Meet Daniela Stout

El Cajon, California

All photos courtesy of Daniela Stout.
Click on quilt photos to enlarge.

Hi Daniela.  Please tell us about your start into quilting.

I started quilting soon after college. With no homework guilt, I was free to explore my creative side again.  I have been quilting on and off for about 11 years. 

I opened Cozy Quilt Shop about 3 ½ years ago. I was warned that as a shop owner I wouldn’t get much time to quilt.  Turns out I have done a LOT of quilting in these last 3 years.



Who taught you how to quilt?

I did. And not very well!  I didn’t take a quilt class until I took one in my own store!

Do you live in the United States?  Which part of the country? 

Yes. We have the city of El Cajon as our mailing city, but we are actually in an unincorporated area locally called Rancho San Diego. It’s about 15 minutes east of San Diego.

Why did you start quilting?

I’ve always been busy with some kind of hand project, even as a kid- cross stitch, embroidery, book making, etc.  There is something so warm and cozy about a blanket, so I took up crochet.  It wasn’t until I walked into a quilt shop that I figured out it was quilting I needed. All of those other crafts were just part of the journey to find quilting. And so it began.

Do other people in your family quilt?  Who?

My mother was always sewing, but only got into quilting once we opened the store.  Now she is not only quilting, she is a pattern designer, a medium-arm quilter, and a designer of pantograph designs for the PC Quilter!!….www.QuiltersNiche.com
(ed. note...In case you're wondering...Daniela's Mom is Georgette Dell'Orco!)



Tell me about your family.  What do they think about your quilting?

My husband is very supportive. Even before it was a business for us, he didn’t mind if I was pinning a queen quilt on the living room floor during a football game. He recognizes that it is a form of therapy for me.  I must have been a little ornery one day because I saw him take my machine out, put it on my sewing table, and quietly walk out of room.  I got the hint.

I have two step kids. Jenna is 21 and works with me in the shop.  She has made 2 quilts. Lex is 12 and wants to work in the shop (he’s always looking to make extra money!). He has also made 2 quilts.

My mom took up quilting and works closely with me in the store.  She’s currently the other half of Cozy’s Strip Club…making samples, working through the patterns, coming up with design ideas.  I see her almost every day in the shop and it’s great to share it all with her.

Do you have any pets?  Do they try to “quilt” with you?

We have two dogs. They are both Chihuahua mixes, but they look very different from each other. The girl dog is Rosie and she a senior, long-haired dog and is a little on the, ahem, full-figured side.  The boy dog is Zach. He’s short-haired and a lean machine.  He keeps her young.

They help with anything I do on the floor or the sofa… pinning, trying out layouts, binding.  They always want to be on the new quilt.  How do they know??

What other hobbies do you have besides quilting? 

I enjoy reading, but don’t have much time for it these days.

Did you study art in college?   Do you ever wish you would have?

No. And no. I have never wanted to study art….Especially in college.  I think art has a mystery about it. For me studying it academically would eliminate the essence of it. It’s like studying why something is funny.  It just is.

I wish I could draw, though. I took a drawing class in college, but it wasn’t satisfying. Maybe because I wasn’t very good. If I had a second parallel life to live right now, I would like to take more drawing and watercolor classes.

What were your favorite arts and crafts projects as a child?

I tried just about everything. I enjoyed cross-stitch, drawing, pom-pom making, and paper crafts such as box and book making. I was pretty good at the paper stuff and made many wedding guest books for friends!



Tell us something about yourself that you think would surprise us.

My mother is Dutch, my father’s Italian and I was born in the Bahamas!

I grew up going to the beach after school with my dad.  I had no idea I lived any place special when I lived there. I was stunned to learn that not all kids went to the beach for fun and that some kids lived hours away from the beach. 

Where in your home do you quilt?  What do you call your sewing space? 

