Barnes, Cheryl

With a love of hand needlework of all types from early childhood, Cheryl Barnes discovered machine quilting and purchased a longarm machine in 1994. She began her own quilting business, Golden Threads, at that time. After quilting for several years, Cheryl felt limited by the lack of new patterns available to longarm quilters. The pursuit of building a library of quilting designs took Cheryl's company from quilting to publishing quilting designs. She became acquainted with the quilting designs by Keryn Emmerson of Australia, who was searching for a publisher that would service the longarm industry. Golden Threads continues to publish originally designed quilting patterns from prominent United States and Australian artists. Cheryl and her husband, Jim, also own Powell Publications. They purchased the company in 2002, which expanded their listing of designers and patterns. The broad range of products focused on quilting patterns makes their business unique. Stencils, pantographs, pattern packs, books, quilted garments, and notions enable them to service all quilters,  from hand or sewing machine quilters to those with home quilting systems or longarm machines. With a broad range of talented designers, each with their own style, they are sure to have something that appeals to every quilter. Residing in Illinois, Cheryl and Jim work full time in the business. Their three sons have all participated in the family business, rolling pantographs, filling orders, taking inventory, and occasionally attending quilt shows. The company continues to expand through a new pattern and technique book series published in cooperation with the American Quilter's Society.