Yesterday my friend and I went to LA to see the fabric district, and also went to the far side of LA to visit a new shop in town: Sew Modern Quilt Shop. It has clean, modern vibe to it and we found the fabric lines to be plentiful and very current.  Overall, we’d go there again in a minute if we lived closer (it took us an hour and half to get home), but I overheard the owner say to a friend that they were readying their online shopping presence.

Lots of fabrics and with the large windows out front, everything is well-lit and fun to browse.

This seating area is in the front.  Love the modern quilts hanging around the shop–good inspiration.

While we were there, a man came in on an errand from his wife.  He’d brought a scrap of fabric that she needed to match and they found it, cut it, and sent him on his way.  I got the sense that this shop does customer service really well.

There’s an “easiness” to this shop that encourages looking and discovering new fabric lines.  I saw Tula Pink’s new line, Horner’s Loulouthi and lots of other fresh, modern fabric lines.  Oh yes, I indulged, and came home with some brights.  The plan is to make some grocery shopping bags with the vibrant colors.

I enjoyed their clothing samples–both women and children–with some good ideas to branch out past the typical quilt construction and use these fabrics in our wardrobes.

They were hosting a Sewing Day Camp for a group of very lively children, who were enthusiastically working on all their projects.  I liked the energy level that they brought to the store, and really liked that Sew Modern was teaching the next generation and instilling in them a love of creativity and working with their hands.

Overall it was a terrific day in LA, capped off by this visit.  Thanks to Lauren Hawley, the owner, for allowing me to take photos of a place I’ll be visiting again.

Last week I went for a little field trip and visited this shop in downtown Temecula California.  It’s Quilter’s Coop, and I had a great time there.

Joann, shown here helping a customer, is the owner and I had a great time chatting with her about different aspects of her shop.  She proved to me again that most of the shop owners I’ve encountered, as well as people who work there, are friendly and helpful.  And cheerful.  And probably brave and thrifty, too, but I don’t really know about that.

When you walk in the front door, you enter what I came to think of as The Americana Room: full of primitives and reds, whites, and blues and flag quilts and all sort of things to get you in a patriotic mood.  I loved the flag quilt on their deacon’s bench up front, with the use of the different colors for the flag blocks.

Cutting table in the Americana room.

Her table displays are inventive and have a mini-quilt or two, along with some fun antiques.  This fits in with the general tone of downtown Temecula–that of a frontier Western town, with lots of cute shops and antiques.  One of my favorite shops in Temecula is the soda place–with tons of different kinds of soda to choose from (I do like the Route 66 root beer). But I digress.

Here’s the Christmas room, which they were getting ready for the Southern California Quilters’ Run, happening this coming weekend (and next, too). Click on the link to see a map, as well as information about the run on the weekends of June 18th and 25th.

This quilt, titled “The Reason,” is designed by Laural of Simply PutPlus Patterns, who works at Quilter’s Coop (and who cut my fabric for me).  I saw quite a few other patterns I wanted as well.

Next to that was this display of Lighthouse Fabrics, as well as the ironing board.  I must have ironing board covers on my mind, but I picked up a pattern to make myself a new cover.  I’m sure you know by know (after looking at all my pictures of my ironing board cover) that I am in serious need of a new one.  Or maybe I just shouldn’t take anymore pictures of my ironing board.  Either one. . .

Quilter’s Coop has just about everything: holiday fabrics (Halloween, above), a few novelties, a wall of 1930s, a sale room, a room dedicated to creams and white, a corner for batiks–as I was shooting pictures I kept thinking of how to write about this shop.  How about this: they have something for every style of quilter.  Here are the photos to prove it:

I had a great time shopping here, the attitude personified by this sign that hung over the doorway to their classroom.

I loved the look of this–stacks of colorful fabrics, pins hanging from hooks, and the orange cutting mat.

Here’s my takeaway: the ironing board cover, a selection of brights, and fun prints–including a lovely fabric from Japan.  If you go there, they are on the corner of 3rd and Old Town Front Street, across from the market.  They have a parking lot next to their store.