Seattle: Stash, Columbia City

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I had never been to the Columbia City part of Seattle. Apparently, since the light rail went in, this part of Seattle has grown a lot. There is definitely a lot of building and newly constructed dwellings there.

Stash is a nice little shop in a block of what looked like condos that had been taken over by businesses. The parking was difficult but not impossible. There is no lot, just street parking. We found a street spot and walked about 2 blocks to the shop.

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The quilt on the left hanging on the rack is one of the quilts from Fast Quilts that I talked about last week.

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The main part of the shop is shown in the picture above. They have a nice selection of fabrics, but. volume is not their strength.

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The area shown is right next to the picture right above it. This is the checkout counter of the shop. It also served as the cutting table.

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They have a section in the back with more fabric, which made the selection quite a respectable size.

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It looks like this area could accommodate a small class – perhaps 3-4 people.

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We liked this quilt. The alternate block adds interest.

There is a small cafe next door, which has some selected gluten free options. We were gasping so they we kind enough to give us some water.

Stash Quilt Shop
3829 S Edmunds St, Seattle, WA 98118
(206) 535-8179

Seattle: West Seattle Fabric Company

I spent a few days in Seattle for work. Since TFQ lives in Seattle, and I hadn’t visited for awhile, I stayed at her house.

It was really nice to have a place to spread out, be around fabric and quilts. We also ate together and just hung out. I raided her book stash and began reading Henry’s Sisters.

We weren’t really planning on fabric shopping. Well, at least I wasn’t, but stuff happens. I am glad it did. The two stores we visited were great. Fresh, friendly, different and interesting fabrics.

The first shop we visited was the West Seattle Fabric Company, which, funnily enough is located in West Seattle. We did not take the Admiral Way exit and, thus, took the scenic route to get there. Partbof West Seattle is right on the water and eeminds me of Marina Green, though the houses in the two locations are very different.

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Simple clean logo.

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This is a totally staged shot, but isn’t the table cute? I love it and especially the placement with the pennants in the window behind. I can imagine sittin FB there eating ice cream and looking at my purchases. Too bad there wasn’t an ice cream store next door.

I found a spot to park right in front, but the shop pays for 5 spots in the lot next door so don’t worry about parking.

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I also really liked the awning. That is how I recognized the place. I saw it on their website. Definitely a good idea to make the place stand out!

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It is a small shop, though not tiny and very cute. It is not cutesy, though. No hearts, rainbows or unicorns. ;-)The owner, Monica, is very friendly, too. We chatted for quite awhile about fabric shops. We got on the subject because I asked if I could take photos for this space and that spurred the conversation.

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There are nice samples and, as with Stash, the checkout counter is also the cutting table. Good use of space.

I looked at the hooped fabric on the wall for a long time. Some prints lend themselves to being used as wall art. I am not sure I am fond ifbit though since somehow it reminds me of stapling textiles to canvas and using it as wall art. It was really a good look in my childhood home. I couldn’t tell if the memory woukd overwhelm the good idea. Also, I am not sure about the hoop. It is definitely easy, but I am not sure it looks as polished as I would like in my house. I wonder if I could morph the same idea, but use a frame?

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This is taken from the top of the stairs. Sorry it is a little dark. The notions are on the left.

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Fresh displays.

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Display of new V&Co pre-cuts. That is a great new line, BTW.

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Nice display of other pre-cuts. I love the mirror.

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Art in the restroom.

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This is a great bag. I saw it and thought it would be perfect for my First Lady gifts. It is large enough to out a few other items in. It is also not so large that it takes up tons of fabric. I was thinking of the Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote, but wasn’t convinced.
The difficult part was that they didn’t have a pattern. It was a class and there wasn’t even a pattern sheet. Once I explained that I was from out of town and as much as I would like to take the class, it wasn’t really possible. After that, we had a good time deconstructing the bag. TFQ took some measurements and, after we have a chat, I am sure I can make it. I am really grateful that Monica was nice enough to allow us to deconstruct the bag.

West Seattle Fabric Company
2210 California Ave SW  Seattle, WA 98116
(206) 257-1083

Stress Relief

I have no business buying fabric. I have a big pile to iron, another big pile to cut and another pile that has not made it to the washing machine yet. Yes, I participate in wine o’clock occasionally, though my #1 stress reliever has come to be buying fabric. Last week was stressful, so I bought fabric. I didn’t buy a lot on my recent trip down south, but I did buy some. It is so nice to buy fabric in person.

Roxanne's, Carpinteria
Roxanne’s, Carpinteria

We stopped at Birch Fabrics in Paso Robles (aka FabricWorm on the web) on the way down, and Roxanne’s and Quiltin’ Cousins on the way back up. I have talked about Birch before and will write another post about it later to update you on the changes there. I wanted to talk about Roxanne’s first.

Roxanne's fireplace
Roxanne’s fireplace

Roxanne’s, it turns out, used to the be the Treasure Hunt, which I visited and enjoyed in the past. Roxanne told my mom, who talks to everyone!, that she had a quilt /craft shop in that location for 25 years. After 25 years, she kept the building, but sold the business to someone who owned the Treasure Hunt. Last year the owner of the Treasure Hunt decided that owning a quilt shop was not her idea of a good time, so Roxanne gutted the building, which was completely empty, remodeled, upgraded and re-opened Roxanne’s. They have a large selection of crafting supplies such as yarn and paints, but their biggest offerings seemed to be in quiltmaking. It is a gorgeous building on the inside. I love the wall colors and the decorations.

I don’t know if Roxanne’s was a house at one point. The street seems to have mixed zoning and it kind of looks like a rancher. The inside has been completely redone, as I mentioned, so it is most definitely a shop now.

Roxanne's cutting counter
Roxanne’s cutting counter

One of the reasons to LOVE this shop is the tile mosaic counter front.

California Adventure in Anaheim has an outdoor mosaic like this. I think it was the first one of this creative type that I ever saw and I wanted to do a backsplash like when we remodeled our kitchen in 2007. I wasn’t really up for the amount of work or the cost or the time, though, and let it go. I do want to do a piece like this in a frame as a welcome sign and hang it next to my front door. Something large and impressive.

Roxanne's, Main Floor
Roxanne’s, Main Floor

If you hadn’t noticed, I love color. Bright colors and lots of them. I don’t like gaudy, but I love putting interesting color combinations together.

First, of all, the blue of the wall color is fabulous. Second, that wall sculpture add so much interest to the room. It reminds me of It’s a Small World in Disneyland, but not in an annoying way. It makes me smile. The rectangular areas under the roofs of the wall sculpture have small areas for quilt samples.

