Oh Harmony, it's so sad to hear of another fabric store going out of business. I keep reminding my sewing group how lucky we are to have several actual fabric stores within an hour's drive. Yes, people talk about the "good deals" they can find on the internet, but it is so important to be able to feel the fabric quality and see the colors in different lights, not just a photo.
I went to an independent machine & fabric store today to talk to the owner about the program she's giving at our meeting Tuesday. I'm so excited about this meeting. She is bringing at least 20 bolts of brand new fabric straight off the delivery truck so we will be able to buy the first cuts. New Christmas cotton prints! New Hoffman hand-dyed batiks!
She's going to demo some quick & easy projects, too.
She's going to give each of us a free copy of the pattern for her new original wall hanging design. I saw 2 of her samples today. The design is totally dependent on finding the "right" couple of fabrics, but her samples are beautiful.
I went prepared to buy some fabric today, because she sells garment fabrics as well as quilting supplies, but she already had most of the new bolts packed away to bring to our meeting so I decided to wait until Tuesday. I did buy a bias tape maker in the biggest size I've ever seen, which I think will greatly speed up the process of making bag handles and apron straps. Unfortunately, I forgot to buy a new seam ripper; all of mine are dull from so much use!
Oh just remembered I found a note on an old grocery list that said "4-sided place mat." Don't remember where I saw the idea, maybe on a sewing show on public tv, but I'm sure the basic instructions are out on the internet somewhere. I think they're meant for holiday decorating? Must go search ...