By Sophia Boccard,

Architectural Designer

The steady hum of sewing machines provides the soundtrack inside the San Francisco Quilt Shop in Mazatlán, where volunteers gather to create quilts for those in need. For founder Linda Hannawalt, this decade-old destination is more than México’s premier fabric store; it’s a haven built on the belief that quilts are “fabric hugs.”

When Linda first opened the San Francisco Quilt Shop ten years ago, her goal was simple: to support a small group of ten women from the Pro México Sewing Group. Her plan was to spend a year training them to sell their handcrafted goods and eventually hand the shop over for them to run independently. But as reality set in, with rent, utilities, and taxes overwhelming them, she realized the business side was too heavy a burden for the women and their families. What began as a gift evolved into a shared purpose. Linda decided to stay involved, turning the Quilt Shop into a sustainable business where the women could earn a steady income from their craft.

Over time, the shop transformed into something larger than a quilt shop. It became a creative community hub powered by volunteers and united by purpose. Its defining moment came with the Christmas stocking project, when dozens of people, many of them strangers, began showing up to make holiday stockings (“boots,” as the Mexican women called them) for families in need. That year, they delivered more than 900 stockings across Mazatlán. Along the way, friendships were stitched together as firmly as the seams on their quilts. Carpools formed, small sewing circles popped up across town, and a genuine sense of community took root. One of those friendships belongs to Karen L. from Walnut Creek, California. She first visited for a quilting class in 2020 and has returned every January since, each time extending her stay. Through the shop, she’s found a circle of friends from around the world and what she calls “a very active social life in Mazatlán.”

Linda believes quilting brings people together because it’s best enjoyed as a shared experience, one that sparks creativity, confidence, and connection. Many of her students return home and start their own quilting groups, spreading that spirit even further. She’s often surprised and delighted to see women take classes in Mazatlán specifically so they can teach others once they’re back in Canada or the U.S. “I’m tickled that our teachings are extending beyond Mazatlán,” she says with a laugh.

The shop’s influence has also reignited local interest in quilting. When it opened, Mazatlán’s quilting scene was small, but with over 4,000 bolts of fabric now available locally, quilters no longer need to haul their supplies from abroad. “We made it easier for people to stay creative here,” Linda says.

One visitor famously walked in, gasped, and shouted, “This is Disneyland!”, a line that remains one of Linda’s favorite moments. For non-quilters waiting patiently, there’s a cozy space called the Africa Bar, located by the pool, a lush, shaded spot where partners can relax while the fabric hunters explore.

If the San Francisco Quilt Shop in Mazatlán were a quilt, Linda says, it would be a crazy patch: a blend of different shapes, colors, and textures stitched into something unexpectedly beautiful. “Every piece tells a story, and every quilt is a surprise,” she says.

Her greatest pride, however, lies in the shop’s generosity. Over the years, the group has donated countless quilts to children and families in need, from local youth shelters like Refugio and Floreser to earthquake victims in México City. Each one, Linda says, offers “comfort and healing — a fabric hug.”

As the shop celebrates its ten-year milestone, Linda is thinking about the future. She hopes to retire “in a few years,” but trusts the community shebuilt will keep the mission alive. “The shop will find a way to stay active beyond me,” she says.

You can find the San Francisco Quilt Shop’s new home in Centro Histórico at Calle Libertad #414, open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by to say hello, see the latest fabrics, or just soak in- the warmth of Mazatlán’s most colorful community hub.