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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

All the Way to Wytheville!

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Wytheville, Virginia isn’t that far from the cabin in Mouth of Wilson – if you are a crow flying!

However, if you are a van on the road, followed by a friend driving her car behind you and taking winding back roads you may as well slow down, enjoy the scenery and take it easy.  The 58 miles is going to take you a while, but it’s worth the drive!

Isn’t this the cutest downtown?  I love driving through Wytheville, they’ve done a great job of keeping their main street stores in good condition.  I love it when buildings are bustling and busy, not sitting forlorn and vacant.

We had ONE location on our radar –but our parking spaces were down the street, and who can resist this photo:

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Oh goodness, too cute!

Interesting things about Wytheville:
It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson.   During the American Civil War, Wytheville had a strategic importance, and was attacked in 1863 (Toland's Raid) and 1865 (Stoneman's 1865 Raid). The town is also the birthplace of Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson. [source]
But even more so, it has been the home of Batiks, Etc. and Sew What Fabrics since 1982, occupying a wonderful house built almost a century and a half earlier in 1840:

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SO many wonderful things found within!

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You could get lost in stacks of batiks!

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Irene found the sale bolts!

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And I was spotted by the staff!

Thanks for the great welcome, ladies!

We also popped into the bustling classroom upstairs to see what was going on – it was open sew!  How fun!

If you happen to be traveling through Virginia, Wytheville is at the Junction of Interstates 81 and 77 –very easy to find and a spot not to miss!

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Another spot to plan on!

1776 Log House restaurant!

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Settling in for a yummy lunch!

We sat, we ate, we made notes and went over details of the retreat I’ll be teaching for Irene’s shop, the Cozy Quilter in Louisville NEXT summer!  It’s going to be a blast.  More details to follow on that.

We talked about shop projects, other plans for the future, and how much we enjoyed just sewing our brains out and being together for 5 straight days.  It flew by so fast.

And since Wytheville IS at the junction – we went our separate ways after lunch with Irene heading north to Charleston, WV and then west to Louisville.  I went south on 77 heading over towards 52 for my drive home to Winston-Salem.

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There may have been a stop here!

Every time I have passed by the Fancy Gap Fabric Outlet, and the Pottery Outlet across the parking lot it has either been late in the day and closed, or I’ve been on a deadline to be somewhere else and didn’t have the time to wander.  And you’ll need time!

I had a hard day showing ANY kind of restraint, but I’m happy with what did come home:

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Fat Quarters from Batiks Etc..

1/2 yards from the Fabric Outlet!

It’s a happy mix!

And I’m considering this FRT. Fabric Replacement Therapy.  I know I have sewn up this many neutrals in the past week.  I’m not hoarding.  I’m replacing!

At least that is my story and I’m sticking to it.

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This happened last night.

I walked into my basement studio to find that the quilt in the process of being webbed from the previous week’s Quilt-Cam was STILL on the floor.  Because I have a couple of desk days ahead of me, I had NO CHOICE but to sit right down and web all the rows together so I wouldn’t be rolling over blocks with my chair.  Makes sense, right?

For webbing info, please check last week’s Quilt-Cam episode found under the Quilt-Cam tab at the top of the blog.

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All webbed and ready to start sewing rows together!

And now that it is off the floor, I can finally vacuum up all of the threads it left in its wake as well!

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Quiltville Quote of the Day!

While wandering the pottery outlet in Fancy Gap, VA I read this sign in regards to fishing. I believe it applies to quilting, too!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!


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14 comments:

  1. Awesome stash replacements! So glad you had a great time with your friend. Too bad you were forced to finish webbing that quilt - lol!

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  2. I webbed a Quilt Top this am. I'd laid it out upstairs yesterday to move the blocks around a bit and left it to look at it again with fresh eyes this am. Just 49 Blocks but nice to get this UFO a little further along the Quilting process. I have our Fair and will be Busy taking in and setting up the Quilts this week. Demo-ing Quilting as I sit and Monitor them next week. Replacing Stash sounds better than Stash enhancing. I am saving my Neutral in a Tote, ready to add the Colors to go with this coming Mystery. One good thing to look forward to around Halloween.

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  3. Love that old (I assume) quilt hanging in the restaurant--amazing...hugs, Julierose

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  4. I've been through fancy gap a few times and always wondered about the outlet. Usually too late or way too early driving through there. Hope to get there one day.

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  5. At one time there was a great Christmas shop with a carosel at Wytheville. I wonder if it is still there.

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  6. So happy you and Irene were able to get together.I know you two had a wonderful time. Sorry to hear of the "bad" rotary cutter but am happy to know that healing is coming right along.

    Know that thousands of Quiltvillians are praying for Mark and the rest of your family. Any time you think of him know that someone is praying for him at that very moment.

    I am getting excited for the first mystery hints to come. Ha, ha me and a bazillion other quilters :)

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  7. What fantastic fabric shops, love batiks and the lovely building is really being used beautifully. Really enjoy the history you share with us so interesting xxx

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  8. Leaving that Quilt to be Webbed on the floor is part of the Quilting virus that we all have. So glad you were able to spend that time with your friend. Prayers for Mark.

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  9. I love Wytheville. I go to Batiks Etc. twice a year and I'm thrilled it's the halfway point between Ohio and my sister's in NC. We also spend the night there and ate at the Log Cabin restaurant. A fun meal for the history and everyone isso very nice. Still need to hit Fancy Gap fabric outlet. I'm thinking Oct. will be the perfect time to check it out. So sweet to have a nice day with a friend.

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  10. Great work in site and nice Blog

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  11. I also travel from Ohio to Raleigh, NC, and found Batiks, Etc a couple of years ago while seeking Row by Row patterns. It is wonderful! They also sell on line and give fabulous service with it. I sometimes get overwhelmed in a shop with masses of choices n front of me. It was easier for me to narrow down my choices by doing it online! Once I decided, the fabric was in my hands two days later!

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  12. Your all blog is very good. Keep sharing and posting.

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  13. The photographs are just amazing. Loved them.

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