Today is my first post for my Quilt Shop Review Series! To kick off the series, I thought I would start with my favorite quilt shop, Pine Needles!
Pine Needles is probably my favorite quilt shop for two reasons. The first reason is that it was the first place where I felt really welcomed and encouraged by the staff to pick a quilt pattern that I liked and just start quilting. They assured me that if I ran into any difficulties, they would be there to help me work through it. It is also the first place that I ever bought fabric, so due to my sentimental attachments, it is usually the first place I return to when I am looking for more fabric! The second reason it is my favorite quilt shop is the location. Pine Needles is nestled into Gardner Village, which is an eclectic collection of non-franchised shops and restaurants. Complete with cute pathways and a duck pond, the area is simply inviting and inspiring.
Pine Needles has other great attributes other than the location and my sentiments. One of my other favorite aspects of the shop is its organization. Once you visit the shop a couple of times you know exactly where to expect the new fabric, where the holiday fabric will be located, where the pre-cuts are piled high, and where to look for more of a fabric that you bought months ago (if it's still in stock!). I love the predictability of the organization of the fabric! It means I can cut to the chase when I'm looking for pre-cuts or something new! Speaking of the organization, each bolt is almost always accompanied by ready-to-grab fat quarters. While most shops aspire to have waiting fat quarters, Pine Needles does a fantastic job of keeping those little morsels ready to go! That is something I truly appreciate because I always feel like if I have to bother someone to cut fabric, I might as well get more than a fat quarter!
The fabric selection at Pine Needles tends to be more modern, but they do have a small selection of more traditional prints. There are a lot of Moda, Riley Blake, Michael Miller, and Free Spirit fabrics. Those manufacturers tend to carry fabrics that appeal to me, so it's another great reason for me to visit the shop. I'm not really into batiks, so I enjoy not having to sift through them! However, Pine Needles does not carry a lot of solids. I believe most of the solids are Moda Bella (I'm more of a Kona girl!) and there just aren't that many in stock. They are, however, always in the same place!
Pine Needles also carries a great book selection. They have books placed around the store and then they have a specific staggered book case that doesn't have more than 3 or 4 copies of anything, so that there is more room for a bunch of different books! They also carry a good variety of quilting and sewing magazines, too!
Pine Needles also has a lot of embroidery patterns and supplies. I don't feel very qualified to evaluate them on their embroidery selection because I don't know how to embroider (yet! I plan on it being a 2013 new years resolution!), but I know they have a bunch of stuff because I've seen it!
While other quilt shops often have a block of the month program, Pine Needles has monthly wall hangings. These wall hangings are usually a mix of quilting, applique, and/or embroidery and they are SO cute! I've never bought a set, but I love to look at them while I am walking around or at the register. Once I move and have more wall space, I'll probably be way tempted!
The biggest downside to Pine Needles is that they don't have a classroom. I think they had one once, but the choice was made to sacrifice the classroom in order to stock more fabric. While I totally understand the decision and love the selection of fabric, I would LOVE for them to have a classroom. The people that work there are SO NICE and I would feel completely comfortable going there for classes.
Well, that is all for the first quilt shop review! If you have any questions about the shop, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will answer them!
I hope you have a great day!
xoxMegan
Currently Listening to: As Long As You Love Me by Justin Bieber
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a little note! Please know that even if I don't respond, I do read each comment and they make my day! If you have any questions or specific concerns, feel free to email me and I'd love to chat you up! Have a great day!