In Silicon Valley, life seems to be all about the high tech, speedy, and modern. However, at the Nimble Thimble in downtown Gilroy, owner Linda Williams finds a balance between the old school and the high tech through the art of quilting.
Williams has personal experience working in the fast-paced California tech world. She had a management position and a six-figure salary with the biotech firm Cepheid, makers of anthrax tests widely used in post offices after the 2001 anthrax attacks. However, after 38 years in the industry, Williams decided it was time for a change.
“One day I was riding up to Sunnyvale, thinking about all the pressures of work, and realized that I wasn’t doing anything that someone else couldn’t do,” Williams said. “It was time to do what I wanted to do.” She left the position shortly after purchasing the Nimble Thimble in March 2013.
Williams bought the store from Dave and Marianne Peoples, who had had it for more than 40 years. “I had been teasing him forever, ‘You should retire and give me the business,’” Williams said. “I walked in one day and he said ‘Do you still want the store? Here are the keys.’”
It was a dream come true.
“My grandma taught me to quilt and embroider,” Williams said. “My mom made all my clothes. It’s the same story every little girl has. There have been quilts around forever. Actually, that little quilt up there,” she said, pointing to a small, colorful piece hanging on the wall, “is the one my grandma made me when I was born.” Williams said she’s been sewing her whole life, and even learned to sew on a treadle sewing machine.
For Williams, quilting is more about form than function. “It’s not about making anything to keep you warm anymore, not like the prairie days,” she said. “It’s all about color, shape, technique and just individual expression.”
In recent years, quilting has been on the rise. In the U.S. it is now a $3.5 billion industry, and in 2010, there were over 20 million quilters. Williams says she has seen an increase in business, and the store has had “a lot more [customers] this year than the last two years. It’s not a lost art anymore.”
Williams also attributes increased foot traffic to what she sees as a renewed public interest in Gilroy’s historic downtown.
“Gilroy’s coming back. We’re going to have a presence, I think. It’s amazing to see it happening. You see people all up and down the streets, all hours of the day and night. You never used to see that.” she said.
Williams has lived in Gilroy for 10 years, and loves being downtown. However, she stresses the need for residents to get to know the city’s quirks and charms.
“There are so many people in this town who walk in and say ‘oh my God, look, another nice shop in gilroy, I never knew this was down here!’ Well, this shop has been here for 40 years.
“We’re going to lose our downtown if we don’t make our downtown important to us,” Williams said. “If it’s not important, let’s just end it. I think a lot of people here appreciate the fact that we have a downtown.”
Williams and other local quilters pride themselves on not only being a part of the community, but giving back as well.
“Quilters are notorious for giving back to the community” she said. “They all have their own pet projects. In Morgan Hill, every year we pick 3 charities.” Every year in October, the quilters come together and make as many quilts as they can to be given to these charities. “Last year we made close to 300 quilts.”
The charities the quilters support cover a wide variety of people in need. One organisation provides quilts to first responders on domestic violence calls involving children. In October, the quilters also designated extra quilts to go to the 2015 Butte Fire victims. That fire ravaged Northern California in September and left 307,592 acres burned. “We ended up with 65 quilts to send to the fire victims,” Williams said. “It’s such a giving culture.”
For anyone interested in starting quilting, the store offers frequent classes for all age groups and levels of expertise. For anyone not satisfied with the currently offered courses, the Nimble Thimble takes requests as well. “I’ll do anything anybody wants to learn,” said Williams. “It’s all about the community, and teaching new people how it can be so much fun.” Classes range from $25-$35, and a full schedule of upcoming classes can be found on their website atnimblethimble.com.
Williams also has advice for beginners: “Just do it. It’s not hard, it’s not intimidating, it’s not right or wrong, you can’t make a mistake. It’s fun, it’s all about color, and a way to let your inner self out.”
For those who want quilts but do not sew, the Nimble Thimble has a solution. “We’ll match them up with somebody. There are a lot of quilters in town who will do custom work for people,” Williams said. “Somebody came in and said ‘I want a memory quilt made out of T-shirts,’ a lot of people do that. We have a lady who just does t-shirt quilts.”
Fabric at the Nimble Thimble sells for $8-$15 per yard; one of their best-selling fabrics features a garlic print. However, the store sells much more than just fabric and supplies. The store also sells pins, cards made by local Gilroy artists, and even hot sauce made by a local quilter. “[It’s] delicious, that’s a big seller,” Williams said.
The Nimble Thimble is located at 7455 Monterey St. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
