

The name Little Sandy’s comes from Sandy’s godmother, who is also named Sandy and is lovingly known as Big Sandy.

Which is adorable.

We love a good origin story with fabric, family, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

Opening a Quilt Shop Is Not Just Fabric and Good Vibes

One of the first things Sandy shared is that running a quilt shop was much more work than she expected.

There’s inventory, samples, emails, social media, family life, taxes, licensing, insurance, customer service, and the everyday logistics of keeping a small business moving.

Also, the eternal quilt shop question:

Where are we going to put this new fabric collection?

Because not buying the fabric is rarely the answer. We are quilters. Let’s be realistic.

Sandy talked about how her shop has grown since the early days. At first, there were fewer shelves, fewer quilts on the wall, and even a rogue trash can making an appearance in the opening day Instagram video.

Now the shop feels full, organized, and lived-in. A place that grew into itself.

Which is honestly how so many creative things happen.

You start before it looks perfect.

Then you rearrange the shelves.

The Unexpected Gift: Friendships

When Sandy opened her shop, she expected to provide fabric.

What she didn’t expect was how many friendships would grow across the cutting table.

Regular customers became people she checks in on. They ask about her family. She asks about theirs. They come back to show finished quilts, baby photos, memory projects, and updates on the stories that started with choosing fabric.

One customer might come in making a quilt for a new grandbaby.

That turns into a conversation about the baby, the nursery, the family, the deadline, the colors, the whole story.

Then later, that customer comes back with a photo of the baby on the quilt.

That’s not just shopping.

That’s community.

What Really Happens Inside a Quilt Shop

A quilt shop may look like a retail space from the outside, but anyone who has spent time in one knows there’s more happening under the surface.

People come in with celebrations.

New babies.

Graduations.

Weddings.

Retirements.

Fresh starts.

They also come in with grief.

Clothing from someone they lost.

An old quilt that needs repair.

A project started by a grandmother.

A memory they want to preserve in fabric because words are not always enough.

Sandy shared a story about a customer who came into the shop shortly after losing her husband. Sandy noticed she didn’t seem like herself, checked on her, and ended up sitting with her while she cried and talked.

That customer later shared that quilting became a comfort during that season.

This is why quilt shops matter.

They give people a place to be held, even if all they meant to do was buy backing fabric.

Why Quilt Shops Feel Like Safe Spaces

Sandy said something in the episode that stuck with me:

You can’t be unhappy in a quilt shop.

And listen, life is complicated. Obviously fabric does not solve everything.

But there is something about walking into a bright room full of color, texture, possibility, and people who understand why you need to compare five cream backgrounds before choosing one.

It softens the edges a little.

Sandy connected this back to the long tradition of quilting bees, where people gathered around a frame, stitched together, and shared what was happening in their lives.

That history still lives in quilt shops.

Even when we’re not sitting around the same quilt frame, we’re still gathering.

We’re still telling stories.

We’re still making things together, even when we came in alone.

From Base Camp to Quiltbound Chapter

At the time this episode was recorded, local Quilt Scouts groups were called Base Camps.

Now, as part of Quiltbound, those local groups are called Chapters.

The name has changed, but the purpose is the same: local places where members can gather, explore badges, ask questions, show progress, and build real-life quilting friendships.

Sandy became a local group host after a friend showed her the Quilt Scouts website and told her she should become a Base Camp.

She went home, read through everything, and realized it could be a perfect fit for her shop.

Even though Little Sandy’s does not have a classroom space, she found a way to make it work.

Because that’s what quilters do.

We improvise. Sometimes with fabric. Sometimes with chairs.

What a Monthly Gathering Looks Like at Little Sandy’s

Since the shop is small, Sandy hosts her gatherings in the front of the store with chairs arranged in a circle, campfire-style.

Each meeting usually includes:

• A small goodie or tool related to the badge
• A discussion or demo based on the featured skill
• Open sharing from the group
• Show and tell from the previous badge
• Time to shop, mingle, and chat afterward

For the Y-Seams badge, Sandy made a LeMoyne Star and brought step-outs to show the process. She also gave attendees a small cutting mat and Sharpie to take home and use while practicing.

I love that so much.

It doesn’t have to be a full class to be meaningful. Sometimes the most helpful thing is someone saying, “Here’s what I learned, here’s what confused me, and here’s how we can try it together.”

That is deeply Quiltbound.

The Stargazing Meeting I’m Still Thinking About

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was hearing Sandy talk about the Stargaze on a Quilt gathering she hosted.

Instead of meeting inside the shop, she planned a night under the stars at a nearby trailhead that gets nice and dark. Her son, who worked for Rocky Mountain National Park, came to share stories about the stars. Sandy and her husband brought a telescope.

Everyone brought chairs and quilts.

Some brought star quilts.

They gathered outside, wrapped up in quilts, looked through the telescope, listened to star stories, and somehow the timing lined up with one of those big orange Colorado moons.

Not planned.

Just magic.

That is exactly the kind of thing that makes a local Chapter special.

It doesn’t have to look like a traditional class. It can be a field trip, a gathering, a shared experience, a memory.

A quilt adventure, basically.

A Self-Care Quilter Meeting, But Make It Spa Night

Sandy also shared how she adapted the Self-Care Quilter badge for her shop.

Since they couldn’t sew together in a classroom, she turned the shop into a cozy self-care space with spa music, hot tea, chocolate, chair yoga, stretching, and a sample of the quilted neck warmer project.

That is such a smart reminder for other shop owners or Chapter hosts:

You do not need a huge classroom to create meaningful member experiences.

You need care, intention, a little creativity, and maybe hot tea.

