Quilted Twins

 Thanks to a comment from a reader local to Inverness and Citrus County, Florida, (thank you, Mama Llama!) DH and I took a little drive a few days ago to Dade City to visit Quilted Twins. I had no reason to expect that it was anything other than a typical local quilting shop. 

Gosh, was I in for a surprise!

Quilted Twins is a fabric warehouse and to suggest that I was surrounded by bolts of fabric would be to understate things. This shop consisted of many rooms packed with ceiling-to-floor shelves stuffed with bolts of fabric. It was truly overwhelming. I will let these pictures show the volume of quilting fabric stuffed into this place.

Mostly, the fabrics were separated by color which makes sense. Then, there were specialty sections or rooms, such as a batik room, a juvenile print section, a holiday or special occasion section, and a humongous area devoted to panels of every imaginable subject. Much of the fabric is closeout, but they do carry some current fabrics, too. It was quite an eclectic blend of old, new, modern, 30s, reproduction, solids, and more. So much more.

Fat quarters.

Cutting tables.

Standing at the check-out desk.

Now, I don't believe I ever revealed that I'd privately made a personal vow that I would NOT buy fabric this year - call it a 2023 New Year's resolution. Well, you guessed it. I bought 2 yards. 

However, I think I can talk myself into referring to this as a souvenir purchase rather than a fabric one. Or perhaps I will add the parameter that I can only buy sale fabric. Whichever way I look at it, two more yards of fabric will be entering the quilting room when we get home.  

And I'm not mad about it.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

It's Hard to Hobby on Vacation

Did you know that it's hard to hobby while on vacation? I had a devil of a time trying to make myself take actual stitches on any of the projects I took. Why is that? My theory is that I had enough mess with necessary luggage and I just didn't want to drag one more thing out into the general chaos of our car or hotels or homes in which we stayed. 

While I did not DO any significant stitching, thinking about quilting was never far from my mind. Today I will share a successful shopping trip and a surprise flea market find.

Throughout our week-plus stay with my brother- and sister-in-law, we took day trips out to explore various points of interest. This was early in our vacation, and visiting quilt shops was high on my priority list. Whenever we decided where the next day's journey would take us, I searched online for the locations of nearby quilt shops. 

I hit gold when we spent a day exploring the Crystal River and Homosassa areas on the gulf coast. We'd planned to visit a wildlife preserve where we could do some hiking, and if we found anything else of interest, we'd investigate accordingly. A quilt shop, Beyond the Stitches, was in the vicinity and we stopped to look around. It was one of only two shops we visited while in Florida, and it was a winner!

I have learned to expect that Florida quilt shops largely feature bright, beachy, vibrant fabrics to match the vibes of the Sunshine State. Batiks, Kaffe Fassett prints, themed panels - all make for a light and colorful shop. Beyond the Stitches reflected the feel of a tropical, happy destination throughout the shop.

The gal at the counter was just as helpful and friendly as could be. I believe she was a friend - or maybe a relative - of the owner. She said that their first incarnation was that of a machine sales and repair store, but through the pandemic, a situation arose that resulted in their becoming a fabric store, too. (Vague on remembering the details, but I think I'm close enough.) This location has two rooms, one for retail, the other for a spacious classroom. Several quilters were busy in the classroom working on special projects.

I kept my purchases in check, but I did find two pieces that will be useful in the completion of projects on my goals list for this year. Here they are - a pretty white-on-white, and a light blue KF fabric for my goal of making at least one blue KF quilt.

The other quilt-related item I want to share has nothing whatsoever to do with seeking out quilt shops. We were out and about with my cousins and their spouses to the Webster Flea Market on MLK Jr. Day. This open-field flea market is HUGE! We saw all manner of vintage items, yet I resisted the urge to buy anything. 

One particular vendor, though, was especially successful in gaining my attention. He was selling vintage signage, and he was using old quilt as table cloths. I'd have loved seeing all of them, and not just the bits that showed through between his merchandise. However, these pictures show well enough the beauty of them.

This Star of Bethlehem quilt was so bright and colorful, it was a real attention-getter. Below, I am holding out a corner of it; the maker had appliqued intricate vases of flowers and vines in the open space.

