Submitted by Dianne McD.
As of today, my husband and I have been travelling for three weeks. We own a travel-trailer, which I call our Second Home On Wheels. On this trip, we have traveled down I-5 to Southern California where we spent several days. Today, we have arrived in Arizona.
When we travel, I keep my eyes open for quilt shops. I’m sure all of you do the same. It’s not that I need any more fabric. But I really love to discover the personality of the shops, because each one is different. If you spend some time in observation mode, you can often get a feel for the type of quilters who frequent the shop. It’s also great to discover gadgets, books, and fabrics that aren’t necessarily carried in the shops close to home.
Two years ago, we were camping (or glamping, to be more precise) with my brother and sister-in-law. Susan is also a quilter, and we both spied the Corner Quilt Shop in the little town of Shady Cove, Oregon, near the Rogue River. After getting our trailers set up in the campground, we hustled back into town to visit the shop; and we had the best time! We visited with the owner and found out about the guilds in the area. We got a sense for the kind of quilting they did just by the samples that were hanging in the store. I was impressed with the room they had dedicated to long-arm quilting. They would rent the machine by the hour and it was getting good usage. Both Susan and I found a book to buy. She also bought some fabric, and I found a ruler that has become one of my favorites.
On this trip, I got to visit Monica’s Quilt and Bead shop in Palm Desert, California. What a fun shop! I’m a complete sucker for sparkly beads and had a great time finding just the perfect colors for one of my hand-projects that I brought along with me. The fabrics in the the store were perky and bright. Just what I’d expect for sunny California. The place was bristling with activity, and you could tell that the owner and her employees loved their jobs. I could have spent a lot more time there, but my travelling partner was getting hungry.
Have you found a great quilt shop in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments below. What did you like about it? Who knows–one of us may get to visit it someday, too.
PS: Maybe it’s the colorful style down here, or maybe it’s just because I’ve been out of my sewing studio for a while; but everything is starting to look like a quilt to me.
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Great idea! I’m heading off on a three week trip soon and I will look for interesting shops along the way.
My daughter and I visited The Gathering Place in Rupert, Idaho last year. Upon arriving we looked across the street from the shop and noticed a little park, actually a historic block with an old theater at the North end. It reminded me of the town square in the movie The Gilmore Girls. The quilt shop did not disappoint. Room upon room of beautiful fabric, and the ladies were so welcoming. I later found out that one of my brother-in-laws grew up there. Even being blasted by huge tumbleweeds on the freeway didn’t deter us. You have to check it out.
We travel down I-84 once every two years or so. I can see a short detour is in my future. Sounds like a great place. Thanks for sharing.
Just got back from Anchorage, Alaska and spent hours with my daughter-in-law in the quilt and yarn shop called Quilt Tree. They had so many fabrics lines. I feel in love with some novelty fabrics. One panel had 70 national parks represented. Another favorite was people dancing in rain puddles with brightly colored umbrellas. Have no idea what I will do with these but had to buy them.
Can’t wait to see them.
Bear Paw in Coer D’Alene, ID is amazing. Jean found it for me, but wisely took me there an hour before our scheduled boat trip around the lake! Lol.
Thanks for the info! My dad lives near Spokane. This is going on my list for a possible day trip from Dad’s.
On our recent trip to Los Angeles, I didn’t visit any quilt shops but sure saw quilts everywhere, especially in the paths at the Huntington Japanese and Chinese Gardens and the marble floors at the Getty Villa.
Oooh. I hope you took photos!
Please tell us what ruler you bought that is now your favorite since a quilter can never have too many rulers.
Funny you should ask. It’s the Creative Grid 3.5″ x 12.5″ ruler that you featured at a guild meeting a couple of years ago. In fact, we have your presentation info about this ruler on the website. You can find it here: https://www.metropatch.com/featured-notions/cg-ruler/ and here: https://www.metropatch.com/featured-notions/cg-ruler-part-2/