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.

When Visiting in Texas Hill Country.....

 

The shopping place!

be sure and stop in at One Quilt Place in historic Fredericksburg.  Owner Beverly Allen purchased the local quilt shop and promptly set about the construction of 3 new buildings including the shop itself, a studio for classes, and a cottage for quilting getaways. So everything is bright and cheerful and brand new.  Beverly tripled the inventory, hired new shop attendants and teachers and set about planning classes and events.  

The cottage for a quilting getaway.

The studio for classes and quilting.

The shop is roomy and open and features high ceilings, excellent lighting, and comfortable flooring underfoot. Very conducive to browsing!  For the 

hubbies or non-quilting friends there is a TV and a coffee bar to keep them entertained.  Fabrics include Batiks, civil war reproductions, 1930s prints, Texas and wildflower prints, and numerous new and seasonal collections.  Also the shop is now a rep for the Handi Quilter.

                                                                                  

Antiques are used throughout the shop for display and decoration.  The bed pictured belonged to Beverly's grandparents.  It fits in beautifully with the fabrics featured in this area of the shop.  Notice the old spinning wheel on the shelf, upper left.

Beautiful old Hoosier cabinet used for display next to the front door.

Lots of beautiful batiks!

Very attractive shelving designs.

This is shop owner Beverly pictured with a very special quilt.  Designed and created by 23 members of the local Vereins Quilt Guild as a donation quilt, it was selected as an entry for the Nov. '13 IQA Quilt Festival in Houston.  It is called "Celebration of Feathered Stars and Wildflowers" and features 16 paper-pieced feathered stars with hand appliqued and embroidered borders. The members were amazed when the quilt was awarded 1st Place in the group quilt category.  Appraised at close to $6000, the quilt will be raffled this Labor Day weekend at the guilds biennial quilt show.  Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5 and can be purchased by calling the shop.  See the shops business card below for the phone # and other information.

Happiness is...Quilting, McKinney, TX

                                           
                      

                                                    

                                                       HAPPINESS IS...QUILTING!

Deep in the Heart of Texas, McKinney, TX, that is, there's a special get happy place just for quilters. A great fit for this charming and historical town just 30 miles north of Dallas, the shop is housed in a building that dates back to 1898. Unfortunately I had a tough time getting a photo of the shop exterior due to all the street construction going on out front. But you can't miss the unique giant frog adorned with a gazillion buttons!   He'll have you entering the shop with a smile on your face. 

You immediately notice the high old fashioned tin ceilings and the pink walls adorned with quilts and wall hangings.  No lack of ideas for your next project here!  Shop owner Laura Kay Houser is passionate about her quilting and handwork and it shows.

The selection of fabrics is very diverse, and includes brights,  civil war, batiks, 30's, novelties, Westerns (this is Texas, after all!), 1800's reproductions and more.  There are wools, flannels,  and even oilcloth and reproduction Dutch chintz fabrics Laura imports from Amsterdam.  

Notice the beautiful quilt on the wall at the upper right.  It was gorgeous.  And the old Singer treadle machine used for display.  A number of antiques throughout the shop added to its charm.

 The shop's expansion into the adjacent building a few years ago provided space not only for more merchandise but for the many classes offered throughout the year.  In addition to talented local teachers, Laura brings in experts such as Harriet Hargrave, Pepper Cory, Sally Collins, and Carol Doak.    So check out her class schedule and plan a relaxing getaway to learn new skills and take advantage of McKinney's numerous and unique places to stay, dine, shop, and just generally have a good time.








Soft and pretty flannels for baby quilts and more along this wall.  I always appreciate fat quarter nooks accompanying the shelves of bolts.  So quick and handy.

                                                         



Notice the beautiful skeins of threads on the table for
embroidery.  There were also many giftable items displayed everywhere in the store.







The area of the shop devoted to wools and wool felt.  Lots of patterns to utilize them too. To the left there is also a selection of lush flannels.  If you enjoy handwork using these types of fabrics, this is a plus for the shop.  These fabrics can be hard to find in Texas.

 

This room was a gold mine for threads, threads, and more threads.  Here is where I spent most of my time and money.  We had visited the shop's booth at the Dallas Quilt show and discovered that they had a larger selection of threads and wools available in the shop itself.  Since McKinney isn't that far from Dallas and I was going to be in the area for awhile,  we decided on a day trip to McKinney.  It was worth the drive.   

                                

   The shop's business card.  Stop in if you get the chance, otherwise you can always visit them on the web at happinessisquilting.com.  Also, if you can find the Fall/Winter 2011 issue of Quilt Sampler magazine, there is an excellent write-up on the shop.  Happy Quilting everyone!