Roxanne's, Philip Jacobs fabrics
Roxanne’s, Philip Jacobs fabrics

I almost had a seizure when I saw this group of shelving.

Do you know what it is?

Philip Jacobs fabrics.

A whole 3 long shelves of them!
There were some Martha Negleys thrown in as well. I have never seen anything like this before and could have bought all of them. I didn’t, though. I bought cuts from two different yardages that I hadn’t seen before and walked away before I truly lost my mind. I really need to win the lottery so I can A) not work and sew all the time; B) buy whatever fabric I want in whatever quantity I want whenever I want. It may not seem like I restrain myself when buying fabric, but I really do. I could have bought so much more than I did.

Roxanne's, Pink dot area
Roxanne’s, Pink dot area

Next to the blue wall on one side is a pink wall. I love the combination of the two next to each other.

This is a great store. Definitely stop if you are in Carpinteria. Well worth it!

 

North Coast Quilt Shops pt.3

 

Ocean Waves Quilt Shop
Ocean Waves Quilt Shop

Ocean Waves Quilt Shop was the last shop we visiting. It was much better in the sun, not so dim, though there were little nooks and crannies that were still a bit dim. The woman who worked there was very efficient and very helpful.

All Washed Up Sparkling Cider Pattern
All Washed Up Sparkling Cider Pattern

They had a lot of quilts hanging up. One of the things I saw was a rendition of the All Washed Up Sparkling Cider pattern I used for Sparkle Pink. As I have said, the genius of that pattern is the interesting way it allows large prints to be showcased. This version, however, shows a different way the pattern can be used and has the feel of the fabric in the store.

There was a class going on in the back room. I am not sure what the class was about, but it might have been some type of beginning class. I was pleased to see that there were a relatively large number of people in the shop.

OWQS Fabric & Patterns
OWQS Fabric & Patterns

The tone of the shop was more Hoffman, smallish prints and florals, which is not to say they didn’t have great fabric. I found a dot I liked and a black on white that I might use for a project brewing in my head. The really nice dot I found was purple. The purple color reminds me of violet, but it is darker. I only got a half yard, but that should be enough for whatever it is I decide to make with it and I have selvedge.

Patterns, Samples & Pre-cuts
Patterns, Samples & Pre-cuts

They had a lot of stuff there: fabric, patterns, pre-cuts, Aurifil, samples. There is a bag in the last picture (right photo, bottom center) with a curved flap. It is called the Flip Flap bag and they had just sold the last pattern, so I didn’t buy it, but I liked the shape

Read part 1 and 2 of this travelogue, too!

North Coast Quilt Shops pt.2

Scottie Dog Right Front
Scottie Dog Right Front

I also went to Scottie Dog Quilts again. This shop is a white stucco building (kind of an ugly building actually) on the corner of a street, but they don’t have a sign outside anymore, so we drove right past it and had to go around the block. It worked out, because we parked on the side street and were in the correct position to head east (I think) to Ocean Waves Quilt shop for the next stop.

Scottie Dog Right Middle
Scottie Dog Right Middle

Scottie Dog has freshened up their look since I was there last. One big difference was that the weather was nicer. Last time, the whole area was fogged over and grey. This trip, the sky was a bright blue and it made everything nicer. Still, the freshening wasn’t all on the part of the weather. Scottie Dog has removed a high set of shelves and moved the cutting counter (I think) and that has made the whole space more open. I didn’t notice that they seemed to have less fabric. They crammed a lot into a relatively small shop.

Right towards Street
Right towards Street

S.D. has also embraced modern fabrics in a big way. If you need some Ruby charm packs, they have a few left. They also had one of Moda’s Sophie as well as a bit of the yardage. I bought an old print of Heather Bailey’s called Pop…Flowers?? I don’t remember. Big stylized flowers. I am thinking I will make a bag. I hope to make a bag.

Little Bits Double Wedding Ring
Little Bits Double Wedding Ring

I have to admit that I admire Double Wedding Ring Quilts, but will probably never make. I don’t like the look of some of the quilts made from the rotary cutting templates (curve is not smooth). I had decided to admire them from afar until I saw the Little Bits pattern for a DWR at Scottie Dog. (Nota bene: They don’t have it on their website and were out of stock, otherwise I would link to them). The pieces are small, but I could do some quick piecing and rotary cutting. They also had some bag patterns. I bought a bag pattern called The Potato Chip Bag because you can’t make just one, apparently.

Left Front
Left Front

One good thing about stopping at quilt stores while traveling is that their restrooms are usually clean. I loved their restroom. It was scarlet, pipes and everything, with a border print of the Mary Englebreit scottie dog.

Left Front Corner
Left Front Corner

The shop also had different things to entice the shopper: a few shelves of batiks, pre-cut Tumblers in 2 sizes, lots of pre-cuts, especially charm packs. They also had a lot of patterns with samples hanging around the shop.

Front of Shop
Front of Shop

They didn’t have any Aurifil, but they had a good selection of interesting notions and other types of thread. I bought some more True Grips and a swivel D Ring for a future bag.

Check out part 1 of this travelogue.

North Coast Quilt Shops pt.1

North Coast View
North Coast View

Driving up the coast to the North Coast is a beautiful drive. It was particularly beautiful on Friday, because the Northern California area was washed by a rain storm on Thursday night. The light was gorgeous and the clouds were gorgeous and it made me glad to be driving up the Coast.

Fat Quail Quilt Shop
Fat Quail Quilt Shop

Last time we drove up that way, we saw a quilt shop in Laytonville called Fat Quail Quilts. The shop is on the side of 101N and we weren’t able to stop the first time, because we were already past by the time we knew what was happening. This time I planned ahead. Their website was very clear how to find it and we were able to stop.

It is a nice shop. They have a lot of fabric, patterns, notions. A good variety of

One of the things I like to notice when I am in an area is whether or not the color schemes  are different from what I am used to seeing.

Fat Quail 30s Fabric
Fat Quail 30s Fabric

The overall color scheme reminded me of Fall colors. They had a lot of nice fabrics. I, of course, found a few things that I brought home with me. One was a needle threader. I broke mine last week working on the binding for the Stepping Stones.

The shop looked like a former house. It was broken up into 4 rooms plus a bathroom. The front room and the very back room were quite large, which makes me think there was some remodeling done. The layout worked well and the owner had used the various niches to create different displays.

