I hope you had an opportunity to visit YLS on
Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day,
January 24. If life's craziness stepped in, however, and foiled your best laid plans, check class and event schedules and see what's on the horizon at YLS (your local shop).
In my region of the country, the
Greater Atlanta Shop Hop is coming up,
March 14-17. One of the participating shops is
Tiny Stitches, in Marietta, Georgia.
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| Tiny Stitches quilt shop in Marietta, Georgia |
Shop owner, Maetha Elliott, took ownership of this 20+ year shop about 8 years ago. Before my
Blank Quilting fabric rep days, I had been to
Tiny Stitches a handful of times—on a quilters' bus trip, in conjunction with attending a quilt show, and returning home from a business appointment in Atlanta when I popped in with 15 minutes to spare to purchase the perfect red-and-black striped fabric for a quilt binding. [I knew of their great fabric selection, so was sure I would find something appropriate.] On my recent visit as a fabric rep, I was delighted to find the shop had expanded... adding a large, spacious classroom.
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| The large classroom at Tiny Stitches. |
The diverse fabric selection was even more than I had remembered, and did not disappoint. Fabrics are sorted by color with plenty of focal prints and supporting
blenders, ...
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| The penguins sit atop shelves of cool blue fabrics, feeling right at home. |
by theme (reproductions, traditional prints),...
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| A great selection of the classics. |
by style or print (florals, stripes, checks, geometrics, chevrons)...
and
batiks...
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| Oh, the batiks! |
there is a full color gamut of
solids...
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| A selection of solids greets you at the entrance. |
and themed prints (holiday, Christmas, winter) with precut fat quarters near at hand.
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| Fabrics are sorted by color and theme. |
Projects and quilts to inspire and delight are found throughout the store and in the classroom.
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Left: blue and white house quilt hangs above the selection of whites and neutrals.
Right: a patchwork jacket and cowl among the batiks. |
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Are you ready for Valentine's Day?
"Let Me Call You Tweet-Heart" quilt above the classroom doorway. |
What used to be the classroom, has been transformed into a fantasyland for the little visitors.
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| Brights, novelties and panels abound. |
The charming hand-painted mural features baby animals and friendly wildlife.
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| A mural adds to the fantasy and whimsy of the children's area. |
Small quilts, panels and pillowcases hang from the clothesline strung between white-washed wooden fence posts.
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| "I Spy with my Little Eye" mural. |
Brights, themed prints and novelties appeal to the young and young-at-heart alike. You'll find fruits and vegetables, popcorn, candy and cookies.... bugs, fish, frogs and spiders...
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Left: Fruits, vegetables, popcorn, candy and cookies.
Right: frogs, fish, spiders and other bugs. |
elephants, bears, tigers and other zoo animals... dogs, cats and coordinating paw prints in a variety of colors and backgrounds... with coordinating stripes, dots, spots, whimsies and doodads of all sorts.
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| Dogs and cats are featured with coordinating paw prints. |
There are even shelves of
landscape fabrics and animal prints. You can let your imagination run "wild and free" in here!
A pint-size table and chairs is located in this room with several toys to keep little hands and minds entertained.
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| A small table and chairs with toys for children. |
What was new to me were the woolens...
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| A selection of woolen plaids and solids. |
and a large wall of snuggly
flannels.
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| A wall of assorted flannel prints. |
On the other side of the classroom wall is the book, pattern and notion center at the front of the store. It's complete with a "Husband chair" or two.
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| Books, patterns and notions. |
The eye candy doesn't stop here. Another artist has painted and embellished the door and inside of the restroom with these glamour girls.
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| "Painted ladies" at Tiny Stitches. |
"So, where's the sale fabric section?" you ask.
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| Visit the Tiny Stitches Quilting Studio, two doors down from the main shop. |
It's two doors down... at the Tiny Stitches Quilting Studio... with the Handi Quilter machines. (There are some fabulous machine quilting examples on the walls in there as well.)
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| Tiny Stitches Quilting Studio. |
Whether or not you can make it to the
Greater Atlanta Shop Hop, the
Tiny Stitches quilt shop is a must-stop any time of year.
