the end of an era

the time has come to retire "jellen's house of fabric." it has been humbling to watch how far that name has carried us yet i feel it is time to position our shop for future endeavors with a new identity.

my personal tag of creations by jellen will still exist as it is a reflection of me and my personal work.

the gift of being a mom...

friends, this is a long one. i have come to you a few times in the past year with posts baring my soul reflecting the changes we are going through. i have shared that we are closing when our lease expires in august and likely going on the road.

my vision of what that looked like was sarah and me in our sewcial van wrapped in a bright quilt, pulling our happier campier with our goodies creatively packed, high tailing it across route 66. thelma and louise style. in all my dreams that idea was fun and exhilarating.

but not so much for sarah.

she's a home dweller. she likes routine. she loves grandpa and her puppies. she feels most secure in her own bed. and slowly i recognized my vision of truck stops and camp grounds was just not going to cut it for her.

and so i decided i might as well close up shop and head back full steam into my former career. i started scoping job wanted websites. i started mildly networking. and with that came return phone calls. it seems there are still lots of organizations looking for a good fundraiser or two. even crisis oriented social workers. then i thought perhaps it was time to roll up my sleeves and begin the process of seeking a phd.

during this time we met with a realtor to put our family house on the market. she wanted some clothes hanging in the master closet for staging purposes. so i pulled out my professional wardrobe that was nicely packed in plastic. it looked great in the closet, yet it left me feeling nothing. almost numb. strange i thought. i used to love those suits.

all this while i have been searching for someplace to store our shop props. i wasn't sure what we were doing but i also recognized that i wasn't ready to sell off the furniture just yet. when i realized how much space i needed to accommodate it all, it was a tad overwhelming. we also looked for new store frontage. but i just wasn't sure that i wanted to keep doing this retail thing.

early one evening, a follower who i vaguely know decided to change her review of us on facebook from a five star to a three star. the only three star we have. i had no idea why she would want to do that as she never comes into the store.

still i let her displeasure get under my skin. i let it fester for a few days. then used it to confirm i was closing up shop. i just couldn't do this anymore. so i wrote about my sadness on facebook. and within moments comments came rolling in lifting me back up. i can't tell you how much that meant to me.

then out of the blue, a comment came into a post i had written on sarah's blog several years ago. it was thanking me for giving this new mom of a child born with down syndrome hope for the future. she revealed that her first months had been really hard. oh how i could relate.

and so i read my own post again.

all alone in the quietness of the evening, i scrolled through forever in holland, tears streaming down my face. in my own words i read how at one time i had a career plan that was going to make me a star. i had everything mapped out of how life was going to be. and then i read this paragraph...

"...That the miracle of your (sarah) birth was just the beginning for me. A fresh start to a grand and glorious life. I do wish I had realized sooner, that you were sent to teach me. To allow me to see the light through your eyes. To feel your love, a love like none other. It is so pure. So precious. So unconditional. If only I had been given just a glimpse of the bright and beautiful woman you were to be. I'm learning sweetheart. I need your patience for me to truly appreciate the plan that was outlined for us. God has known all along where we are going."

yes indeed. and within a few short days i had my sarah standing next to me in a retail space that i have been told was being held just for us. i first inquired about it on the 4th of january. then dismissed it many times over. i kept making deals with myself that it couldn't work, shouldn't work, i didn't want it to work, yet i kept being lead back to it. the location truly could not be more ideal for us. the set up is more than adequate.

so we finally went in. as i watched my sarah exclaim excitement over a washer and dryer hook up, followed by a water fountain, i just knew.

within seconds my vision of the radio blasting, cactus rolling along side the desert highway with cool wind in my hair, was replaced with a vision of sarah, her new Ds friends, and young girl scouts happily stitching pillowcases and being able to immediately wash and dry them. which means we will be able to get the cases into the hands of sick kiddos quicker and likely with greater frequency.

so on the eve of mother's day i confirmed with the landlord that we will indeed take his space. our quilting boutique and sarah's sewcial lounge will continue. our pillowcase mission in memory or kristen kirton will have a new permanent home.