The shop had a section of 1930s fabrics, that I thought was very appealing. There was a book called Frugal to Fancy about vintage patterns done in modern fabrics and the whole display made me want to buy all of the fabrics and the book.

Card Catalog Fat Quarters
Card Catalog Fat Quarters

Being a librarian, I thought the shop’s storage of fat quarters was GREAT! I loved the use of the card catalog drawers for fat quarters. I thought it was an effective display technique even if it was hard to see the fat quarters. The drawers were labeled and that was great.

I also noticed that the Fat Quail lady had no problem cutting fat quarters. I wanted some reds, but was trying to be frugal, so she happily cut me some fat quarters of the reds. I wanted.

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Sandy from Quilting… for the Rest of Us talks about Stonehenge fabric all the time and I saw a display – a large display of it in this shop. I think this is the first time I have seen it, or, perhaps, it is the first time I have seen a display of it. It is very earthy looking and reminded me of picking out counters when we remodeled our kitchen. A little too beige for me, but interesting prints.

Front Room
Front Room

The displays were little vignettes of fabrics, books and patterns. There were great samples of bags and other small accessories. I bought a pattern for a fish hot pad holder. I wanted to support the shop and also thought it would make a good gift for Christmas. I am going to make twelve, but will start with one and see how it goes before I commit. I was also thinking it might be a good way to practice machine quilting.

 

Well worth a visit!

Quiltology

Quiltology
Quiltology

I went to a quilt shop while in Chicago called Quiltology. I got myself there via the El, which was fun, though, I thought it was a bit noisy. I was able to get myself there by reading the shop’s website. They have a nice page detailing how to get to the shop via a variety of modes of transportation.

The shop can be found at:

1221 W Diversey Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60614
Tel: 773-549-6628
Email: info@quiltology.com

You might recognize this shop from the Quilty show. They film the show at this shop. I was shocked when I walked in, because the shop is very small. Much smaller than it looks on TV.

I had to admit that I was disappointed and made a snap judgment that I would escape with my wallet intact.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Colette, the owner, is a delightful person, but also seemed strong and a good business owner. She has filled the shop with a good variety of fabrics. Not only does she have many modern fabrics, there are plenty of solids and dots as well. I was surprised, and delighted, to see that she also had a good collection of batiks and 1930s prints. Quiltology also had a number of Minkee fabrics, which she said she suggested for backs, especially of baby quilts. The modern prints are more of the medium-large prints than the really large prints. I think they are easier to use. I thought the batiks and 1930s prints were a bold choice for a modern quilt shop (my assumption). Though she didn’t say, I think they were added to appeal to different types of quiltmakers and expand the horizons of some of the young mothers that patronize the shop.

Right side of shop
Right side of shop

Colette seems to be the type of person who I would invite to be in a mini group. She learned to quilt before me and we have some of the same sensibilities about how quiltmaking should be taught and the problems with learning via pattern rather than by sampler quilt. We also discussed the lack of interest in drafting quilt blocks.

The second photo to the right shows some of the batiks and many of the solids available in the shop. The photo also shows the selection of books and notions.  The  black and white quilt to the left of the quilt. Colette is using this as a cover for the doorway to the back. You can see a corner of the cutting table, middle left.

Front left of shop
Front left of shop

The shop is bright and filled with light. The shelves are white and the wooden floor is a lovely honey color (Kastanianhonig – chestnut honey, specifically).

I would highly recommend visiting this shop if you are in Chicago. You won’t be disappointed.

Broadway Quilts Sonoma

Broadway Quilts, Sonoma
Broadway Quilts, Sonoma

As I have mentioned before, DH is on the board of a non-profit, which starting now will require more travel on the weekends for us. this past weekend we headed up to Sonoma for a historic building dedication, a commemoration ceremony and the reenactment of the Bear Flag Revolt. After all of that and the drive up there we got lunch. I didn’t get lunch, I brought my own, because of my food issues.

DH knows that one way to get me to go with him on these jaunts when I can is to not complain about visiting local quilt shops. Broadway Quilts in Sonoma was our first excursion. Broadway Quilts is easy to find. It is right off of 116 just as you drive off the freeway. From south it is on the left. On Sundays it is open from 11-3, which I made sure DH knew. We flew past in the morning to get to the dedication, but we saw it, so we knew where it was on our way back out of town.

The boys came in with me even though I, specifically, uninvited them. It was too hot to stay in the car, so I couldn’t really begrudge them wanting to take advantage of the air conditioning.

Broadway Quilts Interior
Broadway Quilts Interior

The store is light and airy and large! I walked in a heard a disembodied voice coming from all around me and welcoming me to the store. I thought I was being visited by God who happened to be a quilt shop owner/worker. 😉

The lady who was working was very nice, genuinely cheerful and nice. She helped me paw through their stash of Aurifil to try and find #2600 for me (no luck) without complaining.

The store has a lot of the latest and greatest fabric. I saw Vintage Modern, Echo, a great selection of tone-on-tones, which I thought no longer existed, and a whole room full of 1930s fabric. I am not an expert on 1930s fabrics, but I do look out for them, because FQs make good gifts for TFQ.

Broadway Quilts Notions
Broadway Quilts Notions

As I mentioned, the store is large and their notions selection was really good. They still have the regular full selection of Dritz, but they also have  a lot of Creative Grids rulers, including those with teeth to make half square triangles. I am not sure I have ever seen those in a shop before. They carry a modest selection of Aurifil, project cases, Omnigrid rulers, bag accessories – you name it. A very good selection.

There was a enough space to move around, which was nice. They also share space with a longarm business. The longarm is set up int he back of the store, but it is a separate business. I think that is a good symbiotic relationship.

It looked like they had a small classroom and I saw classes mentioned on their web page, but I didn’t see a class list.

Broadway Quilts Flowering Snowball
Broadway Quilts Flowering Snowball

One of the samples I saw hanging up was a Flowering Snowball! I felt like such a maverick when I started that quilt a dog’s age ago, but now everyone seems to be making them. This one is nice. I think it was made with Vintage Modern or, perhaps, Ruby.

I liked the store and would go there again. Yes, I bought fabric, but just a little.

Trip East

To those of you who live in places that require you to jump in the car and drive for 20 minutes every time you want an ice cream, a loaf of bread or some fabric, my idea of a trek probably has you rolling your eyes. I drive about 2 miles a day and then spend the rest of the day’s transportation allotment on a train with some buses and streetcars thrown in for good measure. I also walk a lot.

