I'm Loving the Whole Camera Thing!

A few days ago, I was working on my friend Susan Moore's quilt and a thought occurred to me -- couldn't I just take a picture of my ideas for her quilt and she could choose which designs she wanted?

Since the camera is pretty new to me, this is the first time I have done this and it worked out really well! I e-mailed Susan the following picture:

And she e-mailed me back her decision -- voila!!

Recap of My Trip to the Carolinas

It occurred to me, as I was e-mailing blog entries to the store owners, that I was less than consistent as far as listing all of the contact information. Here is my effort to correct that -- so that you can easily find any of these stores, here are the addresses and phone numbers. Also, if you click on the store name, that will connect you to the store's website:

Randy's Quilt Shop is located at 2417-C Lawndale Drive, Greensboro NC 336-545-5558

Below are a couple of pictures taken while I was teaching at Randy's. Donna drove all the way from West Virginia to take the class and then sent me these pictures:

Asheville Cotton Company is located at 1378 Hendersonville Road, Suite B, Asheville NC 828-277-4100

Bernina Sewing Center is located at 1014 Wade Hampton Blvd., Suite 6, Greenville SC 864-235-5031

Creative Sewing Machine Center is located at 519 12th Street, West Columbia SC 803-936-1624

For 2009, I still have a short trip to a southern California guild, a longer trip to Salt Lake City and Silver City NM and two retreats with Alex Anderson in Livermore CA. To see if I will be teaching at a store or guild near you, click here for my schedule.

Creative Sewing Machine Center -- West Columbia SC (Part 2)

Before class started, I walked around the store and photographed some of the many quilts, embroidery samples and fabric displays in the store. One of the reasons that I really liked this store is the layout: There were separate "rooms" for different browsing and shopping purposes and lots of samples to give you new ideas. I'll start with some of the quilts on the walls; because the store is so large, owner Peggy Ledford is able to hang quilts of all sizes, not just smaller ones.

This is one of the larger quilts and a great way to use up small quantities of lots of different fabrics.

Two fun Halloween quilts, one sort of strip crazy patched and the other using a light polka dot fabric in small strips between rectangles of many different print fabrics. If I got my facts right, no two prints are the same.

This Christmas quilt was up high on the wall and starts with a holiday panel...

Two views of the embroidery center where a customer is browsing books of available designs and stitched out samples are to her left.

Below is a closer look at the samples...

Look at all the polka dots: lots of sizes and colors -- I love what polka dots add to a quilt! This was just one of several fixtures loaded up with new fabrics...

Fat quarters, anyone? There are plenty here to choose from! The whole store is full of lots of goodies and seating areas where you can make yourself comfortable while you decide. It's definitely a destination in SC worth a detour if West Columbia isn't on your route!

Creative Sewing Machine Center -- West Columbia SC

Today is my last day in the Carolinas with a 6:05am flight out of Columbia tomorrow morning -- am I crazy, or what?

I easily found the Creative Sewing Machine Center, located on 12th Street in West Columbia. It was a foggy, foggy morning, but you don't have to look at street numbers if you look up and see this big sign!

I parked in the back parking lot -- there is tons of parking around this store -- and went directly into the roomy classroom located at the rear of the store. With all that fog outside, I was looking around for some brightness and color. I was happy to see this HUGE tote that Juanita made to carry a cutting mat and all of her class supplies. Juanita works at the store and she was telling me that she hadn't tried free motion quilting before -- she did a great job!

This is a peek into the thread room; there are many kinds of threads for all different types of sewing. This is a VERY large store with a lot of inventory whether you are looking for fabric, thread, patterns, ideas -- you name it, if it has to do with sewing, it's here!

You don't even have to leave your husband at home; that looks like quite a comfy sofa where he can relax while you browse. After you finish shopping, get a map to the stabilizer section (did I say this was a BIG store?), find your husband and take him to your next stop.....

This is the Bernina section of the store where the machines are displayed along with projects made on them. In the very front of the picture, those red machine carry cases are the brand new extra large ones designed for the Bernina 830. Lots of space to store your stuff as well as to safely bring your machine with you to class, to a retreat, to ????

What I bought: This collection of embroidery designs from HolleyBerry Collections is called "Quilter Witch" -- love it! Below is a closeup of the cover quilt using prairie points horizontally between the rows of embroidered blocks.

