For as long as she can remember, Phyllis Sahlin has had a needle and thread in her hands.
“I’ve been sewing forever,” she says.

The Red Earth Creek resident has spent decades sewing everything from quilts and aprons to handbags, bowl cozies and hot pads. Today, she shares her handmade creations through Quality Bits and Pieces, her local business in Kinuso.

Sahlin says she always sells at the Kinuso Farmers’ Market, where she has been a familiar face for about five years.

Although her business is relatively new, Sahlin says sewing has always been part of her life. She says she learned the craft from her mother as a young girl and has never stopped creating.

“I just can’t quit,” Sahlin says. “I enjoy it very much.”

Visitors to her booth will find a wide variety of handmade items, including recycled denim bags, purses, pillows, bowl cozies, pencil cases, aprons and colourful hot pads. Many of her products give new life to old materials, especially blue jeans, transforming them into practical everyday items.
The idea of selling her work had been in the back of her mind for years.

“I’ve always wanted to,” she says. “Up there in Red Earth Creek, we didn’t have those facilities.”
After becoming involved with the Kinuso Farmers’ Market, she finally had a place to showcase her creations.

The market has also introduced her work to customers from across northern Alberta.

“Kinuso is really good,” Sahlin says. “We get lots of people from Slave Lake, High Prairie, Swan Hills and even Calgary. Word gets out from one person to the next, and they come to seek me out.”

Sahlin says Quality Bits and Pieces has no website or online store. Instead, Sahlin prefers meeting customers face-to-face at the market, where she also accepts custom requests whenever possible.

But behind every handmade item is hours of careful work.
A recycled denim bag may only take a couple of hours to complete, but some of her more detailed creations require far more time. Her popular hot pads, for example, are made from individually cut fabric pieces that must be measured, ironed and sewn together before being attached to a backing.

“It’s quite a lot of time to make,” she says.

One of her biggest projects was hand-quilting king-size quilts, something she has stepped away from because of the time commitment.

“It takes six months to a year to make a big king-size quilt,” she says.

Unlike many modern quilters, Sahlin completed her quilts entirely by hand.

While she follows patterns for some projects, many of her designs are shaped by years of experience and creativity, Sahlin says.

Despite the time and craftsmanship behind each piece, Sahlin keeps her prices affordable.

“I like to keep my prices down,” she says. “It pays for my material, and that’s all I need so I can buy more materials.”

When asked to describe her work in one phrase, Sahlin answered without hesitation.
“Quality Bits and Pieces.”

Looking ahead, she has no plans to expand beyond Kinuso’s market or change how she operates.

“I’m just doing good here,” she says. “I’m not going to change too much at all.”

Julia Magsombol
Lakeside Leader