Today was a bit different as I was heading to C&T Publishing to return a quilt from the Primal Green Show, go to lunch and do some other errands that were out that way. It was a long haul, but a good day in general. Drivers weren’t too idiotic, people did not zoom through the Fastrak lane and then try and swerve to the cash lane at the last minute, the rain didn’t pour down while I was driving or while I was walking around without a hood or umbrella: all in all a good day.

Where the Magic Happens
Where the Magic Happens

First stop: C&T Publishing

This unassuming industrial type building, in an industrial neighborhood, hides a lot of colorful goodness! I walked into the building and saw the most beautiful C&T commemorative quilt. I am sorry I didn’t take a picture of it. It was really gorgeous!

I also liked the wall of tear sheets they had opposite the reception desk advertising their current titles. It was a great decoration/advertising idea.

Lisa was kind enough to show me all of the different departments. It was funny to think that I have a mystical, awe inspired idea of working in a quilt publishing house, but the people there were just working. I am sure they enjoy their work, but I am also sure that it is a job to them. She took me out into the warehouse where I saw a lot of palettes covered in industrial strength Saran Wrap! I also got a peek inside the photo shoot studio, which is also in the warehouse. Very interesting!

Slightly damaged
Slightly damaged

I was allowed to pick out some books from their slightly damaged shelf. I didn’t have much time so I just grabbed books. These look interesting, don’t you think?

We went to lunch and, afterwards, I showed Lisa Kissy Fish, which I had in the trunk.

Thimble Creek
Thimble Creek

Second stop: Thimble Creek, Concord, Calif.

Talking with Lisa reminded me that I have been wanting to try TAP, so I decided that that would be my excuse to go to Thimble Creek, which is just a mile or so up the road from the C&T headquarters.

I hadn’t been to their ‘new’ location. They moved at least 3 years ago. There was a theme a few years ago of quilt stores moving to industrial or office park areas, because of less expensive rent. It worked for some stores not for others. I was nervous about going, because I don’t know the area and I was afraid I would have trouble finding it. Sometimes the stores that have moved to these industrial areas have been hard to find. Silly, I know, but there you have it.

I walked in and there was a feeling of comfort and light in a country/shabby chic sort of way. The place wasn’t as large as their last location, but they had a lot of fabric The arrangement by color, mostly, but also by style/type. There was a section of large florals including Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs, etc. There was a section of reproductions (some Civil War?) and the choices were very appealing. I didn’t buy any, but loved some of the colors – some of the pinks and blues, especially. There was also a section of dots,and another with fabric that looked like the forthcoming Malka Dubrowski fabrics. There was a section of wools. They had a small section of notions, quite a lot of thread and a nice selection of specialty rulers, but not many Creative Grids.

Kissy Fish Framing
Kissy Fish Framing

Third stop: Framing

Kissy Fish is finished – my part at least. The back looked unfinished, because I stitched through to the back. I originally thought I would put an additional back on. As I got near to finishing I decided that I would frame it. It is an art piece and I want it to be considered art.

A few years ago, I had a number of different types of art pieces framed. The frame shop to which my mom took the pieces did a really great job. Unfortunately, that outlet closed. Fortunately, I found that they had a second shop near C&T, so I went there. I was really pleased to find the shop and added it to my list of tasks for yesterday. I was really pleased the the service. The above mats and frame color are what I chose. It will be ready in a few weeks and I’ll let you know if I like the final result.

Whole Foods was right across the street so I was able to get the gluten free pie crusts I need for Thanksgiving and then I headed home. I thought about stopping at The Cotton Patch and getting the TAP, but I decided just to head home. I’ll get it another time.

Finally: I decided to stop by the Young Man’s school and see if I could find him and if he needed a ride. Boy, was I lucky! He was right out front and ready to go.

Open Letter to Longarmers

Dear Longarm Quilter,

Thank you for taking the time to quilt my quilt. I really appreciate your assistance, your artistry and your attention to detail.

I want to support your small business, which is one reason I come to you. I want you to be successful and I want to be able to recommend you to my friends. I was a small business owner in the not-too-distant-past, so I know it is hard work and can be thankless at times.

I have very high standards, which I will warn you about in advance. I have even higher standards for charity quilts. I do my best work on these quilts, so the recipients know I care. I expect the same from you. If you feel anxious about meeting those standards, please send me away with my quilt. I want my quilt done well and I don’t want to increase your anxiety level.  I will respect you for being honest.

Please remember that this is a collaborative effort and what I say to you in our initial meeting is pertinent to how I want my quilt quilted. I have worked hard on the piecing and want your quilting to fit well with my piecing design. Please do not overshadow my piecing with inappropriate quilting. Please do not try to sell me on your designs. Listen to what I want and tell me if you can’t, or don’t want, to do what I want. My quilt is not your playground to show off the quilting that would be much better suited for a whole cloth quilt.

I will tell you that my backs are always pieced and I don’t always press the seams open, that my quilts are almost never square (though not terribly off), and that I use fusible and raw edge applique’. If you can’t, or don’t want to, deal with any of these peculiarities, please tell me upfront. I’d rather know and find someone else.  I will respect you for being honest.

Please act professionally. Do not whine, after the fact, about my unsquare quilts, pieced backs or fusible applique’.  If you whine afterwards, I will suspect you are blaming me for your own poor longarming skills and I am not interested in excuses. If you have, or think you might have, a problem with my quilt, please don’t take it on in the first place.   I will respect you for being honest.

Please be generous about your competitors. Making snide comments about them does not endear me to you or make me loyal.

Please make sure your machine is in good working order. Please make sure you know how to load the back tightly so there are no pleats. Please clean the oil up so it doesn’t stain my quilt. If you do get a pleat or have a problem, I expect you to rip out the quilting and do it over AND not charge me for the time. Your mistake = your problem.

Please have the quilt done when you say it will be done. If it isn’t done, please call me and we can work out a new time to get the quilt. If I arrive and the quilt is not done and you are not working on it, I won’t be happy. Please be realistic about your commitments. Can you really finish my 5 quilts this week? REALLY?

Finally, if someone else picks up my quilts for me, don’t tell them that you screwed up and are glad they picked up the quilts instead of me since you knew I would be angry. If you think I will be mad, fix the problem. I have a phone and can call you. I can be angry over the phone.

Thank you, Love, J

Visit to Minnesota

I went to Minnesota for a series of meetings a few weeks ago. I am on an Advisory Board for a company and this is the third year I attended the meetings. It is not as important as a Board of Trustees, but important enough. This will be the last year I attend, and since I have no plans to head back to Minnesota in the near future, I told the organizer I wanted to come a day early and visit quilt shops. She graciously arranged for an extra day at the hotel and found a quiltmaker in the company who was willing to drive me around to quilt shops. Michele, my fabulous ‘driver’ was excellent. She sent me a huge list of quilt shops, mapped out a plan and came to pick me up at an agreed upon time and then drove all over the Twin Cities visiting quilt shops.

