David and I took a quick trip to from North Carolina to Colorado and Utah, and wow, over the week we saw a lot of family - my step mother, then David's brother and family, his parents, aunties, cousins, my niece and her boyfriend, and our son Tommy and his girlfriend. David's Dad made dinner for 20, on Mother's Day. It was just so wonderful to connect with so many loved ones, most of whom we hadn't seen in two or three years.
I had one "quilty" connection on the trip, in Provo, and thanks to Tommy's girlfriend Camille, who took us to her favorite fabric store, Harmony. It is absolutely my kind of shop! They carry a small and carefully curated selection of fabrics, as well as yarn (Camille is a knitter), dressmaking fabrics, gifts, etc. The place was hopping, friendly, fun, colorful. I met the owner briefly and expressed my appreciation for how the fabric is organized mostly by color, not "line"or designer's collection. She said she never buys all the fabrics from any one particular line. We agreed that being able to browse by color is the way to go!
I was also aware that David hates being in fabric stores (actually, he was really patient), so I made quick work of picking out some fat quarters, just for the "stash" -
That's Tommy and Camille;). I'm going to make Camille some pot holders when I have enough batting scraps again.
For me, the rainbow layout is so conducive to creating interesting, spontaneous combinations. And yet I realize that a quilter who likes to create a cohesive top out of mostly various fabrics from one line or style, would be really frustrated by this approach in a fabric store.
I'm so curious - which way do you prefer?
Back home now, regular life resumes.... and tomorrow, my thoughts will turn back to the quilts for Baby A and Baby B (all is going great with Kaela's pregnancy and with their plans to move to North Carolina this summer - I can't wait!).
xo
Cynthia