Inspiration From All Around

We've been on vacation this past week on our annual beach trip.  (Yes, I have even MORE vacation pictures to share soon.  I'll understand if you pass on the opportunity.)  Thanks to the wonders of technology and an unlikely amount of planning on my part, I was able to write a few blog posts and schedule them to post while I was away.   And I've been able to keep up reading all your blog posts, but alas, my techno-savvy stops there.  You see, I find commenting on my iPad a bit difficult so I tend not to comment as much as I normally would.  And my smart phone decided to stop being smart, so it no longer sends me email.  I've tried every trick I know but it stubbornly refuses to cooperate.  I fear this means a trip to the phone store where they will try to sell me a new phone that I really don't need, especially since I barely need the one I have.  I keep hoping that my phone just took a bit of a vacation too and will soon be back to work sending me email.

It takes about five hours for us to travel to the beach.  We like to stop several times on the way and one of the stops is usually this fantastic quilt shop:  The Quilter's Corner.  I came home with these 1930's reproduction fabrics and then some other pieces that just sort of called to me:

 

My husband also got into the act.  He picked out this for me to make, not really knowing exactly what it was.  He thought it was a quilt kit, but it's for a teeny tiny paper pieced project.  I've done some paper piecing but nothing this small, so I have a challenge!

 

The day before we left for the beach my local quilt guild had a visit from Jenny Doan of the Missouri Star Quilting Company.  I wasn't able to stay for the workshop, but I did get to hear her speak and see her trunk show.  She is SO much fun to listen to and so very creative.  I wanted to make every quilt she took out to show.  She works a lot with pre cuts...something I've never done, but I wanted to run out and buy some after listening to her.  She has a great web site and sells a ton of precuts.  Each day at midnight the website lists a new "Deal of the Day".  And they really ARE good buys.  The deal is good for 24 hours or until the supply runs out, whichever comes first.  Shipping is five dollars for any amount or free is you spend $100 or more.  And, there is now an "Iron Quilter" contest going on which sounds like a lot of fun.

 

So, between my fabric store trip, Jenny's talk, the Iron Quilter challenge and some browsing on my iPad, I came home with enough ideas to keep me busy for the next year!



 

New Fabric Stores Near Me

When I first posted about fabric stores in my area I never exactly mentioned where "my area" was.  So, just to set the facts straight, I'm talking about stores in and around the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  I have two additions to my list:

Sew Classic Fabrics - They are located inside the Shenandoah Heritage Farmers Market.  They have a Facebook page, but I can't view it since I'm one of last few people who is NOT on Facebook.  They sell both quilting fabric and garment fabric.  I visited before their official grand opening and really liked the variety that they had.  My only problem was that some of the fabrics were shelved too high for me to see.  I'm sure I'll be back to visit.

Walmart - I'm not a big fan of Walmart and I visit very seldom.  We have two Walmarts in this area but only one has a fabric section.  They have a good selection of various stabilizers and muslin and a fair amount of prints.  The quality isn't as good as quilt stores, but the price is great.  They often have a sale area with fabrics for $1.50 and $2.50 a yard.  And, they're always open so if I have need of something basic on a Sunday....it's off to Walmart I go.

Fabric Stores in Lancaster, PA

On our way to New Jersey we made an overnight stop in Lancaster, PA.  Lancaster is an Amish area and I had been told that there are some nice fabric stores nearby.  They also have outlet shopping.  We spent Friday visiting a few outlet stores and then met my brother and sister-in-law on Saturday morning.  The women went fabric shopping while the men held down a bench in the shade on a porch outside of the first store.  We really only visited two fabric stores.  The third store sold quilts already made.  It was inspiring to see the quilts and some new techniques but the fabric stores themselves were the most fun.  The fabric stores are actually in a little town called Intercourse, PA.  The street is filled with little shops that merit a visit.  The two we visited were:

The Old Country Store:  We left the men on this porch on the shady side of the street.  The store is a combination of things.  The front is filled with completed craft items for sale.  The back has many, many bolts of fabric and the upstairs is a quilt museum.  We enjoyed taking it all in.  We found a woven table runner that looked fun to make and my sister-in-law went home with the pattern for it.  You can check in out here. The museum had a nice collection of quilts many of them intimidating in their complexity and precision.

Zooks Fabric Store (no website that I can find):  This store is just up the street (east) and on the opposite side from the first one.  They win the prize for the most fabric!  There were bolts and bolts and bolts of fabric.  I was amazed to hear a customer ask for a specific fabric with roosters and one of the clerks knew exactly where it was stored among the thousands of bolts.  They had quilting fabric as well as dressmaking fabrics.  Both stores had prices several dollars a yard below what I typically pay here in my area.  I came home with a few yards of striped fabric for bindings.  I sometimes have trouble finding striped fabric that will work for binding so I figured that was a good addition to my stash.

There are many other fabric stores in the area, but we had to move on to get to New Jersey in time for an event in the evening.  It also was a VERY warm day and our air conditioner in the car decided to stop working properly.  We bought a small ice chest and filled in with ice and bottled water to make the hot trip more bearable.