Glad Creations
Glad Creations

Glad Creations was the first shop we visited. It was a small shop neatly crammed with  tons of fabric, books, tools and notions. I bought some Wonder Clips, which I had never seen anywhere before. They also had a large selection of Jo Morton fabric and books, which I had also never seen before. I am not really interested in her fabric or projects, just in her triangle techniques. They had a Sew Day going on upstairs.

Blast from the Past
Blast from the Past

You are probably wondering why I have a photo of the Glad Creations restroom here? See that wallpaper? That is the exact wallpaper that the kitchen in my childhood home had. The only difference is that this colorway is a little more green. The colorway in our kitchen was more blue.

I posted it to Facebook. My sister screamed 9virtually) and my parents laughed. I didn’t ask, but I wonder if this wallpaper has been here for awhile or if that pattern is still available to hang? Perhaps I should find out and buy some rolls of it and send them to my sister? I wonder if she would scream more? Heh heh.

It could also be used as inspiration for a Kaleidoscope quilt a la Paula Nadelstern.

Glad Creations Classroom
Glad Creations Classroom

Did I mention that Glad Creations was crammed? It was. They had fabric, notions, tools, books, kits, batting, and samples EVERYWHERE. Everywhere I turned there was another something that was gorgeous. There was lots to see and look at and to give a person inspiration.

I took this photo of the classroom, because you could see at least 3 samples from this little slice of the room. On the right side – just out of the photo was another wall with 4-5 other samples.

Glad Creations Quilt Block 3400 Bloomington Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55407. Phone: 612-724-1079. E-Mail: nancy [at] gladcreationsquilts [dot] com

Bear Patch Quilting
Bear Patch Quilting

Bear Patch Quilting was in a place called White Bear Lake. I wanted to see the white bear, but it wasn’t possible, apparently. Bear Patch Quilting is a large store with a wide variety of everything quilt related. The stock was different than Glad Creations and the lighting was good. There was also a selection of rug hooking materials and several ladies were in the back of the store hooking away. They had lots and lots of 1930s fabrics. I wished, then, that TFQ had an online swatch inventory so I could have picked out some 30s fabrics for her hexagon quilt. I saw a number of embroidery projects and they were more than willing to cut me some FQs. As I result I added a couple of pieces to the Food Quilt fabric stash.

Bear Patch Quilting
2199 4th Street
White Bear Lake, MN 55110-3014
(651) 429-1039

Hours: Sun 12:00–4:00pm; Mon-Thu 9:00am–9:00pm; Fri-Sat 9:00am–5:00pm

Rosebud's Cottage
Rosebud’s Cottage

Rosebud’s Cottage was down the street and around the corner from Bear Patch, so if you go to White Bear Lake, you can hit two quilt shops!

I am not sure why I expected Rosebud’s Cottage to be larger, but I did. It has a nice selection, but is pretty small. They also had a small selection of cards and scrapbook materials. There were a group of ladies there stitching. We talked to them about their interesting Block of the Month. Some of the ladies were working on Halloween blocks. The shop had great bag samples!

Rosebud’s Cottage
2154 3rd Street
White Bear Lake, MN 55110-3233
(651) 426-1885

Quilt Haven
Quilt Haven

Quilter’s Haven was a shop on the bottom level of a newish looking condo complex. I didn’t see a sign. Michele knew where it was, but the only reason I knew we had arrived was from the Bernina sign. They must have some ordinance about signage.

The building was new, the space was filled with fabric and there was a large class going on. The woman at the counter showed us a quilt she had made that, despite the Civil War repros, was gorgeous. They had a great selection of books and I was able to look at the Zentangle quilting book (forgot the name).

Quilter’s Haven
2930 146th Street
Rosemount, MN 55068-3163
(651) 322-7071

Fabric Town
Fabric Town

When we pulled into the mall (outdoor type mall with a Dollar Store),I thought Fabric Town would be kind of a remnants or cut rate/discount store. WRONG! This was a regular quilt store sandwiched into a strip mall. (As an aside, a lot of the MN quilt stores were in strip malls and all I can think is that they can guarantee someone will plow their parking lot, if they set up shop in a strip mall). Walking into the store was walking into a completely different world. The store is filled with all kind of reproduction fabrics, embroidery and aprons, but it didn’t feel dark and depressing. The store is arranged in such a way that it looks like you are on Main Street of your local small town. It is really a gorgeous store with a lot of interesting samples and patterns. The way they put their reproduction fabrics together was different than repro quilts I have seen in the past.

Fabric Town Quilt
Fabric Town Quilt

Their quilts, even the Civil War quilts, were not dark or depressing looking. I know not all repro quilts are dark and depressing, but until this shop I had seen very few.

Do you remember those dishcloths that your grandmother or auntie used to make that had “Wednesday” with a picture of a girl doing laundry on it? The shop had a large number of block of the month type embroidery patterns that were similar in style.  I saw one set that had patterns for baskets. I resisted, but I was sorely tempted. The pictures were so graceful and the flowers were so pretty. These were patterns that I knew would completely change my life if I bought them. 😉

One thing I really wanted from this shop was their pattern for a baking dish carrier. Sadly, they only had kits and none of the fabrics in any of the kits were remotely appealing. I have a covered dish/baking dish carrier pattern and haven’t made it yet. I am sure there are other equally useful patterns for the same sort of thing out there. Michele is going to check back and see if they start selling the pattern. That pattern would look great made with one of Martha Negley’s large vegetable prints.

FabricTown
7655 148th Street West
Apple Valley, MN 55124-7800
(952) 432-1827

Quilt Cove
Quilt Cove

Michele saved the best for last. I liked the other stores, but Quilt Cove had more fabric – MUCH more, more tools, notions and supplies and more patterns. I didn’t even look at the patterns. I didn’t have time. We stayed there for a long time and it was so enormous that I didn’t have the time to look at everything. I also became a little overwhelmed at the amount of stuff in the store. I am not sure I have ever been in a quilt shop as large as this store was. Again, this store was in a mall. It was in a mall with a Target and I think that would be great to have. After fighting the crazy people at Target, I could go and give myself a treat at the quilt shop. Might be dangerous.