I work in an area I call the Portable Studio.  I sew on the dining table (our only dining table) and every time we have company or eat as a family, I have to tear down my portable studio.  I would prefer to have a corner where I can leave my stuff up all the time. And as much as I like the idea of having a real studio or sewing room, being on the dining table means that I can sew while my husband cooks dinner, and I can talk with my step-son while he does homework, plays video games or watches television.  Being a daily part of home life is very important to me. So I joke about the portable studio, but it works.

What kind of sewing machine do you use? 

I’m so excited because our store has just become a Bernina dealer. That means I get a Bernina!  Until now I was sewing on a Janome which was my only machine at home (we have a couple in the store.) My husband got me a Janome for Christmas 4 years ago. It was such an improvement from my old clunk-clunk machine. I had no idea you didn’t have to fight your machine just to sew a seam!  He smiles when we talk about the Christmas present because he says it was the start of something bigger.

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

I like everything. Is that a lame answer?  Since we have our own pattern line, I design patterns. I really enjoy that.  I enjoy picking out the colors. I like the cutting—I find it therapeutic to see all that fabric start as yardage and then turn into piles of smaller pieces that look like ingredients to a recipe.  I like seeing the blocks come together.  If the quilt isn’t too big, I enjoy the quilting.  And I like hand binding.  OK, to be honest I would be happiest if I could skip the part of assembling the blocks together.

Whose quilts inspire you?  Why?

I am inspired every day by every quilt.  At the shop, I get to see a lot of quilts.  Some are shop samples, some are customers’ versions of our patterns, and some are first time quilts from customers.  Every one I see has something to inspire me. 

What is your favorite season? 

Fall. I love the cool crisp air after the heat of summer. And I look best in Fall colors. :)

 


How many quilt projects do you have in progress right now? 

Aside from the abandoned quilts that I’ll finish when I’m retired. I don’t have any physically in progress.  I do have about 8 patterns floating around in my head, though!

How many UFO’s (unfinished objects) do you have? 

Why did you have to ask that question?  Let’s just say it’s more than a few, less than a million!!

Please tell me a funny story about your quilting.

The first time I bought fabric was at a quilt shop. I was intimidated by the quality fabrics, although I loved the colors.  I was too scared to cut it up.  So I went to a chain store and bought the cheaper stuff for my first, “practice” quilt.  That first quilt is still the one we keep on the bed. The seams don’t match and the colors are fading (quality matters, by the way!), and it really is an embarrassing quilt for a shop owner and pattern designer to be using on her bed. But there it is.

In our family we call quilts and blankets “Cozies,” that’s actually where we got the name for the shop- Cozy Quilt Shop.  When we first opened the store, my step son was about 9 years old. One day he suddenly looked up at me panicked. Talking about that mis-matched first quilt effort, he said, “You aren’t going to sell that in the store, are you???”  “No,” I said. “No one would want it but us.”

Has quilting ever helped you through a time of struggle or heartache?  Can you share about that?

After 9/11 I needed to create something good….To tear down and rebuild something better….To get lost in the process and get out of my brain….To be surrounded by red, white and blue.  It wasn’t until I opened the shop that I realized I was not alone in this quest. Many, many other quilters found their way through quilting after the tragic events of 9/11. 

Please tell us your favorite quote or motto.

Only God is perfect.

Do you quilt your own projects? 

I machine quilt the smaller ones. The larger projects I let my mom quilt.

Do you enjoy machine quilting?

Yes, as long as the project is small.  When I get my favorite music on my headphones and block out the world. The music and the rhythm of the machine put me a Zen-like zone.

Do you hand piece or hand quilt any of your work? 

No. It doesn’t go fast enough for me.

Tell me about a project that you are working on right now.

I am planning to make fabric postcards as Christmas gifts.  After that I’ll be working on a charm quilt.

 


Do you own any antique quilts?  Where did they come from?

I have 2 antique quilts. A lady came into the store and needed some fast cash.  I don’t normally buy from customers like that, but I liked these quilts!

What is your favorite color?

To quote my wise husband, “Why do I have to have a favorite?”

Has quilting taught you any lessons of life?  Please share.