it's a five year commitment, which seems long to me. yet having the privilege of being a mom to sarah is a lifetime commitment. so, so very grateful to have her in my life.

wishing all our friends and customers a wonderful mother's day. may you make new memories today and remember all the good times of yesteryear.

august update

and here we are...august 2017. it's surreal to me that i am even typing that on our quilt shop page. seven years ago, when we were preparing for our opening, i had no idea what to expect. i never had the dream that we would be where we are today. more importantly i truly never would have believed that sarah would still be by my side. she had been so critically ill that year. it was her health that prompted me to leave my full time job to care for her hour by hour for as many days as we had together.

amazing isn't it. not only is she right here, she's become the star of the show. she's been leading our one million pillowcase mission for some time and has delivered more than 7,000 cases to area children's hospitals and hospice programs in memory of her friend kristen kirton. she's become a savant on the sewing machine utilizing charm squares and with that she has formed her own business aptly named, Down Right Charming, so she has an outlet to sell her creations.

i truly could not be more proud of her and wish to help her take the show on the road. which is exactly what we will be doing shortly.

so what does this mean for JEllen's house of fabric?

reduced hours.

beginning on tuesday, august 15, 2017 we will only be open on:
TUESDAY 10-8
SATURDAY 10-4

in the shop we will still be stocking the happy, bright fabrics we have come to love. sarah's selections of kids fabrics appropriate for pillowcases will also be in great supply.
and of course our kate spain corner will always be filled with her newest designs.
and then what?

we are hitting the road.

follow us here and we will begin to share our whereabouts. you just never know where we might be parked. with us will be one yard cuts and fat quarters of all our fabulous fabric. sarah will have her creations too. she might even be demonstrating her sewing skills.

and very soon we will be uploading our most popular fabric to our etsy site so you can shop from home.

change. oh yes there is a lot of it. yet it's all so good.

we are so grateful for all of our customers, followers and friends. we would not be here without you!

closed for the 4th of july

please note we will be closed monday, tuesday, wednesday 7/3, 7/4, 7/5. we hope you can plan your needs accordingly before then.

CLOSED TODAY

due to the fickle relationship we have with mother nature, the shop will be CLOSED today.

i simply do not have the emotional or physical energy to dig out just sew at the moment. sarah and i are going back to bed. see you when the sun is shinning which should be tomorrow when it will be nearing sixty degrees the forecast claims.

new hours

home from market

we are home from spring quilt market and have returned to regular store hours, although we are a bit jet lagged.

stay tuned for some great photos from salt lake city.

closed for quilt market

JEllen's house of fabric will be CLOSED this week of May 16 - 21 so we may attend Quilt Market in Salt Lake City.

We apologize if this causes any inconvenience and so appreciate your understanding.

lights out for a week...

so today we had the carpet shampooed. and it is wet. therefore we have made a decision to close tuesday, march 22 through friday, march 25 to give it a chance to properly dry.

 

we will reopen at 10:00 on Saturday, march 26th. we apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing.  we have much new fabric in to bring out from the backroom so hopefully it will be worth the wait.

2016 calendar of events

we've been receiving calls lately from far away friends trying to plan vacations around our annual sales. golly that makes a shop owner feel good and that also got me to thinking...perhaps more of you would like our yearly calendar. so here it is...

it's sale time...

...i know what you're thinking, it's not the end of the year. sorry the calendar just got us so mixed up with holidays we had to postpone for a week. no worries though, it's still our great everything, well except for the fine print*, sells for just $7.00 per yard. don't wait though, it's only for one week.

january 5 - 9, 2016!

* the fine print. sale does not include batiks, kim diehl or moda grunge. applies only to new purchases and one yard minimum cuts are appreciated. that's it. oh and well the fact that we do reserve the right to ask for your cooperation should we have to limit the number of customers in the store to abide by fire code regulations. hope to see you this week!!

 

say hello to carol...

as we move into the new year i want to introduce you to carol...