The cool thing was that I saw fabric I had not seen before. One of them was Mixmaster Dot to Dot by Patrick Lose. You know what a sucker I am for lines of nice tone-on-tones in a variety of colorways. I promise to do another Interlocking Triangles quilt in the near future with some of the lines I have been collecting. You will be proud that I did not buy all that I saw. I tried to be discerning, even though it was difficult.  I would highly recommend a trip to Quilt Cove.

Quilt Cove
1960 Cliff Lake Rd # 134
Eagan, MN 55122-2439
(651) 452-8891

Patterns & Tools
Patterns & Tools

Here are the various patterns, books & tools I bought. Yes, I bought a Jo Morton book. It was on sale and I wanted to be able to study her flying geese technique. I think she self publishes and her books are on the pricey side.

The This & That pattern is the great pattern I bought at Rosebud’s Cottage. I thought I would use a Jelly Roll, but now that I remember that I sincerely dislike Jelly Rolls again, I’ll cut my own strips.

If I ever get any quilts quilted again, I can’t wait to try the Wonder Clips. I also think they will work well for laminates.

Mixmaster & Friends
Mixmaster & Friends

These fabrics aren’t specifically designated for anything just yet, but soon. Some of the pinks and yellows may going into a quilt for which i have inadvertently gathered quite a little pile of fabric.

I bought a couple of yards of the two Mixmaster greys thinking I could them as backgrounds for the Interlocking Triangles quilts I am planning.

Like everything, we will see. I counted up my in process projects and that number was enough to scare me off of starting anything new in the near future.

Funky Bundle
Funky Bundle

These fabrics were a little off from what I usually buy, but they appealed to me when I saw them at the Quilt Cove. they are completely on ‘spec, so I will have to think of something stellar to do with them. A bag, I think, and perhaps the This & That bag. Hhmm.

Bits and Turquoise
Bits and Turquoise

I couldn’t leave without some turquoise and aqua.

It was a great day thanks to Michele. We had a great time chatting about our quilt projects and our families. It was a very pleasant day.

Quilt Assistant Needed

Janome 9000
Janome 9000

Last weekend, I accidentally hit the foot pedal after I had put on the quarter inch foot and before I had changed the stitch setting from zigzag back to straight stitch. The needle hit the metal foot and the machine (Janome 9000, 15+ years old) didn’t sound right after that. It didn’t sound terrible, but I just didn’t like the way it sounded.

The machine is long overdue for service, so Friday I ran a whole bunch of quilt errands plus got my glasses adjusted, which has been on my list for 9 months at least.

First stop was the Cotton Patch, which is where I leave my machine for service. It was probably the farthest location from my house (around the City, across a bridge, up and over a hill). My idea was to make a big round circle ending up back at home.

Cotton Patch, Lafayette, Calif
Cotton Patch, Lafayette, Calif

I spent quite a bit of time talking with the lady at the shop about the machine. She wasn’t the repair person, so she was taking lots of notes. She asked good questions. Yes, I looked at the new and used machines, but that dream is for another day.

I consoled myself about leaving my machine by looking at fabric. I saw the Mail Sack pattern by Pink Chalk Studios made up. There are a few details on it that I might want to alter and use on my own perfect bag, so I bought a copy. After buying a few pieces of fabric in Pennsylvania, I was surprised and saddened to find that every fabric I looked at in the Cotton Patch was $10.95 or $11.95. It is really expensive to live in my area and this is one of the examples. Last year, I saw fabrics at those prices while On my July trip down to Long Beach and was shocked. Now, I guess those prices are normal. Sigh.

Next stop was the University Eye Center. I have been going there for years and always feel well taken care of. My sunglasses are now not falling off my face if I incline my chin slightly and the screw has been replaced in my work glasses, so I don’t have to worry about being armless all of a sudden. 😉 I can tell you that it felt GREAT to cross that To Do off my list.

New Pieces Outside
New Pieces Outside

Then it was on to the New Pieces quilt shop. They moved to their new location 3 years ago and I am embarrassed to say that Friday was the first day I had been to the new shop. I love Sharona, the owner. She was introduced to me by someone I used to know. We used to sit in EBHQ workshops and talk about our sewing machines, because we were often the only Janome users (back before the 6600) in the class. She has been trying to get me over to the shop for ages and I just don’t make it across the bridge that often. Friday was the perfect opportunity since I was doing the big circle anyway. I am so pleased that I went to her shop. Sharona exudes joy and the shop reflects that. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. People were laughing and everyone was chatting. I observed, however, that the business of quiltmaking was going on under the laughter and the fun – notes were being taken, fabric was being cut and fat quarters were being wrapped.

New Pieces Classroom
New Pieces Classroom

I really liked the shop. It is so much larger than the old space and there was so much fabric! I walked in and felt like I was seeing mile long aisles of fabric. I also loved the classroom. It was painted RED, a similar color to my dining room.

One thing I noticed is that Sharona had fabrics had been around the block for awhile. She had the new fabrics, of course, but it was nice to see some favorites that are, mostly, no longer available.

New Pieces has some interesting classes. They have a kind of Skillbuilder block of the month and this group of classes are all about curves. For this Block of the Month, customers supply their own fabric. Another current BOM is their Asian BOM. The fabric for this project is included.

We had a bit of a chat and laughed quite a bit before I had to get back in the car and head to my next errand. I will definitely be back. If you are in the area, it is definitely worth a side trip.

Next was a visit to Colleen to pick up the Kona Challenge and to drop off Stars for San Bruno #2 and Pavers. She was surprised that I had more for her. People think I am on some kind of mission this year to finish quilts, but really I am just sewing really fast and efficiently.

Finally, my friend La lives near Colleen so I we had a nice coffee break and caught up a bit. We never have enough time, but take what we can get. I used the Innocent Crush Flea Market Bag and think that I like that bag.

 

East Coast Shopping

I hadn’t been to Lancaster County, PA in a long time, so SIL was kind enough to drive me to Philadelphia and stop at some fabric shops along the way. We enjoy shopping together. We have the opportunity to catch up as we drive around. She never does that trip to Lancaster County alone, so I get to help her renew her fabric.

We mapped out 8 or so shops, but only made it to three. I was happy to find enough food fabrics to make the Disappearing Nine Patch. One of the shops had a lot.

In general, I did see a lot of brown and muddy colors. I tried to be careful and not buy those. I also tried to be cognizant of the light. It is hazy in that area when it is hot and that affects how I see the fabrics.

We started out with a list of stores on the Quiltart website. Thanks, Judy! We used SIL’s GPS to find directions to all the shops. The GPS made us make a lot of left turns, which wasn’t always easy.

