Good Vibes at the Quilter's Patch, Victoria, TX

    Stopped in at the Quilter's Patch in Victoria to check it out, walked in the door, and knew I had to do a review.  First impression: bright and attractive with a nice greeting from one of the shop owners (Sherry Ware).  It just had good vibes!

    I snapped this pic when the girls weren't looking.  That's Sherry in the blue and her sister who was helping out on this day to her left.  They are visiting with customers there on the right mostly hidden by a counter display.   Sherry and her co-owner  Karen Leach opened the shop 20 years ago last fall and it seems like they are going strong.  That is saying something as we quilters have seen the demise of so many shops in the past few years.

I liked the 30's area. I plan to return another day and take a closer look.  I think I spied some prints that need to be added to my stash.













Some of the patterns that are available in the shop.   The classroom area is over to the left behind the pattern display board.  

The spot for planning those quilts for grandbabies.  So bright and cheerful it makes you itch to get started! 

Loved this corner as I like to embellish towels.  Good selection and I may have to add a few of these in colors I don't have.

Batiks are featured just inside the front door and to the right.   

Batik autos tool along over hill and dale on the display quilt.

More fabrics, threads, notions.  

Basic fabrics arranged by color. Always helpful when selecting coordinates for your quilt.

 This was an adorable book, a great bedtime read for the little ones that incorporates sewing and crafting elements.  By author Michael McCormick. There is another book entitled Gabby Quilts for Friends.   

The shop offers classes, especially beginner classes, and participates twice a year in a shop hop.   Quilt Sampler magazine featured them in their 2015 fall issue. Link to their website: http://www.quilterspatch.com/

A NEW QUILT SHOP IN AN OLD DOWNTOWN - QUILTING IN THE VALLEY

When I was growing up in the area, LaSalle, IL was the place we 
went to do serious shopping.  Like many towns in America, the 
downtown fell on hard times a number of years ago and most of 
the stores that had been there for many years had to close. 
Currently there is an effort being made to revitalize the downtown.
A new and vibrant quilt shop is helping to bring that about.  
       QUILTING IN THE VALLEY opened its doors this past December.  

Owner Lisa Furleigh is enthusiastic about her quilting and her 
shop. Currently stocking around 2500 bolts of premium quilting
cottons plus patterns and notions, she also offers classes and longarm quilting. And as if that isn't enough to keep  her hopping, in September the shop will add a Bernina sewing machine dealership.

 Note the mandala style table topper designs by Laurie Tigner displayed on the wall behind Lisa.  Intricately appliqued, the patterns are made easier using the raw edge technique. The   autumn design really appealed to me.  

To Lisa's right on the counter is a display of Quilt Dots magnets. 
I purchased one of the necklace magnet bases and 3 of the magnetic "dots" featuring Judy Niemeyer quilt designs.

Cute apron pattern. Lisa 
stocks lots of neat purse
and bag patterns also.  

This novel hexagon patterned table runner
caught my eye.   A local quilter designs
and teaches a new hexie pattern each month
at the shop.

Lots of rich batiks.  Noting a 
shortage of batiks in red and 
yellow in other shops, Lisa 
has a good supply on hand.
She also has a nice number of 
them in lights which are often
overlooked in shops even 
though every quilt needs its 
lights, mediums, and darks!  

I chatted with Lisa for a few minutes before she had to
start a buying session with a salesman.  She had recently been
to market and was excited about new things she had seen and purchased for the shop there.  New classes are constantly being added including Block of the Month quilts.  

For now, here is Lisa's business card and a link to her Facebook
page:   https://www.facebook.com/quiltinginthevalley
A website for the shop is in the works.  

Take a short detour off of I-80 as you travel across Illinois 
for a stop in LaSalle at  

Worth the Detour

           On a tip from my Dallas sister that shares my love of quilting, we detoured from a trip to the Oregon Coast to make a stop in McMinnville, OR to check out Boersma's Sewing Center.  We plugged  the address into Google Maps and were pleasantly surprised at what we found when we heard the "you have arrived at your destination" announcement.  Located in the heart of Willamette Valley's wine country, McMinnville is midway between the coast and Portland. With green rolling hills as a backdrop,  this historic city has kept its turn-of-the century charm.

   Boersma's is situated in the old downtown area of McMinnville on a charming tree lined street bedecked with numerous containers of lush and colorful flowers. In fact, the building they occupy was once a Montgomery Ward's store.  It's always nice to see an old building lovingly "recycled".  With an abundance of interesting shops and eateries, we could have easily spent a pleasant day or more here.   That's always a nice plus for a trip to a quilt shop.  In fact, there was a nice looking coffee shop and a pizza parlor right across the street from Boersma's.  And at the end of the next block was a shady, attractive city park.   

Sarah and Marie

   Boersma's has been owned and operated by the same family since 1935.  It's a spacious and wonderfully well lit shop.  I love a shop

with good lighting where you can actually see true colors when putting together a quilting project.  Spread over three floors, there's room for everything.  As you enter at street level, the first thing you notice are the numerous finished quilts hanging about the shop from an unusual track system designed by the owner.  You almost feel like you have stepped into a Quilt Show.  The system has a very clean and industrial look to it and I discovered it allows the sales clerks to easily change out the quilts.

