From Quilts to Tote Bags: Twyla Thorson’s 30-Year Legacy of Textile Art

HOUSTON, MINN – Thirty-one years ago, Twyla L. Thorson launched TLT Crafts with a reversible table runner. She was tired of being at the mercy of Minnesota winters and trying to do craft shows in December, so she opened her own home boutique business. 

For her first sale, she “didn’t have enough to sell”, so she invited a friend who does woodworking. “I started out small, but it’s grown,” she said.

Fast forward thirty-one years and inventory is no longer a challenge. “I have enough fabric to last me to infinity,” joked Thorson and added that her Piecemakers Quilting Club says that the “one who dies with the most fabric, wins”.

TLT Crafts booth at a local 2023 art festival. (Photo submitted by Twyla Thorson)

Slightly delayed anniversary party

Due to illness, Thorson was unable to hold the boutique in 2024, so she is celebrating her home boutique’s thirtieth anniversary this year.

Come December, her home boutique will be filled to the brim with artwork, crafts and home goods, “all handmade, hand-painted or decorated” by her, which she says sets TLT Crafts apart from some other local vendors. In the meantime, her creations can be found at other area venues (see below).

Items for sale include hand-sewn microwave potato bags, pocket purses with RFID blocking fabric (to protect one’s credit cards from scammers), Christmas tree skirts, wall hangings and microwave bowl cozies (to place food bowls in and keep items hot after being heated). Her best sellers are hot pads, which come in three sizes and have a 399-degree Teflon batting on the back. 

Besides her textile artwork, Thorson also makes hand-painted cards, snowmen, and candles; bakes a variety of Christmas cookies that include traditional Rosettes and Strull and sells homegrown canned goods of pickles, salsas and jams. 

With gift ideas for everyone, the popular local boutique draws customers to Houston, Minn., every year. She is set to open her home boutique in December (details below).

Becoming a textile artist

Thorson began sewing in 4-H during high school. Her mom was an avid quilter, and Thorson started learning by cutting squares by hand “without all the fancy equipment” to assist her mom. Later, Thorson took a class on how to do hand quilting. Then she learned there were tools that could make the work much faster, so she thought it was time to “get serious” and invested in the boards and rotary cutters. 

Today, following in her mom’s footsteps, Thorson is a highly skilled quilter and textile artist in her own right. 

“Everybody tells me I have an eye for color,” she explained. Sometimes, that leads to custom pieces being requested, which she offers based upon availability. 

Thorson shows her “beachy” quilt design. She also made a matching wall hanging. (Photo submitted by Twyla Thorson)

One example is from her godchild who lives in Florida. She mailed Thorson five paint chips with the colors to create a “beachy” quilt for a king-sized bed. Thorson said she used green ombre fabric for the background and incorporated the other requested colors. But she couldn’t find any palm tree fabric, so she hand-painted those onto the quilt.

With background music or the TV on in her studio, Thorson prefers bright fabric for her textile art. Besides the beachy quilt, she created a sunflower wall hanging utilizing fabric to add 3-D effects for the petals and flowers, so she dabbles in fiber art, too.

Listening and creativity grows the product line

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Like any creative person, Thorson is constantly coming up with new projects. She uses trial and error to get them the way she wants, then she makes an assembly line to save time. 

Thorson displays a wall hanging made of neck ties and the standup storage tote. (Photo by Rose Korabek)

Her latest fabric designs include stand-up tote bags that can be folded up. “The bags stay open, and it doesn’t flop over,” she said. It also folds up for easy storage.

Another newer item is eye glass cases with flannel lining, which was an inspiration after customers mistakenly thought her cast iron skillet handle covers were for eyeglasses. “But the skillet handle covers are made of heat-resistant fabric that is scratchy,” she said. Thus, a light bulb moment of inspiration occurred, and a new product – eyeglass cases – was born.

“People give you ideas all the time,” said Thorson. “One thing turns into another.” This happened when she had started making jar openers in one size, but a woman asked if she could also make a larger size. Now she offers both sizes.

A vintage hankie was made into a butterfly and sewn onto a memorial pillow. (Photo submitted by Twyla Thorson)

Sometimes trends dictate what to make and sell. For several years, necktie repurposing as artwork was a focus. She was asked to make a custom memorial piece from a loved one’s neckties, and she made them into a wall hanging. 

Then she was given hankies and asked to make those into a memorial creation, so she came up with an idea and sewed them onto pillows as butterflies. 

Advice for beginners

 “Start with an easy project,” Thorson advised. “If you try to tackle something beyond your skill level, you will get very frustrated. Start small and make sure you have the right supplies.”

She shared a story of one woman giving another woman a sewing machine saying it wasn’t working properly. Thorson looked at it and found that the first woman was using hand quilting thread on a machine. 

“It’s much thicker and won’t work on a sewing machine,” said Thorson. “People tend to just grab a color that matches the fabric” instead of understanding whether the thread is the correct choice for the project. 

The local arts community

Thorson is active in the local arts community. She serves as president of the Houston Arts Resource Council (HARC), a nonprofit that promotes the work and vision of local artists and artisans, which now sponsors Meadowfest in the spring and fall. 

Some of Twyla Thorson’s quilted wall hangings and fresh produce for sale at Meadowfest. (Photo by Rose Korabek)At the September Meadowfest, several people told Thorson they like to go to these types of events to “buy directly from the person who made it.”

Meadowfest organizer Mary Denzer added that she is glad HARC is sponsoring the local arts event. As a potter, she sees the trend of “losing handcrafts and the generation-to-generation” work that used to be a part of our culture.