To SIRS with Love

Several years ago I wrote a post about

"The World's Best Fabric Store."

This wonderful fabric store was located in

Fayetteville, Tennessee,

where my parents live.

Rarely did I visit them  

without a visit to SIRS as well. 

Horrible, sad news last weekend

when a fire erupted late Saturday night

and early Sunday morning.

The result of the fire is a total loss of SIRS.

SIRS was more than a fabric store.

It was a historic landmark,

the largest fabric store in the southeast.

In business since the 1940s,

it was a gathering place

for designers and decorators

as well as home sewers.

Fayetteville is a a small town, but

their customers came from miles away to shop.

It was a "girls day out" kind of place.

In the past few years they began

selling sewing machines

and offering classes,

helping to insure the future of

home sewing.

I cannot tell you how many times

I have walked through their front doors

to spend hours of bliss.

The inventory at SIRS was beyond belief.

You could not just run in for a few minutes.

Piles of fabric had to be gone through,

piece by piece,

as if you were on a treasure hunt.

And because SIRS' prices were

incomparable, very often,

REAL treasures were discovered.

I look around my house and see 

curtains and draperies,

upholstered furniture and slipcovers,

shower curtains, table cloths,

pillows and cushions,

all made from fabric from SIRS.

All this in addition to 

a very large portion of the

fabrics used to make my

totes, bags and needle cases,

the backbone of my 

Buttermilk Cottage business,

all came from SIRS.

A total loss indeed.

No word yet on future plans for SIRS.

Will they rebuild and possibly come back

newer, bigger and better than before?

I surely hope so.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait...

...and wait...and wait.

I have been looking for glass panels

since I moved into this house,

what nine years ago???

Finally, HERE they are!

I wanted them to hang in the two windows on either 

side of the fireplace.

I replaced the windows soon after moving in and

purposely had solid glass installed,

knowing I wanted hanging panels,

but could never find exactly 

what I wanted.

Then last fall, while hanging out on Pinterest,

 I found a look I loved,
in which the artist incorporated
vintage plates.

The pin took me to an Etsy site,

BarbarasStainedGlass

and within a few days,

my order was placed for 

two custom panels.

Within a few weeks a specially made, wooden crate arrived.

Barbara is an expert glass designer and craftsman,

but almost as important,

she KNOWS how to ship glass

and have it arrive intact.

Once the top was off the crate,

there were polystyrene sheets and bubble wrap.

Finally, a first view of my new panels!

Sadly I can never get a nice clear picture of this room,

but I'm sure you can see what an excellent addition

my new panels are to it!

SO happy I waited until I found exactly

what I wanted!

(Thank you Barbara!)

On another note,

but the same theme,

about good things coming to

those who wait,

last summer I fell in love with this fabric.

I had an upholstery fabric that 

coordinated with it

PERFECTLY

 with the chevron as a lining for a knitting tote.

Alas, I don't pay $50.00 a yard

for ANY fabric, no matter how perfect,

no matter how much I'm in love with it!

Can you believe the very same store

had it marked down to $10.00 a yard

for their MLK Day Holiday Sale last week?

Well...

I bought all they had and have 

happily been sewing on it since!

Although the upholstery fabric

I originally planned to pair it with

is now gone,

I never have a lack of 

things to sew!

New this week in my shop

are a great new selection of

hanging needle and crochet hook organizers!

Good things REALLY do come

to those who wait!

Mission Accomplished Part II

I've put in some serious sewing time this week,

making new window treatments for

my entry, living room and dining room.

I usually contain my sewing projects to my sewing room,

but dealing with the yardage needed for curtain making,

forced me to move to the dining room table

for the cutting portion of this job.

I purchased thirteen yards of the blue graphic print and...

...six yards of the floral

(not to mention, seven yards of lining).

That much fabric needs to breathe...

It's always a little scary for me to make the first cut.

Did I measure right?

Did I calculate right?

Have I thought it through well enough?

But, cut I did.

The bottom cafes and their linings all ready to be sewn.

I'm using these nifty little rings with hooks

for the top valances.

I'm making a very simple valance.

It will be made up of a series of squares,

the two fabrics, sewn together,

then folded diagonally with

two inches of the back fabric creating a boarder.

Can't wait to show you what they look like hanging!

Mission Accomplished!

Last weekend my sister Nancy and I took a trip to

Fayetteville, Tennessee, where our parents live.

It was a lovely family weekend and we celebrated our

Dad's birthday with our brother Bill and his wife Pat.

However, the weekend had a second purpose for me.

I cannot go to Fayetteville without visiting

Sir's Fabrics,

one of my "happy places."

I have been on a long hunt

for fabrics for new window treatments...



In the dining room - going soon.



in my entry, living room and dining room.

I found it!

Finally.

I had actually bought fabrics last winter to redo them,

but for some reason had not gotten around to making them.

In the meantime I've been rethinking my redecorating plans

for those rooms and decided the fabric wasn't "right."

So, I hoped, hoped, hoped I'd find something at

Sir's that would work.



In the entry...goodbye!

Then I saw the yellow fabric above.

It totally hooked me with the blue twigs.

Who can explain why we fall in love with

some things and not others?



Living room - time for a change!

I'll be coordinating the yellow above with ...



...this pretty blue graphic.

I know these fabrics are "right" because I could hardly wait

to get started on the new window treatments.

I started cutting yesterday...

Updates to follow!!!

New Needle Cases!



Isn't this a fun fabric?

Recently while shopping for fabric to

recover a love seat in my living room,

I discovered it.

While not what I needed for my love seat,

I couldn't resist it.

Since then, I've been sewing Double Point Needle Cases,

Straight Needle Cases,

Circular Needle Cases, and

Crochet Hook Cases.

I've just listed them in my Etsy Shop.

As an aside, I also found just the fabric in which
I want to reupholster my love seat!

It got picked up on Saturday and I just

MIGHT have it back this Saturday!

I am SO happy to say goodbye to the...



...the brown love seat!

Fabric Inspirations

Karen, a member of my knitting group is in the process of redecorating.

Recently, before coming to knit, she stopped by a furniture store

to check out their couches.

In casual conversation with the store's owner,

he said he had some fabric swatches he no longer wanted.

Bonanza!

Karen took them off his hands and our group has been

divvying them up.

Now, I'm not talking about a few dozen different fabric swatches.

I'm talking hundreds...

...and hundreds.

We're talking paisleys (many all silk),

florals,

and geometrics, as well as lots of solids.

What to do with all these little pieces of fabric?

A little creative challenge was proclaimed and here

is a bit of what has been made.

Katherine, a wonderful quilter has started a ...

pieced pillow top, still in process.

Here's one of several "catch-all" message boards

created by my sister Nancy.

Each different fabric is a deep pocket for

organizing papers, receipts, etc.

This cute little case by Karen

will hold cell phone,

camera or an I Pod.

How about a fabric basket, another Karen creation?

Guess who made the sheep???

I made some accessory bags. 

They're great for knitting tools, jewelry, make up, etc.

I've also been making "Pillow Vests,"

(more about those at a later date),

and table runners.

Remember those blue swatches at the beginning of this post?

Here's what they became.

This week I'm joining the Wow Us Wednesday Party

at Savvy Southern Style.