HUSBAND-and-wife duo Y.K. Chan, 72, and Alice J.L. Yap, 58, started their quilt business 25 years ago with an old manual sewing machine and discarded rugs.
Chan has established Cottage Patch Sdn Bhd in 1989 as a retirement plan for his wife.
“We started with no working capital. We used the sewing machine which was our wedding gift and scouted for rugs from several cloth factories.
“We used to buy 1kg of rugs for 15 sen and spend all night sorting out the fabrics. We were not well off and that is how we started our quilt business,” said Chan.
Prior to starting the business, Chan was a small-time interior designer.
However, he has had the privilege of visiting many countries, hence gaining exposure to different cultures.
He soon realised that there was a market for quilts.
According to Chan, quilts are more of an evergreen American heritage.
“A house without a quilt is not a home for most American families.
“Quilting is part of their lifestyle. Some Amish villages in the US are famous for their quilts. It takes years of experience, knowledge and skill to master quilt making,” he said.
Chan added that during the early stages of the business, he would buy all books related to quilting for research purposes.
“I have RM15,000 worth of books related to quilting. I gathered these books locally and around the world since the 1980s,” he said.
With sheer determination and hard work, the husband and wife duo are among the popular quilt makers in the country.
Nowadays, their business is well-known both locally and internationally, with clients coming from as far as the United States, Australia and South Africa.
Interestingly, the couple’s business has survived without any self-promotion or advertising, merely grow their business through word of mouth.
“We are not tech-savy and only recently we registered for a Facebook account. All our clients were referred to us by our former clients. We also have repeat customers,” said Chan.
In Malaysia, their clients comprise dignitaries as well as common folk.
The late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood was once a regular customer.
Cottage Patch has even secured a place in the Malaysia Book of Records for the most number of patches in a quilt. The award-winning quilt has 24,000 patches from 5,000 different fabrics.
“Endon was a wonderful person who loved batik-made items and she was supportive of our work. We made quilts using batik for her and it was pleasant working with her,” said Chan.
In the initial stages, both Chan and his wife would spend close to 15 hours a day on their business.
Soon, the couple roped in their relative, Wai Keen Ying, and continued to take quilt orders.
As orders increased the couple commissioned housewives to help with the sewing.
Meanwhile, to make extra money, the couple started offering quilt sewing lessons. Their objective was also to help women learn a skill and make a decent living.
So far, they have trained some 5,000 people, mostly women. Among the trainees are refugees, single mothers and cancer patients.
Chan said about 16 years ago, he suffered from oral cancer. It was a turning point in his life and he became more selfless and charitable.
“It was a rough period and I suffered from a lot of pain and ate only plain porridge. I lost my sense of taste, too. However, when I recovered I decided to help part my knowledge to more people.
“We have empowered several terminally ill patients to make quilts for their loved ones. We tell them to leave a legacy. Some had successfully completed their quilts while others passed away. Nevertheless, sewing the quilts kept their minds occupied while they battled their illness,” said Chan.
Cottage Patch has been a learning institution for many, he said.
“We charge an affordable fee for learning and we teach the basics of sewing. We also teach people to fully utilise the capabilities of sewing machines.
“If after two years the student has forgotten the sewing techniques, we will give them refreshment classes for free,” he said.
Customers can also send their unfinished quilts and those that need to be repaired here.
“Besides making new quilts, we offer services to complete unfinished quilts. People do not complete their quilts due to several reasons. Lack of determination, poor eyesight are among the reasons,” said Chan.
The size of the quilts vary from quilts for baby cribs to those that go beyond king size.
The ready-made baby quilts are priced between RM130 and RM180. Baby quilts that are made based on special requests would costs 40% more than the normal price.
The larger quilts would cost between RM8,000 and RM40,000. These quilts take months, sometimes years, to complete depending on the complexity.
Chan has several quilts made to be kept as his personal collection. These quilts are worth more than RM40,000.
He said he had no intentions to sell them but he might consider auctioning them for charitable purposes.
Chan said Cottage Patch has participated in several charitable auctions in the past and that he was keen to participate in more such charitable auctions if there were offers.
“My personal quilts mean a lot to me and I can’t put a price on them for sale. I have received numerous offers by individuals to buy them but I never sold them. However, I would let them go for charitable reasons if there were such auctions,” said Chan.
When asked what made a good quilt, Chan said it had to be made of the same fabric with a uniform thread count.
Also, the quilt should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
He said a good quilt made from American cotton can last up to 50 years and should be repairable.
Cottage Patch also offers a wide range of quilts and items for the Christmas season. The sewing process takes place all year round. Among the smaller items sold are the place mats, pot holders, table cloths and coasters.
Cottage Patch Sdn Bhd is located at 447, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
For details, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Cottage-Patch.
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