Elizabeth Leaman is, as usual, on the hunt for a perfect quilt: She’s standing in a Pennsylvania antiques store running her hands up and down her latest find. Its pastel colors and wedding ring pattern indicate it’s from the 1930s, and the fabric feels soft but sturdy. Elizabeth is sold, and just like that, the beloved quilt is destined for a second life—as a coat. For the past four years, Elizabeth has been creating one-of-a-kind jackets out of old quilts, and every time she puts a new one on her site, ladylancaster.com, it sells almost instantly.
Back home in Lancaster’s Amish Country, Elizabeth washes her newly purchased quilt by hand, then drives it 30 minutes from her home studio to her sewing room, set in an old barn. There, Amish…