B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 10,1982
BY SUSAN KAUFFMAN
Staff Correspondent
The adage "A stitch in tune
saves nine” holds an obvious truth
to many a homemaker. But to
Lynn Rankin, a homemaker and
businesswoman in southern
Chester County, “the stitch in
time” seems to be just what the
tamily business needs. To cleai up
this contusing statement, let’s see
how Lynn explained the situation
herself.
"When we moved to this area a
little over torn' years ago, this store
was a grocery business. It didn’t
take very long to realize that was
about the worst investment we
could have made and we had to
close it. With an empty store we
gave a lot ot thought to what we
could use it toi. Quite a tew people
mentioned to us they telt thei e was
a need tor a tabnc store in the ai ea
since you have to diive tor quite a
ways in any direction to find one.
When my gnls were younger, 1
used to sew a lot toi them and
myselt, mostly by hand, since 1
didn’t own a machine then I’ve
always loved needlewoik, ein
bi oidei mg, ci ewel ”
"So, opening the tabuc
needlewoik shop seemed like a
logical thing to do We opened last
May. The numbei ot customeis
that we aie seeing each day has
greatly increased since that tune
and it looks like the business is
going to go well, ” she said.
Lynn lives with hei husband
Robert, a salesman and sei
viceman ot oigans, and also with
their two youngei childi en J un and
his wite Maigaret, and then son
wmcsfead
tA/o(es
Here Lynn displays the pillow she made using the machine
strip quilting technique. This same technique can be used to
make place mats, pillow:* and vests.
A 'stitch in time' means revenue for Lynn Rankin
Jumny Paul and Andy, an eighth
giadei at the Oxtoid School
District in southern Chester
County. They also have two oidei
daughters, Jinny, who lives m
Georgia and Susie, who lives in
Hawaii.
Lynn explained that the tamily
lived, until veiy lecently, in the
Media area outside ot
Philadelphia. But it became too
crowded toi us and we have been
much happier living out hei e in the
country,” she said.
Settling right into the activities
ot the area, Lynn and her tamily
became members ot various
organizations. Lynn belongs to
Farm Women J ot Chester County,
and tor a tune also belonged to
Russellville Gi ange 91.
Lynn said she spent the last
fourteen years as a news
conespondenl in the Chestei-
Delaware Valley aiea. She said, ‘I
had to give this up just about a
month ago because 1 found theie
just wasn’t time tor both the stoic
and the newspapei woik anymore.
I ically enjoyed the working and
had my letter ot lesignalion on my
desk toi a long tune before 1 finally
handed it in."
She added, It was a haid
decision because 1 also love to
wute, but it is beltei to do one
thing light than do two ot them
hallway." ’When 1 think about it,
I’ve done a lot ot things in the past
tioin being a i eceplionisl, a
switchboaid opeiatoi, to woikuig
as a desk saigeant in a small town
police station. But i unmng my own
fabric business is the most en
joyable thing I’ve done.”
These jobs, all i elating duectly
A Stitch in Time is a good piece of advice that
Lynn Rankin took to heart in her business
ventures by naming her fabric shop the same.
Here, the hungry customer can find not only
tu woiking with the public, have
piobably given Lynn invaluable
training in opei ating a stoi e.
She said, ’ i have always enjoyed
people and 1 guess that is a big
asset in being in youi own
business. Betoie going mto the
gioeeiy business, I’d nevei had
any expei lence handling the books,
oidenng and all the little things
that go into youi own business. I’m
not too keen on sei übbing the tlooi,
but it’s all pai tot the business! ’ ’
Lynn is an eneigetic, sometimes
comical shopkeepei. Not that she
is in any sense ot the woid a
comedian, but hei down-to-eai th
evaluations and matter-ot-tacl
summaries otlen contain a touch ot
wit. Most ot the tune, howevei, she
is very serious about hei tasks and
theconceinsothei customeis.
Hei bhop, called “Stitch m
Tune” ib housed in pail ot the
tamily’b laige old buck and tiaine
home at the coi nei ot 89b and old
Kle. 10 in Hubbellville.
in addition to otteiing a laige
beleclion ot tabncb, notionb,
pattenib, and toolb ol the trade
buch ab bewmg machine icpaiib
and bcibboi b bhai petung, Lynn also
maintamb a laige invenloiy ot
counted cl obb blilch bupplieb. "We
cany moie counted ciobb btitch
than any othei type ot needlewoi k
hecaubeitib bopopulai light now,”
bfie explained. "We continually
have to expand that department
becaube ot the many new ilenib
that aie continually coining on the
maiket ”
Knowing what ib populai and
what the cublomeib will buy aie
necebbaiy ingiedienlb ot opeialing
a btoie and, toi Lynn, thib wab
bomewhat ditticult to begin, but
with the help ot wholebaleib and
vanoub balebinen who come to hei
btoi e, bhe hab built up an exteiibive
invenloiy which bhe aayb bhe teelb
ib babically bound.
I’ve alwayb been a tabnholic"
who can't reMbl buying at leabl one
piece ot labile when i go into a
labile bhop and, like many ot my
cUbtomeib, 1 100 have diawetb lull
ot pieceb I’ll gel to one day. So
unagme what a ib like now when 1
go into a waiehoube with bhelveb
and bhelveb ot lovely coloib and
pnntb. 1 have to keep totalling up
the coat in my mind to hold mybelt
back. We albo have quite a tew
balebinen who come to the bhop
and it’b hai d to i ebibt temptation.
"When I tii sL went into business
1 was atiaid that the materials i
selected would not be the ones my
customeis would like, but 1 had
good help in selecting the basics
and soon leat ned to i ely on my own
judgment ”
"1 won't say 1 haven’t picked a
tew that ai e turkeys, but ti om my
material to suit her needs, but sewing
workshops, sewing designs and ideas, and
even a place to get her scissors sharpened.
customers' comm cuts 1 must be
doing something light, it’s
something you have to leai n last
when we were in the gioeeiy
business we could eat out
mistakes, but not hei e,” she said.
Lynn teadily admits that hei
husband is one ot hei biggest
assets in the business because he
not only helps to keep a lighter
leign, but also helps out wheiievei
she needs some woik dune in the
stoi e.
At the i eai ot the stoi e, Lyaa has
a work a lea set up with sewing
machine, non and wotk table. She
enjoys giving classes on uatls
which include the veiy populai
i ibbon inaching quilling and tolded
stai ci alls.
pillow. Stitch a strip of fabric face down upon the center
square of a diamond-shaped piece. Flip over strip and finger
press. Continue sewing strips around the center square to
form a first row; then start a second.
Rjiira I
Lyiui s>aicl ot hei own teaching,
1 do like giving clabber although 1
hav e nev ei thought ot inybelt ab a
leachei
One thing thib expei unite hab
taught me lb that 1 can it I leatly
want to. I’m making thmgb toi bale
and toi bampleb at the bhop that 1
piobably wouldn’t have Hied
betuie, but now that 1 have to, I
tuid that 1 can. 1 guebb it ib Hue
when they bay dial necebbity ib the
muthei ot invention.”
Lyiui hab bhaied with out
t eadei b hei dn ettioiib toi making
the machme-bUlched, bti ip-quilted
pillow. The lechmique tan albo be
applied to making platemalb,
(Turn to Page 84)
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