The Story of Little Dutch Girl Quilts

Hi, my name is Martina and I’m the Little Dutch Girl. My grandparents immigrated from the Netherlands in 1951, setting out to make their American Dream and I’m very proud of my Dutch roots. My grandmother was an extremely talented seamstress, prolific knitter, and I treasure the time she spent teaching me how to sew and knit. Surprisingly, Grandma would rather sew an intricate dress than think of making a quilt! When I asked to make a t-shirt quilt of all of my shirts from years of attending youth retreats and other events, Grandma made an exception but said I’d be responsible for cutting up all of the t-shirts and my mom would be manning the iron. We made a great team and knocked out a quilt in an afternoon with a very special backing - the first blanket my grandparents bought once they got to the US. It isn’t the most precise quilt, there are plenty of mismatched seams, but it is still my favorite and the one that can warm me up the fastest.

I continued to make a few quilts while in college and graduate school, but was self taught until I took a Beginners Sewing Class through Greenville Parks and Recreation in 2017. I took the class with three other coworkers for our mental health: we would have a hard stop for at least one day a week at work. We bonded through cracking jokes and laughing while we were making our way through a small table top quilt. My life was changed and a quilter was unleashed!

I quickly started two separate hobbies - collecting fabric and sewing quilts for family and friends. I’m not sure which I’ve had the most fun with but it has brought me to opening this shop. I have the incredible opportunity to spread the love of BOTH of these hobbies by opening this shop with the support of quilters and friends.

This shop is a place to come for inspiration, to figure out what in the world a pattern is trying to say, and to find that new fabric you just can’t live without. I look forward to helping others in their quilting journeys but I also hope to bring new quilters to the fold. Please enjoy this site and come to Greenville for a visit if you can, I’d love to meet you!