Quilts

Bolt–Portland, Oregon

January 10, 2013January 9, 2013 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

After we finished lunch at Grand Central Baking Company, and had visited Cool Cottons, we headed up into the Irvington district of Portland to a well-known quilt shop called Bolt. I have read their blog for a while, so knew about the amount of creativity that just oozed out of this place, plus it was on Alberta Street–my sweet MIL’s name. So that’s two votes for heading up here, don’t you think?

My husband has Parking Karma, so we found a place to park right across the street, then headed over. It located at 2136 NE Alberta Street in Portland (97211) and the phone is 503-287-2658, with email at info@boltfabricboutique.com. They are open every day, generally from 10-6, but different on Sat and Sunday, so check out their website for their hours.

Can I just say I’m crazy for dot-words? In the front window of their store they had letters on large dots, spelling out the goodies inside, and I loved that interesting touch.

This store is just full of great ideas, great fabrics of all kinds and lots of ways to get you thinking about quilts and projects to make. They carry a full range of Oliver and S Patterns, different kinds (substrates) of fabrics, from laminates to lightweight cottons, notions, threads and everything a sewist/sewer could want.

But like most quilters, I’m there for the fabric and ideas. And they have lots of fabric to choose from.

This store is tiny but packs a lot in, so I spent some time looking. I’m on a tight space allowance because of my suitcase, so that made it very hard to choose what I could take home.

And yes, that is the new Lizzie House Constellations line in the blues (on the left). I also saw other lines of fabric (Madrona Road, for one), plus they have a good mix of modern, novelty and good lines for blending in a quilt layout. You could spend all day here, I think.

Their tins of patterns–many to choose from.

And here’s a PS to our time in fabric shops: We also walked around some of Portland’s Art Galleries, where we saw a piece by Robert Rauschenberg, that only cost $70,000 (below). Makes the price of our quilt fabric look like a steal, doesn’t it?

I was amazed that a simple quilt-like construction could cost that much to own, but hey, it is a Rauschenberg. The intriguing thing was the voile overlay in the dotty and flowery sections in the picture above. I studied it a long time, and if you are in Portland and want to go and see it, head over to the Elizabeth Leach gallery on 9th street, where they treat you with great respect even if you are carrying a drippy umbrella and are wearing walking shoes. Which I was.

We quilters need our inspiration from many different kinds of places, and I’m grateful to both Bolt and Cool Cottons which allowed me to take snapshots of their shops. Now go and visit, if you are in Portland.

Quilt Shops

Cool Cottons–Portland, Oregon

January 9, 2013January 9, 2013 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

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.

Quilt Shops

Gardiner’s Quilt Shop

May 14, 2012May 12, 2012 Elizabeth E.2 Comments

Several states away from Ginger’s Quilt Shoppe is Gardiner’s Quilt Shop. My mom and I went out one morning for some girls shopping, and after we did the errands she said she knew of a place I might like to visit. My mom really loves me!

Gardiner’s Sew and Quilt • 3789 Wall Ave, Ogden, UT 84405, near the Newgate Mall

Before I turn you loose on the slideshow, it should be said that this unassuming facade houses a fabulous selection of fabric. I know I sometimes sound like a shill for these quilt shops, but the local quilt shops are very important to me–even if they are in my mother’s hometown. By frequenting these, we help keep the industry alive and kicking, plus we get to see and handle all those luscious fabrics.

I was quite impressed with the range of lines they carried, from Riley Blake to Amy Butler and many inbetween. Gardiner’s has a great display of quilts showing ideas for how to use their fabrics, and they are fresh and new and make you want to get a few fat quarters. . . or yards. Here’s the two ladies who helped me. . . and told me about Ginger’s Quilt Shoppe, too. By the way, I apologize for the quality of the photos, as I only had my cellphone.

One shot in the slideshow is from above. They have an upstairs with all their sale fabric, but I must admit I had more fun downstairs with the regular goods. In one picture you’ll see sewing machines, and next to them is a wall of cubbies holding quilts for sale. So smart to sell all the displays afterwards–good for those who don’t want to make a quilt, but want to have one on their bed.

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Blog Strolling · Quilt Shops

Ginger’s Quilt Shoppe

May 12, 2012 Elizabeth E.Leave a comment

Ginger’s Quilt Shoppe is about 30 minutes from my house, and that’s the place I went to when I was agonizing over what to put in Scrappy Stars to finish it off. While I love online shopping, there’s nothing like a brick-and-mortar shop. The address is 1120 Dewey Way, Suite B in Upland California.

The phone number is on the door, and the place is well-marked.

The first order of business was to get a bunch of bolts of fabric to try out my stars. The lady who helped me was VERY cheerful about this, and made the final suggestion:

I loved the linen look of this fabric and was really happy with it. After we settled on that, I picked a couple of more fabrics “for the stash,” then got her permission to roam around the shop and take photos for this blog. As you can see, they have a lot of batiks, a well-stocked notion and pattern section, cute decor and a big room with a long-arm. I haven’t been there enough to know the ins and outs of the shop, but my friend Tracy is a fan, and if she’s a fan–it’s a good place. And interestingly enough, when I went to Utah to see my mom and went to her local quilt shop, one of the women who worked there, knew of Ginger’s and went on and on about it. I’ll need to return–and soon! (We do have a Quilter’s Run/Shop Hop coming up this summer.)

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