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Last week I taught in Eugene, OR at the Emerald Valley Quilters and signed books at one of the largest fabric stores I have ever seen – The Fabric Depot in Portland, OR. Wow! Is all I can say. I wish I had accessibility to a shop like that near me. It makes me want to sew clothes again – since I really hate shopping for clothes these days. (That’s another subject for another day.) Kathleen, who came with me from Eugene, and I walked into the store to get the layout. It was wild to see in front of me … a picture of me! At each of the entrances they had announced that I was going to be there signing books and demonstrating. Georgia, the manager, showed me around and got me settled. Her assistant helped me arrange the quilts and set up at my station. Everything was planned so well and the customers were there for the big sale. I heard that once a month they have a great sale and there were a lot of customers. We had a good showing with some very interested quilters. After the demos, we had lunch and spent some time learning about the history of the shop. I am amazed at the energy and vitality of the group. They offer in-house sales, on-line sales, and sell to groups for costuming and other parts of the sewing industry including having the Palmer and Pletsch school of sewing on site. Wow! Kathleen heard me say it a lot that day. If you are in the area definitely make a trip (though have a project in mind because otherwise you will be overwhelmed with the possibilities.) Or visit them on-line at http://fabricdepot.com. If you are looking for something in particular in the way of fabric or notions, they probably have it.
Yesterday I visited a couple of shops in the Vancouver Washington area. The first was Just for Fun Quilting in Vancouver proper. Marcy Shindler, the owner, and her staff were great! I arrived expecting to demonstrate to just them and found 12 or more customers also waiting! I had followed the wrong directions so was running 10 or so minutes late. It was like a surprise party and the quilters were ready to see the quilts. So I opened my two suitcases and started showing Tumbling Blocks, Hollow Cube, Honeycomb Waffle and other designs from ABC 3-D. With each new quilt design I showed the basic steps of the process. Then we moved into the stars from Oh My Stars! They had seen stars in Your Radiant Beauty so they wanted to know …how is that done? They were amazed at how the stars appear from tumbling blocks. We continued with Not Your Grandmother’s Log Cabin and ended with demos of Cutting Edge and Sewing Edge. Marcy was even able to set up a machine so I could demo my faster way for sewing strips together. (You can see the demo here.) We finished up the hour or so of quilts and demos with signing books and packing up for the next stop. Everyone seemed to enjoy the opportunity to see the quilts up close and ask individualized questions. I enjoyed sharing the tips that make quilting even easier, like how to double fold the fabric, use a shorter ruler for a more controlled cut, and know that there wouldn’t be a “V” in the middle of the strip. The ladies and gentleman present were tuned in and seeing the differences.
After the customers were taken care of, I signed books for Marcy and she gave me directions to get on Highway 14 heading east. She sent me on my way with a Root Beer and a snack of Cheetos – perfect for a quick pick me up as I drove to Stevenson, WA. (Thanks Marcy it was FUN just like your shop name says.)
I called Roberta Crist at Birdhouse Quilting a couple of times to let her know I was running later than expected and she said she was ready whenever I got there. Hwy 14 follows the Columbia River on the Washington side. The drive was scenic with some breathtaking views out over the river valley as the road climbed the hill sides.  Just 45 minutes later I was in the quaint town of Stevenson. The afternoon was quiet which allowed Roberta and I time to quickly go through the books and tools. She carries some of my reference cards on binding so she was familiar with some of my work. The log cabin book caught her attention and she is planning on working something up for future classes while at a retreat next month. I’m sure they’ll be having fun there. Roberta has had the shop for two years and is refining the business as needed. She said she is discontinuing the knitting products because knitters aren’t like quilters – they don’t buy a stash, rather just for particular projects. The modest amount of quilting fabrics had a feel that goes with the sign on the window – fresh yet quaint, inviting, and comfortable. I felt right at home and it reminded me of one of my favorite quilt shops when I lived in Plano, TX in the 80’s and 90’s – Country Calicos.
Both of these shops, Just for Fun Quilting and Birdhouse Quilting, are smaller shops with their own unique styles. I recommend taking the time to check them out to see the variety of quilt shops available in that area and to enjoy what they offer to the quilting community. Enjoy them while they are here – as shops are a resource, available only if we support them. |
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The book and tool set earned an impressive 90% approval rating by the members who tested it.
Marci's 
"It's so much easier to cut with a rotary cutter and ruler with the cutting edge." - J. Dismukes, Broaddus, TX