Fabric Stores In and Near Columbus, Ohio

I spent this last weekend in Columbus, Ohio with my husband.  I love the shopping in Columbus.  They have about every store you can imagine and we visited many of them.  On the top of my shopping list was finding a fish print fabric for my next quilting project.  I wasn't just looking for any fish.  I was looking for game fish, preferably salt water.  I visited many fabric stores on this quest and while I bought some fabric and added yet another quilt to my list, I came up short on the fish fabric.  I've learned that when I have such a specific item that I'm looking for, it's best to look and buy online.  I finally found the perfect fabrics at Fabric.com.  But along the way I visited some great fabric stores and thought I would list them here:

Red Rooster Quilts:  This is actually in Dublin, Ohio which is northwest of Columbus.  But it is well worth the trip.  They have a great collection of quilting fabrics, a large clearance room and a lot of patterns and kits.  The staff is both friendly and knowledgeable.  I ended up buying a collection of Wizard of Oz prints since (as already established earlier) this is one of my all time favorite movies.

Sew to Speak:  This is a small store with a great blog.  Their fabrics were bright and cheerful.

Hobby Lobby:  This is a chain that I had not heard of before.  They don't have any stores around my home.  They are sort of a cross between Michael's and Jo Ann Fabric.  They had quite a bit of variety and would be certainly worth a visit.  Of course there is not the small store atmosphere of individually owned shops.

The Glass Thimble:  This store goes on and on and on.  It also has a great variety and a staff that knows their stock.  Best of all, they have a great "man couch" and a stock of magazines where my husband could wait for me to browse through the maze of rooms. I found the perfect fabric to bind my garden quilt here.

Quilt Beginnings:  This is another great quilt stores in Dublin.  I believe they have two stores, but the Dublin one was where I visited.  Another great assortment of fabric!  Every one of these stores could rate as better than my local options for variety.

Quilt Trends:  And yet again, great variety, great service, and very inspiring. This one tied with the Red Rooster as my favorite with the Glass Thimble right behind.

My husband often goes to Columbus for business and our son will be starting at Ohio State next month, so I expect to have reason to return to the area. I put my name on several lists to receive email and snail mail about what is going on at the stores.  While Columbus doesn't have much geographical attraction, it seems to be a very livable city.  The people are friendly, they are free of the religious self righteousness that is prevelant in my area and they have a dynamic infrastructure that provides many opportunities for activities and interests. 

On the last day of my visit we went to the Columbus Zoo.  It was one of the nicest zoos I have every visited.  It was well planned, clean, and resonably priced.  We planned on making a return visit there soon also.

Fabric Stores Near Me

I've been traveling to fabric stores in my area in search of just the right prints for my quilt projects.  I'm going to summarize them here, mostly for me since I still have an audience of zero.  (Not to whine, but I don't even have spam comments)

Patchwork Plus:  This store has a nice collection of quilt fabrics and a knowledgeable staff.  It's organized and easy to navigate.

Ragtime Fabrics:  They carry all kinds of fabrics but you have to sort of search.  Parking can be difficult here.
Added 12/17/12: This has become my very favorite store.  The parking issue is minor compared to the friendliness of the staff.  I feel welcomed and included in this store.  There is such a nice, helpful, friendly atmosphere.  Prices are great.  They carry Baby Lock sewing machines and one will be under the tree for me this year!

Rachel's Quilt Patch:  I love this store.  It's in an old train depot building which gives it real charm.  They carry a nice collection of fabrics and have a very pleasant staff. I found the store inspiring in so many ways.  And they have an adorable store cat.

Valley Fabrics:  This store (sorry no web site)  had the most complete collection of quilting fabrics yet.  I happened to go when they were having a great sale.  They had tons of novelty prints and basics like solid colors, stripes and checks.  They had a nice collection of homespuns and also carried some dressmaking fabrics.  Below the store is a bakery and a woman who has a long arm quilting service.  I went downstairs to talk to her, but didn't find her "home".  But I'm keeping this in mind in case I want to have someone else quilt my pieces.

Cottonwood:  This was another very nice store.  They have a good selection of quilting fabrics along with some wools and a few flannels.  The parking is good and the staff was friendly.

Jo Ann Fabrics:  This is a national chain.  They carry a variety of fabrics and tend to have more yardage of a particular fabric than the smaller stores.  They have good sales and convenient parking.

I'll add to this list as my travels broaden.

Addendum  (added 4/17/12):  In my year of blogging, the post that receives the most hits is my pirate quilt (I think because of the picture which comes up on image searches) and this is the second...although a FAR second.  So, I thought it was time to say where "near me" is.  These stores are all in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia, just in case anyone is looking for stores near where they live.  Over the year my favorite store has become Cottonwood.  That store draws me in and inspires me.  The staff is very helpful and they have the best loyalty program I have ever been a part of.  Happy quilting!