What could feel cozier against an autumn chill than sipping on a mug of something hot and snuggling deep beneath a sumptuous quilt? It’s time to stow the lighter spread and bring out the stack of hand-wrought covers for warmth and winter comforts.

For nearly 35 years, visitors and residents of Jacksonville have discovered beautiful, American-made quilts at Country Quilts on California Street. Marge Wall and her husband, Bob, established a name for carrying high-quality works of quilted art. After Bob passed and Marge began experiencing health concerns, Marge’s daughter, Debbie Carruthers, began transitioning into running the shop. Marge has since left us, and today, Debbie has not only upheld the tradition of high expectations her mom and stepdad set forth, but she has broadened her offerings to include a larger selection of fabrics and delightful, ready-made gift items.

Country Quilts has quite possibly the largest selection of Jim Shore Collectibles available on the West Coast. They began carrying them because of the quilted patterns on many of the pieces, and they’ve proven to be big sellers.

Summer tourist season had long established itself as a busy one, but according to Debbie, things died in winter. “I thought, you know, I’ve got to do something to get people in during the winter. Either you quit or you get bigger. I decided to get bigger. So, I started with fabric, and we have over 1,000 bolts of fabric. Mom had a little; we’ve really gone into it.”

Debbie is hooked on quilting now, but it wasn’t always so. She didn’t learn to quilt until after her mom passed. Debbie had been the inventory control person, cleaner, and organizer for the store. Once she discovered YouTube videos on quilt making, she “ate, drank and slept YouTube.” She took a quilting class in Klamath Falls, where she has a home. Debbie and her friends can help finish quilts, restore old ones, and quilt tops that you may have lying around the house.

This July marked the best month of sales in the history of the store. “It was phenomenal! Debbie recalls. “I sold fifteen quilts in July. Then, it died in August because of Covid and smoke.” They’re doing better, but she’s hoping for a return to the glory days.

There’s always a large selection. Country Quilts offers over 900 types and sizes of quilts: lap quilts, baby quilts, panels—each piece a one-of-a-kind work of art and feast for the eyes. The store is part of the Jacksonville Second Saturday Art Walk, which resumes next summer. “I feel like our quilts are works of art, Debbie says. “No two are the same. Picasso used oils, we use fabric.”

Debbie keeps a special area for vintage and antique quilts—some dating as far back as the Civil War era. What stories they could tell. There are 90 quilts in a hanging gallery; most are hand-quilted by artisan Mennonite quilters from Iowa. All the quilters from whom she buys are good, some are downright exceptional and must be seen to be believed. “I don’t know how they do it,” Debbie says.

“My mother, almost 30 years ago, had a Mennonite family come through the store, and they went home and called her from Pennsylvania asking if she would sell their quilts. Mom told them to ship them out.” For 30 years Country Quilts had a relationship with this family group of up to seventeen quilters at one time. The woman has since passed on, but others have come on scene to continue the dedicated tradition of creating spectacular pieces for those fortunate enough to appreciate and purchase them. One Mennonite woman in Iowa has been selling quilts to Debbie for twenty years. The quilts are styled from Mennonite patterns. One example is Anna’s Garden, which sold from Country Quilts. Now, they await another. These gems are not mass produced.

Debbie is all about working with other quilt and fabric stores in the region. “It’s the way we’re all going to make it—to try to help one another.” It’s not unusual for her to send customers to other stores for what they seek and vice versa.

People can turn to her in time of need and loss. Following the Almeda fire, Debbie donated $2,000 worth of quilts and a van-load of quilting and sewing supplies to Talent Maker City to make quilts and coverlets for fire victims. She also donates to the Humane Society, Quilts of Valor, and Project Linus for children in need of blankets.

Debbie adds, “I love all my fellow quilters and all the people in business trying to make it.”

Stop by Country Quilts, fatten your fabric stockpiles at a great price, and feast your eyes on some amazing quilts.