Almost a how-to

We had this bare piece of plywood covering the half-wall between the register and the office area.  It’s the perfect place for our credit card machine and a calculator, since our cash register takes up a good part of our register table now. (We’re still feeling our way a bit in the new shop.)

So we went to Home Depot (the tile guy was very helpful)  for some tile, decided to get a one-inch mosaic, because we have no cutting tools, redi-mixed glue and grout and three square feet of a cute copper glass that looked really cool on the sample board at the store.

Here’s how it went:

Measured out the mosaic sheets

I had to cut a couple of rows off each sheet, but they became my counter edge (not shown).

Applying the mastic

The trowel was the perfect width for this little job.

Placing the precut sheets on the mastic

Then I pressed on them a bit and could feel the tile mesh sink into the glue for a good grip.

I had to be super-neat because of all the office stuff around.  A small job is quick, but also a challenge.

Almost done

I thought I had a photo of the edge and all the beautiful grouting I did.  But it looks amazing and all the home improvement shows I’ve watched were worth it.

“The Quilter’s Alley; we’re more than just quilting.” has new meaning.

 

Unexpected Snow Day

When people hibernate because of snow, I get stuff done at the shop.  I finished a quilt job, caught up around the shop with fabric packs, problem solved sewing machines with Stu.

We stayed late. The car was covered with ice that needed to be scraped and melted before we could even drive home.  The roads were icy. I pined for spring and then as we turned around in our driveway to park the car facing out, to climb the icy hill of tomorrow, I noticed the pretty side of winter.

 

Blooming

I’ve been nurturing several Jerusalem Bethlehem Star flowers to emerge in spite of  our cold, cold winter.Each day their roots  reach further into the sea glass bottom and their green moves upward toward the edge of the container.   Each day, they bring me a bit closer to warmer weather – which I miss in the middle of the winter.  Each day they remind me of the beauty that grows wild in Israel.

David gave me these bulbs as a gift, when Shara came to visit.  I loved being in their tel aviv garden last October. I love glass gardens where I can see the roots naturally gravitating toward moisture and the green reaching for light.

Some highlights:

I can only imagine how grown up it is by now.

 

Week Two in our new shop

We are settling in to our new space very nicely.  I’ve finished a few quilts and made some more progress around the shop, emptying the classroom of excess fabric, preparing the ironing surface, design walls and a valance so the students feel at home.

This quilt uses lots of our Japanese fabrics,

Last seam on my latest commission

Jill B. dropped by to share what she is doing with our fabrics.  She loaned me one of her daughter’s summer dresses from display and I made a hanger to coordinate.

Nina’s doll clothes collection is growing and Josephina has new additions to her wardrobe.  Jill shared her sources- for this project- American Girl Website has free doll clothes patterns to download.  I’m amazed at all the free resources for sewing.  Leave it to my customers to teach me!

Here is Nina’s doll with some of her newest outfits.

Skirt in 30's fabric, with trim

 

Youtube …finally and more to come

 

Update…

We’re are happily starting roots in our new location, but it would not have happened as quickly, if we didn’t have the help of so many friends.  (I also want to thank all those who offered – not in the photos.)

I want to give honor to the magic tool-box and the hands who made all the carpentry happen in the shop.  Thanks, Ronnie.  Stu and I have no such skills and couldn’t have done it without you.  In the following pictures you’ll see some of the other muscles that made it happen, whether lifting a cabinet or wielding a screw gun.  Every hand was on deck for this amazing one-day transformation.  We were too busy unloading to take pictures of the bolts of fabric coming in at record pace.

Shelf bases leaving old shop

Lots of brains and brawn

We had to feed the troops

This is the first event in our new classroom.

So many calories were burned!

And then back to work…

More shelves

14-foot truck was smaller than we thought

We made so many trips that were over mileage when we returned the rental.

Show and Tell break

Almost everything is in place

Check out the lighting!  Our old track lights fit perfectly and  Adam and Stu  got it going.

View from the front door

So we’ve spent the rest of this week getting more organized, doing some ordering and a little quilting.  We’ve had so many new folks drop by and tons of our regular customers buying bolt-loads at big discounts to relieve us of older stock.  Thanks to all for the cookies, treats, bottles of wine, plants and quilt photograph to welcome us into our new “home.”    We feel loved.

 

On the horizon

This is the front of our new shop.

At this point, the moving sign is down and most of the prior tenant’s materials have been removed.  We are just waiting for the key.

But on Monday, Ironwood was nice enough to let us bring the Gammill over.  Brian from Cowles Quilting drove all the way from Vermont at our request to make a proper move.

Loaded on to Brian's extended-bed truck

The sewing head was in the passenger cab.

My Gammill's new corner of the world

We were leaving her safely, reassembled and in good hands

Art has always brought me good karma and our new home is infused with that spirit already. We will build on this, but can we have it looking okay by the 2nd?  See you there.  Let’s make something!

 

The Quilter’s Alley is moving

Starting the day after Christmas, we will be packing up fat quarter packs and bolts to move our shop a mile north to a better location. We have been enduring more than a year of watching the site of our current shop, decline into a landscape of rubble.  No one feels more sympathetic than we do for the folks who lost their businesses to an arson in October 2008.  We reported on it back then, thankful to this day that we did not experience the same loss – having at one time occupied the burned out building.

But enough time and patience have  been spent waiting for unfulfilled promises of construction timelines. The site has been shut down by the state as I write this.

They can't get to our shop

Foreboding signage about danger and hard hats blends into an attempt to direct people to our store with matching red ink and arrows.  Ironically, this is the most signage we’ve had since we opened, not that it can be deciphered as a welcome to the colorfully space we have lovingly carved out for the last three years. We have seen a steady decline in traffic since the demolition began a month ago, in perfect synch with the holiday season.   No consideration for small business is evident in the actions of our landlords.

So without regret, we are moving ahead in an effort to recapture some of the business we’ve inevitably lost because it looks like we’re closed.

We’re looking forward to the new shape of our business within a vibrant retail community.  We have lots simmering to ease the chill of Winter 2010.  We’re inviting even non-sewists to experience a project with fabric.  Our Tuesday drop-in sewing studio is expanding to Wednesdays as folks who do sew, continue to enjoy the company of others being creative.

See you at the Grand Re-Opening at 103 Danbury Rd. Ridgefield on January 2.  Yes, we will make it happen that fast!

 

Too busy to post

Just an interim note to our followers that work at the Quilter’s Alley has been so hectic lately, there has been no time for a respectable post. New fabric from Westminster continues to arrive daily and we’re trying our best to post it in our online shop.  Had a quick visit from Kate Spain aka Moda fabric designer, who was sweet about remembering to share her new line with me: VERNA.  She dropped off a Moda Layer Cake of fabrics that are so delicious I can’t wait to have time to do something with them.  Keep an eye out for Kate’s future lines.  This one is available in February.Stay tuned, be patient.

 

Riley Blake will be here in 2010

2010 is not so far off to announce that we have a collection of Riley Blake fabrics being added to our offerings at The Quilter’s Alley.  It will be available in the online shop, as well as at home base in Ridgefield, Connecticut.  We visited the New England Fabric Reps in Boxboro, Mass. where we made this purchase among others.  Kokka has been selling extremely well in our shop, so there is more coming.  We also purchased some cute novelty fabrics- donuts, cupcakes and ice cream are on the menu.  They will be available in our six 1/2-yard packs of coordinates for quick and easy quilt designing.

Just a peek and then…

and a taste.