Yesterday was a day of such good news ..finding an exciting new BOM just made my day!
Today I am in absolute shock, having just learned that my favorite quilt shop will be closing. The Buttonhole in McPherson, KS is about three and a half hours away, but such an amazing place and my favorite place to shop. They have over 12,000 bolts of fabric!! And about a gazillion patterns, notions, machines, etc. And a store full of samples that tempt you at every turn. Just look at some of the pictures on the gallery page (click on the large Buttonhole section).
My husband, who travels throughout the state of Kansas as a behavioral consultant, first discovered the shop and came home bearing a sack full of fat quarters for me. At that time fat quarters were $1.00 each or 25 for $20. In the last year or so they have gone up to $1.25 each or 25 for $25. And I'm talking quality fabric..the same stuff that is on the bolts on the shelves. I've always assumed they take the fabrics that haven't sold as well and cut them up into fat quarters. There is a separate room with shelving for these fat quarters and bolts of other sale fabrics. Guess where I always head as soon as I walk in the door?
Tom has always been able to get there far more often than I have. And he always returned bearing bags of fat quarters. I finally got such a stash of them that I had to tell him to slow down. Can you imagine?
The shop has been such a destination that two years in a row several friends I met online have gathered with me at McPherson for two and three days of sewing and shopping at the Buttonhole. We rented a meeting room at a local motel, set up our machines and had a great time. And we chose McPherson purely because of The Buttonhole!
Several miles to the south in a town called Yoder is another shop called Nuts & Bolts. They have carried fabric from The Buttonhole, selling only bolt ends at discounted prices. I suppose this means the end of that shop too!
I'm told the closing sale starts next Monday, January 12. I'm sure it will be a total zoo! If I lived closer I'd be there with bells on.
If I were more of a drinking person I'd have to get drunk by noon!