 

 

she has been helping us out the past few years on sale days and special events. this summer i put out a plea to help my husband find additional workers for his medical billing company. i had no idea that was carol's background because we always talked quilting & kids. she is now working for john with the caveat that if i should need her at jellen's, she comes over. that happened last week when i needed to get my mom to the hospital.  carol and sarah get along mighty well too. it is such a perfect arrangement for which i am so grateful.

it's a great day!

christmas closing

just a reminder we will be closing at noon today and will be closed all day december 25th.

holiday hours...

we will remain open our normal business hours with a few exceptions...

need gift certificates...

yes!! we have them. in any denomination. and for a limited time you will receive a seven fat quarter bundle ($16.00 value) of your choice for every purchase of a $50.00 certificate.  

and of course we will be happy to mail them to help out any gift giver. simply gives us a call at 216.860.4116.

time to celebrate...

please join us...

a lease has been signed...

it's finally time to squelch the rumors and make an announcement. we signed a lease today and picked up a new set of keys!!! jellen's house of fabric and sarah's sewcial lounge will be moving to the cedar green plaza located at the corner of cedar & south green road in university heights. we will be taking the space once occupied by just frames & art.

after looking at what seemed like hundreds of locations, we narrowed our search down by using these final criteria:

     a) freedom accessible

     b) in the heights/hillcrest neighborhood
     c) affordable
     d) close to where my parents and we live and

     e) a flushing toilet!

and we got a few bonuses too...a loft for sarah's sewcial lounge...

 

 

a few great eateries in the same plaza such as jack's deli, don tequila's, happy buddha, cedar green wine & cheese and the new ellie's waffles. plus there's pincus bakery, heinen's grocery is just across the street on green and a bruegger's bagels across cedar.

we are still just moments away from I-271 at the cedar road exit and easily accessible from university circle. legacy village and beachwood place are right down the street.

the icing on the cake...my husband's new office is just across the street. the whip cream...well it's on the flan at the mexican restaurant just two doors down.
 

so what's the time frame you ask? well the space does need some work to transform it into our happy little cottage. therefore we will remain OPEN at 5255 mayfield in lyndhurst at least thru august 16th while the construction is going on.

thank you all for your patience, your participation in helping to give us feedback, your shoulders while i cried, your ears while i moaned & groaned. although this is super exciting...there is a certain fear factor as we will now be paying rent for the first time ever. so please...Please, PLEASE follow us to our new location.

our new house...

we are so happy to announce that we will be reopening on may 22, 2014 in our new location.

 

if you've been to our shop before, you will likely recognize this building as it is right next door, to the west, of our former shop. in fact, many times customers would park in the lot of what is known as the hamilton insurance building when ours was full or they simply missed our driveway. please check back for new details as we prepare our new "happy little cottage in the city."

an update...

ok so just what is going on you ask?

the short story is we are in the midst of moving two businesses, one of which has been at 5259 for seventeen years. so we are digging out...literally. as with everything in life, there are compromises... some things you win, some things you give up.

at 5255 mayfield, also known as the hamilton insurance building, we have won big time with a mostly one floor plan. that right there is going to be a life changer, for our knees especially. the front door is designed differently. sarah has gained her own office. that for sure she will love and give her a cozy space to meet with families who come to visit her. we have additional parking spaces and a side street next to the building for overflow. we have not one but two front windows for showcasing beautiful quilts.

but there are things that will be different. the old building had built in charm. there is no question of that. the furniture all came over and it fits. my challenge will be to bring you a shop that still inspires in the space we now have.

one thing i want to be very up front about...the building is still for sale. yes, a buyer could come along tomorrow and we would need to vacate in thirty days or so. why don't we just buy the building you ask? well for one, we are tired. exhausted really. so we need to take some time to breath. buying a building is a huge commitment.

in the meantime, we are setting up shop. we hope to open in the next few weeks. i will post more details as time goes on. thank you for your patience, love and support.

p.s. i've saved the best news for last...we will have girl scout cookies when we return!!