After writing so many blog posts about quilt shops closing, I guess I needed a break from my blog. Or maybe the Texas heat has kept me from venturing outside all summer! Either way, I’m quite happy to finally write about a new quilt shop that just opened in North Texas!

Hoffman Dream Big Panel on the INNOVA M24

Ready Set Quilt!

Ready Set Quilt owners Tom and Marinetta are recent transplants from Indiana. Marinetta (who was not in the store today) started quilting a few years ago and Tom was helping her with tasks such as cutting fabric. He soon got the bug and started quilting too!

The Dream Machine, their first quilting machine for sale!

While in Indiana, Tom and Marinetta were regulars at The Village Mercantile, a shop owned by their friend Betty. When they decided to move to Texas, Betty advised them to open an Innova dealership to continue pursuing their quilting passion and to introduce Innova to North Texas.

Moving to Texas

Tom and Marinetta moved to Texas to be closer to family and to escape the cold. It didn’t take too long for them to get acquainted with some of the best quilting communities in North Texas. They joined the Quilters Guild of Plano and have already met several quilters. They also attended the Waco Heart of Texas One Stop Shop Hop, met Innova’s rep there, and talked about their desire to become an Innova dealer. Ready Set Quilt finally opened in July 2019.

INNOVA

INNOVA’s headquarter is located in Houston, Texas. Innova machines are entirely made in the US. The parent company, ABM International, started about 70 years ago and specializes in quilting machinery for mass-produced quilts for department stores. ABM International soon noticed a need for “home” longarm quilting machines and they launched the company INNOVA. The INNOVA longarm machines are still made in Montgomery, Texas.

Tom describes himself as a tool guy and that is an aspect that really drew him to INNOVA. He was telling me that INNOVA uses some of the best and sturdiest materials on the market. He even stood on the table of one of the machines to demonstrate just how strong they are! (Can you believe I didn’t even think to take a picture of that?!)

INNOVA machines range from basic longarm quilting machines to state-of-the-art AutoPilot machines. Of course, the cost goes up as you go up in features! One aspect of INNOVA I found interesting is that you can start with a basic machine and add features as you need them in the future.

Innovative

As the name of the company implies, INNOVA is innovative in many ways. For example, Tom was telling me about the Lightning Stitch which is an even better version of a stitch regulator for very precise stitch length.

INNOVA’s frames and tables are customizable to each customer’s needs. It offers an embroidery system called Grand Format Embroidery, a pantograph system called Pantovision (which you follow from a tablet instead of a long piece of paper below the machine), an automatic sequin sewing device, and so much more.

Classes

Tom plans to offer many classes in the near future. Longarm quilters such as Michael Davison and Maria Hall are already scheduled to teach at Ready Set Quilt. Tom also offers maintenance classes for the INNOVA machines.

Rentals

An interesting aspect of Tom’s rental system is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on becoming certified to rent his machines. Tom charges $50/hour for the first two hours and $20 per additional hour. The $50/hour for the first two hours includes the training!

It’s even possible to purchase the INNOVA Simulator program to create your design at home and then upload your design to the longarm machine in the shop when you rent it!

Current promotion includes free batting!

Quilting Services

Tom offers longarm quilting services and also pieces quilts for customers.

Tom uses overlays to show customers what the quilting design will look like on their quilt.

Fabric and Notions

Ready Set Quilt just opened in July and they are still adding items to their shop based on customer needs. At this time, you can find some of the Moda Grunge and backing fabrics.

Backing

The one item Tom absolutely wanted to carry in his shop is the Shannon products. Shannon makes a cuddle fabric that is apparently sublime to quilt with!

Shannon Cuddle

A quilter cannot really quilt without batting so the shop carries batting as well! The batting is sold by the yard or by the roll. While I don’t typically use Hobbs batting, Tom gave me a sampler of all their battings in 18” squares so it looks like I’ll be making a series of minis to test them out!

Hobbs Batting

INNOVA also has its own quilting thread called INNOVATECH which you can find at Ready Set Quilt.

INNOVATECH Thread

The Thing About Ready Set Quilt

The shop recently opened and there is still a lot of excitement in the air! Just ask their mascot Cooper, an energetic little black dog! While they don’t know exactly which direction the shop will take as far as quilting supplies go, or the space available for classes and sit and sew, they know they want to create a sense of community in their store. Tom’s friendly demeanor sure lends itself to this purpose and customers will soon feel right at home at Ready Set Quilt!

Find Ready Set Quilt on the web, on Facebook, and at 1609 W. Hebron Pkwy Suite 118, Carrollton, TX.

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