About us
What do you get when you take one savvy, creative quilter/educator and add just the right amount of shipping, business and graphic arts experience?
Throw in top notch customer service, too, and you’ve got Studio 180 Design!
It all started in 1981, when a young bride-to-be decided to make a quilt before her marriage. She certainly would never have imagined what that one decision would become.
Deb Tucker went on to spend the next twenty years developing her quilting skills, learning about all different types of quilting techniques, and teaching new and experienced quilters how to make their quilt tops using the most accurate techniques to create the best quilts their skills would allow.
But, when asked to do a class on the Hunter’s Star, something changed. She looked up all the techniques available and knew there had to be a better way. Suddenly, one night the answer came to her in a flash. Not fully formed, though, it took several years to get her method refined. The Rapid Fire Hunter’s Star tool and technique was introduced. Strip piece it, make it oversized and trim it down to create a perfect Hunter’s Star block. Her Rapid Fire line of tools was born.
Then, her frustration with trimming basic units easily and accurately led her to develop her first tool to trim down basic units. Her Tucker Trimmer has lots of diagonals and will trim any square unit with corner to corner diagonal seams – half square triangles, combination units, and hourglass units (among others). Now her line of tools to trim down basic units was born.
She continued teaching more and more classes near where she lived, and as knowledge of her new methods and tools grew, she began to get teaching engagements farther and farther away and shops began to call to stock her rulers.
In early Spring 2007, two conspirators got together and put together a business plan, introduced it to Deb, and convinced her she could make it happen. In January 2008, Studio 180 Design opened its doors. Here’s a little bit about our key staff members.
Deb Tucker is the Creative Kingpin and originator of all the tools and techniques that form the basis for our products. In addition to her teaching, she has edited two international quilting magazines; taught and lectured about quilting nationally and internationally; presided over the Vermont State Quilt Guild for several years; and has held many traditional terms of office in a number of local quilt guilds.Her background in education and architecture perfectly suit her current role as designer and educator for Studio 180 Design. She is the inspiration that keeps the company coming up with new ideas and innovative tools and techniques.
Jeff Tucker (Deb’s spouse) is the CEO; the man behind the scenes who makes everything flow smoothly and efficiently every day of the year. He fills orders, handles our inventory, manages the flow of information and keeps our customers happy. His 30 years of experience in logistics makes him perfectly suited to the task of shipping, packaging and transporting our goods to each of you. We tell him not to let that CEO title go to his head because all it stands for is “Carry Everything Out”!
Sue Tucker (Jeff’s twin sister) is our CFO; business coordinator, consultant and chief organizer. She handles most of the business aspects of the company and acts as our primary keeper of “To Do’s”. She motivates us, keeps us on track, pays all of our bills (including taxes in many, many states) and generally helps us make good business decisions. Occasionally she even manages to make a quilt or two. Sue has 30 years of experience as a business consultant and uses those skills daily as we continue to grow.
Together we are the core of Studio 180 Design. We may not be the biggest company yet, but we have great ideas, equally great products, and provide terrific customer service. We all hope you’ll enjoy working with our tools, making our quilt designs, and learning how to become more successful with all of your quilt making endeavors.