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Middlebury Sew-N-Vac Expands

Tuesday April 10, 2007

By Dale Piper

   The Middlebury Sew-n-Vac moved next door into the much larger space recently vacated by the Vermont State Police on Route 7 South.  Newly remodeled and decorated, the shop is now a light, airy space with much more room for not only their displays of sewing machines and vacuum cleaners, but new lines of fabric, notions, machine embroidery software and traditional rug hooking supplies.  Still coming are 300 bolts of cotton quilting fabric to flesh out the inventory.  They are also carrying dressmaker fabrics and fabric for outerwear.  

    Probably the biggest addition to the shop is a spacious, sunny classroom with long tables for elbow room, and a small kitchen area.  Owner Carla Berno is passionate about classes.  She plans sewing classes in a variety of techniques and projects including clothing items and quiltmaking from start to finish.  An emphasis will be on young people.  According to Carla, “sewing, and especially quilting, are becoming lost arts.  It's not even being taught in the schools any more.”  She bemoans the fact that many young people cannot even replace a button.  In response to this need, Middlebury Sew-n-Vac will offer after school classes for kids, and has even ordered an assortment of fabric specifically targeting to them.  When not being used for store-sponsored classes, the room is available for rent to groups doing other forms of craft work, such as basket weaving, scrapbooking and rug making.  Rental machines will also be available in the classroom for students who do not yet own their own machines.

    Both Carla and her husband Kevin bring backgrounds well suited to the shop.  Carla has a degree in retail from Champlain College, has been sewing for 30 years and making quilts for 15 of them.  Kevin has been a technician on electronic and other demanding equipment and will do most of the sewing machine and vacuum repairs.  Customers are reminded that the shop will continue its tradition of providing prompt and meticulous service on all sewing machines and vacuums.

    The sewing machine brands they carry are Janome, Pfaff and Brother, and their vacuum cleaner line has expanded to include Cyclovac, VacuMaid, Panasonic, Beam, Miele and Bosch.   During the two weeks of their grand opening, representatives from Janome, Pfaff, VacuMaid and Cyclovac were at the shop to demonstrate and answer questions about their products.

    A new feature will be “Finish It! Fridays!” when customers can come in for help in finishing projects that they have started, solving a dilemma that many quiltmakers have - specifically starting and working on a project and them moving on to a new one before the first is done.  

    New to this area is an outlet for traditional rug hooking supplies: not latch hooking with yarn, but hooking on a woven base with thin strips of woolen fabric, a traditional and time-honored technique. Carla hopes to have a cutting machine available to cut the wool fabric into strips for customers, which will be a cost-saver, as the cutting machines are quite pricey.  

    The owners want to emphasize that they do not wish to compete with other quilt shops in the area, but rather they hope to complement them.  Whatever your sewing, rug making or cleaning need, be sure to stop into see Sew-n-Vac's new digs.

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