News and Trends from International Quilt Market

AUGUST

Sharyn and Allen Cole// Tuffet Source

Q&A: SHARYN COLE

Tuffet Source

 

 

Sharyn Cole is on a mission to share her love for making tuffets with the world…or the sewing and quilting worlds, at least. As owner and creative force behind the aptly named Tuffet Source, Cole has worked to turn that love into a successful business, offering tuffet-making patterns, kits, and notions, and teaching tuffet-making workshops at quilt shops along the east coast.

 

For this edition of eInsider, we had the pleasure of speaking with Cole about building the business, the benefits of being married to an engineer, and how tuffets can be a lot more than the stuff of nursery rhymes.

 

 

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eINSIDER: First, please tell me a bit about your personal and professional background.

 

COLE: My husband Allen and I have two grown children who are married, and four grandchildren—all of whom live nearby in the greater Raleigh area of North Carolina, which is where we chose to retire from the corporate world. We also have two cats that keep us on our toes.

 

I studied Fine Art at Indiana University and loved every media I worked with. I’ve always loved working with fabric, and sewed many of my own garments and home décor items when I was in high school and college.

 

It became obvious that making a living with my art was not realistic, so I tried my hand in many different arenas, and discovered that I really liked and had a gift for sales. One thing led to another, until a sales opportunity with a start-up software company was presented to me, and I jumped on it. Who knew that this “borderline technophobe” would be successful selling software?

 

In 2000, I retired from the world of technical sales to do what I liked best…quilt! I love every aspect of quilting. I also love being busy, and became active in my local quilt guild, Block Party Quilters, in Sammamish, Washington. This exposure resulted in an invitation to become a board member for the Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters, an organization with 1,100 members in five northwest states and the western providences of Canada. I was on the board from 2002-2008, serving as president for two of those years.

 

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eINSIDER:  How and when did you make your first tuffet? And how did it transition from a one-time project to a hobby?

 

COLE: In 2004, I purchased a copy of Kaffe Fasset’s book, Passionate Patchwork, and saw my very first tuffet. I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw his “Turban Tuffet” pattern. However, I didn’t get to make my first tuffet until 2007, when just before moving to North Carolina, I took a class from a local teacher in Seattle. My tuffet obsession became a passion, and I made several more tuffets for myself and my family.

 

I can say every room in my home has a tuffet. I started teaching appliqué classes at Thimble Pleasures Quilt Shop in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to meet people and, on a whim, I asked if I could teach a tuffet class as well. Tuffets were an instant success with filled classes and waiting lists every month!

 

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eINSIDER:  What is it about the tuffet that appeals to you most? And what about it do you feel would appeal to other sewists out there?

 

COLE: Tuffets represent whimsy to me, and who doesn’t love a bit of whimsy? There is great joy in sewing and molding the fabric over the tuffet form to create a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture. I love being able to say, “I made it myself” and “I used power tools!”

 

Other sewists easily embrace the whimsy too! I have been told many times how creating a tuffet has been such an inspirational project. Quilters and sewists love the idea of creating an heirloom piece of furniture to be displayed. Tuffets make treasured gifts for any occasion: weddings, birthdays, graduations, and the birth of a new baby. Let’s face it – tuffets are for everyone!

 

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eINSIDER:  At what point did that enthusiasm translate into a business?

 

COLE: In 2009 my daughter, Jennifer, and I decided to launch a tuffet business called Tuffet Source. We originally planned to create custom and readymade tuffets, but teaching others to make them became my passion. Jennifer left the business, but remains my beloved constant cheerleader.

 

Teaching tuffet making was keeping me very busy. Many students travelled great distances to take a tuffet class with me; one travelled to North Carolina from Vietnam, twice! Invitations poured in asking me to teach tuffet making in places far and wide.

 

Tuffet workshops require a fair amount of equipment to teach. And while I was excited to share the experience with others, I wasn’t excited about taking many tuffet road trips. In early 2014, an idea began percolating that perhaps I could share tuffet making with others by holding “teach-the-teacher” workshops. In August 2014, we held our first Tuffet Source Affiliate workshop and the rest, as they say, is history!

 

We have been shipping kits and patterns all across America, Canada, England, and Australia. Our products are available from three major distributors, and International distributors have approached us as well. It seems tuffets are all the rage! We feel like pinching ourselves to make sure it’s real.

