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When you walk into Colchester Mills and Fabrics, you will see an array of bright and beautifully designed quilts. There are also a lot of textiles, fabrics with interesting textures, and smaller crafting projects with creative touches throughout the store. It’s a fan favorite, and individuals from all over the state come to buy high-quality fabrics, and crafting tools, take classes, or drop in to talk about a project.
Cheryl Dolloff's mother, Carolyn, a stay-at-home of four, was a frequent shopper. When she found out the business was for sale, she decided she wanted it and borrowed $20,000 from her mother-in-law and bought it. Initially, the business focused on carrying an entire range of products for the home sewer/crafter/diyer. But in the 1980s, when quilting became popular, they expanded their offerings to include quilting fabrics and tools.
Before the pandemic, the business only had an informational website. Cheryl and a team of employees literally answered hundreds of phone calls a week, sent photos via text and/or email, and processed orders in the shop. They offered pick up from the parking lot or to ship products to our customers. Keeping customers supplied with cotton fabrics and elastic was a gargantuan task, but we succeeded. Our customers also made thousands of masks for our first responders, hospital staff, and residents of local nursing homes.
“I’m extremely grateful to my staff and customers,” said Cheryl. We wouldn’t be able to offer the quality products and experiences they have come to expect.”
Colchester Mills and Fabrics isn’t just about creativity; their customers also foster community connections in the community. They have an amazing group of ladies led by Laura McCarrick called the Stitched with Love Community Sew Group. They work on various projects throughout the year based on various needs. The women donate the stockings to the local Secret Santa, lap quilts to residents of a local nursing home, backpacks, and quilts to families involved in some state agencies, placemats for Meals on Wheels recipients, reading pillows for school-age kids, baby quilts and isolette covers for babies in the NICU to name a few things these amazing ladies have done.
They offer a wide range of classes, including beginner quilting classes for those that have the desire to learn to quilt, quilting 102 and 103, which teach you about additional quilting techniques, more advanced quilting classes such as dynamic dresdens, making your own tuffet (footrest), quilling (an ancient paper art), wool felting, etc. They also have an English Paper Piecing Club, a Punch Needle Club, and four d daytime "Open Sew Dates” where you can come into the classroom and work on whatever projects you wish. The Friday night “Girl's Night Out” once a month, which is a pizza party, laughs, and sewing, often sells out in advance, so sign up early.
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