sunday stash :: a good day

 

I went on a little fabric store tour of southwest Connecticut recently... I wish you all at least one day of the pure euphoria that was that day. Of course I left our camera at Gehring Road... decidedly northeast Connecticut, so alas, I'll have to make that little escape again to share with you soon... journalistic purposes only I assure you. Luckily I have some stock pictures of my stops. 

The Quilter's Alley, 103 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, CT. 

I love this shop. Not only do they have some of the most beautiful (and modern) fabrics I've seen in the state (Nani Iro, Denyse Schmidt, Heather Ross, Lecien, Echino), the owners of this store are incredibly sweet and fun to chat with. I love that the space is mostly given to easy browsing and an interactive- work station. The owner, while cutting my fabric, mentioned that they've had Denyse Schmidt (who is centered out of an old mill in Bridgeport - right down the road) teach classes at their store. If you go, grab some lunch at the French bakery around the corner... I had a tiny quiche and some tea for lunch and it put me in the perfect mood for fabric shopping... ok, so perfect mood for fabric shopping not so difficult to achieve. Here's what I bought...

...some Kate Spain, some Jennifer Paganelli, some Hope Valley...

 Photo from The Quilt Shop Blog

The Quilt Shop, 5 Padanaram Road, Danbury, CT.   

Another really sweet store.  The Quilt Shop has a nice blend of conventional as well as modern prints. Lots of Kaffe Fasset, Tula Pink, Moda and Amy Butler. There was a flurry of activity, people were coming in to get some helpful advice on their projects and purchase some additional yardage.  I browsed, and browsed and browsed... there's a lot to take in! Here's what I bought...

...love those little flowers on the left...

Make and Mingle, 63 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, CT.

I'm mourning the lack of photos here... big time.  Make and Mingle is housed in a really amazing space, there are notions, felt, buttons, fabric really everywhere in this bright and cheery modern fabric store. When I arrived (park at the railroad station, look for the decorated bike outside) there was a party happening in the workroom.  A group of young girls were discovering the love of fabric (ahh...) while making headbands for a birthday. Fabric here is decidedly modern (Echino, Jay McCarroll, Anna Maria Horner) but doesn't change all that often... this is still a very new store.  I love their lounge area, the handmade products they offer and just the very cool, laid back vibe of the store. One of my very favorite stops.

 

I'm looking forward to making some pillows with the yellow-flowered fabric (Valorie Wells) and the volumes fabric (Anna Maria Horner). I'm still dreaming about these pillows made by Amy and hoping to do my own little version really soon.  

So all in all, a really lovely day.  I love this area of the state... from Ichabod Road to the hills down Route 8, it feels very Hudson Valley, very beautiful and serene. If you can even see straight after fabric euphoria takes hold, it's a beautiful drive. Looking forward to heading back down as soon as possible.