'Quilting dude' brings endangered species project to Sisters

Rob Appell is a study in contrasts. He's a laid-back surfer as well as a super-industrious businessman. He's a bit of a jokester, yet he's serious about a cause. And, most notably, he's a guy and also ... well, a quilter.

He'll be displaying pieces from his endangered species quilt series at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on Saturday.

When The Nugget caught up with him by phone last week in his hometown of Morro Bay, California, Appell detailed the genesis of his endangered species quilt series while simultaneously riding herd - on a skateboard - over his two kids at a waterside park.

Fifteen years ago, Appell was well on his way to becoming a chef when he stumbled into a job repairing sewing machines at his mother's Morro Bay quilt shop, The Cotton Ball. He began dabbling in quilting simply "to see what my repair customers were up against," he says. But what began for him as a practical exercise soon turned into an art form.

Appell's recently completed series of 12 photo-realistic endangered species quilts will hang at DonTerra Artworks this weekend, as a special exhibit of the 2011 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. He'll be hanging out in town all week, teaching classes and fielding questions about the quilt process.

Appell's career choice came as even more of a surprise to him than to anyone.

"I dreaded going to the fabric stores as a kid," he says.

An "A-ha!" moment came when he awoke in distress from a bad dream in which his mother fired him from The Cotton Ball. It dawned on him that if he felt that bummed out, he must really enjoy being there.

Recently Appell took over the reins from his mom; he now oversees daily store operations on top of his growing wholesale design business.

He first gained recognition as a quilt designer when his line of vibrant sea life quilts - combining his love for the ocean with his textile artistry - hit the scene. Appell scored a winner with the colorful quilt kits; his wholesale business took off, and commissioned jobs followed.

Time spent on dive ships and surf trips discussing the "inferior status of the marine environment," inspired the idea to align his vocation with his environmental concern. The result: he launched the first six patterns in the endangered species line in 2009 and recently completed the last of the 12-quilt series; featured animals include a green sea turtle, a red wolf, a Bengal tiger and a polar bear.

"The concept birthed in my brain and in my heart while surfing in Costa Rica," says Appell, pointing out that Costa Rica is home to a greater number of unique endangered species than any other country.

Michael Miller Fabrics partnered with him in the cause. Their "Fairy Dust" fabric line - over one hundred color choices infused with a bit of glitter - gives Appell certainty that folks who buy his kits will continue to have access to the same fabrics.

"Longevity of the fabric line was a major factor," he says.

Three dollars from the sale of each pattern goes to support endangered animals. To date, Appell has raised nearly $8,400 for his cause.

With wife Jenny's help doing the tracing, he constructed at least three quilts in each of the 12 designs. One set hangs in The Cotton Ball, one went to Michael Miller Fabrics, a third set travels with Rob, and a few extra quilts were auctioned off at fundraisers. All told, the couple has already sewn close to forty Endangered Species quilts themselves.

A daughter and son, ages 6 and 8, also get in on the action. Appell proudly proclaims his son "certified to wind the bobbins with thread." Both kids are eager apprentices. "They're learning a piece at a time," says Rob, with no pun apparently intended.

When it comes to the novelty of being a male quilter, Appell facetiously bemoans the fact that he is "no longer something special and unique," as there are now "10 or 12 guys doing well in the quilt industry, and more all the time."

In 2001 he was one of only three. He endured a few skeptical looks from lady quilters in the beginning, partly because he used a machine. Things improved as "they realized that machine quilting was here to stay," he says, adding, "But mostly I came up in a really kind environment; women really took me under their wings."

He estimates that today The Cotton Ball averages five male customers per week.

And he playfully touts his advantage within the female-dominated quilting culture: "I kind of stand out; I'm easier to spot in a crowd."

Appell pencils into his schedule a number of teaching gigs throughout each year; classes are a valuable testing ground for his new design kits.

At press time his classes in Sisters were mostly sold out. But those quilters who miss him this time around will be pleased to hear that Appell has been invited back again next year.

The more adventurous can take classes from him on a two-week quilters' cruise to Hawaii in February, a benefit for leukemia/lymphoma research.

"It'll be epic," he says.

Visit his website at http://www.robappell.com to learn more.