I went to the wedding in Rhode Island - and let me just say that RI is gorgeous at this time of year, I can't speak of February, because I won't be visiting during any winter month. I am a Southern girl - and we can't handle what New England has to offer in the winter. By the way, Rhode Island, your state would go up a billion points on the list if you would just add sweet tea to your list of preferred drinks.
Here is where the wedding took place.
Could you just die?
Anywho, this post is about a quilt shop I found in Massachusetts. Whenever I travel, first thing I do is look up where the quilt shops are in the area. When I first looked them up, they were all over and I was thinking I wouldn't make any on this trip, but after my first day in Providence I realized that no matter where you are in RI, everything is 20 minutes away. It takes me 20 minutes to get to the interstate from my house, I can't even get across my own town in 20 minutes, let alone the whole state.
My Mom and I ventured off one morning to
Quilter's Stash in MA. It was a, um, 20 minute ride.
You ever go to quilt shops when you travel? I have been to many, and mostly I come away with just a little something from each one, to support the owners and the locality. Sometimes I walk in and know I won't find much there that suits me. And then sometimes, rarely; I walk in, and the heavens break open with angels singing and I think that I have stepped into my dream store, and I tell my Mom to pinch me after I push her out of the way to get to the fabric. Quilter's Stash was just such a store. (No Moms were injured in the procurement of fabric for this post.)
First, there was
Kaffe Fassett right when you walked in the door. I don't think Kaffe Fassett has this much Kaffe Fassett.
Quilter's Stash, you had me at Kaffe.
But there was more. And some
Brandon Mably and
Amy Butler, but mostly Kaffe. And really, there didn't need to be anything else in the whole store for me.
But there was, there was more to the store, more rooms, more fabric. I finally tore away from the Kaffe Fassett section and peeked around the corner. OMG. The store goes on and on.
Then, there was still more. I was finally seeing some of that
Denyse Schmidt - Flea Market Fancy I've heard tell about, all over the blogoshpere and Flickr. I bought some, yep me.
But wait, there is more - a whole room of sale fabric.
Wait - more - I was even becoming shopped out at this point. Australian Fabric lines. These were too gorgeous to not pet.
(although my photo of these turned out a bit fuzzy, these were all phone photos)
This store, I love you, they carry
Aurifil - not one store in my area carries Aurifil like this.
So, at this point I am planning my move to North Attleboro, MA to live closer to this store, (even though RI and probably MA do not serve sweet tea in their establishments, I might just have to live on something more like water) and maybe thinking of marrying this guy:
Who was the kindest, nicest, sweetest, most helpful, fabric cutting, non-Southern gentlemen ever. I think he is taken, at least he is wearing a ring in this photo, and I guess, technically I am taken too. I had to make myself stop shopping, I must eat for the next 3 days of the trip, although I can cut out 2 meals with the rehearsal dinner and wedding dinner - that is at least $50 in fabric right there!
A few of my purchases. I had to ship home a box, I was worried about the weight added to my suitcase. Also, boxes that come later are easier just moved right back to the sewing room before being noticed. Let's just say, I filled a whole punch card that they offer to the regulars and got the discount - see that right there? Saving money.
Quilter's Stash offers classes, block of the month clubs, Sew Your Support for troops overseas, and the owners are very kind and helpful, Sue and Barry Kassler. There was another woman working in the store who helped me spend my money tremendously, and she was so sweet too, like sweet tea without the water. I wish I would have written down her name, I'm terrible with the names. If you are ever 20 minutes away from North Attleboro, MA, this store is worth the trip, maybe even a 30 or 40 minute drive.
I know there are a lot of sweet tea references, but damn I sure did miss it while I was gone. Hey, Northerners, proper sweet tea does not have the sugar added to the water after it is cooled - proper sweet tea tastes like you have added a little tea flavor to your sugar water. Probably why the South lost, they were too busy trying to find sweet tea while up North where none existed.
