‘It’s my heart’: Take a tour of the fiber arts store drawing people to Forsyth from across the country

FORSYTH, Ill. (WCIA) — It can be fun to get your creative juices flowing, starting a one-of-a-kind art project. In Our Town Forsyth, The Fabric Cobbler is filled with all the fabrics and other supplies you need to make anything your heart desires.

Scarlett Wells, the owner, started her business 12 years ago with only 25 bolts of fabric in a studio. Flash forward to today, the rows never seem to stop inside the store.

“The store itself is just over 1,700 square feet. About 12,000 bolts are in here,” she said. “I have the largest selection of sports team fabric in the entire state.”

But, it wasn’t always this way. A career change away from teaching motivated her to follow this passion.

“I’ve been sewing since I was 4, so it was a no-brainer in terms of a career,” she explained.

So, with a lot of hard work and drive for success, along came her lifelong dream.

The Fabric Cobbler is a locally owned fabric arts store. It’s a new way to connect with the community and involve her kids in each step of the process, the mom of three said.

“We needed a place where you can walk in and say, ‘I know you probably don’t have this and it’s probably a long shot, but here’s what I need…’ nine times out of 10 I have what they need,” Wells said.

Plus, the fabric isn’t staying in Macon County. She’s processing orders from people across the world.

“I ship all over the country to every military, APO address, and 43 countries right now,” Wells explained. “People drive on the regular from 3 hours away.”

But, beyond all the fabrics and transactions, this shop has an even deeper meaning.

“It’s about being there when your community needs you to be,” Wells said.

At the end of the day, her goal is to have a space where people can be themselves and feel safe no matter what.

“It doesn’t matter how tired I am, I will always wake up in the morning and come back and do this again. So I can be someone’s person if they need that space,” she said.

It’s clear, Wells is committed to having a place to pursue her passion and help others find theirs.

“Forsyth has been good to me and I can’t imagine being anywhere else for the shop,” she described.

Wells is also a U.S. Army veteran, she served in Iraq at 19 years old.

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