In January 2012, Róisín, owner of Quilt Yarn Stitch, advertised a Patchwork & Quilting Class. The first class filled on the first night. She quickly advertised a second class, which also filled in a matter of weeks. At the time there was no place in Tuam to buy a spool of thread, never mind a bit of fabric and so buoyed up by the enthusiasm of her students she applied to the bank for a business loan to open what was then known as The Quilt Shop. She increased the number of classes on offer and as the classes grew, so did the shop. She began to welcome customers from near and far and with them came requests for more and more products. So Róisín was only delighted to have an excuse to stock yarn and then some dressmaking fabrics and then zips and bag hardware and shoe making kits and more. The shop is truly a floor to ceiling treasure trove of craft items for stitch lovers. Over the years, the shop had become more than The Quilt Shop and so Róisín rebranded in 2016 and not wanting to lose the original name, Quilt Yarn Stitch was born.

Quilt Yarn Stitch is now a multifaceted business. It is both a brick and mortar retail shop as well as an online shop. We teach in-person weekly sewing classes as well as having an online Stitch Club. We provide a Longarm quilting service and we provide an A0 pattern printing service. We happily and gratefully, now serve, not just our loyal locals but customers in all corners of the world.

Meet Róisín – Owner of Quilt Yarn Stitch.  Róisín’s background is steeped in textiles and stitching. She grew up around fabric and yarn and has a deep love for both. Her mother was a local dressmaker and an avid knitter and Róisín and her six siblings grew up wearing the garments their mother made. And as a young child her father managed a weaving company where they wove the finest of wool fabrics for men’s suits. This fostered in her an early love of fine fabrics and natural fibres. Because of that you will primarily find a focus on natural fibres in the shop. Her Dad then opened up his own yarn spinning and sock knitting company called Connemara Socks. Róisín worked alongside her father for 12 years and continues to work part time in that business to this day. Róisín considers textiles as part of her DNA.

Róisín has completed a City and Guilds Diploma in Patchwork and Quilting as well as in Fashion Design. She absolutely loves learning and is always ready to try out a new craft, or attend a workshop to upskill or learn something new. There is nothing she loves more than spending the day with fellow craft lovers. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and helping and encouraging people in their sewing journey. She retains knowledge like no other, remembering each and every project that her students or customers are working on and she somehow instinctively always knows exactly what to recommend next. She is one of those people whose brain can have 1,000 tabs open at the same time, making her pretty hard to keep up with. But those ideas are what has seen the shop grow from an idea to a thriving business that now employs four other women. In fact her brain has so many ideas spilling out of it that we’re pretty sure that’s where all her curls came from – overspill! She is always plotting and planning new ways to grow Quilt Yarn Stitch and we tentatively await any new curls springing up on Róisín’s head and with them new ideas, plans and excitement!  Her enthusiasm is infectious....so whatever happens we’re ready to roll with it!

Meet Eva - Eva arrived at the shop with a wealth of experience having previously run her own quilting shop in Galway City. She was appointed Shop Manager and has quickly shown her strengths dealing with customers and suppliers alike and keeping some kind of control on the chaos. She’s well liked by our visitors in the shop who value her opinion and advice.  She’s a whizz at measurements and will work out your wadding and backing requirements super fast!  Her sensible side combined with Roisin's giddiness make for a good balance!

Meet Ester - Ester is a textile artist, living locally. She likes to create textile pieces both for exhibition and for family. Ester is registered with the Galway Education Centre as an artist in schools and enjoys introducing creative textiles to children. Ester is involved with many groups and is a member of the Irish Patchwork Society and Corrib Quilters as well as a founding member of The Headford Lace Project and Headford Yarnbombers. She loves working with Róisín and the team at Quilt Yarn Stitch, surrounded by colour and texture. Ester says that meeting so many makers both new and experienced and helping them choose the materials they need for their projects is very satisfying  and she’s always learning new things!

Meet Lesley - Lesley joined the team in 2019 but was already a familiar face at the shop, having attended Roisin’s classes since 2013.She ‘blew in’ to Tuam in 2005 from Leeds with her husband Gerry, a Tuam native. She quickly got involved in the local community as a Cub Scout Leader ; her other passion, since she became a Brownie at 7 years old. She is also a member of our local community sewing group, Ready Thready Sew.
Her sewing journey started in school with the usual Home Ec skills and she dabbled in a bit of dressmaking with her Mum during her teenage years. Lesley loves the maths side of patchworking and has a particular grá for foundation piecing. 
She loves working in the shop, but is equally happy doing paperwork or teaching classes. Her motto for life ….. Be Kind Always.