In 1982 Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan joined forces to establish Great American Quilt Factory, Inc. The store, in Denver, Colorado, specialized in quilting patterns, fabrics, classes, and supplies. Four years later, Nancy and Lynda began designing patterns for quilts, stuffed animals, and dolls. In 1985 they formed DreamSpinners, the pattern division of Great American Quilt Factory, Inc.





In 1987 the business needed more space and moved to a location on East Hampden Avenue in Denver. Subsequently, DreamSpinners continued to grow and eventually became the largest independent patterns company in the United States.





In 1988 Nancy and Lynda created Possibilities as a book publishing division. To date, Possibilities has published more than 80 titles. In 1992 the I'll Teach Myself series was created to introduce sewing to a younger generation.





Although Lynda and Nancy have retired from the retail store, they continue to publish books and patterns, and design fabric collections for Quilting Treasures.