Quilts 'N Calicoes is owned and managed by Ira Joseph. She uses the term "manage" very loosely! The shop has a bright look with a constantly changing inventory of fabrics. Fabrics are 100% cotton from the USA, Japan and England.

Quilts 'N Calicoes has been around for 21 years. Starting out as a small home-run business and with a growing repertoire and clientel it was not long before Quilts n' Calicoes was born.

Ira loves to design and comes up with new quilt patterns quite regularly. She's happy that her designs are well accepted and has many customers constantly on the look out for the next "thing".

Quilts 'N Calicoes offers plenty of classes in patchwork and quilting, applique, cloth doll making, hardangar, cross-stitch and embroidary.

You are always assured of a cup of tea and a naughty joke when you come to visit!! So please do come, have a look around!! It IS a fun place to be in!!

History...or Her Story

Quilts 'N Calicoes has been featured frequently in both print and visual media. Starting from home, Ira was featured in various articles in the Straits Times in the 1980's, starting with the Straits Times in 1984 under the Hobbies and Lifestyle section. Innumerable calls later, she started taking orders and working at her kitchen table. This home-run business soon grew to be more than she could handle and she had to rope in friends, and her three sons to help. It was a short step from there to finally setting up her " fourth and favourite child" in Riverwalk Galleria, a brand new mall.

A year later, the business was too big to house in those premises and the shop moved to Coronation Plaza, a larger home for the wayward fabrics. Soon, it was time to move again! This time, to busy Holland Village Shopping Centre. In 1999, Quilts 'N Calicoes needed an even BIGGER home and is now happily enconsed in Tanglin Mall.This however,has not stopped Ira from coveting her next door neighbour's premises! She is also on the hunt for a studio and "dyeing workplace".

During these years, Ira and her quilts and classes have continued to be featured in print and media.Ira's proudest moment was when her business was used as a case study in The Entrepreneur's Blueprint, a book that tells of Singaporeans that took a chance and made a breakthrough. Ira is all of Chapter Four.

Ira featured prominently during the making of Singapore's Fabric Of The Nation, a proud venture of Singaporeans and expatriates, to make 60 quilts 2m x 4m each, comprised of 15,000 patchwork and applique squares contributed by the people of this nation. This collection of quilts was recently commemorated on stamps.

Quilts n Calicoes or " Ira's place " as it's better known, continues to foster more interest in the pasion for quilting, in Singapore and around the South East Asian region, and Ira travels frequently to teach her craft and share her grand passion.

Media Features

  • The Straits Times
  • The New Paper
  • 8 Days
  • Lian He Zao Bao
  • Berita Harian
  • Tamil Murasu
  • Channel News Asia - Fabric of the Nation
  • Channel 8
  • Channel 5
  • NewsRadio 93.8
  • Class 95