Honestly, hot tea is doing a lot of emotional labor in the creative community.

Why Local Quilt Shops Still Matter

Online fabric shopping is convenient. We love it. We use it. No shame.

But shopping in person gives you something different.

You can match colors in real life.

You can feel the fabric.

You can bring a pattern into the shop and ask for help pulling fat quarters, background fabric, binding, and backing.

You can hold two whites next to each other and realize they absolutely do not match, despite what your screen tried to tell you.

Sandy talked about how much she loves helping customers plan quilts in the shop. People bring in patterns, ideas, or half-formed color palettes, and she walks around with them helping build the project.

That hands-on experience is hard to replicate online.

Plus, local quilt shops are small businesses run by real people, often families, who are putting so much heart into the space.

When you support a local quilt shop, you’re not just buying fabric.

You’re helping keep a gathering place alive.

The Joy of a Quilt Shop Advent Box

Sandy also shared a project that became more meaningful than she expected: the Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop Advent Box.

The shop created 24 small gifts for customers to open throughout December. What surprised Sandy most was how emotional the response was.

Customers came back in January sharing how much they loved having a little gift to open every morning.

For some people, especially those who live alone or far from family, it brought real joy to the season.

That part got me.

Because on paper, an advent box sounds like cute quilting gifts.

But in real life, it became a daily moment of delight.

A tiny ritual.

A reason to look forward to the morning.

That’s the kind of thing quilt shops are so good at creating.

Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop Style

Little Sandy’s is a smaller shop, and Sandy sees that as part of its charm.

The shop is organized by collection, which makes it easy to shop. Sandy keeps the notions simple and only carries tools she knows, supports, and can confidently help customers use.

The overall style leans traditional, with a soft farmhouse feel, vintage-inspired colors, Lori Holt favorites, low volumes, pre-cuts, and plenty of cheerful fabric.

It sounds like the kind of shop where you can breathe, browse, and not feel totally overwhelmed.

Which, frankly, is a gift.

Rapid Fire with Sandy

Before we wrapped up, I asked Sandy a few rapid-fire questions.

Her answers?

Solids or prints: Prints
Pre-cuts or yardage: Pre-cuts
Early morning or late night sewing: Early morning
Seam ripper or pretend it didn’t happen: Seam ripper
Hand quilting or machine quilting: Neither, send it to a longarmer
Coffee or tea while quilting: Coffee
Fabric she could sew with forever: Lori Holt, or low volumes
Current favorite color palette: Spring pastels and vintage-inspired colors

The “send it to a longarmer” answer? Extremely valid.

Where to Find Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop

You can find Sandy and Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop here:

Website:
https://littlesandysquiltshop.com

Instagram:
@littlesandysquiltshop

Facebook:
Little Sandy’s Quilt Shop

In person:
Arvada, Colorado, between Golden and Boulder

Sandy also has a monthly newsletter, which is the best way to hear about shop news, events, and future Advent Box announcements.

Want to Find a Quiltbound Chapter?

Quiltbound Chapters are local member groups where quilters gather through shops, studios, and creative spaces to work on badges, build confidence, and connect in real life.

Some Chapters sew together.

Some meet around a campfire-style circle of chairs.

Some apparently go stargazing under the Colorado sky, and yes, I am still emotionally processing how cute that is.

You can learn more about Quiltbound Chapters here:

https://quiltbound.com/pages/find-a-chapter

Note: This episode was originally recorded before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound, so some older names, links, and references appear in the audio and transcript.

Episode Transcript

Below is the full transcript from this episode of The Quilt Scouts Podcast for accessibility and reference.

Note: This episode was recorded before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound, so the transcript uses the original Quilt Scouts and Base Camp language to match the audio.

Read the Full Episode Transcript

Sandy (00:00)
And I think it just kind of evolves, right? So someone comes in, they tell me they're making a quilt for this new grandbaby and I'm cutting, you know, 12 half yards for this quilt and we're just So it becomes a very casual conversation. It becomes very comfortable. And I think when people feel comfortable, they share more. And then they're like, ⁓ I want to go there because I was happy the last time I was there And so they keep coming back, you know, to share when the baby comes and then they have to show me the picture of the baby on the quilt...

Megan (00:30)
Welcome to the Quilt Scouts podcast. I'm Megan, your quilt scout leader and fellow adventurous quilter. This is a cozy campfire chat for quilters who crave creativity, community, and a gentle nudge to try something new. Each week we'll talk about quilting, and the small adventures that help us grow more confident one stitch at a time. I'm so glad you're here. Let's get into it.

Megan (00:57)
Today's episode feels like stepping into a quilt shop on a sunny afternoon. You know the kind, where the fabric is just right, someone's cutting yardage at the counter, and there's always a conversation happening somewhere in the room. I'm sitting down with Sandy, the owner of Little Sandy's Quilt Shop in Arvada, Colorado, a shop that started as a maybe we should do this idea and turned into a full blown community hub almost overnight.

In this conversation, we talk about what it really looks like to run a quilt shop behind the scenes, the surprising challenges, the unexpected joys, and how something that starts as a business can quickly become so much more than just selling fabric. Sandy shares how her shop has grown into a space where people come not just to shop, but to connect, to celebrate new babies, to process grief, to make friends, and to find a little spark of joy on an ordinary day.

We also dive into what it's been like for her to become a Quilt Scout Space Camp, how she hosts her meetings without a classroom space, and some of the creative community-driven experiences she's built, like stargazing on quilts under the Colorado sky. This episode is really about the heart of stories, the people, and the spaces that bring us together. So, whether you have a local quilt shop you love, or you're still searching for your quilting home base, I think you're going to feel right at home in this conversation.