Cute! Cute! Had to have it!

I will do another post about this shop, probably on Sunday or Monday, when I recover from a too-early flight and jet lag. I have some great pictures of some of the quilts and embroidery samples that were in the shop.

To find out more about Creative Sewing Machine Center, you can click here to go to their website.

Bernina Sewing Center -- Greenville SC

Wednesday afternoon was a pretty quick drive from Asheville NC to Greenville SC; it's about 55 miles of really pretty country and took a touch over an hour. I would have gotten there sooner except that I had to keep running back into Robin's store because I would notice something else I had forgotten -- my phone on the charger, my laptop bag -- you know, essential stuff!

It seemed like every time I would start to gather all of my worldly possessions in one place, I would be distracted by something else I hadn't seen yet. I hear people laugh about being ADD, but I am starting to wonder.....

So right around 5:45, the Land Behemoth rolled into the parking lot at Bernina Sewing Center. The sun was still out and it was a pretty, sunny day. Owner Mary Reeves came out to give me a warm welcome and helped me haul in my suitcases full of quilts for the trunk show. Altogether the lecture and trunk show lasted about two hours and then I stood around talking with some of the people for a bit longer, so I probably left around 9 for the hotel.

One of the ladies who had been to the lecture, Lou Rainey, was really good about giving directions to people who aren't familiar with the area -- very much appreciated that help!

Next morning I got to the shop around 9; I really liked this display in the window -- a little fabric, a book that makes you think of fall, an embroidered purse....

You don't have to take too many steps into the store to find beautiful fabrics for both garments and quilts and lots of samples of children's clothes......

These are for the even younger set -- toddlers, infants and christening gowns -- displayed with ribbons and trims.

This quilt is a fundraiser for a local charity. Mary explained it all to me and all of us in class bought chances. The drawing will be next week -- keeping fingers crossed!

Mary and I obviously both got the black and white dress code memo, but her beads are not only prettier than mine, they're even hanging straight! And, of course, we had to stand right in front of the quilt that coordinated with our wardrobe choices...

Had a super dinner invitation that I just couldn't resist; Lou Rainey had invited me to dinner at a private dining club in Greenville called Poinsett Club. We had she-crab soup, salad, sea bass and crab cakes with a corn flan and sauteed Swiss chard. The soup was absolutely to die for and we even had more of the same soup thickened into a sauce and served with the crab cakes.

So if we had to guess one major reason why I LOVE traveling to the South -- could it possibly be the food???? Thank you, Lou!!

Asheville Cotton Company -- Asheville NC

After a cool couple of days with Karen and Graham Pervier, I drove west (at least I think it's west; I don't have much of a sense of direction) to Asheville. It's a pretty drive, about 3-1/2 hours or so, through hills and woods and a lot of green. It was raining lightly off and on throughout the drive and when one lives in the southern California desert, any water at all falling from the sky is a welcome sight.

When I had reserved my rental car I had asked for a mid-size SUV and the picture on the website showed a Chevy Equinox -- nice, small, easy on gas, will hold all my stuff. What I got was a GMC Acadia -- nice, HUGE, not so good on gas, will hold all my stuff. I am affectionately calling it the Land Behemoth!

My first stop was at the Hampton Inn to check in and to toss a quilt over the bed -- I must be starting to get homesick....

Then I drove to the store to meet Robin Culbertson who, with her husband Chip, owns Asheville Cotton Co. We hopped into her Mustang and went to the restaurant where we were meeting Chip. The menu was fantastic -- there were several choices in each of four different categories and I had a major problem making up my mind between about seven equally tempting entrees. We also shared a couple of appetizers, but the real winner at the table was Chip's dinner -- had to take a picture!

Hopefully, I'll remember this for when I want to make a really awesome dinner presentation. On the very bottom was a layer of roasted potatoes; then a "raft" of asparagus spears was laid on the potatoes, a filet (cooked perfectly rare) placed on top of the asparagus with a wine sauce ladled all around and a crab meat garnish.

Doesn't that just make you hungry? My dinner was osso buco, not as photogenic as Chip's, but just as yummy!



