About
Handi Quilter designs and assembles longarm and sit-down quilting machines at its facility in North Salt Lake, Utah. Laurel Barrus founded the company in 1999 after designing a portable quilting frame that could be used with a home sewing machine, and in 2002 it introduced the HQ Sixteen, its first dedicated quilting machine. The current product line includes longarm machines such as the Moxie and Amara, sit-down models, and frames, tables, and quilting accessories. Only some products are assembled in the USA, though.
The company sells to home quilters and small-business quilters through a network of retailers. Its 70,000-square-foot North Salt Lake building houses corporate offices and production, and a 10,000-square-foot education studio is used for training. Some components, including sewing machine parts, are made overseas and shipped to the Utah plant, where the machines are assembled. Handi Quilter has had a series of private equity owners, most recently Branford Castle, which acquired the company from Premier Needle Arts in June 2022.
