we're headed out in a couple of weeks on vacation and of course i want to pick up some souvenirs in the form of 'fabric stash'!

are there any quilt shops that i just shouldn't miss in the raleigh-durham, asheville, or lexington area?

*i hope, i hope, i hope*

:D

Ok, in the CAry area--about 15 miles or so from Raleigh is ETC Crafts and fabric store--in a lovely old house in Cary on Chatham Street--a must see/stop/shop. On the main drag in Raleigh is the Bernina dealer/fabric store. Good selction. If you end up on the edge of town going to the airport, there is Wish Upon a Quilt. Internet as well as retail shop. Only open from 10- to 2 Tues---Sat. Those are the ones that I shop at. Mostly the Bernina store b/c its not too far fromthe house. Good luck! Let me know if you get a moment to breath and maybe we could get together for coffee!
Vicki

thanks Vicki! we're staying in Cary so your recommendations should be great! we don't have much planned in the way of activities. just looking around to see what's there as a potential retirement spot.

i'll pm you when time gets closer. maybe we can meet at a coffee/ice cream place (or one of the stores)!

Also go by Joann's

We will be retiring to Yancey Co next year. Its in the mtns of NC about 40 miles from Asheville. The town is called Burnsville pop about 1600 and 2 quilt shops. So I am excited about that.

I was visiting NC a few weeks ago and Vicki sent me to the shop in Carey. They have all sorts of great stuff, all in an old home. Found some great souvenirs.

i've already located it! we'll see how much time i have 'on my own'! thanks henry!

how did the interviews go?

i'm jealous! i googled it. WOW! looks great. would love to go to their August craft fair!

Its a big one for sure! I try to pick up a lot of gifts for friends and family--they have just about a little of everything for sale. We try to go every year whether I buy anything or not. Just seeing so much in one place! Of course theer are usually 2 or 3 quilts being raffled off as well.
Yancey and Mitchell County have a grant from Handmade in America and they are promoting quilting in America by putting wooden "quilts" up on barns and houses in the area. You can even sign up and request one to be put up on your house or barn at no cost. Of course they will also take donations to help the grant money go further and have work days throughout the year to work on the "quilts" painting, etc. Its really neat. Their is a community 15 miles from Burnsville called BeeLog and their school building has the log cabin pattern on it. A very peaceful place and my front porch is about my favorite spot when we get up there.
Whew, I didn't mean to write a book, but I love that place!

so you already have a house there?

Yes. We are remodeling an old farm house in the little community of BeeLog. It was a farming community that was started at the turn of the last century. A logging company owned the land and after it was cut over, they moved out along with the rail and the farmers moved in. Google on Wolf Laurel ski resort. Their property backs up to this small community. Burnsville is the county seat and has a populaion of around 1600 an Beelog is tinier than that.They have an elementary school with about 10 teachers The older children are bused down the mountian to Burnsville. Our house is on Bald Mountain Road 3 miles from BeeLog school. The house need lots of work but we kew it wasn't anything that we couldn't do ourselves, except maybe when we need a new roof. Sowe got it at a price that we could afford that one plus the one in Raleigh and are fixing it up a little bit at a time. We will move up there next year and finish it. Once I retire, it will be easier to do because right now we are 5 hrs away one way.

hi there...First of all if you come so. on I-75 you must go to the Quilt Box inDry Ridge, KY(a fun place a bit off the interstate in an old home set on top of hill; (Walnut Springs Farm 859-824-4007, 3 mi. from Exit 159; (w. Hwy 467)then in Lexington we have two: Quilter's SQuare, 140 Moore Dr(859) 278-5010; and Corner Quilt Shop 153 Patchen Dr.(859)268-7567.
THEN 4 1/2 hrs later just east of Asheville, NC take Exit 59 on I-40 to go to the Fabric Outlet(always something interesting there and a 1/2 way stop to Ral/Dur area from LExington, KY(do it frequently as my daughter lives in Pittsboro off I-64) In Carrboro(actually just to west of Chapel Hill) in the Carr Mill shops is a special place w/ unique fabrics...??name..but eat at Elmo's there while you're there...
have fun...glad to see the posting re: Cary shop..will ck it out on my next trip.
OR...go to your local quilt store and peek at the Quilter's travelling book for other ideas.
Ruth

thanks Ruth! great suggestions. we'll be doing the circle through Virginia, down to Raleigh, over to Asheville, then back home through Lexington (so we'll be going north on I-75). i've heard of Dry Ridge (my former employer has a location there). i'm writing all of these down!

thanks ladies!

What mkes the CAry shop special is the staff. VEry friendly and always ready to help no matter what the problem or question. BUT if you like antiques and want a great shop, go south of Raleigh to a little community called Selma. They have reinvened themselves from a farming community to antique heaven--not real expensive tings can be found, but the treasure is the Whistle Stop Quilt Shop. It was featured in a past issue of American Patchwork and Quilting Mag. Great shop.

I don't normally post...but, thought I might be able to help you out. My daughter lives in the Raleigh area...I emailed her and got some places for you (some I have been to also when visiting her) and she also vacations up in the mountains...The first 4 are for the Raleigh area.
1. Plain & Simple--1510 N Salem St., just off hwy. 64 in Aoex (it's another house converted) No website yet.
2. Thimble Pleasures--West Main St. in Carrboro. www.thimblepleasures.com
3. Whistlestop Quilt Shop--104 E. Anderson St., Selma. Also on the web.
4. Wish Upon A Quilt--Also on the web. This is our favorite! Great fabrics and great buys!!!

