Scrappy Hearts

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 7, 2018

Grateful that I get to spend a great deal of time playing with fabric. My role as a shop owner has me wearing so many different hats, some of them not so much fun! But, seriously, how cool is it that I got to spend this past Wednesday evening picking out fabric to match some awesome Aurifil thread colors like this, 1148. Our block of the month that begins in January is going to be bright and gorgeous! Bright Aurifil threads and beautiful Kaffe Fasset fabrics!

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 2, 2018

Grateful today for the gift of inspiration. So much talent and so many beautiful fabrics have really inspired me to up my quilting game. I am so excited to bring so much of this back home to the shop! These fabrics from Tilda will become a part of an EPP project that has been slowly simmering in the back of my brain. I couldn't resist and placed the order right away. Inspiration must never be ignored. 

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 1, 2018

Today I am so very grateful for the gift of Quilt Market. Although Market activities really don't get underway until tomorrow, I spent this evening surrounded by quilt shop owners from around the country and the world. So much fun! We shared ideas and talked about our individual concerns and interests. I learned so very much! I am excited to head home and implement some of the ideas we spoke about. While I am grateful for the gift of Quilt Market, I seriously would not have been able to attend without the prodding and support from my husband Mark, the flexibility and earnestness of everyone of the special ladies that works with me at the shop and finally, without the gift of a job with personal days this trip would not have been possible. I recognize all of that and consider this short trip the gift that it is!

30 Days of Gratitude: November 4th

 Grateful today for The Village Quilter. I start my Saturdays early with Demo Day at 9:30. It is such a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by so many creative women. We laugh, share and celebrate each other and our community. I can think of no better place to spend my time! 

30 Days of Gratitude: November 3rd

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Tonight I had the opportunity to play with fabric and boy was it the perfect way to spend this Friday evening after a very stressful week at school. Tonight was UFO night and I had the help of several Bonnie Hunter Mystery veterans! So much fun! So grateful that I have The Village Quilter and the wonderful women that I work and play with at the shop. I cannot wait until Black Friday when the first clue is revealed.

Summer - 2017

 Summer, like so many things in my life, is defined by what’s happening in the shop. June 21st, the official start of summer, also denotes the beginning of the Row x Row Experience. Row x Row is an international quilters’ shop hop. Quilt shops around the world register to be a part of the Experience. 

This year we were a little better prepared for the Row x Row than we were last year and that was entirely due to my inexperience as a shop owner. Our license plate was ordered early and the idea for our row came early on with input from many stakeholders. 

 Our row, which you can see at the top of the display in the photo above, is based on the wheel block. We call it the Mill Wheel Block because our little shop sits in the middle of a village that grew up on one of the races in Mt. Holly. The race drew off the Rancocas Creek and was used to spin the wheels of the mills. Four mill wheels represent the 4 seasons of the year. The theme of this year’s Row by Row is “On the Go” and what better symbol to represent the shop than the wheels that made this village run?

I can say that I am really looking forward to the summer but the truth is, summer started a few weeks ago, before I was ready. Now I just need to dig in and take advantage of it for all that it’s worth!

What a Difference a Year Makes

Saturday, April 1st, we celebrated our first anniversary at the shop. What a great day we had! So many wonderful customers, who are now friends, joined us for a great day! Looking back, I cannot believe that we have come as far as we have. Seriously, we now have very little room to move in the shop. Last year we were busy looking for creative ways to make the shop look full. Our class list has expanded and we are busy planning for this years’ Row by Row, holiday samples and special events.

This year we supported Project Linus with blankets and quilts, Meals on Wheels with placemats, Ryans Case for Smiles with Pillowcases, a Girl Scout Silver Project with fabric, quilts and time. We have provided support for women through Distributing Dignity donations. Serving our local community is very important to me and that is one thing I hope to expand during our 2nd year in business. This has been a very exciting and fulfilling experience for me. I am looking forward to seeing where this year takes me! 

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30 Days of Gratitude - Day 6

Grateful for people that find a need and then make a plan to fill it. I don’t have that ability. I am happy to find charities that serve and support them. Distributing Dignity is just one of those charities. The bags you see above are the donations I was able to collect at the shop. If you are interested in supporting women from all walks of life across the country, please take a look at Distributing Dignity. My shop, The Village Quilter, is a drop off site and I am grateful that they are filling a need and we can support that.

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Grateful for the opportunity to experience a dream come true! I have always wanted to own a quilt shop. Each day I head to the store I realize how fortunate I am to be living my dream. Seriously, I get to play with fabric! I work with wonderful women who inspire me on a regular basis. The have remarkable integrity and truly care about everyone that enters our shop. I have been fortunate to meet some of the kindest and most generous women; not to mention how really talented they are. We share our time and our shop with people from all walks of life. We share our stories, our worries, our tragedies and our compassion. We lift each other up and sit beside each other as we work through situations no one should ever have to face. Our quilt shop is truly a gift and I am grateful every day!

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Grateful for the opportunity to pursue my dream of owning a quilt shop. For me, this includes the opportunity to travel to Quilt Market in Houston to learn, see and grow as a store owner, a quilter and someone who is committed to inspiring others to find their creative niche. I have experienced so much since Quilt Market 2015 and I am so grateful.

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