From Renewing Templates to Revitalizing History

When I started the process from idea to product I never in my wildest dreams did I think it would still be making such an impact on the quilting industry. We have been a family run business since 1995.

I was making a quilt for a dear friend that required templates; she had to be a dear friend for me to use templates. I was so frustrated with the time it took to individually mark and cut out each piece that I designed a ruler to allow me to rotary cut multiple pieces at one time. As quilters do, I shared my idea with my friends and they all wanted one.

After discovering that there was no similar product on the market, I started the process of getting a patent and learning about production and other parts of the business. Naming the ruler proved to be the biggest problem! With the help of my dear friend, Diane Donnelly, my husband, Larry, and a spiritual "push" from my college boss, Ben, the Add-A-Quarter™ ruler was born in Bozeman, MT.

The Add-A-Quarter™, Add- An-Eighth™ and Add-Three-Eighths™ are now the go-to tools for many paper-piecing enthusiasts.

To make using the Add-A-quarter easier, quicker and eliminate tools on the cutting table, we have developed the Add-A-Quarter Plus® which is wider and has a tapered edge on one side to eliminate the post card or template plastic used for creasing the paper on the pattern. By using the Add-A-Quarter Plus® it has been found to save quilters up to 25% in time when paper piecing. Also look for the Add-An-Eighth Plus™.

As I became more involved in paper-piecing, Edie McGinnis and Doug Weaver approached me about doing a book for the Kansas City Star. While I had heard of the patterns, I did not own any, and I had no idea how much impact the Kansas City Star patterns would have on my life. To get started, I went on eBay and bought a few, and then a few more and a few more. When these patterns started arriving, I was like a kid at Christmas! I could only imagine the ladies’ enjoyment during the 1930’s when the newspaper would arrive on their door step. These patterns provide unlimited inspiration for me and I love that I can share these historically- significant patterns with today’s quilters through my books and patterns.

I hope you enjoy the Add-A-Quarter Plus® ruler, my books and patterns!

Carolyn Cullinan McCormick