Showing posts with label quilt shop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilt shop. Show all posts

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Quilt Shop visit: A Scarlet Thread

Finally, I was able to visit A Scarlet Thread in McDonough, Georgia!
Every time I drive through Atlanta I see the billboard about this wonderful shop...and never has it been a time when I could stop. Last year at QuiltFest shop owners Ken & Karen Taylor had a lovely booth that inspired me even more to visit...yet two more trips passed by with no luck!
So, finally on the way to the IQA show in Cincinnati I was able to stop...with sidekick Cherry-Cherry!
A Scarlet Thread is only 2 miles from I-75 exit 221 near Atlanta
Loaded with fabric of all kinds and decorated with great imagination, it's easy to see why this large shop will be featured in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Quilt Sampler magazine! 
Can't miss this display!
Right inside the front door we saw that quilts were definitely under construction here! We had a very friendly greeting from Gail to be sure we knew where to find all the various fabrics, machines, and patterns.
Instant selection for 5-Yard Quilts
I bet plenty of people don't get any farther that the beautiful display of coordinated packets for the popular 5-Yard Quilts! What instant gratification. Yet we moved on, as our time was limited...especially for such an expanse of fabric!
These are from Cleo's Designs....gorgeous!
Cherry-cherry can't miss a giant flower, and these beauties were hung back-to-back with two more designs. Because I forgot to write down the pattern names, I went to the shop's website and discovered a huge inventory! The flower patterns are by Cleo's Designs.
Bolts, and fat quarters and samples everywhere!
A Scarlet Thread has fabric for ever sewist & quilter, including Minkee, extra-wide backing, and reproduction fabrics. I was delighted to find a whole wall of polka dots!
Cue the accordion!
Faithful readers know that at this point I became absorbed in looking at fabric and not thinking about my camera anymore! So I missed getting pics of the adorable huge flower-shaped floor pillow and the to-die-for white lighting fixture that resembles a snowflake or Sputnik (sharp eyed shopper C.C. says it is from IKEA!).
There's also a very generous sized class space with a kitchen counter...who wouldn't want to hole up here for a day?
But we only had an hour, and a quickly spent one at that! After a keep-it-moving tour of the entire place, we came back around to the display by the door.
Pick a pattern, pick a pack...make a quilt!
Our last bit of time was spent examining the batik section and making a few purchases...the IQA show we were headed to would require some of our resources!


I hope to make a return trip this wonderful shop, possibly with more friends. Karen says an advanced notice for a group of 5 or more will allow them to plan some special treats!
A Scarlet Thread is open every day except Sunday.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Over the Rainbow quilt shop & farm!

No matter where I go, there is usually fabric to be found...and what a find this was!
Over the Rainbow is an Internet business, but if you're going to be in the Camano Island area (about an hour north of Seattle, WA) and give her a call, Laura Van Divier may tell you it's fine to come on over to the farm and visit the barn-full of fabric...not to mention the assortment of alpacas and other animals!

Park right in front and come on in the barn at the end of the driveway!

With a wedding only two weeks away, Laura was quite busy, as was the staff of three (or more?) who were whacking away at bolt after bolt, filling orders and stacking the bags to be mailed.
We were given free rein of the barn and loft. The fabric is organized according to manufactor, and as you can see, this IS a work place, not the cute LQS....
but oh, what a fabulous amount of fabric!
The shelves in the center are filled with orders bagged and ready to go out

These ladies all know where everything is, and requested that if we pulled a bolt out to get a better look, please just lean it against the shelf, and they would put it back!
Yes, this place is organized like a library, and I had no desire to mess up the system!
That's my purse and bag o' fabric on the cutting table
...never finished shopping until I'm in the car!

I wish there had been more time to visit, but Laura was quite involved in getting the day's work done so she could move on to family matters. That's what running a business is all about!
Yet, small world that it is, I discovered she is good friends with Jo H., mother (and often fellow fabric shopper) of the non-quilter friend I was visiting!
(hey, Jo! How about that trip we took to the Vermont Quilt Festival back when you lived on that side of the country????)
Were you looking for some fruit fabric???
On this trip I had long-time friend Sandy and her beautiful daughter Martha with me, both avid fabricholics of the theatre, clothing & crafting kind. They were digging up some interesting colors & patterns.

Surely there is some coffee fabric in there...

I was looking for...and found...some coffee inspired pieces towards the kitchen curtains for my sister. Note that is "towards", meaning I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet!
But what you really want to know is, what did I buy?
Well, here it is:
Red Batik! Gotta get some whenever I see a good nice bright one.

Purple batik! Because I LOVE it!

Gotta have the Black & Whites, too. This piece and the next three are Kaufman's "Day & Night".These sunflowers want to be loved by the Inktense pencils, don't you think???

This is so beautiful, I was truly amazed. The leaves are about 3", so it is a very large print.

I like a B&W print that reads mostly one or the other...this is a yummy black with banana leaves.

"Jumpin' Java" by Clothworks has a great little gold-ish swirl all through the background.

Moda has to be producing the greatest number of popular fabric lines right now!
Here's a panel from their "Bistro" line, and below is coffee cups from the same line:These have a very interesting wooden feeling!

What is life without dessert....especially PIE? This put me in mind of the BGPC!
Stay tuned for the next post, when I will show a picture of The Best Pie Ever as it was being made!
It's always time for cherry fabric! Over the Rainbow had more than I have ever seen, and I had to go with just a few, despite an incredible range of colorways! The one above is from Mary Engelbreit's "Recipe for Friendship". It is different from a similar one several years ago. I would highly reccommenbd checking into this line if you are a Cherry Lover!


Yes, there's more...here is Moda's "Berry Delicious" and last but not quite least is....

Moda's "Oh-Cherry-Oh", my favorite being this one with tiny teal dots...I took the end of the bolt!
I would like to show you the jellyroll I bought, because it has all the Oh-Cherry-Oh prints, but I didn't get a picture before I gave it away...I bet you can guess who got it!

Do visit http://www.overrainbow.com (please note NO "the" in the address!). You'll love Laura's huge fabric selection, the newsletter with tales of the animals on the farm, and especially her sales and fair shipping policies!
I hope to visit again some day and get a tour of all the livestock & various animal friends.