Over in Blowing Rock is a shop so charming you'll wanna linger and learn more about mountain culture.

Producer Teresa Litschke introduces us to Kathrine Lile, a fourth generation quilter who's keeping the traditions of sewing and coiled rope basketry alive at Mountain Thread Company.

(gentle music) - The Mountain Thread Company is a working studio in downtown Blowing Rock, and we make items on site by sewing rope together, and we also have inspiration for people who wanna make things themselves.

- That also includes everything you need to make a quilt or purchase a finished one.

- Hey, welcome in.

- Hi, how are you today?

- Kathrine Lile is the owner of the Mountain Thread Company, whose goal is to share her passion.

- I like what I do, and I love it when people are like, I've never seen that before.

This is so cool.

Yeah.

(laughs) - These are our fabric selections.

It's constantly rotating, and we curate our selection based on nature themes and outdoorsy themes, seasons, kind of the unique things that people might see when they're visiting Blowing Rock outside.

We want that to be represented on the fabric.

- I love the woodland themes.

- So we have fabrics that have insects on them and little critters and flowers, like all the kinds of stuff that people might see when they come here.

- So we do make quilts in here primarily as demos for what people can do with fabrics and patterns that we have in stock.

And so we'll use a particular fabric line, color scheme, maybe with a seasonal mindset to create a particular project.

And then once all of those fabrics and the patterns sell out then the quilt is for sale.

- It's a craft Kathrine learned from her mother.

- We would do it together.

I would take her little hands (laughs) and I would just put them through.

It's fine, we're going through and show her how to sew.

- And it's her mother who also taught her to make a coiled rope basket.

- The basics though of making baskets are that you're coiling something and finding a way to hold it together.

And I'm coiling the rope around itself underneath the needle and thread.

And the zigzag is actually a zig on one rope and a zag on another.

We make a flat base, sometimes a different shape, sometimes larger or smaller sizes.

And once we lift that base to shape the sides, you can see that angle come up.

Different baskets for different uses.

A lot of folks are looking for landing places for their little things.

- Oh, jewelry on my bureau.

- You'll need bigger ones.

- These sizes here, this oval is everybody's favorite for things like a remote control or sunglasses, or I need a place to put my phone when I walk through the door.

So as soon as you start adding handles to a piece, it feels really portable.

So you can put your projects in here and take it on the go, or you can use it as a purse.

And then also each basket that we make is unique and different.

So for someone who's looking for a gift, if you saw us a year ago, what you see today is different than what you saw a year ago.

- If you want to make your own basket, Kathrine has a kit with everything you need, except the sewing machine.

- And what we're doing here is giving a project that can be completed in a couple of hours, giving the supplies, so a bundle of rope and the right needle, and then giving step-by-step instructions.

And then some other fun kits and other supplies for people who are feeling crafty, but maybe not quite at a sewing machine.

- You don't see shops like this on every corner.

- It's such a homey feeling, a nice, comforting feeling.

- Because it's rooted in tradition.

- I'm not real sure that I knew I impressed on her what she is doing now, but I'm very thankful and very proud of her for doing what she does.

- And for Kathrine, that's what it's all about.

- So much of our lives revolve around digital things.

And when you actually can do something tangible with your hands and produce something, there's a different kind of satisfaction that comes from that.

And so for, you know, some folks want to do this themselves and other people appreciate that that's still alive.

And we welcome all of those here.

(gentle music) - Mountain Thread Company is located in downtown Blowing Rock.

They're open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.

to 5 p.m.

And they're closed on Sundays with classes and workshops offered throughout the year.

For more information, visit mountainthreadcompany.com.