Does it make you sad to see beautiful work like this being used so? I think of the woman who put so many painstaking hours into making these quilts - maybe she instructed her daughters, too, to contribute and learn needle skills. For whatever reason, some tops were never finished, while others were. Today, all have landed in the possession of a vendor selling farm-related signage, implements, and wares. I took joy in seeing these quilts, though, and I make a private little tribute to the quilter whose hands toiled over this beautiful work.

Getting a bit philosophical, aren't I? It does give one pause, though. I continue making quilts, far more than I could ever possibly need or use. What will become of them? The day will come when they will need to be dispersed. What will their uses be in the future? Will one or two of them find their way to a flea market table in Webster, Florida?

Ah! Great if they do! I enjoy the making. I really do. And I want to continue making. And making. And making. 

In old business, I did fix the timing on my long arm yesterday. Gosh, I was so glad to finally figure it out. I took one pass on the quilt, only to discover that I now need to delve into the mysterious realm of tension. More on that later, I'm sure. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Esty Shopping

I tell myself all the time to quit buying fabric, books and supplies - I have enough!! -  yet I still see such pretty new stuff and it is so very hard to resist.

Another thing that is hard to resist is a sale.

Well, I succumbed to an Etsy sale over the July 4th holiday from a shop run by Lynn Wilder of Sewn'WildOaks blog.

Years ago - and I do mean years! - I watched a quilting show on HGTV hosted by Alex Anderson. Lynn was a guest in at least one episode, probably more. I remember watching her talk about her book Patchwork Math. At last, I have my own copy.

Lynn produces so many finely detailed quilts, and she always has perfect points and crisp lines; I figure I can learn a few things from her. This old dog is going to study and learn some new tricks, I hope!

In addition, I picked out two patterns that I have long admired. Lynn is so talented with her designs and her fabric choices and colorways are strikingly beautiful. I now have two quilts to add to my goals list: Lil' Orphan Scrappy and Country Charmer.

Now, I don't buy a lot of stuff on Etsy, and the few things I have ordered have all been of good quality, with fast service and top-notch customer service.

I believe Lynn takes all that to an entirely new level. If you study that picture above, you will notice that a lot of extra "stuff" came along with my patterns. Bonus Goodies!!

In addition to my order - 1 book and 2 patterns - I got 2 greeting cards with the patterns of my two pattern orders on the front AND a sheet of address labels with a variety of quilty pictures on each label. Sweet!

So, thank you, Lynn, for the fast service and the bonus goodies. You were a gem way back when you were a guest on television and continue to be a gem yet today. I love doing business with folks who love what they do and exude that enjoyment to their customers.

You should definitely check out Lynn's blog, and I recommend doing some shopping on her Etsy site. I believe the sale is over, but you can always load up a shopping cart, right?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Shopping In Ashland

Tuesday's big trip to Ashland for the quilt guild engagement allowed me an ideal chance to connect with Dee, a dear friend from my early teaching career. We very likely were hired as English teachers at the same board meeting in August of 1979. While my career kept me at the same school for my entire career, Dee's veered off into several other districts and even into another career path as a librarian.

Dee has recently retired and is getting more deeply into quilting, particularly baby quilts as, like me, friends of our children are having babies. Above Dee is pictured holding one of those babes on the receiving end of one of those quilts.

When this speaking engagement came up, Dee was more than willing to take on the task of entertaining me with fun places to shop and eat. Our lunch stop was a beautiful restaurant called Bella Bleu's, situated on a lovely lakeside property. We relaxed and talked nonstop, catching up with each other. We managed to cover lots of topics - books, quilts, travels, children.

Our shopping excursion took us to the nearby village of Shiloh, location of Country Fabrics. The area is heavily populated by Amish and Mennonite communities. The quilt shop is a renovated barn, moved from another location to this, massive in size, and filled with fabrics and a wide assortment of dry-goods and home-goods items. There was even a shelf of beautiful Polish Pottery for sale.

The photos above are just a random sampling of pictures taken while shopping at Country Fabrics. You can see the immensity of the barn in the top picture, which shows that magnificent ceiling. Displays and class quilts enticed shoppers and the staff was super helpful. Ruth is shown in the bottom picture cutting one of my selections the old-fashioned way - with sharp scissors.

