Okay, back on task! I need to finish up my posts about Florida! Here is another shop I visited while in Florida. Quilt Lover's Hangout in Ft. Myers, Florida. I LOVE THIS SHOP A LOT! I could spend many hours in this shop. It is big, it has LOTS of fabric of all different sorts, and the staff were really friendly and helpful....as were some of the customers! Well, here, let me take you on a tour.
Before I start, I just have to mention that this shop was featured in the Quilt Sampler's most recent Ultimate Shop Hop issue.
I have this magazine, read it, oogled over the shops, and then completely did not connect it to the fact that I would be in Florida for Christmas. What luck for me! I save all my back issues of this magazine, thinking that when I travel, I'll go through them and find some good shops to go to. But I get so busy, I forget to check them. Sometimes you just luck out! This was very exciting for me!
I forgot to take a photo of the front of the store. So sorry!
Here is the view when you walk in the front door and look a little to the left. It's all Civil War reproductions there to the left. More on that in a moment.
Here is the shop when you walk in and look a little to the right. A pretty fabulous collection of batiks to my right. You can't see most of it in this photo.
This is the Civil War collection, looking back toward the front window. You can just see the door on the left side of this photo. For some reason, when I walk into a quilt shop, see an antique sewing machine and a bunch of Civil War reproductions, everything just feels right in the world.
I thought this collection of Civil War reproductions was pretty impressive. A few fat quarters came home with me. I couldn't resist.
This was a pretty little display on the back side of the Civil War fabrics. The Accuquilt cutting machines, carrying cases, dies, and a very pretty, hand embroidered quilt from a Crabapple Hill pattern. I pretty much love all of Crabapple Hill's patterns. (My mom said she liked this quilt, too. She said she'd like to do the embroidery, but it's really not her style, so she wouldn't want to put it together in a quilt and it really wouldn't go in her house. I told her, "Hey, embroider the blocks for me, give them to me, and I'll sew them into a quilt for myself! It's a win-win!" I think she was actually open to the idea! ha! What a deal that would be. I told her I love to do the hand embroidery, but I often just don't have the time!)
A little closer up shot of the quilt. What's that piece of paper on it? Well, it turns out that this shop really supports Habitat for Humanity. They had a lot of activities going on to support the cause, and raffling this quilt off was one. I really love Habitat for Humanity (I have worked on houses for them in the past and even traveled to Jamaica once for a couple of weeks to build houses for Habitat. What an amazing experience.) So, I had to buy some raffle tickets. I'm pretty sure I'll win it. LOL.
If I pivoted 180 degrees from where I was standing to look at the raffle quilt, I saw this quilt. A very pretty quilt in fun, bright colors. This is the quilt the shop designed for the Quilt Sampler magazine (you can see the issue of the magazine sitting next to the quilt). Next to the quilt are kits one could purchase to make their quilt. Very fun.
Here is a little wider shot of that area. It is very bright and cheery, isn't it? you know, come to think of it, I do not think I made it to the area behind this when I was in the shop. Huh. Just realized that. Well, I guess I'll have to go back sometime soon! LOL.
Let's see, on the other side of the store, around the corner from the batiks was a pretty nice collection of modern fabrics. Some good stuff here!
And further along that wall were all these nice 1930s fabrics. There was another bed with sample quilts on it. (Perhaps you noticed the bed by the batiks, just as you came in the front door.)
Further back on this side of the store was a very well equipped notions nook. Lots of really good stuff in here!
And next to the notions nook was a display of a bunch of Accuquilt dies, along with more fabric. You can see the store goes back even further, and there was even more fabric back there.
Another display of fabrics and great shop samples. This shop was just full of eye candy!
And, oh my goodness, the books this place had! I could have just pulled up a chair and spend a couple of hours going through the books! Wow! And so nicely organized so you can actually see everything.
Just past the books is a little hallway that leads back to the classroom and to the sale fabrics. You can see all the samples on the wall for the classes coming up. I really, really wanted to take the class for that little green hoodie you see there. It was so cute...A little hooded dress made from a sweatshirt and some fabric. I thought it would be a great swimsuit cover up for Sweet Pea. Too bad they didn't sell a pattern for it. The pattern was designed by one of the gals at the shop, and it is just part of the class. And the class is in February.....
Another class sample I would really, really like to do. I have a real hankering to learn how to do a Cathedral Star. I've got something up my sleeve regarding that. Hold tight. More later.
And then there was all this ric rac. LOVE! And dolls below it. I just sort of had to stand here for a while and absorb it all. There were lots and lots of patterns on the wall behind where I was standing, as well as around the corner. And the classroom was behind the wall behind where I was standing, too. Sweet Pea was playing with Legos back there, and I struck up a conversation with a gal working on a quilt project. She was very nice, and we were both disappointed that I lived too far away to join in for her class (or other classes).
It's pretty easy to see why this shop has been selected as one of the "top 10 shops" across the country. It had an amazing selection of fabric, really great samples, neat looking classes, and the girls in the shop were as nice as could be. I was looking for a specific fabric in a quilt, and I couldn't find it. One of the gals went to all sorts of lengths to find it for me. Turns out they were sold out of it. But she even went scavenging in the sale bin for me, as that's where they might throw remnants from a bolt. She also looked through their bundles to see if it was in one of those, and she said they'd break apart the bundle for me if she could find it. Alas, no luck. But I sure appreciated her help!
