Quilt In a Day, San Marcos CA

As many times as I drive to San Diego every year, probably at least three or four, I don't know why I have never stopped at Quilt in a Day. People kept telling me about all the fabric and the great classes and it was definitely on my "things to do while travelling" list, so I was very happy when Linda suggested that we go there.

Of course, I had known of Quilt in a Day since a was a very beginning quilter in 1990. I had seen the books in my friend Mary Ponce's sewing room and have made several quilts from the excellent directions in the books that I started collecting -- the Tulip Quilt was one of the first quilts that I made with my friendship group, Radiant Star was one of the first piecing classes that I taught and, when I started my machine quilting business, one of my first customers, Twyla Lyon, brought me her Christmas Traditions quilt.

So -- here we are! The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is that there are quilts everywhere and that classes are offered for a lot of them.

I didn't see the name of this pattern, but thought it would be a very fun class. There were two sizes of quilt as well as a table runner depending on whether you just wanted to nibble at the technique or take a big, big bite!

And, of course, my favorite class -- Halloween! Look at the very cute bat fabrics used in the little witch dresses!

The classroom is huge! When Linda called to find out how late the shop would be open, she was told that it closed at 6:00, but not to worry because there would be a class there until at least 8. There are classes at Quilt in a Day almost every evening.

There are quilts displayed everywhere you look and thousand of bolts of fabric to make that quilt on the wall into the quilt in your home.

A couple of shots of the studio where Eleanor films her TV shows and DVDs. The wallpaper, stairs and other decor touches on the left make it look like she is sewing at a house, where the fabric bolts in the photo on the right look like she could be in a corner of the store...

I am a major coffee drinker and Starbucks fan, so this definitely was a big hit! I mean, really -- haven't you had days like that?The decor is whimsical, colorful and a lot of fun!

The upcoming fall and winter holidays must be on my mind -- I bought Christmas at Fat Quarters and Halloween here. I also left with a complimentary copy of the Quilt in a Day catalog for browsing later. It runs 32 pages and has all the books, patterns, DVDs and tools that Eleanor has written, filmed and designed over the 30 years (and counting!) span of Quilt in a Day.

One of the things that I liked best about the catalog is that each book and pattern is rated Easy, Intermediate or Advanced so that a quilter can choose the amount of effort she wants to put into a particular project.

Eleanor was off on her travels, so I had to be content with a picture of her lifesize cardboard cutout. I have met her at quilt shows; I personally think Eleanor is one of the hardest working people in our quilt industry and definitely has earned her success.

I went to Quilt in a Day's website to see if they were going to be a vendor at the El Camino Quilters show next month in San Marcos, but didn't see the show listed as an event. To see the catalog online, you can go to www.quiltinaday.com; if you click on "Happenings", you can see the entire class roster for the next few months.

One thing that impressed me about the website was that free shipping is offered with a $100 purchase -- fabric is heavy and it is not cheap to ship, so that is a super deal!

Continuing with my holiday purchasing trend, my next post will be about Starry Night Hollow, a very spooky, very cool quilt shop!