DAY TRIP

from Orange Living Magazine Fall 2020

WHY I LOVE ORANGE

STITCHIN’ HEAVEN BRINGS DREAMS TO LIFE

By Dawn Burleigh

QQuitman, Texas may need to consider changing its name to Quiltman as it is the home of Stitchin’ Heaven.

In 1996, Deb, with her son and now business partner, Clay Luttrell, broke ground on the quilt shop which has put their town of 1,800 on the map.

The shop opened after Deb left her job in corporate America to spend a summer with her son, then in 5th grade.

“I had two careers in corporate America,” Deb said in a phone interview. “I realized I had never spent a summer with my son. When the powers that be said no, I did the most logical thing. I quit.”

Her husband worked from home at the time and the family initially decided to raise emus.

No knowing what a fat quarter was or being a quilter herself, she knew she needed something to do.

“We had 200 acres and no emus,” she said.

From humble beginnings of a small storefront to now operating the largest quilt shop in Texas, Stitchin’ Heaven bolsters their small community and provides millions of quilters around the world with unique projects and fun activities.

The doors were opened with 1000 square feet and 600 bolts of fabric. Now, 24 years later, it is over 30,000 square feet which includes the retreat center with cottages.

The Bunkhouse is nestled in the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas where quilters can unplug from every day and enjoy all the fresh air, oak and dogwood trees, deer, and even a creek in the back. All for just $25 plus a 6% state hotel tax, per person per night. There is a two night / eight person minimum.

“You can rent as a group for retreats,” Deb said. “Bring your own equipment and projects. We can provide the food. It is a modern

farmhouse design and offer lots of space.”

The shop also offers teachers and has held classes at the retreat center as well as at the store front.

As a bonus, Deb said she got to spend another summer with her son.

“I had more control over my time,” Deb said. “I could hire someone to watch the store. I could pick him up from school. So, he was always exposed to the quilt shop.”

Clay made his first quilt when he was in the 6th grade. He created a Log Cabin quilt as a Christmas gift for his father. Upon graduating high school, he attended Texas A&M where he got a degree in Finance. “He did not want to spend his life in a cubicle and then in 2008, the economy fell,” Deb said. Clay built the first web page the store had and at a time when other stores did not offer online shopping options. Clay takes Deb’s wildest ideas and makes them tangible, developing Stitchin’ Heaven travel, bus trips, expansion of the shop and set to debut later this year: Stitchin’ Heaven’s brandnew Bunkhouse and Tiny House village.

The duo were offering Quilting Cruises prior to COVID-19 Crisis.

“We had 20 cruises a year, prior to COVID,” Deb said.

Despite the changes one experiences with the pandemic, sewing remains an enjoyable hobby according to Deb.

“Sewing is alive and well,” Deb said. “People are making masks while staying at home. They are dusting off their sewing machines or buying new ones. Some are learning a new hobby.”

Deb and Clay continue to look for opportunities to grow. Deb Luttrell and Clay Luttrell were jointly been named the District 2020 Small Business Person of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth Small Business Administration in March.

Stitchin’ Heaven is open normal business hours Mon-Sat 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. They are located at 321 Richards Street, Quitman, Texas,

approximately 250 miles from Orange. 