Dutchland
Dutchland

Dutchland Quilt Patch
This was a two story store with a lot of Amish looking gift items and a lot of potpourri. Two Amish women were working there (one was in training). The fabric was upstairs in a light aqua room. They had fat quarters and a large number of bolts of fabric. I bought a few pieces, some FQs for a friend and some embroidery needles. Their colors were a little on the murky side for me. I did enjoy talking with the young woman who cut my fabric. She commented on the motifs and colors we chose and talked a little about her own sewing.

Dutchland Fabrics
Dutchland Fabrics
Fabric Shack
Fabric Shack

Fabric Shack, formerly Lapp’s Dry Goods
Next we went to the Fabric Shack, formerly Lapp’s Dry Goods. This is a quilt/fabric store in a former house in the middle of a bunch of farms, e.g. it is not on a commercial strip of stores. SIL and I have been to this store in the past. I like the former name better. There is something unappealing about the word ‘shack’. It didn’t matter because the first thing I saw when I walked in were the Farmer’s Market food fabrics. This store also had LOTS of fabrics. In addition to regular quilting cottons, they had the pre-quilted fabrics, a whole room full of flannels, Moda pre-cuts, books and FQs.

We had to wait a long time when we went to check out because the lady in front of us was buying multiple cuts of 10 yards each! She told us she was making Stack-n-Whack or One Block Wonder quilts and was buying so much fabric, because she was stocking up for the summer! Later, SIL explained how the technique worked and I looked at her book, but am not sure I’ll be making one using that method.

Buggies
Buggies

One of the things we saw, which was not a surprise to me, were Amish buggies everywhere. Obviously, people had to get around and they were using buggies. I enjoyed watching them drive by as we waited in the Fabric Shack to check out. The horses were gorgeous and looked sleek and well taken care of. Next door to the Fabric Shack was a mini buggy parking lot.

Zook's
Zook's

Zook’s
Zook’s had the most fabric of any of the Amish stores we visited.  They had arranged all of their fabric by manufacturer, which I thought was an interesting way of arranging it. It seemed to make it easy for them to find fabrics when people called.

We spent the next 2.5 hours in traffic getting to Philadelphia. Bleah! I would have liked to have gone to Sauder’s, but I found plenty of fabric on this trip.It gives me something to which to look forward in the future.

Scooter Bike
Scooter Bike

I also saw these scooter bikes everywhere in Lancaster. I don’t know if they are really called scooter bikes, but that is what they look like. I seriously thought about buying one for the Young Man, but didn’t have the energy to figure out how to ship it home, so I left for this trip. Perhaps another time. I thought they would be very useful for getting around  a college campus. I am not sure how one would compare to a bike as I have never tried one out.

While in Philadelphia, I tried to go to Spool Sewing. I looked up their hours, walked over within the specified time and they were closed. 🙁 Oh well. Perhaps I’ll go to Philadelphia again and they will be open.

A few days later, I drove up to New Jersey to co-host Mark’s radio show. As I drove, I wondered why there were no quilt shops with big signs on the side of the road that I could see from the highway. If I could see it, there was half a chance that I could stop at the store. 😉

Pennington Quiltworks
Pennington Quiltworks

Pennington Quiltworks
Wishes do come true, because not 5 minutes after thinking that, I saw a huge sign for Pennington Quiltworks. How could I not stop? Pennington Quiltworks was bright and cheerful. When I arrived the place was buzzing with activity. There was a large group of ladies having fabric cut and getting ready to leave. I found out later that there were 17 of them in the group and they were working on a very bright and cheerful friendship quilt.

On Friday, I had to choose between Mt. Vernon and quilt shops. Sigh! It is hard being a grown up. I really wanted to go to Mt. Vernon and see their new visitor center and the garden re-do, but I also wanted to go to quilt shops. SIL said I couldn’t do both, so we went to the quilt shops. 😉

Capital Quilts
Capital Quilts was our first stop. This used to be SIL’s local quilt shop, but I think that Patches (see below) is closer to her. I have been to CQ at least twice before. They have great fabric. They have a lot of batiks, more of the Kaffe Fasset fabrics than I have seen at other shops, some Philip Jacobs and Amy Butler. They also have machines. The thing I like about this shop is that they haven’t sacrificed fabric space for machines.

G Street
G Street has moved since I was there last. The space was a lot smaller and their quilting cotton inventory was quite picked over. I heard someone say that they were doing inventory soon, so I am guessing that the selection would have been a lot bigger if I visited next week. They had a number of interesting rulers. I found a few more food fabrics to add to my group. The store manager helped us and she said that RJR is only printing what stores order. Makes it hard to reorder a popular fabric.

Needles & Pins
This is a small Frederick, MD shop which I visited once before. In some respects it is what I think of when I think of the quilt shop in Marie Bostwick‘s Cobbled Court novels, except smaller. I remembered it as being quite dark. This time, even though it was raining, I found it to be quite bright and stocked some cheerful fabrics. They also had a small selection of the felted wool pincushions that I like. They had a great quilt hanging up in the shop. My problem with it was that it was made from Civil War fabrics. It was a BOM and each block came with the fabrics.

I found this situation to be the case in a couple of stores. A few of the shops were doing a BOM in Civil War fabrics and there was no alternative. A quiltmaker was not able to buy the patterns without the fabric and was not able to buy an alternative colorway such as large scale prints or batiks. Of course, everything about the Civil War is very popular in this area and the fabric seems to be quite prevalent as well. Not my thing, though and it makes me wonder if I am alone in this or if they are cutting out a bunch of potential customers. I assume these stores know their customer base?

Patches
Patches

Patches Quilting & Sewing
Patches was a great shop. It is also in a house right up from the Mt. Airy main drag. The people were really friendly and the place was crammed, CRAMMED, with fabric, notions, tools, patterns, rulers, thread, books and machines. There was no available space because every surface had something to look at or buy.

Did I mention rulers? This store had more rulers than I have ever seen at one store. They had the Quilt in a Day Flying Geese rulers that I mail ordered. They had the Clearview 60 degree triangle rulers that Pam, Sandy and I have been agonizing over in THREE SIZES! I was amazed. I didn’t even know that ruler came in 3 sizes. The shop also had the Starmaker ruler that Kaye Wood uses in the video on how to cut the hexagons from strips. I have never EVER seen that ruler. They didn’t have very many sizes of the Creative Grids rulers, but a person can’t have everything and I really have no reason to complain about their selection of rulers, if you couldn’t tell.

