A crazy quilt of patterns and colors have long been woven into the fabric of the Savoy Plaza, Montoursville.
Our Gathering Place Quilt Shop is among the businesses there, a place where people of like interests can come and learn what can be termed an art form.
Store owner Chris Kroboth sells all sorts of materials and supplies for quilts.
She's had the store at 936 Plaza Drive for the past 10 years after moving there from the west end of the borough.
A step inside her shop brings a patron face-to-face with an explosion of fabrics and colors.
For Kroboth, it's a world she is happy to share with others.
"I always quilted and loved fabric," she said.
Quilting, she said, is a great hobby for many people who like to sew.
For the quilter it's a perfect place to come to pick up materials or just browse.
"We do sell some finished products," Kroboth said. "We also donate a lot of our finished products to fire companies having raffles."
Kroboth called quilting an art form that keeps people who enjoy doing it busy.
Donna VanPelt, of Orangeville, a sometime customer at the shop, called quilting her relaxation time.
People of all ages quilt, although it mostly attracts older women.
"It's mainly women," Kroboth said. "There are some men."
Kids quilt as well.
In fact, Kroboth presents a quilting class for youths.
Classes for beginners and more advanced quilters are offered as well.
"It is easy to get started (in quilting)," she said.
"Quilting is something where you can take your own pattern and have artistic leeway," she said.
Quilts can be used as wall hangings, for bed covers, or other decorative purposes.
"Quilts are usually 100 percent cotton," she said.
However, some quilts are made of wool or flannel material.
Kroboth noted that her business has been faced with increasing costs of materials in recent years.
"That's been a challenge," she said.
But Kroboth said she has a great customer base.
"We have wonderful local customers," she said. "They are very giving."
Many of the quilts made at her store, she noted, have been donated to the Gatehouse, a Susquehanna Health hospice facility.
Kroboth said fall is usually the busiest time for the shop, when people are intent on making quilts for the holiday season.
Fridays and Saturdays are normally the busiest days of the week.
The business employs four people.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
