The Cotton Cupboard Quilt Shop

As we were driving along Rte 1 into Bangor Maine I spotted a quilt shop in a little strip mall.  My hubby asked if I would like to stop and, of course, I said yes.  I am so glad he is so sweet about quilt stops because this shop is not to be missed if you are anywhere near Bangor. The Cotton Cupboard Quilt Shop in Bangor, Maine is located at 1213 Broadway.

Where shall I start.  The selection of fabrics was large and high quality.  Batiks, juvenile prints, flannels, wide backing cottons plus many full lines of brand name cottons. All fabrics were neatly displayed with coordinating lines of similar fabrics. Patterns, notions, batting and display samples were plentiful. This is one of the cleanest and brightest shops I have ever been in. Prices were comparable to other shops.

The shop is a Bernina dealer and had a large number of machines displayed. There were quite a few customers quilting; not sure if it was a class or open sewing but from the sounds they were having a great time.

When I was checking out (yes I did purchase a few yards of batiks)I got to talking with the clerk Lois.  Lois happened to be the mother of the two owners; her daughters. She was so proud telling me, rightfully so, how they were having the store’s 6^th birthday this week and of the sales and raffles. So I put an entry in for the Bernina 330 giveaway – boy would I love to win that! Plus every customer got a surprise bag of goodies in honor of the birthday. I got a candy bar, a bobbin holder tube and a fat quarter.

So I recommend this shop if you are ever in the Bangor area and if you are a local I envy you. Remember to patronize your local shops wherever you live so they can continue to exist.

Quilt Shops in Bar Harbor

Well for all my sewing friends, yes, I did find some quilt shops in Maine. There are 3, one on the way into Bar Harbor on Rte. 3, one at the Village Green in Bar Harbor and one in Southwest Harbor.  I did manage to find fabric to buy at all three shops but the one I liked best was Sewing by the Sea in Trenton on rte. 3, just 5 miles before you enter Bar Harbor.Sewing by the Sea is a pretty large store that has alot of quilting cottons, patterns, and project ideas. It is also a Pfaff Dealer and had many machines displayed. The owner was very friendly and related to me that in the upstairs she had a long arm that she rented time on; a nice way to quilt your project without incurring the cost of buying one.

Fabricate is a Quilting and Scrapbooking store right in the Village Green of Bar Harbor.  It carries very high quality cottons, scrapbooking supplies and artist supplies.  It is quite neat and appears upscale. There was a nice selection of brand name fabrics and I bought some fat quarters here.

 

 

The third shop was in Southwest Harbor. Quilt 'N' Fabric was a smaller shop that had quilting cottons and yarns.  This shop had many novelty and Maine themed fabrics but not all of a higher quality. The staff was very nice and there were samples displayed.

Luvin Bar Harbor, Maine

 

 

It's been over a decade that we visited Bar Harbor; the last time our preteen children were with us. I remember that we had such a nice time but really had forgotten what a nice town it is. I took the picture above while on a Nature Cruise through the harbor. This awesome house sits in Acadia off the shore of Bar Harbor. Yes, those of you who know me well, are amazed I would board any type of ship that actually goes into the ocean.  Well Acadia National Park was closed due to the government shutdown and the cruise offered the chance to look into it from the coastline. So I took my Dramamine and dared to go. It was so worth it and I did not get sick. While on the cruise we saw many seals frolicking, all kinds of ducks and birds and even a majestic bald eagle.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another beautiful wedding

 

 

 

Recently we attended the wedding of our daughter's childhood friend Lauren in St. James, N.Y.  It was a beautiful fall wedding as you can see from the picture above.  I find it particularly charming because we watched the bride grow up and become this beautiful adult woman.  The reception was held in Smithtown, N.Y. at Smithtown Landing.  The appetizers were plentiful and included Pittsburgh specialties like pierogies.  The main entrees were scrumptious; my hubby thought the steak was fabulous. Congrats to Lauren and John!  Below is my lovely daughter and her other half.

 



Since we were on Long Island for the wedding we decided to make a trip of it and continue onto Cape Ann, MA, Bar Harbor, ME, through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and wherever else the roads take us.