Southern Charm Quilts

Why is the production/turnaround time so long?

I apologize for my turnaround time being most of the time over 35 days. It is a long time to wait for your item, but due to the volume of orders I have, I dont have much choice. I do orders in the order that they come. I have a clipboard over my desk full of orders and when a new order comes in it goes to the back of the clipboard.

It doesnt take 35-45 days to complete your order. Most of the time it only takes me about 2-3 days for large orders, but I�m working on orders that came in weeks ahead of yours.

Please remember that each item is handmade from the ground up, and it�s just me, alone. I�m not a factory. Each item takes time and is given careful attention. Each and every order is very important to me.

Where is my order?

You can learn what day to expect your purchase here.

I want to buy one of your made to order items, but I need it for a birthday/wedding/holiday and I need it soon.

Most of the time I can accomodate you, but you need to check with me first. If we are talking about a few days or next week, probably not. But if my turnaround time is 45 days and you need it in 30, I can usually make exceptions. This does not hold true for high volume times, Christmas, etc. But still check with me. I hate to turn folks down, I am a people pleaser.

Can my quilt be washed?

Rag quilts can be washed repeatedly. I wash mine in cold water and then dry in the dryer with a big fluffy towel. Traditional quilts can be washed, but repeative washing isnt good for it. I do wash mine in cold water and dry, but I only do it when it is really necessary.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes, definately. International buyers do have a much higher shipping cost, but if you are willing to pay it, I am willing to ship it.

Why is the shipping so high internationally?

I hate charging high shipping, but I promise you it�s not me. All international orders are shipped via USPS priority mail. Because of the big boxes and the high weight of my items, I have to ship them that way. There is nothing cheaper, I promise you, I�ve checked. Most of the time it�s not even the full cost of what I�m actually charged to ship it, it�s an estimate.

What is a rag quilt?

A rag quilt is a quilt that�s been sewn together so that the seams are exposed on the outside. I clip them, then wash and dry to start the fraying process.

Do you prefer rag quilts or traditional quilts?

I have an entire blog post dedicated to answering this question. Please read it here.

Why do you use muslin on the back of your quilts?

Because I LOVE it! Read why, here.

What minky dot colors do you have?

Lots and lots of it. See all of it here.

I want you to make me a custom quilt. What is the process?

First, you need to pick out what fabrics you want. You can do that by searching through here. You can choose a collection, or you can mix and match between a collection, or you can just tell me what you are looking for and let me come up with something for you. Either way (except by collection), once fabrics are chosen, I send you via email a collage of all the fabrics together. That way you can see if any are in there that you dont like or make sure you do like them. I can change the collage as many times as necessary until you are satisfied with the end result.

It is important for you to be happy with your collage, especially if you are mixing and matching. Your collage and acceptance of your collage is your last opportunity to change your quilt. I dont accept refunds on items that have been custom made. So you need to be sure that you like your collage.

Once you give me the okay on the collage, I will set you up a reserved listing in your name for you to purchase.

Do you do consignment?

No, I dont. I�m sorry, its just not good for me. You cannot talk me into it, but thank you for your interest.

Do you do wholesale?

Yes, but the wholesale discount isnt huge. You can see prices here. I�m a one woman show and my items take too long to make.

I want to know the size blocks you use and how many you use in your quilts.

As much as I�d love to tell you the in�s and out�s of running a quilting buisness, I just cant do that. I have gotten to this point in my buisness by trial and error. I dont give out my block sizes or how many are there of them because 99% of the time I�m getting asked because of copycats.

But I will tell you it�s not science, it�s basic math. And I�m awful at math. Figure out how big you want your quilt, figure out the size block you prefer to use, do a little math, and then subtract the seam allowance. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. You dont need me to tell you, I promise. I�ve never taken a sewing class, and can�t follow a pattern to save my life. If I can do it, anybody can do it. All you need is patience and maybe a calculator.

Do you make memory quilts?

Yes! I love memory quilts, but I only make them in the rag style. Knit (what most clothing is made in) moves, ALOT. So it just looks better to me. Rag hides the crumping and the moving, and it looks good. See memory quilts here.

How did you getting into quilting and opening your shop?

Buy accident actually. For five years, I was a realtor. I HATED this job, not so much in the beginning, but towards the end it just got in the way of filling sewing orders.

One year I asked my husband for a sewing maching for Christmas. I wanted to make some throw pillows and the ones I wanted were too expensive for me. I had sewn a little bit in 7th grade Home Ec., but nothing since then. I felt like I could still sew. With my new shiny sewing maching I couldnt even get the needle threaded. but I worked at it. and worked at it. and worked at it. Eventually, I ended up sewing a whole bunch of throw pillows for my daughters bed. I mended some clothing, and then made more pillows.

