The History of Sew Fabulous
Dreamin’ Deacon© and Deacon Pride© quilts/wall-hangings were first created for the Wake Forest University Artisan’s Fair in the Fall of 2006. The creation became so popular we copyrighted the design and proceeded to establish Sew Fabulous, Inc. Since the inception of Sew Fabulous, Inc. the quilts have been licensed with Licensing Resource Group and bear the official Collegiate License Product label.
The quilt features the WFU symbols and logos. The embroidered WF reflects the shading of the design. Hidden quilting designs include the Deaconhead, WF, Demon Deacons and Go Deacs. Each design bears the trademark symbol. Various sports quilting designs are also included. Every quilt is pieced and sewn in our home.
Each quilt bears its own uniqueness and makes a Fabulous heirloom piece for the Wake Forest family. The quilts make wonderful gifts for graduation, wedding, birthday, Christmas, retirement or to display in your office or home. If desired, your quilt can be personalized with the alumni’s name and year of graduation.
Dreamin’ Deacon© and Deacon Pride© were originally offered for sale on Wake Forest University campus through the Bookstore as well as the Campus Mall Store at Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sew Fabulous, Inc. continues to expand their product line and hope you’ll check back soon to see how the creativity has grown. We’d love to tell you the Sew Fabulous, Inc. story. Please feel free to contact us.
— Bob and Gloria Stickney
An Interview with The Winston-Salem Journal
April 2019
Q: How would you describe your art?
I love to quilt. I’m a longarm quilter. In other words, I have 2 computerized Handiquilter longarm quilting machines that I can add digitized themed stitching to a quilt to give it an added special dimension. I feature the quilting in custom theme-stitched memory quilts as well as traditional pieced quilts. I have also designed “Roll the Quad” fabric for Wake Forest University and create specialty items for the Demon Deacon fans.
Q: How have you evolved as an artist?
My first experience sewing was at age 6 with a toy sewing machine that I made my first Barbie doll dress. My mother taught me to quilt while in Junior High School and I hand-quilted with the ladies at church.
When my oldest son graduated from high school in 2002, I started quilting again. In 2006, I designed the Dreamin’ Deacon© quilt and launched Sew Fabulous, Inc. We began creating licensed items for Wake Forest University with the theme “Made in our home for the Wake Forest fan in your home” and have expanded our business every year.
Our greatest achievement within the last year is “Roll the Quad” fabric which we designed for Wake Forest University. The fabric showcases the WF and Demon Deacon and of course the toilet paper flying through the trees. The fabric captures the celebrations of victory on Wake Forest University campus! We have created about a dozen items from the Roll the Quad fabric and sell them through our website https://www.sewfabulousquilts.com/ , various events on campus and local venues.
The Custom Theme-stitched Memory T-Shirt quilt with the new Roll the Quad fabrics in the border is the piece that I love to create the most. We specialize in preserving t-shirts with a digitized stitching theme. This is not just an average t-shirt quilt. The computerized longarm quilter stitches a theme, so the shirts are your memories but the stitching represents what you love most. For example, if football is your favorite pastime, we will stitch footballs and helmets in the quilting. Since the designs are computerized, the sky's the limit in the type of choice you could choose for your special memory quilt. We communicate with our out-of-town customers with Facetime to work through the details of their custom theme-stitched memory quilts.
Along with our T-shirt quilts and WF creations, I also teach quilting piecework with a system called Square in a Square. The colors of the piecework lay the foundation for the stitching we add with the quilting.
Q: Who has influenced your art?
I joined the Heart of the Triad quilt guild in 2008 and took a guild workshop taught by Shirley Hummell from Morganton Quilt Shop, Morganton, NC. Shirley was teaching a technique designed by Jodi Barrows (Keller, TX) called the Square in a Square system. Jodi’s technique allows you to start with a square and strips on the side and then trim the squares to create precise units with exact points. This method allows you to build on starting squares and add color dimension to create quilt blocks that appear to be very complicated and intricate yet simple to construct. Beginning to advanced quilters enjoy this technique. Jodi’s technique breaks down traditional quilt blocks and make them in a fast, precise manner. I love the technique and now I teach the Square in a Square system to fellow quilters and quilt guilds.
Q: What is your biggest challenge?
As a longarmer the biggest challenge is to determine the stitching theme to add to the pieced quilt top. You want to create a beautiful theme without distracting from the piecework. As a quilter you envision the colors of the piece and then work to find the fabrics that will play well together to create a beautiful quilt. The choice of stitching also reflects the loves of the recipient of the quilt.
I love the challenge of running a small business. There’s always something new to learn. Our business has come from word-of-mouth connections. When we display at public events, people are amazed at the digitized stitching in our quilts. We tell them we make t-shirt quilts but their perceptions are from what they have seen online or from others quilts. But when they see the stitching themes in our t-shirt quilts, they begin to smile and start asking for our contact information! We really are a different type of memory t-shirt quilt company.
Q: What does art do for you?
My day job is the Grants and Contracts Manager in the Physics Department at Wake Forest University. And my play time is Sew Fabulous, Inc. After working an intense day at work, I can come home in the evenings and create beautiful quilts in the longarm quilters. It’s fun to watch the designs being formed as they stitch. In preparation for graduation and Christmas you’ll find me at the quilter in the early mornings as well as late evenings, working to create beautiful t-shirt quilts and quilts customers have designed for special occasions.
Q: Any advice for other artists?
A quilt is a gift of love. Created with many hours of dedicated time and skill. If you are the recipient of a quilt, cherish it and the person who created it for you. If you are a quilter or want to become a quilter, join the Heart of the Triad Quilt Guild. It’s a wonderful group of quilters who meet monthly to sew, learn and be inspired.
For my fellow quilters…quilt on!