Megan (02:27)
Sandy, welcome to the Quilt Scouts podcast. How are you doing today? I'm good thanks, how are you? I'm doing great. I'm doing great. I'm back from, I think, know, like a long road trip. So I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.

Sandy (02:31)
I'm good, thanks, how are you?

Nice. Yeah, was it fun? Awesome.

Megan (02:41)
t was fun. It was long. It was a round trip to the Midwest and Multiple stops, multiple hotels. So it's tiring. It's nice to be home, but it was a good trip.

Sandy (02:53)
Yeah.

Megan (02:54)
well, Sandy, tell those that don't know you yet, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.

Sandy (03:00)
⁓ Well, we moved here seven years ago to Colorado a mom of and because I needed something else to do besides take care of my kids, I decided that I would open a quilt shop here seven years ago.

Sandy (03:17)
during COVID, I had to find something to do. I've always sewn. I've always made costumes for the kids for Halloween and all of that. And so it was just kind of a natural thing to go into quilting. ⁓ But during COVID, I had just had a baby and we decided that, we could go into our little mini bubble, which was my mom's house. So I went over there and did online quilting classes with her, because she was like, we should sew. I'm like, okay. So while the baby napped, I would sew with so then we started venturing out when we were allowed to go to quilt shops and see stuff. And I just couldn't find all the stuff that I liked online in a store here. So I said, well, maybe we should open a quilt shop, kind of jokingly to my husband. He's like, yeah, whatever. Well, we went to Garden of Quilts in Utah with my mom and my godmother who happens to be big Sandy, which is why the shop is named Little Sandy. ⁓ okay. That makes sense. And she's a So we went to there and when we went shop hopping and I just loved all the shops out there. said, man, this is like all the fabric I love. We need that in Colorado.

So jokingly, I told my husband, like, we should do it. We should open a quilt shop. But he was like, okay. And like within three months we had our LLC and six months later we have the shop. I blame him.

Megan (04:28)
 Oh my goodness. What a whirlwind. Well, we love a supportive husband. We love a good quilt husband. That's great. So your godmother is Sandy also. Is that what you said? Okay. So it's so big Sandy, little Sandy and your shop is called Little Sandy's Quilt Shop. And where are you in Colorado?

Sandy (04:43)
Yeah, definitely. Definitely.

Yes, and she's a quilter.

in Arvada.

Megan (04:56)
In Arvada. Okay. when did you first open? You said it was three years ago?

Sandy (05:00)
the end of June of 2023.

Megan (05:01)
So what did those early days look like when you first opened your doors? Tell me about that.

Sandy (05:06)
⁓ well, scary, right? I mean, you're opening a business and you have no idea what's going to happen, if it's going to be successful or not. and so I, it's funny, I look back at the pictures of when we first opened and shop looks so different.

My daughter posted, I think it's on our Instagram, my daughter was there opening day and there's like this huge trash can like in the middle of her video, like, hey, we're opening, come see us, right? And there's like this trash can in there, kind But there's like hardly any shelves, there's like hardly any quilts on the wall.

And it's so blank, it seemed like and I mean, like, are people really in the shop here? Like, we have enough stuff? And we just right? Our inventory started to come in. We had to add more shelves. Of course, we got more samples on the wall. The people were coming. 

And some of the people that I still have coming today have been with me since the very beginning and watched the whole transition. So that's kind of been really cool.

Megan (5:55)

I love that you have some like really loyal customers.

Sandy (05:55)
Oh, 100%. Yeah, 100%.

Megan (06:07)
that's really cool. Yeah, it is when you look back just to see the growth and you do you grow into a space, right? You realize you need to rework some things or create more space for for other stuff.

I'm like trying to use it every square inch.

Sandy (06:19)
Yeah, and we get that way too. Like all of a sudden it'll be like, no, where are we going to put that new collection? do we need more shelves or we need to like take stuff out or rearrange yeah, it's been a...

Megan (06:25)
like, do we need more shelves or do need to like take stuff out or rearrange But I mean, not getting the collection isn't an option. Like I have to have that new collection. Like when the Happy Camper. Yes, I know. Same. It's, it's, I want to say a problem, but I don't feel like it's a problem. Like I feel like it's a solution. yeah, like when the Happy Camper collection came out, I was like, well, gotta get this whole collection. I'll just figure out where to put it.

Sandy (06:35)
yeah, you have to have it. You have to have it. Yeah, and I love to buy fabric.

Yeah, 100%. Yeah.

Megan (06:51)
don't have a plan for it, but I'll make it work. you most about owning a quilt shop?

Sandy (06:57)
probably how much work it was. the business and having a family life. Because I have five kids, only two of them are at home, but still it's a lot. And that even just, you know, cooking dinner and being home and getting the kids off to school and coming, you know, to the shop and getting samples made and all that kind of stuff, getting emails out and...

Sandy (07:21)
doing Instagram and all that kind of stuff. I mean, just way more work than I expected. I love it all, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely a lot more work than I thought it was gonna be, for sure.

Megan (07:22)
It's crazy. Isn't it? Like some of the things you never would have thought about having to tackle as a business Gosh, mean, the sales taxes. I mean, maybe that one's obvious for some people, but like when you're opening a store, you don't think about those little things. I have to have a license or I have to have insurance and I have to do taxes. And it's just like, man, I thought this was going to be way easier, but those little things sneak up on you.

Sandy (07:50)
Yep.

Megan (07:54)
fires you got to put out through the day and then like you said balancing that with family life too.

Sandy (07:56)
Yes.