Quilting is life. We tear down to rebuild something better….Along the way we learn and grow.

Do you belong to a guild or quilting group? 

I belong to the store--A perpetual meeting place of friends and groups.  I get to see many different faces and experiences come through the door. I get to know the regulars and share in their stories and activities. The disadvantage is that if I am not careful I can spend all my time at this perpetual gathering place and never get any work done!

How has your quilting changed over the years?

I’ve gotten better!

What’s your favorite color scheme in a quilt? 

I enjoy batiks and brights because they are so eye-catching.  Often times I dabble in what I call the dark and muddy colors. These are comfort colors for me. 

Is there a quilting technique, pattern, color combo, etc. that you’ve been dreaming of, but haven’t tried yet?  Please tell us about it. 

I have yet to complete a red and green appliqué quilt. That’s one of my “quilts to do before I die.” Another is the Mariner’s Compass.

Do you work in a series with your quilts?  Please explain.

Every month we release a Strip Club pattern. Every month I am working on a quilt that uses 2 ½” strips. I guess that’s kind of a series.

Do you collect certain types of fabrics, quilting tools, gadgets, or supplies?

I am a sucker for gadgets. Just ask my husband!

Do you use any tools or gadgets to achieve a ¼” seam allowance? 

I’ve tried them all and have happily settled on the Little Foot.  I love it and now my points match!

What is your favorite brand of fabric?  Do you have a favorite fabric designer? 

I love Moda fabrics.  I wasn’t a florally person, but I really like 3 Sisters. 

I also love Red Rooster fabrics. They are so wonderful to work with because they feel so nice.

And batiks. Love those batiks!  We received a large line of batiks and I asked one of the staff members to cut a quarter yard of off each bolt for me.  Owner’s prerogative!  That was years ago.  I still haven’t done anything with them! But I know exactly where they are!



Have you developed any special quilting techniques or products?

I developed Strip Club!  2 ½ years ago we started the program. We cut down coordinated bundles of 2 ½” strips then design a different pattern each month to use the fabrics. It was so much fun for us that other shops started to do it.  So what began as a marketing idea for our store is now a national phenomenon.  Most of the shops are also using our patterns and now Moda is cutting bundles of 2 ½” strips.  I didn’t start strip-piecing by any means, but I’m sure we had something to do with the strip craze sweeping through the industry!

Have you written any quilting books? 

Not yet. Maybe I can write a Strip Club book one day if I can get the title past the censors.

Please tell us about your quilting business….anything else that you would like to share.

We are a 3,000 square foot shop outside San Diego.  We developed Strip Club and began designing our own patterns about 2 ½ years ago.  Now other shops all over the country are in on it and we are pleased to hear from customers who have completed our quilts with their own fabrics!

Do you have any tips or advice for beginners? 

Be inspired by everything.

Every quilt is a journey.

Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting time into their day? 

In our house it’s a game of give and take. If I’m in the middle of an all-consuming project, I can let things slide. The floors stay dirty a little longer; the threads collect behind the couch where I have my ironing board set up; fabrics are allowed stay piled up and messy; and dinners are fast and usually eaten on the couch in front of the TV.  But when the project is done, I release the portable studio and reclaim the house as our home.  Things get straightened, floors get vacuumed and the refrigerator gets restocked.

 
My advice would be to cut out the unnecessary things like sleep and food. OK, not really.  But putting quilting at the top of your priorities is a good way to take care of yourself, making you better able to care of others.  It’s like a day at the spa, only you get a quilt out of it instead of mud between your toes. 

 


Thanks Daniela for opening up and sharing with us!  Congrats on your quilt shop and patterns!  Keep up the good work!

If you would like to learn more about Daniela and the Cozy Quilt Shop, visit their website at:

www.cozyquilt.com

So who do you want for the next Real Women Quilt Featured Quilter?!!  I'm always open to your suggestions.  and let me know.


We are working on loading all the past Featured Quilters into our Featured Quilter Archive....sort of like our own little Hall of Fame!! 

Featured Quilter Achives!!