For Lisa Wolfe, a love of sewing first began when she was a girl.
“I’ve always been interested in fabric. I used to sew Barbie clothes by hand – just little things. When I was in my early 20s I started sewing small, simple things. But I’ve really upped my game in the last ten years, sewing as much as possible.”
So when the opportunity to purchase Winkler Fabrics presented itself, she and her husband jumped on it.
“It was very spur-of-the-moment, and it worked out!”
Winkler Fabrics Plus has been around for about eight years before Wolfe purchased the Diamond Drive store this past spring – and she already knows the best part of owning a fabric store: seeing all the different ideas and projects people come up with.
“Especially the quilters!” she exclaims. “I’m not a quilter yet, but I plan to start. I find it very interesting, seeing how they put the different varieties of quilting fabrics together – it looks like a lot of fun!”
In addition to a variety of quilting fabrics, Winkler Fabrics Plus also carries upholstery fabric, some vinyl, and a variety of fashion fabrics, which are a highlight for Wolfe personally.
“I sew a lot of my own clothes, so fashion fabric is my favourite thing that we sell. We carry fabric for pretty much any kind of clothes you want to make – cottons, polyesters, chiffons, satins – the possibilities are endless!”
Driven by creativity, she enjoys putting different fabrics together and seeing how the colours work together.
“I sewed a dress today,” she remarks casually. “I love making my own patterns and design my own clothes. Maybe someday I’ll design patterns for other people and sell them. And in the new year, I might offer a course on how to make your own pattern for a skirt, and then you could actually make the skirt in that class and customize it to yourself.”
With the amount of fashion fabric they stock, new shipments arrive all the time, and those are everybody’s favourite days at work.
“It's like Christmas every time,” she laughs. “The most exciting part of opening a new shipment is just seeing everything! Some of the women who work here, if they’re not at work on the day we the shipment, they’re actually sad because they love being here when we see everything new. We’ll lay it out and find other things in the store that go well and together we create an outfit – it’s so much fun!”
That feeling of welcome and fun begins the moment you set foot in the store. It’s very important to Wolfe that every customer is well taken care of from the moment they walk in.
“A lot of times, they’re just needing help matching fabrics or finding items because it’s their first time in our store. So we do our very best to make sure everyone is greeted and feels welcome here.”
Fabric isn’t the only thing they carry at Winkler Fabrics Plus. Step inside and you’ll also find patterns, accessories and notions such as scissors, needles, threads, and items for embroidery and cross-stitch. They also carry a modest selection of yarns and needles.
To anyone who’s considering getting into sewing, Lisa has some advice:
“Start small. YouTube is a huge learning tool. That’s how I’ve learned pretty much everything. From that and Pinterest! Just don’t think you can make this huge thing right away. Start small, learn the basics, and then just keep growing from there. Try something a little more difficult, and if you enjoy it, you’ll find that you can progress pretty quickly!” To get in touch with Winkler Fabrics Plus, you can find them on Instagram, see their Facebook page, or stop by their store in person at 1675 Diamond Drive in Winkler.
“We’re right beside the Best Western, off Highway 14,” notes Wolfe. “We also have a WhatsApp group where we post sales and events, so if you want to be part of that kind of insider group, you can call us at 204-325-6908 and give us your phone number, we can add you!”
Whether you’re a seasoned sewer or you’re thinking of picking up a new hobby, Wolfe encourages you to stop by to say hi.
“We’d love to see your creativity!”