Quilt Shop: Tater Patch Quilts

While we were in Klamath Falls this past weekend, I drove south about 25 miles to a quilt shop I've visited before:  Tater Patch Quilts in Merrill, Oregon.

I checked back to see what I'd written about the place before, which left me with mixed feelings about what to say this time around.  Apparently, the last time I was in, the service was better.  I'll say more about the service in a minute, but first I'll tell you about the store.

Tater Patch Quilts is located in the tiny town of Merrill, and it is very easy to find because it's right on the highway.  There is plenty of on-street free parking, and with such a wide street, it is easy to get in and out of your car without feeling as if you're going to be run down by passing traffic.

They have an excellent supply of fabric, notions, patterns, books...in essence, everything you'd want to find in a good quilt shop.  Their fabrics ran the gamut.  There were lots of batiks, calicoes, civil war prints, and a good selection of flannel.  There were also plenty of blenders and florals.  I would say they were a little light on novelty prints, which was disappointing.  I was hoping to find some cat fabrics, but only found them in the flannels.

The last time I visited, I completely missed the downstairs, which is a significant part of the shop.  Although the stairs are right in front of the door when one walks through, somehow I missed them...both times.  This time I had the presence of mind to ask, and was then embarrassed to realize that they couldn't have been more obvious to the even most casual of observers.  I think my eyes must have been looking up at all the beautiful quilts hanging on the walls and from the ceiling.

The downstairs houses a great sale area with fabrics marked 40% off.  I found something here.

They also had quilts for sale arranged by size, as well as pillows and bags.

There were some stunning quilts hanging from the walls and ceiling.  I was especially taken with these panel quilts made from photographs of the local area.  I've cropped them and left the photograph in the image so you can get some idea of the beautiful work the quilter did.

The one below was just wonderful.  Klamath Falls is the home of the Winter Wings Festival which is held in February of each year.  Each year millions of birds migrate south from the Arctic region to winter over in the relative warmth of the area...although it's hard to believe when you visit Klamath Falls in February.  It is quite cold during the winter.  We attended the Winter Wings Festival several years ago, and I saw my first bald eagles.  There were dozens of them, and so it was quite exciting.  This quilt is meant to depict Klamath Falls' significant part in bird migration.

I did find some fabrics I liked.  I got a couple of yards of this green one.  I had a fat quarter very similar to this which I used up long ago.  I have just little scraps left over, and always wish I had more.  Now I do.

I went specifically looking for a piece like this next one.  I think this will work well for my thatched roof in the next Doors of Ireland block.  Add some thread work, and this should work out very well.

Finally, I got this blender from their 40% off shelves.  Nothing in mind for this.  It'll just go into my stash for future use.

This little wall hanging was made up and hanging in the shop.  I liked it and so I bought the pattern.  

So I liked this shop both times I visited.  This time, however, I was quite put off by the service.  While I've said many times that I don't like service in quilt shops to be hovering, I also don't like to be ignored completely.  While there were three employees and four other women in the shop, not a single person spoke to me until I went to have my fabrics cut.  All of the other women in the store knew one another by name, and were gossiping about this thing and that thing to the point that I felt as if I'd intruded into a private quilting bee.  

Even while I was paying for my purchases, I was ignored, while they chatted amongst themselves.  Now, call me petty, but when I'm spending my money at the cash register, I like to be the center of attention.  It wasn't until my fabric was bagged up and I was walking out the door that the woman who took my money smiled and said, a little too cheerfully, "Have a nice day!"  Thanks.

While I would visit this quilt shop again, I can't rate it any higher than three rotary cutters out of five.  (Some day I'm going to come up with an actual image for the rotary cutters.  Just you wait.  Then, my ratings will really be sought after.)  The poor service annoyed me this time around.  Maybe I was just crabby because of the heat and the smoke in the air, but whatever.  These women were just plain rude.  Poor service is one thing.  Bad manners is quite another.  So I would completely recommend visiting Tater Patch Quilts if you're in the area, but go for the fabric, and for no other reason.  It is a great store.  Maybe one day I'll visit again and be able to say something more positive about the service.

