The Story Behind the Stripology Quilting Case
For years, quilters have asked me the same question: “What’s the best way to store and transport my Stripology rulers?” My answer was always the same…I was working on it!
I could never find a perfect solution, but as someone who spent years traveling the world teaching quilting classes, I understood the challenges of safely transporting rulers. I’d pack them between my quilts in my suitcases, layer them with a cutting mat, and just hope for the best. But I never felt confident that my rulers were truly secure, even when traveling locally.
There simply weren’t any cases, bags, or carriers on the market that met my standards.
I remember buying a cloth bag for my tools when I started quilting in the early 2000s. Over time, the corners of my mats and rulers would get bent, broken, or crunched. My mat wouldn’t lay flat anymore, which was frustrating. I always knew I needed something much more protective.
Around 2016, I decided it was time to create my own solution. My first goal was to design a case that would fully support the rulers with hard panels, ensuring that no corners would be exposed to potential damage. I also wanted a secure place for my cutting mat and all my other quilting treasures. I started developing my ideas and collaborated with my son, who’s an engineer. He then partnered with a product designer to draw up our first designs.
As a small business, we couldn’t afford to dedicate the money and time to designing the case full-time, so it became a passion project that we worked on gradually over the years. Balancing this with our other commitments made the journey longer, but it also allowed us to refine every detail.
About four years ago, we created our first homemade prototype with a soft exterior and hard panels inside. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave us the chance to feel, touch, and test our dream. This prototype had its flaws, but it sparked the beginning of a more refined design. After several other iterations, the final design really started to come to life!
We ultimately decided that it had to be a fully hard-shell case, which was new territory for us. Until now, there hasn't been a hard-shell case created specifically for quilters.
We then began searching for a manufacturer who could bring our vision to life, a task that proved much more challenging than we expected. We worked with various sources, continually evolving our ideas, but it was tough to find a manufacturer who could handle the complexity and size of our design.
As we refined our wish list, I knew I wanted the case to have great interior features that would not only keep the rulers safe but also provide excellent storage and transport compartments.
Eventually, we found a phenomenal production partner with teams around the world. After countless prototypes, engineering tweaks, and late-night Zoom meetings due to time zone differences, we finally arrived at a full production model of the Stripology Quilting Case.
So, what is the Stripology Quilting Case? It’s the first and only hard-shelled case designed specifically for quilters, by quilters. It’s your ultimate organizational companion, ensuring that your tools are safely stored and always within reach, whether you’re traveling to a class, retreat, or simply moving from room to room.
