NORWAY — Downtown Norway is preparing for an invasion of quilters.

Sew Orchid Design at 316 Main St. is participating in the 2016 Maine Quilt Shop Hop, where quilters visit as many of the shops as possible across the state throughout April.

Sew Orchid Design owner Barbara Daigle and her employee, Annette Whitney, have been readying for quilt enthusiasts to visit the shop and hopefully other downtown businesses.

“There is the potential of 1,000 people coming in here throughout the month,” Daigle said. “That has nothing to do with the regular customer base.”

More than 1,000 people participated last year, she said.

For the past 13 years, quilt shop owners across the state organized a shop hop, which includes a quilt contest, shopping and prizes. But the crux of the event is participants getting their passports stamped at every shop they visit.

This year, there are 37 shops participating and one has to obtain 10 stamps to be entered for the first level of prizes and vote in the quilt contest, according to Daigle.

“They go around, they love it, they shop,” she said. “It’s great for them to get to see the different shops around.” 

“I tell you, by the third day (last year), there were some women who had hit every single store,” she said. “This is a serious thing — there’s no fooling around here.

“Quilters are pretty serious about their craft,” she added, laughing. 

Daigle opened her store in March 2015, just before the annual shop hop. She had visitors as far away as Aroostook County and one woman living on the Canadian border. She gave away 769 goody bags, which included a 5-inch square of fabric.

Each year, a different line of fabric is chosen and shop owners or someone associated with the business create a quilt or wall hanging based on the fabric. This year’s fabric is the 885 Ball Dots, which have a solid color base and watercolor-esque dots throughout the fabric. Daigle said it’s all handcrafted material.

“It is amazing to see what the different shops make,” she said. “We all have a different take or it inspires us in a different way. It is so much fun to see what other people pull from it.”

For her wall hanging, Daigle created a hummingbird and flower design, made of purples, greens and blues, using gold for the border and an off-white for the background. There are subtle butterflies embroidered throughout the piece.

But for Daigle, the shop hop isn’t all about her store. She’s got other downtown businesses on board contributing to the event. They include Books N Things and Ari’s Pizza and Subs, which have donated coupons, along with Lively Accents and Fiber and Vine. In her bags, she will include a map of businesses provided by Norway Downtown, the coupons and embroidered quilt labels.

“It’s really about doing things that entice people to come back,” Daigle said. “It’s about getting them to know your store, getting them to know you as a person and seeing what the area has to offer.”

She hopes people can see there is so much more here and hopefully it will generate more interest to come back, she said.

Daigle left the banking business after more than 20 years to open her sewing shop.

“This shop gives me a way to give back something of that creative nature and have a place for people to come and enjoy, have a cup of coffee, tea, learn a new technique, or just have community about them,” she said. “It’s a way I can make a living but also meet some amazing, wonderful people.”

Daigle and her husband, Peter, reside in Lewiston, but will eventually sell their house and move to the Oxford Hills. The reason she chose to open Sew Orchid Design in Norway is the sense of community she’s felt throughout the town, she said.

She holds monthly sewing events for people to shop and help with whatever project is on the docket, including:

• hats for cancer patients at Stephens Memorial Hospital;

• items for the Dempsey Challenge;

• pillows donated to children in hospitals for Ryan’s Case for Smiles; and

• soon, cat and dog beds for Responsible Pet Care in Paris.

“One of the most important aspects of me having the shop is being able to … plan out events like this where I can help back the community that’s accepted me so fully,” Daigle said. “(Giving back) feeds my soul; it feeds me as a person.”

For more information on Sew Orchid Design visit the shop or call 739-2065. For more information on the Maine Quilt Shop Hop, visit maineshophop.com or email info@maineshophop.com.

eplace@sunmediagroup.net

“(Giving back) feeds my soul; it feeds me as a person.” — Barbara Daigle, owner of Sew Orchid Design