quilt market 2014...

there's nothing quite like quilt market. pittsburgh, pa. enjoy.

 

  

thrifting...

it's not a new concept, yet it's caught on with gusto the past few years. personally, i have been trying to right size my junk, so the concept just didn't appeal to me. until i had a new wall i needed to fill. then look out, i set myself loose...

 

most shops i walked in and walked out empty handed. and then...all of a sudden there i was jumping up and down and screaming like a wild woman, and you know what happened? a bunch of strangers started dancing around and cheering me on. sure didn't expect that response. it was fun though! 

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 easter story...

Our Heavenly Father indeed works in beautifully amazing ways. I have a little Easter story for you. If you have been following us for long, you likely know of the building project I've been spearheading for my parents to move to Cleveland from their home in Canton to help us look after Sarah and allow all of us to be available for them. For forty seven years they lived in the same home. My mom had the inside decorated just like she wanted and my father took immaculate care of the outside. He along with a little help from my sons, built a stunning sunroom with a surrounding garden that was the talk of the neighborhood. I knew asking them to give that up was going to be hard.

But even harder, was going to be leaving their church family. For more than fifty years they belonged to the Canton Baptist Temple, where for decades my mother was a Sunday School teacher and my father sang in the choir. Their friendship circle was mostly built around fellow parishioners. Once they settled into their new home, I knew they would be seeking out a new church. For various reasons, my husband and I never really identified with a church here, so on special Sunday's like Easter, when Sarah was healthy enough to travel, we would get up very, very early and drive to Canton to join them in their church, which of course meant we had no leads to help with their search.

A few weeks ago, while I was dropping Sarah off to spend the night, my mom told me they had driven over to see the Cleveland Baptist Church. Now this may by a very fine church, but I knew that meant they had to drive across I-480 to get there and although I did not tell them this at the time, that drive was quite worrisome to me, especially in the winter. The next day I had to take some old computer equipment down to Ret3 which is located near E40th and Chester. Just to be different, or so I thought, I decided to come back home by way of Cedar and that's when I spotted Cedar Hill Baptist Church.

I stopped at my parents that afternoon and used my dad's computer to see if the church had an online presence. Sure enough they did and as I was scrolling their website for details, I came across a photo of the pastor and his wife. I immediately recognized Beth as being one of our kind and wonderful customers. I knew instantly that this was meant to be. 

Then out of the blue last week, our seventeen year old mentioned he wanted to go to church. So today he (photo) accompanied his grandparents to Cedar Hill, just the three of them. I'm sure they were beaming from ear to ear. It is indeed a very Happy and divinely planned Easter in our family this year. Many blessings to you all.

 

to new beginnings...

 

signs of life ahead...

we've been working hard trying to get our new building operational. it all happened so fast without much time to think and truthfully there are moments when i am second guessing myself. i start to wonder if this is really what was planned for us. and then today...

 

 

...i discover a purple crocus next to our very special bird from marie bostwick that i just plopped on the ground as we were moving last week. that new sign of life, a sneak peak into the beautiful days of springtime ahead, is just what i needed to get me back in the swing of things.

this chapter complete...

we did it! thanks to an amazing crew from spark's moving and storage, an awesome son and daughter-in-love, Juliann Lafferty Ely how will I ever repay you for your help, and an accommodating office staff who worked right up to the minute we pulled their computers out from under them and started up as soon as they sat in their new space ten minutes later, and an awesome higher power for orchestrating something so magnificent even we had trouble keeping up with the plan.

 

 

john and i walked out of a building we have occupied for seventeen years feeling relieved, satisfied, and although exhausted, ready to jump into the next chapter of our lives with gusto. for everyone who had a part in making this all happen, we humbly thank you. we could never do what we do without the help of so many. 

thankful for the movers...

donny & sean...the best moving crew in cleveland!!

we are forever indebted to them for their amazing help. the task of packing and moving two businesses in such a short amount of time would not have been possible without their expertise and friendly disposition. we are most grateful. thankful for the sunshine today too!

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!!

mabel & ethel's

our little house of fabric has been closed for less than one week. and already the sadness is setting in. so i decided sarah and i needed to go on a little road trip, especially because the sun was shinning today. i'd heard about a new shop in sandusky. i was pretty sure it was two women's names...you know...like thelma and louise. only that was yielding no web results other than the ever popular 90's movie. then all of a sudden i saw an update come across facebook for mabel & ethel's quilt shoppe. yes!! that must be it so we quickly packed a snack and jumped in the car.

i've been making the drive to sandusky since i was a young girl. it's been a family tradition to visit cedar point at least once a summer. sadly, i don't think i ever realized there was a charming downtown area. today we found it.

the minute we walked in, i knew our blues were about to be swept away. sure enough. mabel and ethel invited us to sit down and have a chat.

only mabel isn't mabel. she's actually debbie. and ethel...well you guessed it...isn't really ethel. she's jackie. you'll have to ask them to share that story. oh how fun they are. we had the best time getting to know one another.

and then sarah went for a stroll through the store. there's bright fabric that she really liked...

and some primitives too. perfect for one of her down right charming quilts for the new house she shares with her grandparents she decided.

there's a little bit for everyone including some great wool.

it's always so much fun to meet new quilters that share our journey. and when they are as delightful as debbie & jackie, it is better than therapy as they say.

mabel & ethel's quilt shoppe is located at 279 e. market street, sandusky, ohio 44870. it is well worth the drive for not only the fabric selection but the chance to meet the real mabel & ethel. 

so just how close to cedar point are they you ask? close enough that i'm sure come summer you'll be able to hear the screams coming from that big coaster behind my freezing girl. 

and while you're in the area, be sure to drive on down state route 250 to d'vine designs at 29 park street on the square in milan. a most exquisite ole fashion gift shop. and to my delight one of the few authorized trollbead dealers in the area.

a most sincere thank you

with just a moment's notice of the necessity for a liquidation sale, i was not sure what to expect. to my shock, we had a parking lot full of friends waiting for the doors to open on friday...

 

with the lines continuing all weekend. your support has meant so much to us. thank you, thank you, thank you!! we are merely at a fork in the road. where we go from here is uncertain, yet i'm sure there is a plan much greater than i.  we will update with details as soon as we know them.  we sincerely appreciate your support, cards, flowers, goodies and words of encouragement. your friendship is extraordinary.

the time has come...

well folks, the end of our era at 5259 mayfield is upon us. at 16:05 thursday we received written communication that we must vacate the premises. therefore, we shall begin a fabric liquidation. please note the special hours sunday and monday. i have no further details of where, when or what our future looks like. i just know we have lots of fabulous new fabric that must go to good homes. please come help us make that happen.

 

no tears, just pure joy that we have had the time these past few years to share together in our combined love of fabric + fun + friendship! 

a sunday blessing...

this next photo just warms my heart so much. when sarah made jaxson this quilt from sweetwater's make life collection, he was just a little peanut. we first met his family online when the docs were recommending the placement of a trach. this electronic world we live in sure makes connecting with others experiencing some of the same challenges as you much easier than when sarah was tiny and so ill. we then had the pleasure of meeting him in person while we were in salt lake for quilt market.

 

 

fast forward to this week. despite having many medical challenges, our friend jaxson is growing like a weed. look at him now inching off the edge of his quilt! a perfect sunday sunshine!!

the many faces of lucy...

oh my. the cuteness just never stops. meet lucy. she is a whirling ray of non stop sunshine.

 

and soon to be my counter helper.