A long time ago in a land far, far away there lived a man named Horst Kunow. Horst was young and strong and enjoyed working with his hands and constructing furniture. Being born and raised in Germany, his heritage was from a long line of quality craftsman. As an apprentice he learned how to design and build furniture to last a lifetime. Use
and discard was not an option – build with an eye for detail and use quality materials to last forever – that was the philosophy.
That man was me, and though times have changed, the philosophy remains the same. Immigrating to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, I met my wife Wendy and began a new life building kitchen cabinets and sewing tables. Things had to be done right, or it wasn’t done at all. Sylvia cabinets weren’t ordinary, everyday cabinets and sewing tables - these were something that no one had ever seen before. They were actually pieces of furniture that served a function for sewers and quilters. Over the years, I met with sewers and quilters to get their input about what they wanted. What was it that they needed in a cabinet? (This is something that I still continue today.) After 14 years of selling my cabinet line in Canada, my best friend and I loaded up a truck and headed south with a small sampling of cabinets to sell to other quality-seeking sewers. After a few stops along the way, he stopped in Medford, Oregon.
VDC saw this man with a truckload of cabinets in his truck, asking if they thought that sewers and quilters would be interested in quality, well-made sewing cabinets. Being in the sewing machine business itself, VDC knows what quilters and sewers want – and they want quality and 
function. Both were evident in our Sylvia Sewing Cabinets. Since then, VDC has been the exclusive distributer in the United States for Sylvia.
The quality that I was taught in Germany is still evident and continues to be paramount in my work. Glued and doweled wood instead of pins or staples makes for better construction. Furniture-grade rather than economy-grade wood makes for a quality cabinet. 2mm rounded banding on the edges rather than sharp edges makes for a nicer feel and safer edge. Flush-mounted hinges on the surface of the sewing cabinets rather than standard or piano hinges makes for stronger support and no snags on the fabric. Quality furniture-grade Melamine ensures the surfaces remain scratch-free no matter how many pins, scissors or rotary cutters happen to fall on it.
If that isn’t enough, the Rudersburg lift from Germany is the best made and easiest to use lift on the market. All cabinets are designed to allow the sewer to sit in front of the needle making sewing more comfortable – a request from sewers that I incorporated into the design. All cabinets come with a lifetime warranty for materials and workmanship. What more could I have done? These cabinets come fully assembled in the box – just attach the wheels and you are good to go. I'm pleased to announce that these cabinets, cabinet combinations, and accessories will be available shortly (with free shipping!) through Annthegran.com.
When looking for sewing and quilting cabinets, become informed and educated about your purchase. In future posts, I will address features found on cabinets that you should look for or be aware of before you buy your cabinet.
Stay tuned!
Horst