thimbles and threads

i've done no sewing since the start of summer, but my summer travels and activities have taken me to a few quilting stops along the way, so that's what i've got to share right now. when i was in utah around the time of my birthday earlier this summer, my sweet aunt barbara (who is only 12 years my senior and a lifelong friend) gave me a day of quilt and family history touring. one of the stops we made was at a shop in draper, ut called thimbles and threads. barbara had looked up shops in the area and thought this best suited my tastes. the selection in the two-story shop was pretty extensive, i must say!

this is a look at half the main room just inside the front door. bright and cheery and friendly. this section was heavy on riley blake and moda fabrics, with some surprising mix-ins of cloud 9, tula pink, amy butler true colors, cotton + steel, amh, a little bit of heather bailey, and lots of other fun picks i cant't even recall now. so while i wouldn't call this an ultra modern shop, it did have great variety and offerings on all ends. there are two more rooms of fabric here. lots and lots of fabric. the shop calls itself "modern traditionalist" and i think that's pretty apt.

lori holt's "farm girl vintage" was all over the place and i noticed on the shop's instagram account that she's been there for book signings and events before. i suspect this is her local quilt shop or at least a frequently visited shop. there were longarm services and a classroom in the basement, too.

when we first got there and i was browsing, i had no desire whatsoever to buy fabric despite all the cute pickings. strange, huh? i think it's just because i've been so out of sewing for a while and i have all this fabric sitting at home that is still begging to be used. i couldn't even think of anything i would actually need or recall what i was working on that might benefit from additional fabrics. then i remembered i always want more red. and it's a good idea to stock up on blenders or low volume given the chance. so i managed to find some things and not pass up a good opportunity to shop in person and support a brick-and-mortar.

probably the thing i was most excited about was finding the wonder wheel, an item useful for adding a 1/4" seam allowance to templates, that's recommended in the quilt lovely book. the staff didn't know they had it but i scanned the gadget wall closely and found it. now maybe i can get some of those cabin quilts started. the little moda reference book looked pretty handy, too.

if i ever get back to sewing once summer is over, i'll let you know just how useful my purchases turn out.

in the meantime, i'm working on three separate tutorials for three quilts, which are close to completion once i get to them: my "cinched" pattern, the "arrow check" pattern, and a work up of how to make a 3 block penny patch quilt since rachel's tutorial only covered the 2 block version.

fall will tell all!
see you soon when the weather gets cozy and life settles in again, if not before.