Cool Cottons–Portland, Oregon

My husband asked me to accompany him on a business trip and the first thing I did was scout around for quilt shops, naturally, and I was advised to come to this shop in a turn of the century old house in Portland, named Cool Cottons.

The address is: 2417 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland OR 97214. Phone: 503-232-0417 and their email is coolcottons@hotmail.com.  Their opening hours vary, but generally they are always open from 12 noon to 6 p.m., although some days are earlier and some days are later.

This is the sight as you step up onto the front porch, peeking into the green/pink/purple room.  I could hardly wait to open the door and come in.

Reds! greeted us as we walked into this beautiful old house, filled with glorious cottons.  The trend is toward the modern side of things, with few calicoes or traditional prints, but that suited me just fine.  I had a good time browsing and even my husband got into the act, finding an Alexander Henry that reminded him of the fabric he picked up for me in Zimbabwe many years ago.

The fabrics are arranged by color families, as well as by type in some cases (example, the Japanese linens are gathered together in one area).

Interfacing, batting, threads and notions have their own place.

Another look at that front room.  I have to say that I took a second look at greens after seeing their display.  And I wish I’d bought some of that fabric in the first bag, with carrots, potatoes and other vegetables on it.  But I was trying to be considerate of my patient husband and aware of the space constraints of my carry-on suitcase.  There’s always some fabric that gets away.

Black and white fabrics, next to solids.  There was lots of ample light, even on a gray rainy day, so that all the fabrics were well lit.

The cutting table area.  I could have spent hours and buckets of money in this shop, as everything was so well arranged and beautifully laid out.  If you are ever in the area, put this one on your list for sure.

Next post: another shop in Portland.  And if you are hungry for lunch while at Cool Cottons, we enjoyed our sandwiches at the Grand Central Baking Company which is just down the street, but we really enjoyed our cookies.