And here is what I bought. The Charm Packs of Larkspur by 3 Sisters/Moda will join the small collection of Larkspur that I already have, so this will enhance. I found some solid yellow which I hope to use in finishing off my Village quilt. The Judy Rothermel fabric will be put to use on Lunch Box Social, a Kim Diehl pattern I plan to start soon. Those tiny calico prints just appealed to me in the moment. I have begun collecting similar pieces of late, so these three half-yard cuts will join those and await some future quilting inspiration.

Spending the day with Dee was absolutely delightful. All of us, I hope, have certain friends with whom, after months or years of infrequent contact, without missing a beat, can pick right back up as if no time at all has passed since last visiting. This is the nature of our friendship. We had hoped to include Sharon P. in the day's activities, but circumstances for her did not permit it. We do, however, plan to make that happen before the summer's end. A day similar to this would be perfection.

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

The Quilt Shoppe in Summersville, WVA

On Friday, a merry band of five quilters departed Ross Co., OH, for a distant quilt shop in central West Virginia. A couple of the girls had scoped it out for us as their guild had taken a bus trip there earlier in the year. It came quite highly recommended.

And I think I speak for the entire group when I say we were not disappointed! What a vast collection of fabrics - and some of it was older lines that I used to collect 10 or 15 years ago! Imagine seeing a bolt of Thimbleberries fabric from 1998 on the shelf next to some more current 3 Sisters or Kim Diehl. It was all good stuff, too!

So, if you ever have a chance to visit The Quilt Shoppe in downtown Summersville, I suggest you do it. The owner, Vickie, was just as pleasant as can be. Upon entering the shop, she asked where we were from. When she learned we'd been on the road three hours, she said, "The restroom is in the back, there's water in the fridge, and I'll put the coffee pot on, if you want." Just as if we were long lost friends who showed up out of nowhere, she was all about hospitality.

She didn't mind at all if I took pictures, so let me just show you around. Fabrics were organized by color for the most part. There were separate sections, however, for batiks, 30s prints, homespun plaids, and holidays.

Display case featuring old sewing notions and ephemera.

Upon entering the front door, this is the wall on the right.

The plaids and homespun.

A sitting area! And we appreciated it!
Sharon is perusing some patterns books.

The Halloween section.

The far back left corner;
black and white section next to the fat quarter cubbies.

I admired several of the samples displayed around the shop.

The back wall; this looked like a working area with tables and machines.

The batik section.

Another pretty display quilt;
the owner said she has a friend with an antique business
who helped her "stage" the shop. 

Headboards were often used to showcase the samples.

Now, let's get down to the good stuff - what did I buy? I came away with stash enhancers. No big yardage, but lots of fat quarters and fat eighths. I did attempt to exercise restraint, but perhaps I wasn't entirely successful. I don't think it's too excessive, though. Right??

Lately, I have been on a 30s kick, so the four half-yard cuts down front satisfy that desire. The four packs at the top are mostly of the repro or primitive variety. I think some of the quilts on my list for the coming year (when I'm no longer focusing so heavily on UFOs) will benefit from the variety.

Ah, it was a wonderful day spent talking quilts with the quilty friends in our Frankfort Girls group. It was great spending such quality time with a group of truly quality ladies.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Day Trip to Indiana - Part 2

The first part of this quilter's journey appeared on Saturday's post, which you can read by clicking here. Today, I will share the second part of our trip - the store in Greenwood, Indiana, called Back Door Quilts. We'd planned to go back in the winter time, but were snowed out, so Friday was our reschedule date, and what fun we had! Five of us went to see what mischief we could find, and bargains, too.

Back Door Quilts did not disappoint. We had to make several u-turns to find them, but we made it and were well-rewarded with eye candy all over the store. Never have I seen so many samples made up and displayed as I have in this shop. It was a quilter's heaven, for sure. I saw in one of the display cabinets a certificate identifying them as a featured quilt in APQ's Quilt Sampler. I am going to dig in my stack of issues to see if I have it. Stay tuned for that.

I took a ton of pictures, so I won't waste your time with my talky-talk. Instead, I will just let you enjoy the same eye candy that we all enjoyed on Friday afternoon. Just look all those samples on display. It was really great seeing so many and it definitely gave us all ideas for projects we just had to have. You know how it is, I trust.

Can you guess that I also did my part in boosting the local economy here, as well as in Liberty? I have a nice little stack of new stuff all set to share with you tomorrow. I hope you'll come on back to have a peek.

Happy Quilting, Friends!