Robin King and Diane McKoen (Merrill) are the co-owners of The Tater Patch quilt store, located in a downtown historic building. The pair sells fabrics and quilting supplies, hosts and teaches classes and workshops, and creates community centered quilts for display in the shop.
Bio
Robin King and Diane McKoen are the co-owners of the Tater Patch quilt store in Merrill, a town known for its potato farms. Now in its third location, the business first opened in 1996, shortly after King and McKoen discovered their mutual passion for quilting.. The current store is located in a downtown historic commercial building that King and McKoen remodeled to handle the sale of fabrics and quilt supplies as well as class and workshops. High ceilings provide ample display space for their quilts, and moveable dividers allow for classes of various sizes. Once a month, area women share their projects at Saturday Sampler sessions. The community is a strong influence on the friends' work. "We are in an ag community, and we both are married to farmers," explains King in reference to the "Gather the Geese" quilt she and McKoen made in 2001. Pieced and quilted over six weeks of a drought, which deeply affected local farms, the quilt symbolized their community; quilting making literally became community making. Featuring blocks known as "farmer's daughter" and "flying geese," the quilt affirmed "that we matter," [that] "we all care about each other." As a child, King learned to sew from her mother. Her great-grandmother's early hand quilted and hand pieced quilts inspired her own quiltmaking. McKoen always had a passion for fabric, but did not learn to quilt until she took lessons from a master quilter. Today the duo bring in other instructors and teach the basics. They also host spring and fall retreats: participants bring their current projects to learn from each other. The Tater Patch carries a little bit of everything so their customers can get everything they need from one place. The pair has worked hard to make shop a place that encourages and celebrates quilts and quilters.
