Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sunny With a Chance of….

..Quilt Shops!  We found two of them in our travels today!  This morning we decided to go to Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Salinas and take in the sights…

I did my homework the night before and scouted out a few quilt shops in these areas (on line)…apparently quilting isn’t a hot commodity in the land of sand, sun and sea…who knew?… Quilt shops are few and far between! 

We started off in Carmel…what a beautiful place but tourists all over and no place to park the brute (our truck).  The shop that I was looking for was called Findings…but I’ll be darned if we could find it….guess that’s why it’s called Findings.  (Carmel had a list of shops on the net and Findings apparently sells fabric…?)  Oh well, we did find the beach and got some gorgeous shots!

Next it was off to The Back Porch in Pacific Grove!!  The beach was right across the road so Rick took the dogs for a romp and I looked around- what a great shop!  They had renovated an old warehouse into a fabric shop….  Let me show you some pictures!P1040802

See the Sales sign on the umbrella….all fabric here was $5 a yard!  I spent a lot of time in this area! ;o)P1040803

I think this was an old seed warehouse and this was the original sign…a nice touch of history!

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The staff was very nice and friendly! P1040806

I loved the way they had the quilts hanging from the rafters.  Lots to look at….

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There were lots of nooks and crannies that held the gizmos.

P1040809 This was the back room- probably for classes but it also had lots of things on Sale.

I really enjoyed this shop and would definitely come again.

The next two shops had closed down….;o(.  I always hate to hear of fabric shops closing up shop!  Very sad…especially if you are a quilter in the area. 
Our final stop of the day was Salinas…and we stumbled onto Beverly’s Fabrics.  They were having a sale – 25% off all fabric and notions. I`m not sure if Beverly’s is a franchise fabric store but it reminded me of a mini Michael’s Arts and Crafts store except with Fabric (quilt shop quality).  I had fun poking around in it….

Kim had emailed me about a shop in Hollister but it was getting late and I didn’t want to push my luck…if you know what I mean! ;o)  So I will save that one for our next visit to the area!  But thanks for the tip, Kim!!

Bet you`re wondering what I bought…?

P1040937  Some Kona cotton in black, tan and some mottled snowball fabric..perfect for snowmen!  I still need more sun…as I’m STILL thinking about snowmen…wouldn’t this make perfect snow fabric!P1040939

Some more Quilts for Kids by Amy Schimler (Robert Kaufman Fabrics) which I will add to my stash.

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I have quite a bit of Dick and Jane fabric at home but will add these to my collection….you can never have too much of Dick and Jane! Ahhh the good ol’days!  Does anyone else remember Dick and Jane?  Spot and Puff?….you had to be there…

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A Pat Sloan book for the price of a quilt magazine!! You got to love that!P1040942 And some Frosted Memories by Moda…love this fabric and only $5 a yard!!  Love that even more!!

So tomorrow we are off to the Pismo Beach area.  If it’s as beautiful as Marina we are in for a real treat!!  The scenery and the beaches here are breath taking!

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These beaches remind me of the West Coast of Vancouver Island-wild and rugged with huge waves.  I live on the East Coast of the Island where the beaches are sandy and the ocean isn’t as wild.

We are in paradise!  AND did I mention, the sun is shining!! :o) Imagine living here year round!!  Now that’s PARADISE!!

No stitching got done today…too busy at the beach!

Have a super Sunday and Happy Quilting!

14 comments:

  1. Yes, Beverly's is a chain store, but it's a small chain with shops just in Northern California.(There's one downtown in San Luis Obispo if you need another "fix"!) They DO carry quilt shop quality fabrics AND all the decorating stuff you can imagine, so it's one of my favorite places to visit. I'm glad our weather is behaving nicely for you!

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  2. The quilt shops look like fun. The sunshine would be wonderful, but the beaches are beautiful. Your pictures almost look like oil paintings. Keep safe and enjoy your sight seeing, thanks for sharing.

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  3. While this quilt shop is gorgeous, it can't compete with that beach...oh my goodness but I would love to dip into that sand and sunshine right now. We have -10F here in Minnesota as I write this. Keep on sharing the joy! So glad you are able to be there right now and offering a glimpse of the beauty that area has to offer. Really nice that Kim can guide the way to shops of interest, too!

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  4. Terrific shops and it just can't get any better than having them in a sunny warm place. Enjoy!

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  5. Too busy to do stitching? You must be having fun!.
    Love the shops, but i too absolutely adore the rugged coastline. The colours are amazing.
    Keep on having fun, reading and devouring your posts, Happy Hunting!

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  6. Fun and more fun, shopping and beaches, sounds perfect to me. You are going to have lots of great new creations with all the fun fabric you bought.

    Debbie

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  7. What a cheerful quilt shop, with so much light! I especially like quilt shops with lots of good light. You're making good progress on your wool blocks. The different backgrounds really make them interesting. Enjoy the sun and warmth! It's c-c-c-cold here. LOL.

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  8. I LOVE your pics of the Back Porch - how I'd love to visit that shop! Love all the fabrics you got and am beyond jealous of those beaches. Get some sand between your toes for me, ok?

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  9. Oh Happy days! I would have loved to visit that fabric warehouse/shop!! All our local quilt shops have closed.. sob.
    Happy New Year, & continue to enjoy your travels. Molly looks a lot like our Leo, but he's a Maltipoo!

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  10. Sounds like a fabulous detour! Good thing there was snow on the interior route. What a great shop. Thanks for the pics.

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  11. What a lovely quilt shop. Glad that you have moved out of the 'S' area and into that gorgeous beach area and sunshine. Have only travelled that area once in my life so do not remember much other than having Brunch in Carmel. The quilt shop would have kept me there for at least a couple of hours. I enjoyed your photos and your quilt blocks. I am off to Los Cabos on Tuesday so will have a lot of catching up to do when I return. Enjoy your rest, playtime and beaches. Travel Safe.

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  12. OOh I so enjoyed your post - sunshine and quilt shop shots! For a Brit like me starved of both it was a rare treat! Thanks!

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  13. The beach and quilt shops! What a great combo!! Looks like you found some good bargains too.
    WE read Dick and Jane in school while I was lwearning to read. I love that fabric. Be safe and happy new year!

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