5. My QuiltShoppe--located in Hendersonville, near Ashville.
www.myquiltshoppe.com
6. Material Things Quilt Shop--Hendersonville.
www.materialthingsquiltshop.com
7. Mary Jo's--20 minutes from Hendersonville in Gastonia.
www.maryjos.com
(This is a huge fabric warehouse and has great quilting fabrics)
**Also ask if they know where the thread warehouse shop is that is nearby.

8. She said if you are passing through Greensboro from Raleigh to Ashville, check out Randy's Quilt Shop. It's a really nice shop.
www.quiltinginthepiedmont.com

She has be to all of these and thinks you'll enjoy.

Sorry for the "book"...hope it helps you. Have a great trip!

VickiM (from Florida)

VickiM - thank you so much for taking the time to e-mail and get the information for me! i'm starting to get really excited and hope i have lots of time to visit these places!

we leave in a couple of weeks! (May 30th).

Saw the blurb for Randy's Quilt Shop in Greensboro, NC--my local shop.
it's www.randysquilts.com--you just missed the 50% off sale. They are very helpful and have whatever you need--good coffee too.

If you are heading east from Raleigh towards Lexington, don't forget to check out Replacements LTD. They carry all kinds of dishes/china. It's quite a hit w/ the tourists. IT's right on I-40 just past Burlington.

Now, when in Lexington, don't forget the BBQ. It's the best no matter where you go.

Have fun and enjoy our great state. We are proud to call NC home.
Julie

thanks Julie! love BBQ probably for dinner one evening. any particular place better than the others (we'll have our 5 year old with us)? we eat early so crowds aren't usually an issue.

thanks again everyone! i'm thinking of leaving everyone behind and just making this a 'quilting trip'! so much to choose from!

had a very nice trip. relatives in virginia are all doing well. had a nice gathering sunday with them.

had fun in Raleigh/Cary (except for the super-highways!). Vicki - sorry i wasn't able to get in touch with you. it got really hectic before we left. We were able to spend an hour or so in Etcetera in Cary. Loved it! Mom got batiks for a throw and i got lots of odds and ends and a pattern. then mom changed her mind about how she wanted to put her throw together halfway through the trip so we called back and had them send some more fabric. they remembered us! prices were really good, too! $8/yd for batiks? wow.

we also went to Michaels and Jo-anns in Cary/Raleigh. wasn't impressed at all with the Jo-anns. i've never seen such disarray (sp?) in a quilting section.

Then in Asheville/Hendersonville we spent about 45 minutes in 'My Quilt Shoppe'. Very nice, but seemed awfully expensive. Most fabrics were $10/yd! I did get some fat quarters to go with my BOM ($2.60 each). The brochure had mentioned Georgia Bonesteel so I assumed it was her shop. Mentioned it while we were there and got snapped at! Yikes! She doesn't 'own' it, but she had a little corner with her stuff in it.

We really liked the Hendersonville/Flat Rock area for relocation in a few years. Have to do some more research and look at a few more places, but it/they are definitely in the running (except for the cost of fabric!).

thanks, ladies for your input! really enjoyed your recommendations, and wish we could have done more! maybe next time!

I'm sure all the quilt stores are great ones, but when you get to Ashville be sure and see the BILTMORE !! An awesome experience and one you won't soon forget !

ah, yes . . . we actually passed on the Biltmore. I had been there years ago and when DH saw the cost ($47 per person), he wasn't interested any longer. My mom has bad knees and didn't want to walk that much. So we stopped at the Gift Shop at the front gate and spent the money on books, t-shirts, and other fun stuff!

nope, we passed on the Biltmore. just too much $$ and other things to do. love that area. wasn't too impressed with Asheville itself, but the surrounding areas are beautiful!

also learned while in Virginia with my Cousin that my Grandmother was born in Mars Hill, just 20 miles north of Asheville. we drove through it quickly on the way out of town.

Our mountain/retirement house is just 15 miles from Mars Hill. Burnsville is about the same distance form us in the opposite direction. Nice scenery and people. We wanted small town living and thats what is in that area, just perfect for us. There is a great quilt shop in Burnsville called Needle Me This. There is no Joannes, or Wal Mart, but a real live quilt shop. I needed straight pins late on Saturday and thought I'd check at the dollar store for some (the quilt shop was closed by that time) and asked the clerk if they had any and got looked at like I had 3 heads! She didn't know what I was talking about! Maybe she called them something else, but she didn't have a clue as to what a straight pin was!
Glad you liked ETC and glad you enjoyed your trip! No matter where you settle, I know you will enjoy North Carolina.

DH seems entranced more and more by this area. He's reading all of the 'where to retire' books and sees now that Brevard is another popular area. Wish we would have visited there and Burnsville.

I would love to take a few days just to roam the mountain areas and quilt shops. Hopefully one day I'll be able to! Next year we're going to look at the Knoxville/Maryville area (just across the mountain). Doubt we'll end up at too high of an elevation as DH isn't into that (he's a city boy, born and raised in Detroit).

Vicki - Hope to meet you one day in one of the shops!