- The holidays are over and you could be either satisfied, filled with regret, and/or just happy to be alive (or all three?).
- If you traveled, you could be behind on laundry, sending Christmas cards, taking down holiday decorations, etc.
- If you were making gifts for others and unable to sew much on your own projects, you could be way behind your goals.
- In some places, the weather could be gloomy and yucky.
- If you spent too much, you could be budgeting yourself, especially on fabric (Move over Greece, here comes quilting "austerity!").
ROAD TRIP!
Yep, when I need a close and quick fix, I head for my favorite quilt haunt in southeast lower Michigan...Jennifer's Quilt Shop in Pinckney, Michigan.
But if I want to get the Hell out of the state, but not go TOO far, I head to The Door Mouse in Bettsville, Ohio. It is especially fun to make the trip with friends who have never been before and watch their eyes bug out.
It is, literally out in the middle of NOWHERE, east and slightly south of Toledo, Ohio. When you get out of the car and scan the horizon, this is what you see...
...absolutely NUTTIN' for MILES AND MILES!! I mean, facing a vintage barn surrounded by corn fields, it's hard to believe what is hidden inside.
Blues...
Greens...
Purples...
Pinks to the right, Reds to the left...
Yellows...
Oranges...
Neutrals...
Batiks on both sides...
Oh my goodness, the reproduction SECTION...
(you have to just dig in and root around to see all the bolts, they are stacked 3 rows deep in some places...excuse me why I wipe the drool from my chin)
...30's fabrics...
It is a 2+ story barn, the second story mostly containing abundant samples, but on the front end there is a loft containing Christmas florals, some of their kid collection and novelties, fruits and veg, and the most flannel I have ever seen in my life!
I LOVE this view from the loft...
Some of their novelties, fruits, veg (there's a whole, long row of them downstairs as well)...
...Christmas florals...
And flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...flannels...
...and more flannels...
There are also "modern" fabrics, patterns, books, bundles, kits, classes (the classroom in impressively huge, but there was a class in session so I didn't take pictures...).
When you enter, you are greeted by samples of the season and a cute bathroom (it is a bit of a drive)...this time there were Valentine quilts and car quilts (maybe commemorating the Detroit Auto Show?), and Irish fabrics ready to get you in a St. Patrick's Day mood (with enough time to do a project before the green beer appears).
They have gifts, bag patterns and samples of all kinds, and a very pleasant and efficient staff.
They have about 14,000 bolts.
The store has been in existence for 32 years and is owned by Mary Ann Sorg. The barn is old and original ("there were actually cows...right here...at one time"), but it has been lovingly restored and maintained. Moo-moo, I approve!
This is the best place I have found to buy the tone-on-tone fabrics I like to use in my applique.
The one drawback would be the closest eatery between the store and Bettsville. There's a restaurant a few miles away in the opposite direction, toward Fostoria, that is better.
Hang in there...January will be over before you know it!
In stitches,
Teresa :o)
Thank you for the question about prices, Kathie. They are good! I primarily bought tone-on-tone greens and purples yesterday, with a couple of cuts from a current music fabric line. Some of the older bolts were $8.00/yard with nothing that I selected over $10.50. Most were around $9 and $9.50 per yard.
I stayed out of the repro section yesterday (can you believe it, Kathie?!?), so I can't be specific about that. One of my companions was in the repro section QUITE A WHILE, and she was like a hungry dog in a fresh bone pile! She was rooting around and finding the usual lines from mainstream companies, some older things she had not seen in a while, and some things she had not ever seen before from smaller companies.
The trip is worth it for the shirting selection alone.
