Made in Vermont: Fabric and Feed

FLETCHER, Vt. (WCAX) – A Fletcher farmstead is Trista Ringer’s personal piece of paradise.

“I live in such a beautiful place, I love being outside, I love being with our animals,” she said. “It’s the simple life, it’s simple living. It’s slow, not getting caught up in the hustle and all of the noise.”

The only noise on this farm is the sound of the animals. But inside, the clucks and crows are drowned out by the sound of a sewing machine. While the animals on the farm might steal your heart, it’s what’s made inside the farmhouse that steals the show. That’s where you can find Ringer’s studio, where she makes her stunning quilts for her business, Fabric and Feed.

“A lot of folks say that quilting is in my DNA. I learned to quilt from my mother, my mother taught my grandmother to quilt, although she was a sewist. My great-grandmother was a sewist in the Winooski Mills,” Ringer explained.

Trista learned how to quilt at age 7 and has been smitten ever since. But as she got older, it became harder and harder to find the time for her beloved pastime.

“Trying to do it in stolen moments in the evening, like feeling like I deserve the time to quilt… when really I don’t need to deserve the time, I can just do it,” she said. For years, Ringer turned out these works of art to give as gifts to friends and family. But eventually, people starting offering her cash for her quilts.

“Seeing that other people valued my art really helped me switch my mindset and see the value in my own pieces,” she said.

Now, her hobby pays the bills. From wall hangings to giant bed quilts to teeny tiny mug rugs, Ringer runs quite a wait for her timeless crafts. While she does take commissions, these designs are driven by the beauty around her.

“I mainly create my own patterns and I take a lot of my inspiration from nature,” she said.

Ringer calls her craft peaceful and meditative, and says she loves making heirloom pieces that will stand the test of time, enjoyed by generations to come. And, it all starts on the farm.

“I also will grow some of my own Indigo and dye my own fabric. And so it’s that whole cycle of being able to start with the plant, to fabric, to a quilt that is so special to be able to do,” she said.

Every day, Ringer gets to do something she loves in a place she loves. And, her customers get beautiful quilts that are made in Vermont.

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