 

Tuffet in a Day pattern

 

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eINSIDER:  I understand that your husband, Allen, also plays a big role in the business, turning your “ideas into reality.” Please elaborate a bit on that.

 

COLE: Allen is an engineer who grew up with a dad that was a general contractor, so solving design and building problems comes naturally to him. Throughout my tuffet journey, Allen has provided excellent input on ways to solve “engineering” dilemmas. We briefly introduced a Tuffet Tool he designed, and while the tool was a vast improvement over tracing with freezer paper, we quickly realized we needed to improve the fit of the finished tuffet top. This ultimately led to the birth of our original Tuffet Source foundations.

 

Throughout the process, Allen has had a hand in improving how our foam is shaped, how our wood is manufactured, and he has created schematics and professional patterns along the way.

 

Creating the “dimple” in the center of each tuffet presented a challenge. I mentioned this to Allen and voila!—he came up with great idea to visit the plumbing department of a home improvement store, where he located a toilet flange, now referred to as “the dimple maker,” and it is perfect for the job.

 

Allen also does the photography, editing, and layout for the tuffet patterns. Plus, he handles web maintenance, order management, and shipping details. I believe he knows more about shipping rates than anyone! Did I mention it’s great to be married to an engineer?

 

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eINSIDER:  Finally, you also offer tuffet-making workshops in central North Carolina.  Completing what is essentially a piece of furniture must be a thrilling experience for your students!  What kind of responses do you get?  And what would make this type of workshop a good investment for a quilt or fabric shop?

 

COLE: By now, I’ve taught literally hundreds of tuffet classes and the response from my students covers almost every emotion you can imagine. My oldest student was 82; she was so pleased with her tuffet, she put her cheek on it and gave it a hug. My youngest student was my then seven-year-old grandson. He is twelve now, and his tuffet remains in his tween bedroom as a reminder of that fun day playing with nana’s power tools and sewing machine!

 

Most students are thrilled to have a completed project to take home and are proud of their accomplishment. There are no UFOs in a tuffet class. Sometimes, there are tears of joy, and there are always huge smiles and a sense of accomplishment!

 

Students from one of Cole’s tuffet-making workshops

 

Tuffet classes and workshops provide a great new revenue stream for quilt or fabric shops too.   Because this is a unique class, students will pay top dollar for tuffet classes and supplies.  Classes fill with waiting lists almost every quarter, sometimes every month. Students are willing to travel to take a tuffet class, and non-quilters are willing to venture into a quilt shop to take this class, becoming new customers.

 

The foundation patterns are consumable, so students wishing to make more than one tuffet need to buy another foundation and another finishing kit and more fabric. There are many “up-sell” items too. “Make a Second Tuffet” classes are popular with students who have already made a tuffet, but would like to make another with access to the tuffet teacher’s tools and expertise. Tuffet-making weekend retreats or workshops are great for guild functions or company team-building exercises. Just let your imagination take flight, sell your customers on the idea, and listen to the cash register ring!

 

 

 

UPCOMING SHOWS

2016

International Quilt Market/Houston

October 29-31

Classes begin October 27

George R. Brown Convention Center

Houston, Texas, USA

 

International Quilt Festival/Houston

November 3-6

Preview Night November 2

Classes begin October 31

George R. Brown Convention Center

Houston, Texas, USA

 

 

 

 

 

International Quilt Festival/Chicago

April 6-8

Classes begin April 6

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

Roseanne, Illinois, USA

 

International Quilt Market/St. Louis

May 19-21

Classes begin May 17

America’s Center

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

 

International Quilt Market/Houston

October 28-30

Classes begin October 26

George R. Brown Convention Center

Houston, Texas, USA

 

International Quilt Festival/Houston

November 2-5

Preview Night November 1

Classes begin October 30

George R. Brown Convention Center

Houston, Texas, USA

 

NOTE: Quilt Market is a credentialed
trade show only, and not open to
the public.


For information on these or any other Quilts, Inc. shows, visit www.quilts.com

 

2017

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A Shirred Tube tuffet created by Cole

A finished tuffet created by a student in Cole’s tuffet-making workshop

A Pieced Tube tuffet created by Cole

Sample Tuffet made by Cole

©Quintessential Quilt Media, 2016. All rights reserved.

 

7660 Woodway

Suite 550

Houston, Texas 77063

U.S.A.

 

Telephone (1) 713.781.6864

Fax (1) 713.781.8182

e-mail: shows@quilts.com

News and Trends from International Quilt Market