Yeah,

Megan (07:58)
Yeah, it's a lot. is And I think the other big thing that really surprised me was, or that I didn't expect, I guess, was all the friendships that I would make. Yes. Through the years. mean, just, it's just been amazing. Like some of these people are now like my really good friends that I can't imagine my life without. Aww. So, yeah. It's been really awesome.

Sandy (07:59)
it's a lot. It's a lot. And I the other big thing that really surprised me was, or that I didn't expect, I guess, was all the friendships that I would make, like through the years. mean, just, it's just been amazing. Like some of these people are now like my really good friends that I can't imagine my life without. So that's just been really awesome. So especially like my long arm quilter, I met her.

Sandy (08:24)
when I was quilting with my mom before I opened the shop, right? And she happens to live in my neighborhood and I found her on next door. Cause I had this quilt top I needed quilted. And so I found her and so I was having her quilt my quilts for two years before I opened the shop. And now she's the long arm quilter for my shop. and her and I, you know, we've been friends for this whole time and it's just, it's just so nice. But so many of my regular customers have become really good friends of mine and you know we know a lot about each other, about our families and you know check up on each other and

Sandy (08:51)
that was really kind of unexpected. I guess I didn't think that, I thought it was just going to be providing fabric for people, guess.

Megan (08:59)
Like you thought it would be more transactional and not so much maybe heartfelt with it, right? Yeah. ⁓ that's so sweet. The friendships that get built over, you know, cutting fabric, talking about fabric. can only imagine. Yeah. ⁓

Sandy (09:07)
Yes. Yeah.

Yeah, or who you're making it for and all of that.

Megan (09:20)
Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, because you have someone come in asking questions about, you know, fabric for a baby quilt. And then it's the conversation, well, who's the baby? there's a whole backstory to the project that they're

Sandy (09:29)
Yep.

Sandy (09:30)
And just being able to share that everyday we're right next to a post in a library.

Sandy (09:36)
So I see a lot of people or they'll say like, hey, you know, I'm going to the grocery store, but you know, I'm the side trip, you know, so they can come and see what's going on or, you know, that kind of thing. it's just funny how that's evolved from.

Sandy (09:52)
customers coming into the shop that now they're coming to check on me because you know like I had surgery last year you know or how's your your daughter with last week how is she this week you know it's just it's just interesting that it's become more than just buying fabric

Megan (10:07)
You're a community hub

Sandy (10:09)
Mm-hmm, yeah.

Megan (10:10)
So I think a lot of people see quilt shops as places to buy fabric, right? Just like a transactional place. But anyone who spends time in one or knows what it's like to be in a quilt shop or a fabric shop, there's so much more to that, right? So from your perspective, what really happens inside a quilt shop beyond the fabric?

Sandy (10:28)
well of course there's friendships because people come in together, right? They come in with like mother daughter or they come in with their quilt friends. So you already have the friendships walking through your shop, but then they also like become my friends because they're talking to me about who they're making the quilt for and it just creates conversation. but I think after that then it becomes

Sandy (10:52)
a safe space for people or it becomes like a happy place for people. Because why wouldn't you want to be around fabric that makes everybody happy, right? And beautiful quilts, right? So last couple of years, with my regular customers, I've seen a lot of life And so I think that that's made it

Sandy (11:10)
just a really neat community and realized that it's not just about the fabric. People come in here just to get a boost of happiness or a little spark of joy by looking at the fabric. mean, people come through the door and they're like, oh my gosh, I didn't even know you were here. And so you just see their face light up when they walk in. just was dropping something off at the post office and I just wanted to come in and look at pretty fabric.

Sandy (11:37)
You you hope they buy stuff, but you know, sometimes they're just coming in here just to look around and they always seem to leave with a smile on their face. So, um, it's just nice that I can not just bringing the fabric, but that I'm bringing that to the people also, which has been nice. And right after I opened actually, cause we opened in late June in November, one of my regular customers, she was already a regular a couple months in.

Sandy (12:02)
And she walked in and she just wasn't looking herself. And at the time I had a bench in the front of my shop. And she kind of walked all the way to the back and I thought that was kind of odd for her. so I went back there and I said, know, hey, like, is everything okay? And she just started crying. And so I gave her a hug and she said, well, my husband died two days ago. And I was like, what?

Sandy (12:27)
So we just sat on the bench and we talked and she let me know everything that happened. And she's been, she moved out of state, but she still like emails me and orders online. But she really started quilting out for that and said that this was just her happy place and that, you know, coming in here and buying fabric and going home and quilting it just was so good for her. And so it's like therapy, I guess. So, yeah.

Megan (12:27)
absolutely. I mean, we joke that, quilting is Like, I feel like I've heard that so many times, there's so much truth to that for so many of us.

Sandy (12:53)

Well, we sell bags here in the shop that have...

On my way to therapy.

Megan (13:01)
⁓ Yes, perfect.

gonna say maybe it's cheaper than actual therapy, but it might not be with the cost of fabrics and notions.

Sandy (13:05)
you

Yeah, no, it is the husbands come in here and they ask about it or they say like, can you tell me about and what does it involve and what do I need? I'm like, well, I just want to let you know it's not a cheap hobby.

Sandy (13:23)
Definitely not a cheap hobby.

Megan (13:24)
So why do you think quilt shops become such a safe and supportive space for people?

Sandy (13:29)
well, you can't be unhappy in a quilt shop. mean, I'm a pretty cheerful person, just naturally. so I think that that helps. the shop is really well lit in here. So it's just, there's no way for it to be gloomy in I just think it's just, looking at all the fabric, being around people that are joyful, I think helps. It's, you know,

Sandy (13:51)
probably just exude happiness, I guess, I don't And I think it kind of comes to what quilting was a long time ago, where people got together to, that was the time when they could be together, where they got around the quilt frame and quilted, and that's how they shared what was going on in the community, because nobody lived right next door, right? So you would go to somebody's house for a quilting bee or whatever, and you would quilt, and that's when you would chat with everybody.

