Quilting is Not Like Grandma Used to do It, DVD Covers the Basics

Eagan, MN, October 16, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The lost art of quilting is making a huge comeback. Today, it’s a $4 billion a year industry thanks to use of new technology, younger participants and a little bit of old fashioned know-how. Piecing together these elements is a respected leader in the quilting world who would like to take this art form to an even higher level.

“I want quilters of all ages to think outside of the box in design and craftsmanship,” says Kim Brunner, a professional national award-winning quilter and instructor from Farmington, Minnesota.

The technology to aid in this quest is the consumer-use of longarm quilting machines that are replacing the more traditional quilting circles that our grandmothers used to sew quilts with the help of their family and friends. With these machines, it now can take just hours or so to make a simple single three-layered quilt, compared to a year’s time to hand stitch a similar textile masterpiece.

These quilting machines are not for the faint of heart. They are expensive -carrying an $18,000 price tag and up. They are also large. The average quilting machine is usually four feet long, three feet tall and sits on a 12-foot table, and can be very intimidating for a novice quilter to use.

“They are basically sewing machines on steroids,” quips Brunner. “Many people are so scared of them they can’t even remember how to thread them. I know I was at first.”

Brunner’s grandmother introduced her as a young girl to the conventional ways of this craft, which dates back to the early 1800’s in America. But Kimmy, as she is best known in the quilting world, wanted to step up this age-old practice and purchased her first longarm machine in 1998 to do freehand quilting.

She says, however, that the dealer just delivered the quilting machine to her home with no information on how to use it. Brunner asked some other quilters online and figured out how to work it, but she knew there had to be a better way.

So, this wife and mother of two teenagers decided to teach quilting machine classes throughout the United States and Canada. Her travel schedule, though, became very daunting and she wanted to spend more time at home with her family. That’s when Brunner came up with the idea of producing an instructional DVD focusing on the fundamentals she was teaching.

She hired Kirk Douglas, owner of Home Video Studio – Eagan, MN to shoot and edit her first DVD called Machine Quilting for Beginners.

“We shot the video so that you can actually see the quilt’s stitching up close to better illustrate the techniques,” says Douglas. “Kimmy narrates the DVD in an humorous manner making the instructions easy to follow.”

But if you ask her, it’s Douglas who is the real creative genius behind the professional look and quality of this DVD. Since it hit the market this past spring, Machine Quilting for Beginners has generated $22,000 in sales. Testimonials from DVD users on Brunner’s website, www.kimmyquilt.com say it’s an “instant classic.” Brunner even has DVD distributors now in Canada, Australia and Europe.

“The current down economy is also playing a role in sales now because a lot of people can’t afford to pay to attend a $200 quilting class, but they can afford a $29.95 DVD,” adds Brunner.

Quilting is also more than a hobby. It is serious business. At the American Quilters Society semi-annual show in Paducah, KY this year, the best of show quilt captured a $30,000 top prize.

To keep the quilting machine users humming, Brunner and Douglas are currently producing a second DVD. This one will be a workshop for more advanced quilters and will also feature some challenging quilting patterns. It should be on sale in time for the holiday season.

“My goal is to teach others what my grandma taught me and that is quilting is really fun and cool. This is my way of keeping Grandma’s tradition going,” says Brunner.

To contact Home Video Studio – Eagan call 651-405-3130. For more information visit Douglas’ website at www.homevideostudio.com/video-services/13.

Home Video Studio owners provide at least 27 different types of professional video services. Some of those services include video to DVD transfers, photo/video montage keepsakes, home movie transfers, videotape duplication, video editing, legal video services, and sports or music scholarship videos.

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