I recently stopped by the quilt shop in town to make a short video for our YouTube page. The owner, Marianne, was telling me all about the shop and school where she teaches quilting.
She imports 100% cotton fabric, as well as batting. This is one of the only places in all of Panama that you can buy cotton fabric. The closest place you might find some cotton fabric is in Panama City, which is 7 hours away!
Marianne has been here for 20 years and has seen this area change over the years. She has seen many people come and go, but she still loves living here.
The quilt shop allows women in the community to come sew on the sewing machines. They have a room with tables set up with sewing machines. They offer classes, like how to sew a purse or paper piece a wall hanging.
Each of the items in the store are for sale. The quilt shop receives 10% of the profit, but the lady who sews each items receives the rest. She has to pay for the fabric she uses.
There are many items for sale that are really nice. I can walk through there and find lots of things I "need" to buy! Ha! The quilts are gorgeous and are done really well.
The fabric is all priced really well too. Marianne said fabric at quilt shops in the US are priced around $12 a yard, but here they are $5-7 a yard.
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Another unique thing they have here is a long arm quilt machine. This can handle up to and including a king size quilt. It's a process to learn to use it, so they only have a few people who have learned, but it's the only one in all of Panama! She imported it years ago!
While I was there, a man who sponsors some of the indigenous ladies each month came by. He had purchased two of them a Viking sewing machine that he was presenting to them. The lady who received it was so excited!
I love quilting and have made a few quilts, but I currently don't have time! Hopefully sometime soon I'll pull out my machine and get back to it!