The next morning, I waddled from the car to the store (oh! forgot to mention the creme brulee) with my suitcase in tow. It was raining when I got there in the morning, but I went out later and took a picture of that beautiful North Carolina blue sky.


This is the front window with a reflection of all the pretty trees -- it just doesn't give you an inkling of what you'll really find inside....

Chip's favorite holiday is Halloween and there are decorations and spooky fabrics everywhere! Robin said there are a LOT more at home...

In case you like your ghosts brighter? Also, I didn't get a picture but when you first walk in the door, there is an enormous -- probably about 5 feet across -- red and black spider hanging from the ceiling!

Class today was Introduction to Machine Quilting. The morning was spent practicing fluffing & stuffing their quilts through the machine and the afternoon was free motion stitching.

A little socialization at the stencil table...

Take a break -- look up and smile!

This was some machine quilting in the border of a quilt that had been done "in the hoop" using the embroidery module. The stitching looked very nice, with each stitch crisp and distinct.

A stenciled motif on the right with some unmarked, "freehand", free motion on the left.

These are some of the patterns that I demonstrated on my muslin. Sometimes I draw something on the fabric just for illustration and then stitch it somewhere else on the fabric, so everything sort of overlaps and runs together...

And then after class, gotta hurry! There's a lecture at 6:00 in Greenville SC -- hope I can figure out what those State Trooper cars look like.....

Randy's Quilt Shop -- Greensboro NC (Part 2)

When I first walked into the store on Thursday, I just stopped right in my tracks because of this beautiful pink floral quilt:

I thought it was one of the most striking machine embroidered quilts that I had seen -- probably because I LOVE PINK and florals so, of course, the combo is KILLER!

And right next to it was a green/purple floral. These are both displayed in the Bernina machine area of the store. The directions for this quilt are in an issue of "Creative Expressions" magazine.

At my first opportunity, I got up close and personal to take a closeup shot of the detailed embroidery of the pink one. Look at the shading in the petals...

I liked the way that these two quilts were displayed: the smaller white/cream wall hanging pinned on the side of the larger floral quilt.

This is a closeup of one of the blocks from the floral quilt...

I really liked the detail in the cream floral wall hanging; at left is the photo of the whole quilt and below is a closeup of the embroidered flowers.

Then right outside the classroom I saw a very cute fish quilt -- a very girl-y fish who even has red lipstick!

Now I'm going to hop in my rental (a GMC Acadia -- I think that qualifies as a land behemoth! -- and drive to my next stop, Asheville Cotton Company in Asheville NC. I can't wait to see what Robin, Chip and Michelle have been up to since the last time I was there!

Randy's Quilt Shop -- Greensboro NC

I have had the pleasure of teaching at Randy's several times over the last few years and I am always happy when I get that call inviting me to come again. I'll give you an overall tour of the shop with some of the beautiful quilts that are displayed.

This is the sign over the register and some of the many, many quilts that are hung on the walls of the shop. If you look closely, you can see that almost every one has a little white slip of paper on it. That indicates that it is a class that you can sign up for here at the shop.

Here I am standing at the front of the shop -- you can see lots of quilts hung high on the walls (why my photos are foreshortened) plus notions, threads and -- of course! -- fabric....

From my vantage point in the Bernina machine sales area of the store, right in front of this very old Bernina, I can see through to the classroom. If you peek through the arm of the machine, the black and white quilt in the front of the classroom is mine and was used to advertise my class, Machine Quilting in Depth.

Little embroidered leaves were scattered all over the Bernina area of the store -- that fun fall ambience....


This is the first of the four quilts that were made by Louie Hughes as samples for his "Slash & Shuffle" class. Once the pieces for the blocks are cut, shuffled and sewn into blocks, Louie arranges the blocks in different ways to give totally different looks to quilts made using the same technique.

The one above is a Trip Around the World set....


This is the blocks arranged side by side -- had to take the picture because it is PINK!



This was especially interesting to me because Louie pieced narrow red strips into the blocks to give a totally different look to the quilt.

An addition of the batik panel at the bottom gave another look to Slash & Shuffle...

And, lastly -- what I bought! Love those purples!!!

I'm off to Asheville this afternoon, but will do another post on Randy's Quilt Shop -- seems like I'm always running a day or two behind......