Sandy (14:19)
So I feel like it's almost unconscious that people come here to a community and talk and be friends and all of that.

Megan (14:26)
and talk Almost like ⁓

I almost want to say they're unconsciously or subconsciously seeking community, right? And I feel like a quilt shop and a fabric shop is a place to do that. Whether we realize we're doing it or you know, making quilts is storytelling. And then when we're talking about the quilts that we're making, we're sharing stories, we're sharing life stories. So yeah, there's so many layers to that.

Sandy (14:35)
absolutely.

Mm-hmm. And I think it just kind of evolves, right? So someone comes in, they tell me they're making a quilt for this new grandbaby and I'm cutting, you know, 12 half yards for this quilt and we're just So it becomes a very casual conversation. It becomes very comfortable. And I think when people feel comfortable, they share more. And then they're like, ⁓ I want to go there because I was happy the last time I was there And so.

Sandy (15:12)
They keep coming back, you know, to share when the baby comes and then they have to show me the

Sandy (15:16)
picture of the baby on the

Sandy (15:18)
it's my fabric. say, here's the quilt with your fabric. You know,

Megan (15:22)
they gotta show off their makes. So it sounds like, Little Sandy's Quilt Shop has really become a community hub for Arvada, right?

Sandy (15:30)
Yeah, because I don't have any other quilt shops really near me. I have the one in Golden, which is like 15 minutes. But otherwise, I'm a good 30 minutes from another quilt shop. So this community really needed it. And so I'm glad that I was able to do that at the right time. And I also think... ⁓

Megan (15:35)
it sounds like it was the perfect timing.

Sandy (15:49)
Because it happened right after COVID, I feel like there was a lot of people, hear it, I took classes online during COVID. There was so much of that happened. And now people are really wanting to be with people again, now that so far out of COVID, right? And so people are just begging for that community and to be part of And ⁓ there's just so much to that, sewing together and...

Sandy (16:12)
just being able to chat while you sew. It's something easy to do

Sandy (16:15)
while you're sewing. You can chat and be together and have a snack or a beverage or whatever it is and be together. So trying to create and doing it, I mean, it's just natural, I feel like.

Megan (16:27)
Absolutely. Well, it's funny you say that because Quilt Scouts started as an online membership, an online community, but the base camps started people were requesting it. They wanted something to do in person and meet up with other Scouts in person. So it's funny you're saying that. do. feel like people

are craving that and they're wanting that and they specifically asked for it from Quilt Scouts which is why we came up with the base camp thing which Little Sandy's Quilt Shop is a base camp for Quilt

Sandy (16:46)
Yeah.

Megan (16:53)
So can you tell me a little bit about how you first learned about quilt and what made you want to become a base camp in Arvada?

Sandy (17:02)
Well, one of my friends actually showed me your website and she was like, hey, like, have you seen this? This is so cool. And she's like, you should be a base camp. And I was like, ⁓ okay. So I went home that night and like read through your whole, you know, website and everything. And I was like, yeah, this is really cool. And because we don't have a classroom space, because we're so small, like, well, maybe I could try to pull this off. Maybe this would kind of be a good,

Sandy (17:28)
transition space for that. Even

though we can't do classes, we could still sit around the campfire, so to chat and teach each other and have show and tell. Because I was kind of previously doing The first Saturday of every month, I was having like a Saturdays with Sandy. And I would do kind of like shop talk, like what's new in the store, that kind of thing. But that was kind of all it this just was like

Sandy (17:54)
the next step I feel like.

I'm still gathering people in the shop, but we're learning something. We're earning our badges. We're doing show and tell. making friendships. I mean, it's been so great. I love it.

Megan (17:56)
So can you talk about what a normal like base camp meeting looks like at your shop? Yeah. So we just had ours on Thursday. So it's kind of fresh in my head, which it was the Y badge.

Sandy (18:14)
Yeah, so we just had ours on Thursday. So it's kind of fresh in my head, which is great. So the ⁓ Y-seams badge.

And ⁓ I made the LeMoyne star. And was really intimidated because I was like, I don't know if I can teach this because I don't know anything about it. So I put it out there like, hey, I'm going to teach you what I know that I learned from Megan.

Sandy (18:38)
but this is what we're gonna do. So what I usually do is set circle of chairs in the front of the shop. have kind of like a big space in that. And so we kind of sit like in a campfire style. usually have like a goodie on the chair.

Sandy (18:50)
So this time we had like a little mint a cutting mat from the dollar store to use as a template and a Sharpie. So it gave them something to do, to take home, to use for our Y seam

everybody comes in, we kind of like, hey, hello. And then I just kind of go in, I had step outs for the, for the LeMoine star. I show everybody the pattern, them what I've made, if I have the finished product or not.

Sandy (19:21)
And else has anything to share about Y-Seams, we kind of make an open forum kind And then share tips and tricks.

Sandy (19:32)
And then we do a show and tell. Everybody brings usually what they completed from the last month's badge, which is always really fun. And then anything else they're working on or they need help with. So that's really encouraging. I love that. And then everyone gets to shop.

Sandy (19:48)
And since we do it at night, which is kind of exclusive to quilt shops, my quilt shop, mean, so, and they all get 10% off when they shop the night of the

Sandy (20:01)
And then everybody kind of mingles in the shop and talks for like another like half an hour to 45 minutes.