The next thing you notice is the amazing 

collection of antique sewing 

machines, etc. beautifully displayed throughout the shop.  All this provides the perfect backdrop for the thousands of bolts of fabric and all the "stuff" that goes with them. The selection of fabrics was very well rounded but I was especially impressed with the flannels collection.  It was the most extensive I have seen.   

Lots of batiks

Old fashioned display case located just inside the front door.

Kids Corner

There were some really cute patterns for cloth toys.  










Just some of the many flannels in stock.

Good selection of  solids.

Choices for the holiday season.

More batiks

Notice the lineup of Featherweights!

Nice assortment of toweling displayed in an old wash tub.

Wonderful selection of buttons and trims for embellishment.

Boersma's  has a large selection of the American Made Brand fabrics.  In case you haven't heard of them, this line of solids in 50 colors is manufactured in the U.S. from American grown cotton.  I have purchased some and love them.  They have a high thread count and are firm but soft.  The colors are not "flat", they seem to have a subtle sheen to them. Very colorfast too.  So buy American, quilters! 

I enjoy these printed panels for making wall hangings, etc. and have purchased a number of them.

 The spacious landing leading to the shop's lower level provides an attractive nook for wool fabrics and yarns.

  This is a full service shop with the upper level devoted to classrooms and the lower level to quilting machines and sale

Innova quilting machines.  Notice the great lighting. 

fabrics.  They provide long arm quilting services but are also  a dealer for Innova quilting machines. There are several on display and ready for trial runs.  

Tables of sale fabrics in the lower level.

All  in all, I had a great time in this shop.  When in Oregon, put this one at the top of your list.  

203 N.E. Third St.

McMinnville, OR 97128

Jack and Michelle Boersma, Owners 

http://www.boersmas.com/

  

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Not a Quilt Shop, But.....

                                                            Barefoot?  Absolutely!

  While traveling Hwy 3A in British Columbia along the International Selkirk Loop, we made a stop in the quaint village of Crawford Bay to check out several of the neat looking artisan workshops located there. Barefoot Handweaving was my personal favorite and even though it isn't a quilt shop, I couldn't resist blogging about it.

Cute little stone bear in the studio flower beds.

   The studio/gallery itself is charming and interesting. The timber frame structure is insulated with bales of wheat straw with a plaster finish. Skilled weaver Janet Wallace says the studio is very warm in winter, cool in summer, and quiet. It had kind of an English cottage or Hobbit look and  feel and I loved it. The "window" in the photo
gives you a "birds eye view" of the interior of the walls and the plaque below gives information about this alternative building method.  

   

Janet at the loom.

  Janet uses a treadle loom to create beautiful wovens using colorful yarns spun from all natural fibers.  And she does indeed operate the treadles of the  machine with bare feet.  The large variety of items in the shop for wearing or decorating are created by local weavers, seamstresses, and a knitter. In bright cheerful colors, all are a delight to the eye and lush to the touch.

 Janet spinning in front of shelves of colorful threads.

                                    Some of the many items that can be purchased.

    

   

 The studio is also a gallery for the colorful textured paintings 
of Ted Wallace.








 



 Living full-time in an RV, I have to be very careful about purchases!  Not a lot of room for extras.  But I just had to have something from the studio.  I chose a tea towel thinking the size would work for a table runner in the RV.  But instead I made a throw pillow wrap out of it (for now). Since I did not want to cut or damage the towel in any way, I simply whip stitched the ends together by hand around the pillow and then scrunched it up.  I like the look and I can always do something else with it later if I choose.

  If you are ever in this area of B.C., don't miss Barefoot Handweaving and the other artisans of  Crawford Bay. For more interesting information about this cottage industry and a look at their creations,  read the brochure below and check out their website: http://barefoothandweaving.com/

For Quilters and More

                              
                                 For Quilters and More

Polson, Montana - located on the southern tip of beautiful Flathead Lake and home to All In Stitches Quilt Shop.

   We were spending the day driving around Flathead Lake and had stopped for a picnic lunch along the lake shore at a city park in Polson.  Checking the internet for "quilt shops in Polson" turned up this lovely shop. Later I also found them in the 2012-14 Quilters Travel Companion. 

The shops friendly manager .

    There was instant appeal for me as I am always attracted to bright colors and lots of variety.  Also, the shop lighting was excellent making it easy to browse the shelves of fabrics.  Besides fabrics, they offer books, patterns, notions, tools and classes.  Over the years the shop has expanded to offer a variety of classes and sewing groups and is a gathering and sharing place for local needlework lovers.

Nice selection  of western fabrics

 

Antique trunk used for fabric display.

Bright batiks

    This colorful yarn nook is stocked with lush knitting yarns and the supplies for using them. 

High quality and hand dyed yarns.

   Check out All In Stitches on their facebook page: 
        https://www.facebook.com/pages/All-In-Stitches/128601930490118

and be sure and stop in when visiting in the Glacier Natl. Park area.   

Featured pattern and fabrics.