Somehow it seems appropriate that a new business based on the love for the old-fashioned craft of quilting would open this weekend in Rome’s historic Cotton Block. Susan Horton and Stephanie Bradshaw are fine-tuning The Stitchery, 111 Broad St., in anticipation of a big opening Friday.

“Rome has not had a quilt shop or a sewing shop with lessons for many, many years,” said co-owner Horton. “With me being an appliqué quilter and craft sewer I got tired of traveling to the bigger cities for something, so we took the top four shops in the U.S., put them together and brought it to Rome.”

Bradshaw said she is excited about getting the shop open.

“I love fabric and it’s merging two worlds — design and sewing,” Bradshaw said.

Horton and Bradshaw will offer sewing classes, initially for the novice or beginner, and in the future add some expert classes.

“We are the exclusive dealer for Baby Lock sewing machines,” Horton said. “It is the top-of-the-line sewing machine (used for) quilting, apparel, any kind of sewing. We even have professional-grade sewing machines.”

The shop will open with about 800 bolts of fabric and another 200 due to arrive any day. Horton said that when a bolt of fabric or a pattern is sold out, it is gone, the shop will constantly update its inventory.

The store will also feature the AccuQuilt cutting system. The traditional rotary style of cutting through quilt fabric can result in serious repetitive motion-type injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and rotator cuff injuries. The AccuQuilt can cut fabric more accurately in 10 percent of the time it might take a manual cut.

The entire back half of the building is set up to accommodate the large variety of sewing and quilting classes that will be offered on a regular basis.

“We’ll have classes for apparel, craft sewing, quilting, appliqué, anything like that,” Horton said.

Initially, the store will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.