My mother, who happened to be an Ebay junkie bought me some patterns that I couldnt follow to save my life. One of these patterns was for a rag quilt tote, which she wanted me to make her. I can�t follow patterns (still can�t). but I worked at it, and then ended up making my own pattern using some of the things from the pattern she bought me. It ended up working out and the bag was cute.

I made more of them, and sold them to her friends at work. Then I sold a few of them on Ebay. Then I found Etsy, and fell in love with handmade goods. It was over for me after that. I listed rag bags like crazy, and quickly decided that I should add quilts. I created me a shop name and listed all my little items. The beginning was very SLOW. I worked my regular job and did all this on the side in my spare time. I sold a few items, I expanded my product line. I sold a few more items, I made more quilts. I read everything Etsy had to offer me as advice. I looked at shops that sold alot of items and learned what they were doing right. I improved my pictures. I improved my descriptions. Things got busier.

I decided that I needed my own website, so I purchased that. I started selling things on a regular basis. I started to hate my day job. I got more orders. I listed more items. I expanded the product line again. I improved my pictures again. I started making bigger quilts. This went on and on and on.

After over a year on Etsy and SouthernCharmQuilts.com I decided it was time to make a change. I didnt want to work as a realtor anymore. It made me unhappy. I didnt make much money at it, so it wasnt worth it to me anyway. I still had to cover my share of our household bills. When I got to the point that I could do that without the full time job. I let the job go.

As soon as that happened, everything suddenly skyrocketed. I became so busy. Orders came in from everywhere. My shop on Etsy, and SouthernCharmQuilts.com took off, as if it knew I was suddenly dependent on it. I devoted myself to it, and in turn I think it showed in my shops. I made more, so I sold more. I spent more time at it, and it payed off.

I have never borrowed money to fund this career. I just didnt think it smart for me. I�ve never advertised. I dont have anything against advertising. I�ve just never tried it.

Now, I�ve never worked more in my life. I even dream about making quilts. My hands hurt, my neck hurts. I�m at home all day long, I have no one to chat with or work with. I�m in my jammies, without any make up on, and I suddenly hate going to town. I�m answering emails all day and night. I stress about getting orders out and making sure everyone is happy with their quilts. My pictures are still not good enough for me. There is tons of room for improvement in all areas of my buisness.

But. I�ve never been happier. I get to stay at home. In my jammies all day. I�m here when my children catch the bus, and I�m here when they come home. I get to work with all these wonderful people, all over the world, in creating an item that they love. I get to hear how great it is and how their little one�s just love cuddling up under it. It makes me very happy to hear your stories and see your pictures. So thank you for helping and supporting handmade, and this lifestyle it has created for me. And thank you for loving my quilts as much as I do.

Do you do craft shows or art fairs?

Yes, sometimes. I�m extremely selective, though. I dont like to do more than two days, and I dont like high priced ones. My items are expensive so I dont think they are what most people expect to pay at a craft show. I enjoy them alot. The atmosphere is great. I live in Alabama, so if you know of any that I would fit in, I�d love to hear about it.

Where do you live?

Way down south in Alabama. United States.

Do you have children?

Yes. I have two, and a husband, four step children, and two dogs (they live outside).

What�s with you and 100% all natural?

I dont know. I just like it. If you worked with fabrics all day, you�d like it too. It feels better to the touch. I would love to go organic, but it�s just not practical for pricing. I like to look at cotton fields and know that my batting came from one kind of plant and there is nothing synthetic about it. I like things that come from the earth. I like that the earth provides.

What do you do in your spare time?

What spare time? No, I�m kidding. I read, ALOT. I love getting lost in a book. Books are magical to me. I also write, but nothing worthy of publishing so far. I answer all my son�s questions. He has alot of them. I like to plant flowers and garden, but I�m told I�m not good at it. I like to cook new dishes, but we always seem to go back to the usuals. I love to travel, and see new places, even not so great new places.

Where do you want to be in five years?

If things stay the same, I will be fine with that. I�m happy just as I am. But ideally, I want to live on a farm, somewhere in the woods with trees surrounding me. My house you wouldnt be able to see from the road, just a long winding driveway. I want goats, and chickens. I want a garden that actually brings forth a harvest. I want a pool in my backyard. It�s too hot here not to have one and I love to swim, and the kids love to swim.

My work can stay the same, though I�d like to get away from custom items. It�s very difficult to use all the fabrics that are left over. I�d like to keep more items in stock and ready to ship. I�d like my production time to be less, but unless I hire help I dont see that being able to happen.

I�d like to travel more. I want to see London, outside the airport. I want to visit Paris. I want to take the kids to Yellowstone, and hang out on the beach in Key West.