Megan (20:09)
So once you tackled one LeMoyne star with the Y-Scenes, because we did a traditional, we went tradition with this block, because we specifically wanted to learn the Y-Seams, not like the modified HST, right? So once you tackled one of the LeMoyne stars, do you feel more confident with the Y-Scenes? I'm curious.

Sandy (20:14)
Right. Yeah. That was perfect.

Oh yes, 100%. I I'm making a table runner.

Megan (20:26)
cool. Because you know what's feel like it's like a blind leading the blind situation. My LeMoyne star was that that was like the first one I did too. And I was well I did a couple like as I was writing the pattern and writing the instructions for I'm new to new to Y seams as well.

was trying to write the instructions and like the video tutorial from like a beginner perspective literally because I'm a beginner. So I was like, okay, what did I find confusing in this? How can I make that more clear in the tutorial? So, okay, good. Okay, good. And I just told everybody like the directions are so well written. So just go step by step and do it and keep it right next to you. I mean, even the...

Sandy (20:49)
Beginner. Yeah. It was so good. It was so good. And I just told everybody like the directions are so well written. So just go step by step and do it and keep it right next to you. Because I mean, even the

graphics are perfect. I mean, it's like, I was like folding my thing over and I was like, okay, wait, mine doesn't look like that. Okay, wait, turn it over, turn it around.

Megan (21:04)
So one thing I love about quilting is that people often come in during big life transitions, right? Celebrations, someone's getting married, we have to make a quilt or grief, which you just talked about with another customer, retirement, new babies, all of it. So do you see quilting helping people process life in some way?

Sandy (21:29)
Yeah, I do. mean, it becomes, like you said, kind of part of the celebrations, right? people are coming in and they're, you know, choosing the fabrics that match the nursery or, you know, so I feel like it draws them into that celebration, right? Picking the colors of the school that they're going to for college that they're making this quilt for. So it keeps them involved in that family event, right?

Sandy (21:54)
And the grief is hard too. I see that with people bringing in clothing or, you know, they're making t-shirt quilts know, pieces of their grandmother's or their mom's clothing or just piecing it into a quilt somehow. I recently had a customer that came in that brought in her grandmother's

Sandy (22:16)
flowers and she was trying to recreate more of them because she didn't have enough. And so she was trying to add in some other fabrics and she was going to hand sew them all but she was like, man, no, I can't do that. ⁓ So I think that that was a way for her to process that her.

Sandy (22:36)
Grandmother was now gone, but she was trying to carry it on by adding to this quilt that she had already started. So we walked her through the process of that, which was really neat. So of course then I'm drawn in, right? So now I wanna see what it looks like afterwards and all of that. So yeah, so, and I always say it too. I'm always like, you you're gonna bring that in when you're all done, right? Cause I wanna see it. You have to show it to me.

Megan (23:00)
Exactly, exactly. I'm picturing, like you're talking about like the memory quilts, like you're walking through one choosing clothing or t-shirts and then like the memories that come along with that and then choosing colors to go along with it. Maybe the person's favorite color. So like I can see how that you can really process a lot just kind of working through building a memory quilt for somebody, you just for

Sandy (23:03)
Yeah, and you also see it when people bring in older quilts that they're like, know, do you repair old quilts? This was my grandma's quilt and you know, it's falling apart and how do I repair it? And you can just see it in their face that it means so much to them. And it's just, I guess I didn't realize when I opened the shop that quilts really were so much more than just big pieces of fabric cut into little pieces of fabric and sewn back together. There's so much more to it than just that.

Megan (23:25)
So much. Yeah. So much that goes into it.

Have you noticed anything change in your community since becoming a base camp?

Sandy (23:59)
I just think that there's just more friendships have been built in here. I've seen people who I didn't expect to become friends become friends. Because now

Sandy (24:08)
We have our meetings only once a month, but if those people happen to be in the shop at the same time, another time, they're like, hey, and then they start talking about something that they talked about at the meeting or, hey, have you done your badge requirements yet? That kind of a thing. So I've seen a lot of friendships build through just that alone. And of course, it was neat.

Sandy (24:32)
I had told you previously about our star gazing on a quilt badge that we did. That was so amazing because we allowed the husbands to or a significant other or whatever. And so that was really neat. And I think the husbands were just as invested in the quilts and everything that was going on. And so it's so nice to have, you know, that you can just see that they were so supportive of their.

Sandy (24:56)
of their wives and ⁓

it was just neat to see that too. So you just really see it's just, it's such a neat community to be part of. Like I really didn't expect that.

Megan (24:59)
I'm so glad you brought the stargazing meeting. I forgot about that until you just mentioned it again because you were telling me about it at one of our base camp leader meetings that we had. What was it last month? And I was genuinely jealous that I didn't think of this myself. ⁓

Sandy (25:15)
Yes. Yeah.

It was really fun.

It was really, really fun.

Megan (25:22)
And I was telling my husband about it after our meeting. was like, so this is what you did for the stargazing meeting. And he was just the same way. He's just like, well, I wish we had been there. I was like, I know me too. So like so much fun. So you have to tell the listeners what you did for the stargazing on a quilt badge that we did. I think it last April. So it was almost a year you organized a base camp meeting around it and I want to hear about Yeah, we so because it was like.

Sandy (25:32)
It was really fun.

Yeah, so because it was like,

I was a new base camp, we didn't really have like a bunch of stuff to go with, right? And I wanted to really get people together and get excited. So I pulled that one from an old, And I was like, well, we can do that. And I happened to live in an area where there's a trailhead that's really dark.

Sandy (26:05)
and it's the perfect space. In fact, our local high school meets there for their astronomy class. And so I was like, well, my son happened to work for Rocky Mountain National Park. And so he was willing to teach.

