While visiting the Oregon coast this past weekend, we stumbled upon this quilt shop in Wheeler, Oregon, called Creative Fabrics. We drove by the place on the previous day, and while it's obvious, I didn't notice it.
It wasn't until the next day when I was paying more attention to the building it shares space with...the Old Wheeler Hotel...that I saw the quilt shop.
The hotel itself has an interesting history, and some folks even claim that it's haunted. There's also an antique store. Even if you're not a quilter, it's worth a stop here.
With so many quilt blocks on the Tillamook County Quilt Trail, it would be disappointing if the quilt shop didn't have it's own block:
Surprisingly, they were open even though it was Memorial Day. When you walk in the front door, you can walk left, where the room is full of quilt fabrics...something for everybody, for sure.
To the right is kind of the "business end" of the store, where there was one employee sitting behind the cutting table and cash register. They had a nice collection and display of these One of a Kind hand made buttons. You'll often see these for sale at quilt shows, and I've been known to purchase them myself a time or two. Very cute stuff.
This side of the store had a great collection of notions, books, and patterns.
And take a look at these adorable knitted finger puppets.
I didn't take a lot of pictures inside this store. Sometimes taking pictures makes me feel self-conscious, and that was the case on this day. Still, this is a great store, well worth a stop to see the shop and the interesting building it calls home. I didn't end up purchasing anything here...mainly because I didn't need a danged thing, and it was easy to sneak out unnoticed. Often when I visit a quilt shop, I'm only making a purchase to be polite.
There was plenty of on-street parking despite its being a national holiday and a busy beach weekend. I give this shop my highest rating of five rotary cutters.
*Disclaimer: Cat Patches accepts no advertising, nor any sponsorships. The opinions expressed on this blog are based on the personal impressions and perceptions of the author. They are formed on the basis of one short visit, on one day, and may or may not reflect the experience of others visiting on a different day. They are no more descriptive than a single snapshot image can be, and nothing written in a review of a quilt shop should be construed as objective fact. The reviews are strictly the author's subjective opinion and should not be interpreted as anything more.
5 comments:
I really like this store too when I visited in February. I was really impressed that they actually had a bed with a quilt(s) on it; I don't think I've ever seen a bed in any other quilt store. There were lots of fabrics I could have and would have bought here, but being on the coastal Quilt 101 run at the time, I had to constrain myself in order to 'share the wealth' (hah!) of my pocketbook.
I don't think I've ever been in a quilt store and not bought something! Even if the stock is outdated, ugly, or just not my style I always feel badly if I don't buy something. So, I will buy thread, a ruler, sewing machine needles, or some exotic notion. I always feel they need my support and who doesn't need more thread!
I do find, though, that some bricks and mortar shops (especially in Canada) have their fabric prices far too high (even when converting the yards to meter prices and calculating the difference in the dollar). And when I shop online, the shipping charges can vary a lot.
However, I do purchase a lot (and I mean a lot) of fabric from U.S. online shops (and in person if I'm travelling) simply because of the vast variety available in the U.S. I mostly get it shipped to a friend in the U.S. where I get my packages when I see her. Sometimes I do get it shipped to Canada, but I have more of an incentive to do this if the shipping is reasonable--or if I get a break--but this rarely happens.
Needless to say--I love fabric. When I see something I really love--I will buy 5 yards. Sometimes I have even bought 10. What can I say? I love fabric--it makes me happy.
I'm glad you didn't buy The sand fabrics." You can get similar anywhere. But the fling sock monkeys? Haven't seen that before. I'm always amazed at how all the different shops still manage to have the odd "I haven't seen this before" bolt.
I enjoy your blog and your cat stories/pix.
One of our not so long-lost quilt shops also had a display bed for quilts. I like that a lot. Looks like they had lots of goodies & those finger puppets are hilarious! These last few years I've gotten very good at NOT buying, actually not even shopping around. It's not so much fun, but what are you going to do?
Looks like a nice place to spend a rainy afternoon. (I have rain on the brain, as all we've had this week is rainy afternoons).
That was an interesting shop. I hate to go in a shop and not buy anything
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