About Buttermilk Basin
VISIT BUTTERMILK BASIN IN SPRING LAKE PARK, MN. INSPIRATION AND EXCITEMENT AWAIT!
Did you know Buttermilk Baskin has a brick-and-mortar shop (in addition to our online store)? Come in to see all the samples, patterns, and kits you love. You’ll find a cozy setting surrounded by artful displays and creative inspiration. Even better, stay to take a workshop! (Check the Classes at the Basin tab at the top for details.)
Located just north of Minneapolis, MN, you’ll love the carefully curated array of exceptional products. We’re 30 minutes from MPLS airport and a must-stop shop for anyone traveling the Midwest.
WOOL, PATTERNS, KITS, FIBERS, FABRIC & SEW MUCH MORE AWAIT YOU!
There’s something for everyone at Buttermilk Basin, including oodles of inspiration for you, your handwork, and sewing projects, plus gathered goods for your home and seasonal décor to celebrate every season. We love to redecorate and update our inventory, so be sure to stop back frequently so you don’t miss a thing!
The shop is artfully staged with one goal in mind: to inspire you to start a new project and display it in your own home! We hope you’ll visit us and leave refreshed, inspired, and excited to create!
Humble Beginnings
“From little acorns grow mighty oak trees.”
– American Proverb
A native Minnesotan, Stacy West grew up in the small town of Roseau, with four generations of family, including her maternal grandparents and great grandparents. Her great grandmother Lily, grandmother Avis, and mother Linda played leading roles in her creative journey. (For starters, they were bakers, gardeners, sewers, rug makers, and quilters.) Growing up surrounded by generations of makers, Stacy couldn’t help but absorb that creativity!
When she wasn’t busy creating, Stacy spent time caring for animals on her family’s small hobby farm or tending the garden with her dad, Donald. He taught Stacy to work with her hands and was her biggest supporter. She and her dad were two peas in a pod! In school, Stacy took every art class she could, working with every medium she came across. In high school, she and her mom began selling their handcrafts at craft shows in the area. In college, Stacy studied Technical Illustration/Graphic Design. She LOVED every minute of those classes and all the late nights working on projects (many that were due the next day). She also met her husband George and before long, he was helping Stacy and her mom work their craft shows, quickly learning that creating was Stacy’s passion! A few years later, following the unexpected passing of her dad, Stacy started a pattern company with her mother (Pitter Patter Pigtail Girls) to help provide an income for their family. They were also healing their hearts through handwork. George and Stacy married and started a family together. Fast forward to 2002, Stacy started her own company. A whirlwind of years of hard work, learning, good timing, good people, and GREAT designs came together, and Buttermilk Basin was born!
My Company Name
Why Buttermilk Basin? The name is in honor of Stacy’s great grandmother Lily, who lived to be 101 years old. Lily was so inspiring and played such a big part in Stacy’s life, that she wanted to name the business after her. Lily never wanted running water in her small house, so Stacy would use the basin to wash her hands before dinner. Lily was also an accomplished baker and Stacy remembers buttermilk as a staple in nearly every recipe! Hence the name, Buttermilk Basin!
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
Today, Buttermilk Basin is THRIVING! We’ve produced hundreds of quilting, sewing, stitching, punch needle, and wool appliqué patterns with a vintageinspired look. Many patterns are available in your favorite quilt shops around the country.
Stacy also designs fabric collections of licensed designs in wool, cottons, and yarn dyes for a one of the leading fabric companies in the industry, Henry Glass. It truly is a dream come true! (Click the Our Fabrics tab at the top to see Stacy’s fabrics.)
WOOLSTOCK, is one of Buttermilk Basin’s biggest annual events! It’s an epic three-day Wool Workshop with guests from all over the country! If you haven’t had the opportunity to attend yet, we know you would LOVE it!
We are ALWAYS looking for ways to collaborate and support our industry! Exhibiting at trade shows, teaching workshops, coordinating trunk shows of our products, speaking to guilds, and collaborating on books and magazines with our favorite publishers are all extensions of our business. If you’re interested in any of the above, please contact Buttermilk Basin at addemailaddress.com.
Of course, new projects and other one-of-a-kind events are always in the works, so visit our shop or website often to see what’s up!
More Fun Tidbits!
Besides working as a designer in the quilting industry {which truly is her DREAM job}, Stacy is passionate about her family, her five cats, and all things vintage. Her husband, George, and their two lovely daughters, Hannah and Grace are her truest inspiration and the core of Buttermilk Basin. Each of them continues to play a role on the team! The cats—Wilma, Oliver, Bella, Oscar, and Henry—offer moral support from home.
If you’re a fan of Stacy’s work, know that she LOVES to hear about YOU! Tell her about your FAVORITE medium to work in with and of course, SHARE YOUR BUTTERMILK BASIN FINISHES!
If you’d like to receive regular updates from Buttermilk Basin about our new patterns, giveaways, events, and more, add yourself to the mailing list and follow Buttermilk Basin on social media!
We look forward to getting to know you and becoming your favorite source for ALL handwork and stitching needs.
