Quilting and crochet classes, along with yarn and other fabric supplies, can be found at a new business in town.
Purple Tulip Quilts and More, located at 1971 Pahrump Valley Blvd., Suite C, also offers custom quilts and weighted blankets, which according to owner Jodie Leavitt, not only provide warmth, but are also therapeutic for those of all ages.
“It’s like a big hug,” she said. “The weight is therapeutic so you have a certain amount of weight per person because everybody’s different,” she said. “It helps with anxiety, depression, and those types of issues. They are for anyone over two years old and they really, really help those with sensory processing disorders, which we see a lot of in ADHD kids, autism, and things like that.”
Starting her business
As a bonafide seamstress, Leavitt said she got the notion to start her business venture after she received a request from a nurse to make a weighted blanket for a child during a visit with her husband to their son’s pediatrician.
“She knew I sewed and she asked me if I could make a blanket for a kid she was adopting,” Leavitt said. “I did, and it kind of went from there, so I made them and sold them on Amazon for three years, until Amazon decided to take the idea and mass produce it. It wasn’t my idea, and it’s not copyrighted, but they saw how profitable I was, so they started to make them and now you see them in stores. There are hundreds of people who make them.”
Make and take
Aside from making her own quilts and blankets, Leavitt said she will also teach classes on how to quilt and crochet at her shop, while noting that customers can use her sewing machines for a nominal fee.
“People can buy the materials here and use it in the classes or bring their own stuff,” she said. “I’m not a stickler on where it comes from, so if they just want to come in and use my machines, then it’s $10 an hour. I will help them with using the machines and the cost basically goes toward the maintenance, because I will have to get them serviced more often.”
Leavitt, along with her husband Brent, who is a board member with the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce, have lived in the valley for roughly six years.
The couple have six kids, thus business hours can vary, she noted.
“I am typically here Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., unless I have family obligations, because sometimes I take time off for birthdays and things like that, but I’ll post it on the door.”
For more information on Leavitt’s additional products and services, call 775-990-1341, or visit her website at http://www.ptquilt.com/
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes