Conversations with Rebecca Christian-Lipker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Christian-Lipker. 

Hi Rebecca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I (Rebecca) have always had a passion for crafting and entrepreneurship which I got from my mom, Jan. While in law school, I originally had the idea for a hair, bath, and body care company. From 2018-2019, we traveled all through Northeast Ohio participating in a variety of craft and vendor shows. 

When the pandemic hit in 2020, we drastically changed our business model to become more of an e-commerce business. And while doing that, we also wanted to help our community by providing affordable masks. With my mom leading the way, we fired up our sewing machines and made hundreds of masks. 

As time went on, the CDC guidelines on masked changed and we needed to find a new use for our stock of cotton fabric. My mom had the wonderful idea in the fall of 2020 to start quilting. I thought it was a fantastic idea and decided to document this journey on Tik Tok. We slowly but surely began to grow a following with our big break being an anime quilt made for my brother’s college graduation using our method of Quilted Panel Painting. Quilted Panel Painting is more labor-intensive than traditional quilting. The average time for these pieces depended on size can range from eight to over twenty hours. We also use more than one thread color to enhance and bring out the character(s) in a piece. The piece we made for my brother had over 20 different thread colors and took about 25 hours to quilt. If we are familiar with the piece, we have a base to quilt. If we are unfamiliar, we research prior to quilting. We think that’s how per our customers’ comments we infuse life into these pieces. We truly quilt every quilt as if we were giving it to our family or friends. 

From there, we continued to make and post-historical, pop culture, and nerd-related pieces. It was our historical piece of Henry “Box” Brown that caught the attention of the National Quilt Museum where we currently have two pieces in their Say Your Piece exhibit. The exhibit can be viewed through February 21, 2023. 

We are now almost exclusively a quilting and fabric-based company now with over 15,000 followers on Tik Tok where we continue to turn people’s favorite moments into quilts. In 2023, we are working towards doing more community work in the form of free classes and providing blankets to those who need them most. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our journey has definitely had its twists and turns. The pandemic was the biggest hurdle. We were so use to presenting our products via in-person shows. There was a hefty learning curve when transitioning to an online-only business. And due to my mom being high risk for COVID, finding events and quilt shops, like Barnes Sewing Center, that are willing to be accommodating have been instrumental allowing us to flourish safely.

Also, neither of us have backgrounds in social media. So, learning how to make content and navigating various platforms has been challenging at times. I am incredibly thankful to the community we have fostered. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are best known for our Quilted Panel Painting of historical figures, pop culture, and various characters from different fandoms. 

Quilted Panel Painting is a term we came up with to describe our method of quilting tapestries. Quilting cotton panels is nothing new in the quilting sphere. Many tend to quilt panels around the holiday time. We took it a step further by finding tapestries from big retailers and turning them into quilts. Our method is not as detailed as full-on thread painting, by creating images out of nothing but stitching, but it goes a bit further than your average quilting of a traditional fabric panel. Each of our pieces can easily have a couple hundred thousand stitches on the low end, and our more ornate pieces have close to half a million stitches. 

Our method can highlight details, create features that previously did not exist, and brings an added level of emotion and depth to a tapestry piece. It is almost like we are able to stitch life into figures and characters. And because these pieces are quilts, our customers are able to snuggle up with their favorite moments. That is what we are most proud of. We can quilt moments that people can hold and bring them joy for years to come. 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Our biggest strengths in networking have been authenticity, kindness, and fearlessness. You have to be fearless enough to put yourself and your craft out to the world. And, whatever you put out, has to be authentic. People know when they are being lied or pandered to. Plus, my mom taught me “don’t don’t anything you can’t maintain.” It’s a lot easier to maintain being yourself. Lastly, always be kind. You may not be the next million-dollar business, but if you are kind, you will meet and make some truly lovely friends along your journey. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jlbeautyllc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameslaurenbeautyllc/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQfoLcPc8ttV9gTjx-u1Eg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jameslaurenbeauty?lang=en