Sandy (26:20)
and talk about stars and stuff at our meeting. And so I planned it where people, you know, would come and meet over there. They brought a chair because it was October and

Sandy (26:33)
I didn't want people putting their quilts on the dirt because it's just dirt there. But everybody brought chairs ⁓ and we told them bring a star quilt if you have one or, you know, whatever.

So we went just before it got dark and we set up, my husband and I set up our telescope. And my son told ⁓

Sandy (26:50)
stories about some of the stars and stuff like that. And everybody just kind of huddled around like we were rounding campfire. It was really cool. And everybody had quilts. Everybody's cuddled in their quilts. And we shared about the quilts. And then as it got darker, as he was talking, then everybody looked in the telescope. It happened to be one of those times here in Colorado when we had that like orange moon.

Sandy (27:10)
It just happened to be. It was not planned at all. It just worked out. And so we all got to see it, which was really And

Sandy (27:16)
yeah, it was just a really fun event and everybody was just talking and it was dark and I don't know. It's just something about it.

Megan (27:22)
love it so much. Have you done any other meetings like that like outside the shop?

Sandy (27:28)
We haven't, but we have some planned in the future. So.

Megan (27:31)
I can tell you put a lot of thought and care into each of the meetings. Like you said, like having the cutting mats available for this last meeting and like,

I just feel like you think of everything. love that.

Sandy (27:39)
Well, it's hard to incorporate when you don't have a classroom space. So we can't sew. Like I see it and I'm jealous because everybody else is like sewing together for their base camps, right? But I can't do that.

Sandy (27:51)
have like, I have 14 people, I think, or 15 people in my base camp. So, you you need a pretty big classroom to do that. So we have to kind of modify things. And so we also self care. That was another fun one. I did the spa music in the shop.

Sandy (28:08)
And we had like hot tea and chocolate and we made the little neck warmer. I had made that and so I shared mine and it

was just it was really neat like everybody just talked about it and then we did chair So that was Yeah and talked about different things like that to keep ourselves moving and you know yeah it was fun.

Megan (28:20)
So for someone who maybe hasn't spent much time in a local quilt shop, what do you wish they knew about these spaces that we've created?

Sandy (28:41)
So like versus online shopping.

Megan (28:41)
Yes.

Sandy (28:43)
so if you don't have a local quilt shop, you need to find yourself one or move close to one ⁓ because it's amazing. ⁓ Matching fabric is the first thing. I mean, you got to be in person to be able to match your fabric. I think that's huge. And it's

just fun to shop with other people, I feel like. ⁓ A lot of times people come in here alone, but I'm here to help. ⁓

Sandy (29:11)
And so that's always fun. love planning quilts out when people come in with a pattern and say like, hey, I need, you know, 12 fat quarters and a background fabric. Let's make this quilt, you know? And so, you know, we're walking around the store and you just can't do that online.

Sandy (29:24)
even though I'm a small shop, I feel like I have something for everyone. And I'm always able to find something for someone. And if I don't, I make sure to refer them somewhere else. So that, you I know who carries what around me in a pretty big diameter. So I'm hoping that I'm helping other quilt shops too. We kind of all do that, kind of refer each other. So, but there's

Sandy (29:47)
There's just something different about seeing it in person. Plus, there's so much inspiration in a quilt shop right? You've got all the quotes on the wall, people say, my gosh, this is so cute. I could never do this. And being able to say, yeah, you can. It's actually pretty easy. just make it look difficult.

Sandy (30:03)
being able to help them pick out, you they find a pattern. You know, can find any pattern online, but if you find it in the store, they're more likely to then get the fabric while they're there because, you know, I can help you find fabric

Sandy (30:15)
for that, you know. So it's just, a better fun experience.

Megan (30:19)
Yeah, no, I can totally see that.

Yeah, it's like that hands on component that you don't get from online shopping. And I mean, I love a good online fabric shop too. I mean, I do a lot of online ordering too, but like there's just something different. It hits different when you're in And I feel like there's only so much creativity you can get from a computer screen, right? When you're shopping or browsing online, like when you're walking a fabric shop in the aisles and flipping through the patterns through the quilt book or whatever that's on the shelf, touching the fabric, touching the thread. Like it's just, it's different.

Sandy (30:28)
yeah.

Megan (30:47)
It's so much different. Yeah.

Sandy (30:48)
It's totally different, yeah.

mean, matching the fabrics alone is just, mean, if you're trying to put together a quilt from a pattern, I mean, you have to be in here to bring it up to the cutting table and, you know, match all the fabrics and, that background, you think your white on white matches. Well, there's a lot of white on whites and they just don't match. They don't all match. So you have to have it in person or you think something is going to look good as with it and then you put it next to it and it doesn't. So there's just something to being in the shop that

Sandy (31:20)
versus online. Plus you're supporting a small business, which is always good.

Megan (31:20)
Exactly, a local business, a local family. Yes, 100%.

Sandy (31:30)
Well, I think the other thing is we did our first Advent box this year, this last year. So

I think it was in July, we did our launch and then people paid hundred dollar deposit and then they paid the rest later in October. And then we shipped them all out the second week of November.

Sandy (31:53)
So there was 24 gifts inside. And so everybody was able to, you know, open a gift every day the month of December, which was great for, I mean, we know that the quilting community is a lot of older people. A lot of them are alone or they don't live near family. So maybe they don't get that, they don't have a big family, right? So being able to open a gift every single day in December.