And now I'm off to make dinner.  I'm so looking forward to getting some sewing in tomorrow.

Busy Days

The past two days have been busy from start to finish.  Usually I have some time to spend doing embroidery in the morning.  The last two days, I've had time to drink my coffee, pet my little buddy, and then I'm off.

Little Smitty is turning into the sweetest little kitty.  He is all the best parts of a cat:  playful, smart, talkative, and lovable.  I think he's going to be a good companion when he is old enough to follow me around in the yard.  For now, we're pretty protective of him.

Gracie tolerates him as long as he doesn't touch a single strand of fur on her body.  And if he glances in her direction, she grrrrrrrs to remind him.  She will stay in the same room with him however, and even consents to eating her kitty treats with him beside her.

When we're outside, he likes to hide under the bushes.  He's easy enough to find because he's fascinated by Gracie, and she's grrrrring at him all the time.  We just need to listen for her, and we'll find him close by.

Yesterday I spent the whole day straightening things up after our weekend away.  The house was clean when we left for Klamath Falls, but I found myself needing to put back what the cat hath put asunder.  By the time that was all done, it was time to make dinner.  

Today's schedule was a little less hectic.  I had my monthly pedicure, but then I went to the grocery store and commenced to add over 60 items to my cart, which of course had to be put away when I got home.  I think both things took about the same amount of time.  But the best part of the morning was picking up my Daisies & Dots quilt from the quilter.  I'm very happy with how this turned out.

I asked her to put a daisy and swirl pantograph on it, and I think it looks just right.  Here's a little closer image of the design.

And here's how it looks on the back.

I'm going to use that same bright red from the front for the binding.  Once it's bound, I'm planning to send this one off to my cousin.  She had two surgeries on her ankle in May...two, because the first one failed.  Poor thing.  She is 63 (I think).  She was a skier who had a good chance of going to the Olympics when she was a teenager, but broke her ankle skiing when she was 18.  Her ankle has plagued her throughout her life.  I think this quilt will help brighten her day, and so that is where it will go.  Don't you love being able to give a gift of a quilt to someone special?  I sure do.

The binding will have to wait a bit, however.  We're leaving again this weekend to go out to a summer party at our friends' house who live out toward the Oregon coast.  They have some acreage and so we pull our trailer out there once per year and camp for a couple of nights.  Lots of people show up for this annual event, and it is a lot of fun.  

I usually cook for a smaller group on Friday.  This year, I'm making Mexican fare.  Then everyone shows up Saturday, and we all chip in with a dish for the potluck.  Most people camp out in their cars or tents for the night, and then we say good-bye Sunday morning.  We've been going out there every summer for 5-6 years, and I look forward to it.  It's also a photographer's paradise, and so I'll be showing you lots of pictures of their place.  And just to whet your appetite, here's one from a couple of years ago:

Our friend Jan is quite a gardener, and so there are lots of flowers.  Their acreage is on the Nehalem River and so there is lots of wild stuff to photograph too.  You'll see when I get back.

This will be Smitty's first trailer trip.  He and Gracie will ride out there in the trailer.  I think Smitty might be up for trying the catio too.  We had it when we went last year, but George and Gracie were both suspicious about it and wouldn't try going inside.  I have a feeling Smitty won't be so timid.  It is essentially a kennel that hangs on the side of the trailer over an open window.  That way, kitty can go outside and still be safe.  This is one I found online, and it has a little screen that goes over the outside so that bugs can't fly in the open window.  Pretty cool, huh?

So that's about it from the Three Cats Ranch.  It's getting close to dinner time, and I still want to tell you about the quilt shop I visited in Klamath Falls.  That will be another post.  Tomorrow I sew since it will probably be my only chance until next week some time.  How's your week going so far?