By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Jan Hartsock is the owner/operator of Finishing Touch Longarming business located in her Geneseo home.
It was her passion for sewing and quilting that led Jan Hartsock to launch her own business when she retired from a career in real estate.
Finishing Touch Longarming is a machine quilting/computerized business located in the Hartsock home at 16554 East 1600 St., Geneseo. Hours of the business are by appointment by calling 309-945-8819 or emailing Hartsock at jlhartsock56@gmail.com.
Hartsock began sewing when she was in junior high school, making clothes for herself, then for her children and later for her granddaughter…”About 30 years ago a friend introduced me to quilting and I knew then that when I retired, I would turn my passion into a business.”
When asked where she got the idea for her business, Hartsock replied, “As a quilter when you have your quilt top finished, you still have to put the batting and backing together. There are various ways to complete this step, which is one of the finishing steps. For years I took my quilts to a long-armer to have this done.”
About 15 years ago she purchased a hobby quilting machine and began quilting many of her own quilts. When she retired in 2023, she upgraded her quilting machine to an industrial machine so she would be able to not only complete her own quilts, but to also do that finishing step for other people.
In addition to machine quilting, Hartsock also offers minor mending and machine embroidery and she also has finished quilts, pillow cases and gift items for sale.
When asked about the biggest hurdle she had to overcome in starting her own business, she said, “Getting the name out. In the past, leaving your business cards at quilt stores, and having quilt store owners recommend a long-armer, and word of mouth was quite easy. There are new challenges since Covid, more brick and mortars have switched to online stores, and many stores have closed. Locally, two of my ‘go-to’ quilt shops have sadly gone. The owners of Quilt Box in Kewanee retired after a storm damaged their building and after 20 years in business; and Our Crafty Life in Geneseo has been converted to an online business.”
She added, “The hobbyist has the same challenges, where to go to get their sewing/quilting supplies? The popularity of quilting and crafts has not diminished and that is represented by the number of local quilt guilds, such as the Geneseo Quilt Guild and Prairie Queen Quilt Club in Bishop Hill.
