In late October, I drove across the mountains to Eastern Washington to teach at the North Central Washington Quilt Guild in Wenatchee. I came home via Highway 2 through the picturesque town of Leavenworth, stopping on the east side of town at this delightful quilt store, (11007 Highway 2, Leavenworth). What a perfect combination – a quilt store and a local fresh fruit stand! There’s also a yarn shop. The Leavenworth Quilt Company is a small store, but they have utilized the space nicely and have a good selection of fabrics. There is no quilt store in Wenatchee, so the locals are very appreciative of this store which opened its doors just five years ago. The atmosphere is friendly and it feels cozy and inviting. I recommend a stop there if you are passing through. Here’s a pictorial tour.

I recently taught at three quilt guilds in TX; Arlington Quilters’ Guild, Trinity Valley Quilters’ Guild in Fort Worth, and Quilters’ Guild of Parker County in Weatherford. I visited Quilting Around,  the quilt store in Weatherford. The store has a wide selection of fabrics and some beautiful patterns designed by Will Simpson. They are known for their block of the month patterns and for pattern kits. Here’s a little visual tour of the store. They sometimes have quilts for sale and they also collect quilts for donations to local charities. One of the photos shows some of these quilts. It’s worth a visit if you are in the area.

In October, I traveled to Arizona to teach at the Thumb Butte Quilters’ Guild. I stayed an extra day and two guild members took me to Sedona, where we had an incredible hike to the Devil’s Arch. It was my first time to Sedona and I was blown away by the spectacular scenery and rock formations. There’s always time to squeeze in a visit to the local quilt store, in this case the Quilter’s Store. They are easy to find on State Route 89A not far from the town center.

I was tickled by this skeleton sitting outside the store with phone in hand and sign saying “Waiting for wife”! This shop is well endowed with 3,000 bolts of fabrics including around 700 batiks. They have plenty of patterns, books and notions as well providing opportunities for quilting classes.

There are several rooms featuring sample quilts and a variety of products. I was amused by the snake made from Arizona Diamondbacks, (a baseball team), fabric.

They have an excellent selection of southwestern themed fabrics and several of the new laser printed fabrics that are really colorful.

There is a gallery next door to the shop which is open for limited hours. Ask at the shop and you may be able to go in there. Local textile artists are featured and it is well worth a visit.

Earlier this month, I taught at the Thumb Butte Quilters’ Guild in Prescott, AZ. After my workshop in Prescott Valley, we visited the ClothPlus Quilt Shop, at 6497 E Copper Hill Drive.  From the outside, this place doesn’t look much, but inside this industrial space there’s a great variety of fabrics and plenty of interest. I picked up a couple of nice turquoise fabrics for my current project. There is a large collection of batiks, some wonderful Southwestern fabrics and other theme fabrics.  As well as an abundance of quilting fabrics and notions, they carry home decorating, auto, marine, and RV upholstery and outdoor fabrics. Here’s a visual tour. It’s worth stopping by if you are in the vicinity.

During my recent trip to Cornwall, UK, I had an unexpected treat after my UK quilting friend, Lesley Coles, told me about Cowslips Workshops. My sister and I went there, and oh, what a gem of a place! This Patchwork store, classrooms, cafe and exhibit space are located on a picturesque farm a couple of miles outside Launceston. Store owner, Jo Colwill resides at the farm and has turned the place into a regional patchwork destination infusing her love of fabric and sewing as well as running a fantastic cafe serving delicious teas and lunches. Here’s a visual tour of the store and cafe. In next week’s blog I’ll illustrate the classroom and the current exhibit in the converted barn.

The store is small but the space is well used. There is a wide selection of fabric, quilting notions, books and patterns. The attractive quilt samples hang from the irregularly shaped walls and ceilings. There’s also delightful whimsical pottery for sale.

Here’s the popular cafe, where the fare is all locally baked and the produce locally grown as much as possible. They even have their own garden growing fresh vegetables.

The lovely quilt on the wall of the cafe, depicting the local church, St. Stephen’s, was made  by the store owner, Jo Colwell.

In May, on my way to the John Day quilt show, I spent a day teaching at Highland Quilts in Athena. I met the owner, Elaine Shaw, when I taught last year in Walla Walla. She was enthusiastic about my work and asked me to contact her anytime I was visiting the area. Athena is a tiny rural farming town between Walla Walla and Pendleton. Elaine’s shop is at 312 East Main Street, (pretty much the only street), and well worth the small detour off the highway if you are passing. Here’s Elaine outside the store and inside.

We had a cozy class of 10 students at the back of the store for my Bargello Quilts with a Twist workshop. Elaine had made a beautiful sample for the class, which was hanging in the store, along with the quilt she began at my Kaleidoscope Puzzle Quilts workshop last spring. These samples really make a difference in promoting my books and patterns in the store.

The store is one large room with a good inventory of fabric as well as the essential notions, books and patterns. The upper walls are lined with beautiful colorful quilts to inspire. Elaine will give you a warm welcome and you should enjoy this gem.