Knight's Quilt Shop

Punctuated by groves of apple and birch trees, the drive to Knight's Quilt Shop in Cape Neddick, Maine, is enticing and beautiful. A meandering brook cuts across the property, making it striking. "People say the view is inspiring," Michelle Knight says.

Front row, from left:

Pam Gerald and Michelle Knight (owner); middle row: Debbie Shepard, Elizabeth Powers, Nora Bailey and Dianne Aguiar; back row: Rick Knight and John Knight.

Step inside to a sea of textiles ranging from flannel to 1930s reproduction to redwork. Bright batiks greet visitors as they enter the front door. Creatively themed displays are set throughout.

Michelle Knight adds a museum element to her shop. She might feature a fabric company's story, give her miniature sewing machine collection a prominent place, or display quilt-related gifts. "We try to get our customers to think bigger," she says.

Michelle's employees share their talents through classes they teach Free Saturday demonstrations and instructional videos are the educational focus. Charitable efforts include almost 200 quilts donated to the Barbara Bush Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Iraqi war veterans, and New Orleans' Hurricane victims.

An expanse of white surrounds three sizes of Solomon's Temple blocks in soothing purples and offers plenty of room for beautiful quilting.

Machine-quilted scroll designs in the inner border and in the white tone-on-tone triangles in each block and middle border provide added detail. Curved echo-quilting accents the light purple batik triangles, while a flowing leaf design runs through the outer border.

The Watermelon Whimsy collection by Lloyds & Barton for Timeless Treasure Fabrics makes the perfect picnic blanket in this version of Lavender Fields.

Michelle is designing an addition for her shop and working on a book about small business ownership. "Do everything possible to have the best team, a positive aura, and go out of your way for every customer," she says.

For more information about Knight's Quilt Shop, visit www.mainequiltshop.com.