Saturday, January 19, 2008

Batik collection


This week I traveled to Clarkston MI to lecture at the quilt guild there. On the way home I decided to make a small detour to the town of Shipsewana IN. This is an Amish town with a great general store in the middle of town. It had been years since I had been there and I was in the mood to do something just for me. The town is only about 12 miles off of Interstate 80, so I planned my trip back to stop in town. I hit town around noon and went straight to Yoder's General Store. This is the way all stores should be, inside the building was divided down the middle with a long aisle. On the right was a nice grocery store and next to it was the perfect hardware store. They had wonderful farming and canning items as well as all the little do dads that 5 and Dimes used to carry. On the left side of the aisle was a shoe store, with all the name brands, a general mercantile store, with clothes and towels and table clothes and finally a great FABRIC store. After treating myself to a few fabrics I went over and walked thru the huge antique barn next door. Disappointedly I did not find any hankies.

Several years ago I started collected batiks again. I just love the simple patterns and colors of batiks and had stopped using them in my own work. But I decided that I needed to make myself a bed quilt and started collecting. The picture at the top are the ones I find this trip.
When I look at all the ones I have I realize that each time I buy I am attracted to a different color scheme. I will have to make multiple bed quilts. I keep watching Wanda's site to find a pattern that I just must make with these fabulous fabrics. Stay tuned.
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5 comments:

Martha Tsihlas said...

I took your workshop in Austin and since then I like to read your blog and see your work for inspiration.
I used to live near Clarkston, Mi before moving to Austin a couple of yrs. ago. Four of the quilts on my page are made with batiks. I love buying them but then I have a hard time cutting them up. Go figure!
Good luck with finding a cool pattern.
http://www.delsolquilts.com/gallery.shtml#

Martha Tsihlas said...

Just for the record...It is actually 5 quilts I have made using batiks...

Sue said...

I hope you hit the 'downtown' area while you were there, too. Lolly's Fabrics and Rebecca Haarer's quilt shop are too great to miss!

Nikki said...

Beautiful fabrics. I can see why you can't resist collecting them.

The store sounds great. We use to have a very small version in our town when I was growing up. In high school it was replaced by a Safeway. Life was never the same.

Anonymous said...

I am jealous! I love going to Yoder's in Shipshawanna. It is a little overwhelming though coz their fabric dept. Has 10,000 bolts of fabric. Hope you had lunch at Das Essen Haus. Its the best restaurant in town.

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