Patches Ruler Wall #1
Patches Ruler Wall #1

They had great fabric. I could have bought almost everything there, but just had to stop, because I was getting overwhelmed. The employees were very friendly, especially Pam who, in addition to telling us everything about the store, it’s products and classes also acted as local tour guide by telling us about local restaurants.

Sisto's
Sisto's

Sisto’s
Sisto’s was our next stop and it wasn’t as well stocked with fabric as Patches. I think it got the short end of the impression stick, because we went to Patches first. They had a lot of machines and I was able to finally buy some bobbins for my machine. Crazy that I have to fly across the country to buy bobbins! We talked to them for a long time about the HQ18 (I think that is the model). It is the HandiQuilter longarm machine. The woman we spoke with knew a lot about the machine and was very friendly. They had a lot of space in the shop, but most of it seemed to be filled with machines rather than fabric.

I asked about Anna Maria Horner patterns at a couple of shops and was shocked to find that they had never heard of her or her patterns. I found it odd, but, again, I think that the shops must know their customer base. I didn’t check to see if FreeSpirit had any fabric in these shops. Perhaps FreeSpirit doesn’t have a rep in the area? Odd, though.

More from Birch Fabrics

<div > I should not look at the FabricWorm blog. Everytime I go there I want to buy more fabric. I am still washing fabric from my big trip. Sigh.

I love this selection of half yards. Isn’t it gorgeous?

clipped from www.fabricworm.com

Fabricworm Custom Quilt Bundle Grassy Garden 12 Total
Patty Young Dandelions Turquoise
Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Cactus
Michael Miller Dinky Dots Gray
Laurie Wisbrun Chairs in a Row Grass
Robert Kaufman Quilter’s Linen Aqua
Laurie Wisbrun Couches Grass
Michael Miller Daisies Gray
Laurie Wisbrun Bird Chain Grass
Robert Kaufman Pure Organic Solids Gray
Laurie Wisbrun Birds and Chairs Grass
Michael Miller Dinky Dots Lime

Michael Miller Quarter Dot Gray
blog it

Birch Fabrics

Birch Fabrics Shop
Birch Fabrics Shop

During the drive to Long Beach, one of our stops was in Paso Robles, which has 3 (!!!!) quilt shops. We tried to find the shop and initially failed. We were starving so we went to lunch  and then tried again to find Birch Fabrics, which has the online store name of FabricWorm. Due to the success of the business, the owner, Cynthia, has had to move three times in the past few months. We were about to give up finding her brick and mortar shop and move on. I spotted the address on a building, but not the ‘unit’ number. TFQ was ready to give up, so I said I would just walk around the corner and see if I could see it when I saw the sign. The experience was totally worth the hunt.

Birch Fabrics
Birch Fabrics

Cynthia Mann is the owner of Fabric Worm/Birch Fabrics and she is the nicest, most welcoming person I have met in a long time. She spent tons of time with us, showed us everything, talked to us about our trip and her fabrics and upcoming fabrics and more topics than I can remember.

I never thought about seriously reviewing shops and creating categories within the review on which I could rate shops, but if I did, for Birch Fabrics, they would be:

Scale: (worst) 1-5 (best)

Staff Friendliness: 5

Space: 5

Fabric Selection: 5

Customer Service: 10

This wasn’t just a walk in and select some bolts, cut and leave kind of shop. We spent about an hour talking with Cynthia and her staff. She not only has the brick and mortar shop and the online store, but also has a line of organic fabrics which she is distributing. I like the way she has built her business and grown it organically.

I mentioned, here, a fabric pack in which I was interested about a month or so ago. I actually was able to see it at the shop and swap out certain fabrics I knew I already had. One of the issues with customer service, generally, I have is that people aren’t flexible. Birch Fabrics has priced their fabrics in such a way that customers can swap out fabrics from their fabric packs if one or two don’t suit their needs. Cynthia wants happy customers. We are happy customers.

Birch Fabrics Display Window
Birch Fabrics Display Window

This turquoise sewing machine and bolt of fabric (defective, so they refused to sell me any, which I thought showed good ethics!) are in the front window inviting people into the shop.

Birch Fabrics Back Towards the Storeroom
Birch Fabrics Back Towards the Storeroom

They have a couple of interesting displays in the front of the shop, but the rest is fabric storage. Cynthia has the same kind of encyclopedic knowledge of fabric lines and designers that TFQ does, so they talked nonstop the whole time. I was looking at everything, entranced by the visuals.

Birch Fabrics Back + Storeroom
Birch Fabrics Back + Storeroom

The space is awesome! If I could have any kind of space I wanted, Birch Fabrics space would be transported to a spot near my house and the shop would be my workspace. The space is light and airy, bright and clean. There is plenty of horizontal space for laying out and gathering fabrics. They don’t have a lot of display quilts and projects, which keeps the visual clutter to a minimum.

Cynthia showed us her storeroom on one visit and I saw a lot of packages destined for international locations. We had a big discussion about fabric choices and offerings. TFQ thinks that many shops are missing a whole population segment by not offering more bright and modern fabrics. Cynthia has a lock on that market right now. (BTW, I tried to get TFQ to write a guest post about this and many other topics, but she politely declined)All of their fabric are modern and bright. They put interesting packs together and move the fabric through their shop.

Birch Fabrics Back Towards Railroad Ave
Birch Fabrics Back Towards Railroad Ave

Upstairs, the staff have the space for classes and are starting to have sewing classes for the local population. If the shop were near my house, I would be sewing there frequently.

Birch Fabrics Front Towards Railroad Ave
Birch Fabrics Front Towards Railroad Ave

There are plenty of cutting tables and one of Cynthia’s staff, Arlene, cut fabrics for us and for orders the whole time we were there. She is obviously integral to both the physical and online businesses. Another thing I liked is that Birch staff are fast and accurate fabric cutters.

Cherry Red/Pink Fabric Group
Cherry Red/Pink Fabric Group

Like the group I found tempting a month ago, the above group was also tempting. One thing I liked is that Birch staff puts together groups of fabrics by different designers that go really well together and will make interesting projects. In the group above, the scale and designs of the fabric are different enough to distinguish the fabrics from each other while maintaining interest in the potential project. I was filled with inspiration being in the shop.

Fabricworm/Birch Fabrics
1244 Pine Street, Ste. D
Paso Robles, Ca 93446
corner of 13th and Railroad
805-239-8888
fax: 805-239-8807
fabricworm [at] gmail [dot] com

If you are anywhere near this excellent shop, I would recommend a detour to stop by.