So, if you are in Ft. Myers, you should definitely stop in to this shop. It's a "don't-miss-it" kind of shop. And right next door to it is a sewing machine store that sells Brother machines, as well as Tin Lizizie mid-arm and long-arm machines. They sell lots of machine embroidery supplies, too. So, that was a nice bonus.
My mom and Sweet Pea were with me when we went to this shop. (My family is so supportive of my habit/addiction, aren't they???) Afterward we were hungry, so we went looking for a place to eat. (Are we seeing a pattern here?) My mom had her little doggie with her, so we needed to find a dog friendly restaurant. (If you were worried about what we did with the dog while we were in the fabric store, Mom brought Maddie [the dog] in with us. No one minded. Again, very friendly shop. Granted, she is a little, tiny dog.) Anyway, I googled "pet friendly restaurants Ft. Myers." Did you know there is a website that lists dog friendly restaurants? I sure didn't! Through that, we found this restaurant, The Dog Bar and Grille, in Cape Coral (a town right next to Ft. Myers). They advertise that dogs are welcome to come and hang out with you while you dine if you eat on their patio. So, that's what we did.
Mom (Grandma Pea) and Maddie studied the menu closely. The waitress brought Maddie her own little bowl of water and a little doggie treat.
Sweet Pea also studied the menu closely. The menu was so cute. Do you see the backside of this menu? Come. Sit. Stay. Very clever.
She was studying this section of the menu. Pretty sure she had Chicken Nuggest and Fries. Although it had stiff competition with the Homemade Mac-n-Cheese.
I kind of like it when restaurants really carry out a theme through everything they do. I like reading their stories, too. The last paragraph of this part of the menu says, "So go ahead. Live the Dog's Life. Come, Sit and Stay. Eat, Drink and Play. You'll be sure to find The Dog Bar & Grille a Pawsitively Wagnificent experience. Bone Appetit!" Very cute.
The food was fine. I didn't think it was anything too special. I mean it was "bar food." To be honest, I don't even remember what I had. Probably grilled chicken of some sort. But it was good. Moreover, it was a pawsitive experience for all of us. :-)
Until next time,
Mama Pea
You are on a roll today! That shop looks awesome. Looks really big too. I didn't realize you were in Ft. Myers. My brother lives in Ft. Myers Beach. Maybe I can get to that shop the next time I'm down there. Great post! Loved all the pictures. Your mom is beautiful!
Posted by: carolld | January 22, 2012 at 01:20 PM
Fun review Stephanie! We'll be in the Ft. Myers area the whole month of Feb. I'll have to check out that sweatshirt dress class right away and see if I can get in.
Posted by: Mary on Lake Pulaski | January 22, 2012 at 01:28 PM
I love getting to see the Quilt Sampler shops in person. I've made it to several, and like you, didn't even realize it in some of them until I was inside! If you haven't learned how to do Cathedral Window by the time we meet up in July, I'll teach you . . .
Posted by: Shelly | January 22, 2012 at 02:18 PM
What a great day that was. And Maddi had the time of her life going with us - just one of the girls!! She slept like a baby when we got home! And she loved traveling in the back seat with Sweet Pea all the way home!
I do have to plan an extra half hour or so every time I go shopping with her, however. That's to allow for the time for people to come up, pet her, and ask questions about her age, breed, etc. I like it, though, because it gets her acclimated to lots of different people.
Posted by: PegVan | January 22, 2012 at 02:36 PM
And yes, I would love to do the hand embroidery on that quilt. It was magnificent! I just wouldn't dare put it together. I would leave that to the master quilt lady who does this blog. What a pleasure that would be!
Posted by: PegVan | January 22, 2012 at 02:38 PM
Love the pics of the shop ... wish I could visit right now! I am going to get my Quilt Sampler mag back out and look again. The little green hoodie caught my eye immediately ... cute idea!
I took a class on the Cathedral Window and I really need to work on it now that you mentioned it!
Your mom, Sweet Pea and Maddi are adorable in the pics at The Dog ... adorable place and I love that is is dog friendly!
Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Donna | January 22, 2012 at 03:14 PM
I don't know which shop I like better! I've enjoyed the tours of both!! I can tell you had fun! And...I like Grandma Pea! :)
Posted by: Deb | January 22, 2012 at 10:49 PM
An awesome shop, and a great looking restaurant! Sounds yummy!
Posted by: Maggie Szafranski | January 23, 2012 at 08:41 AM
I save that magazine too, hoping to go to one of the shops when I'm traveling. I'm just like you, too busy to even remember to look up the shops! This one was a great find. Thanks for telling us about it.
Posted by: Linda in Calif. | January 23, 2012 at 01:24 PM
Wow! Those quilts are stunning! The colors and the designs perfectly complement each other. Maddie looks so cute in her blue bow. I like the concept too. They did a great job with those catch phrases.
Posted by: Jeanie Oquin | May 31, 2012 at 07:57 PM