Sandy (32:18)
brings them so much joy. And it was so amazing to

Sandy (32:24)
hear customers ⁓ in January come back and say, I loved it. It was so great. I loved getting up every morning because I got to open a present every day. So needless to say, we're doing it again this year in 2026. But that was really awesome. I kind of didn't see that either coming. ⁓

Megan (32:24)
So needless to say, we're doing it again this Absolutely, I mean, you have to, yeah. 

Sandy (32:43)
I didn't realize that it would touch so many people in that way either.

Megan (32:46)
Yeah, that is kind of unexpected. Like you think of it just more like the material, like getting like the little things, but like the emotional part of it. that, um, I feel like it brings me back to childhood to like the anticipation of like opening something up in the morning for 24 days in a row. Uh-huh. Yeah. Oh, that's really sweet. Are those, did you curate those advent boxes yourself How many did you end up having to like make? I'm just curious.

Sandy (32:57)
We made 60. and it was a lot. We had like an assembly line. One of my friends came over and we had, well, my daughters had come over and had helped me fill all of the bags and put all the stickers on with the numbers. And then we put, we lined all the boxes up of all the days. And then you just walk down and put it all in the box, times 60.

Megan (33:11)
Oh my goodness. Okay. And do you ship those all over or is it just locally? Like local customers?

Sandy (33:35)
So this coming year we're.

no, we shipped them all over the United States, yeah.

Megan (33:40)
Okay,

so that's so if anyone listening in and they want to get in on this you are you opening it up again in July? For like signups?

Sandy (33:48)
I don't know exactly when we'll launch them, but yes, it will be over the summer for sure. Yep.

Megan (33:58)

Okay Do you have a newsletter where people can sign up to like hear more about it or when you when you announce it?

Sandy (33:58)
mean, I'm pretty big on Instagram and Facebook. I cross post some one or the other. And we have a newsletter on our website that you can sign up for and we send out a monthly newsletter usually around the first week of the month.

Megan (34:09)
Well, I'll make sure to include that link in the show notes. So for anyone that wants to find you on Instagram or Facebook or sign up for your newsletter to get that announcement on the advent or any of your shop news for that matter, I'll make sure to include that in the show notes.

Sandy (34:19)
Yep.

Sandy (34:22)
And I mean, I think it's funny, but like, I feel like I'm such a small shop, because we are tiny. I mean, we're only like, I don't know, 1300 square feet or something really small.

But I feel like sometimes the simplicity of it is refreshing for people because it's not, it's well, and it's organized, right? So I have everything by collection in the shop. So it's easy for people to shop that way, but I know where everything is. So if they say, I need a different red, I know where to go in my shop to get it.

Sandy (34:51)
And I don't carry a ton of notions either ⁓ because I try to keep it simple and I only carry the things that I support and that I know how to use. Well, I don't carry like applique stuff, a ton of applique stuff because I don't, I don't applique. So I don't know how to tell people that, right?

Megan (35:07)
So are do you feel like your quilt shop is more traditional or modern or like somewhere in between? 

Sandy (35:08)
More traditional for sure. Yeah, I don't carry a lot of modern fabrics or modern patterns or anything. Very farmhouse-y style, chic kind of like, you know. Just refreshing, yeah.

Megan (35:20)
I feel like the quilt behind you is like very, capturing. That's I feel like that's a little Sandy's quilt a nutshell.

Sandy (35:26)
That's Lori Holt.

it is.

Megan (35:30)
Before we wrap up, we're going to do a quick rapid fire round.

Sandy (35:30)
You

Megan (35:33)
Just answer the first thing that comes to mind. So don't overthink it. Just go with your gut instinct. Okay. You ready? Yeah. Solids or prints?

Sandy (35:37)
prints.

Megan (35:46)

Pre-cuts or yardage?

Ooh, that's a tough one. ⁓ Pre-cuts.

Megan (35:46)
Okay, early morning sewing or late night sewing?

Sandy (35:56)
early morning.

Megan (35:58)
seam ripper or pretend it didn't happen

Sandy (36:01)
Ooh, seam ripper.

Megan (35:58)

hand quilting or machine quilting?

neither i sent it to a long armor 

Megan (36:09)
Me too. What's your favorite color palette right now?

Sandy (36:16)
Ooh, color palette. Well, I'm a huge Lori Holt fan, so I love all of those like vintage-y colors. ⁓ But I'm really loving a new spring line that we just got in. So a lot of the little pastels. Yeah, right now, pastels for sure.

Megan (36:19)
Spring vibes right now. I see that. Coffee or tea while you're quilting?

Sandy (36:37)
coffee 100%.

Megan (36:19)

One fabric line you could sew with forever.

anything Lori Holt probably. But if I had to pick, I would pick low volumes. I have a huge collection of low volumes in the shop and I just, I love them. I love making baby quilts out of low volumes.

Megan (36:41)
Me too. Yeah. Okay. Very cool. So Sandy, for anyone wanting to know more about your quilt shop, find you on socials, where can we find

Sandy (37:05)
You can find us at Littlesandysquiltshop.com for online. You can find me locally in Arvada, Colorado. We're just between ⁓ Golden and Boulder. And on Instagram and Facebook, it's just Littlesandysquiltshop.

Megan (37:05)
Okay, perfect. And sign up for that newsletter like we talked about earlier. I'll make sure I include all of those links in the show notes so people can find you very Thank you for taking the time to share your story and the stories that come through your quilt shop. I appreciate it.

Sandy (37:36)
Yeah, thank you Megan for having me.

Megan (37:38)
If you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to follow or subscribe to the Quilt Scouts podcast so you don't miss future episodes. And if you have a minute, leaving a review is one of the best ways to help this podcast find other quilters who could use a little creativity and community too. You can find show notes and more from Quilt Scouts at quiltscouts.com. Until next time, happy trails scout.