Words by Jennifer Jory
Local quilter Dana Miller sees patterns everywhere. Flooring, architecture and nature are all fair game. Strolling through her Pacifica studio is like touring an art gallery with colorful, geometric and intricately designed quilts showcased on every wall bearing titles like “Bauhaus” and “Melrose Penny.” “There is something about quilting that is like doing a puzzle,” Dana describes. “You’re cutting it all up in little pieces, following a pattern and puzzling it all back together. It is like art, yet functional and holds memories.”
Through her passion for quilting, Dana brings her innovative creations to life, while weaving together a like-minded community at Coastside Quilt Studio in Pacifica. Dana cherishes the communal aspect of quilting, though at the same time she finds sewing meditative and therapeutic. “I need to sew every day, even if it is hand-sewing,” she says. “It feeds my soul. It’s like the need for food and sleep. It makes me happy, a better person and a better mom.” Her work spans a wide range of styles and many of her quilts double as art pieces with motifs running from traditional to contemporary to retro. Both the San Francisco Quilters Guild and the San Mateo County Fair have recognized her work with awards over the past few years.
The inception of Dana’s business began while she was teaching at a sewing shop that closed during the pandemic. Recognizing the need for quilters to have a space to work, connect and buy supplies, she started to formulate her plan. “I realized there wasn’t a community space anymore where groups were getting to know one another,” she recalls.
Dana was also getting busier, receiving increasing requests for custom quilts, and her small home studio overflowed with the growing workload. So over a year and a half ago, she opened Coastside Quilt Studio to offer a hub for quilters in a light-filled space in Pacifica.
Dana credits the support of her husband Doug, who helps with their busy household of three children, as one key factor to her success. “I came home from work one night and the dishes were done and the laundry was folded,” she smiles. Dana knew with his support, she could make a go at her business.
Coastside Quilt Studio offers a fabric shop, long arm quilting services and nearly a dozen classes from beginning sewing to quilt pattern-making. The long arm is a computerized quilting machine that stretches 12 feet, which Dana can program to sew intricate designs from swirly curlicues to zippy zigzags. Thanks to this technology, wrestling fabric into place on a Singer sewing machine is a thing of the past.
One of the studio’s most unique offerings is a free community sewing day held once a month. The event not only serves to bring quilters together, but also provides a way for the community to give back. With donated fabric, quilters of all levels come together and enjoy camaraderie and music, while sewing baby quilts for low-income mothers of newborns at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. “We spend the day doing something we love, while helping those less fortunate,” Dana shares. “I am energized by bringing a sense of community around quilting.”
Dana’s soft spot for sewing was fostered by her mother and grandmother, who both knew the ins and outs of needlework. Her lessons on how to use a sewing machine, read a pattern and construct clothing came with the territory. “It comes very naturally for me,” she confesses. “I can look at a pattern and I don’t really need the instructions.” As a young mother, Dana decided to pursue sewing on her own and signed up for a Joann Fabric and Craft sewing class. “I showed up to the second class and had done some piecing at home,” she remembers. “The instructor looked at me and said I had a talent for this. I was just hooked.” Dana had always gravitated toward art and had taken graphic design classes at the College of San Mateo, but it was sewing that captivated her and eventually transformed from a hobby to a passion to a business. She’s even published some of her own quilting patterns.
One of Dana’s specialties is creating T-shirt quilts, which serve as memorabilia for athletes who saved their jerseys or theater performers who collect commemorative shirts from shows. “I had a gentleman who brought me three large garbage bags full of T-shirts,” Dana says. “He was an avid marathon runner through the ‘80s and ‘90s and kept all of his shirts. He said no one would make a quilt for him and I said I would.” Dana has also created memorial quilts out of sentimental T-shirts for people who have lost loved ones.
Although she is running a business, Dana offers something that is hard to put a price tag on: bringing people together and providing an outlet for creative expression. “There is so much energy that comes out of a group of women who are creative together,” Dana says enthusiastically. “It is very inspiring. It is like therapy for me.”