About the StitcheryHi! Welcome to The Stitchery in Alden, NY. We are located about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester in Western New York. Our studio is housed in a beautiful board and bat Amish-built building where we service and repair sewing machines, have a small, but mighty, quilt shop, and hold classes of all kinds. Our staff includes owner Penny Marble, shop manager Jean Brecker, and service technician Jeff Jensen. Our store mascot, the gnome Stitchery Sam, stands watch to make sure everything is ready for you. Customer service is our #1 priority - we want you to leave happy - every time!
(Penny with Stitchery Sam)About Penny
Penny has been in business for over 20 years, first with Penny Marble Quilt Designs, and now with The Stitchery. Her passion for quilting bloomed shortly after she married 45 years ago, and hasn't quit. It was on the suggestion of her late husband, Charlie, that she start writing her own patterns when she complained of working with poorly written, untested patterns. Penny Marble Quilt Designs was launched in 2009 and was featured with Andover Fabrics and Keepsake Quilting, among others. PMQD continues as a subsidiary of The Stitchery. Penny lives next door to the studio in her childhood home with her golden retrievers, Parker and Abby.
(Jean with the Big Buddy Bag)About Jean
Jean has been the shop manager at The Stitchery for almost 5 years. She joined us about a year after we opened and has been working her magic on the retail side ever since. She is an avid quilter, loves herself a Judy Neimeyer quilt, and has also taken on doing some classes at the studio. She is kind and knowledgeable about everything in the shop and is always willing and ready to help with fabric selections. In addition to quilting, she is also an avid stitcher, doing many wool applique projects. Jean lives minutes from the shop with her cat, Abby.
(Jeff and his lovely wife, Jen)About Jeff
After leaving 3M's dental product sales, Jeff joined The Stitchery in a round-about manner. Penny was introduced to Jeff's family when she made masks for his wife, Jen, during the pandemic. Jen offered Jeff up when Penny needed a dog sitter for a bit, and when that job was done, Jen offered his services as a handyman if we ever needed help. We took them up on the offer to hang our intake desk lights, and it was then Penny offered him the technician position. Jeff has been servicing and fixing machines for over 3 years. He's a tenacious troubleshooter and rarely gives up on a machine. Jeff lives minutes from The Stitchery with his wife, Jen, daughter McKenzie, and pets Remi and Bear.
