Simply Elemental Part 2

There was so much to see in the garden art exhibit.  We hope you enjoy the show!

Hahn Horticultural Garden on the campus of Virginia Tech, exhibit open through September 30.

Simply Elemental

While in Blacksburg, we went to the Hahn Horticultural Garden on the campus of Virginia Tech to see the garden art exhibit Simply Elemental.  This exhibit brings the work of many talented artists into the garden and is open through September 30.  We thoroughly enjoyed wandering the garden and coming upon new discoveries.  The photos below cover about half of the exhibit.  Next post will cover the other half of the exhibit.  (the original video didn't work on Apple devices)

Cottonwood

One last shop stop on our trip to Blacksburg was on the way home at Cottonwood in Charlottesville, VA.  This was a last minute addition when we decided to change our route home and found out that this shop was open on Sunday.

Their row and license plate were front and center.  A large version of their license plate hung on the door.

The row was hanging above the check out counter opposite the entrance.  Both the license and row are a nod to the campus of the University of Virginia, home of the Wahoos ('Hoos for short).  The mini quilts on the row are done in UVA's orange and blue.  A clever link between the owls "home sweet home" and UVA.  As the parent of a UVA grad, a must-have row!

There is a wide selection of fabrics, from traditional to contemporary, batik to blenders and 30's fabrics.  They also carry wool for penny rug type projects, and sell Bernina sewing machines.

Something for everyone.

The shop's winning row quilt was on display.

Sue's purchases included the row kit and license plate and some batik fat quarters for use in a current project.

We were happy to find this shop open on a Sunday afternoon!

Sew Biz

Sew Biz, in Radford, VA is an interesting shop.  Housed in an 1890 building that used to be a hotel, the architecture is truly unique for a quilt shop. 

And on top of that there is so much to see in this shop it is truly overwhelming.  Everywhere you turn there is another nook or cranny filled with fabric, notions or yarn. The quilt below hangs in the entry area from the mezzanine level.

Brick archways that connect the rooms echo the arched shape of the windows.

This picture is  taken from the stairway to the mezzanine level looking down at the windows.  Fabric bolts even line the stairway landing.

On the upper level, there are more archways and tons of fabric!  There is so much to see - did I mention that it's overwhelming?  Maybe I was just too tired that day, but there really was a lot! 

Downstairs in the back of the building is a spacious classroom.

The short hallway to it is lined with fabric and yarn.

Their "Home Sweet Home" row features bird houses. I forgot to take a picture of the row but you can see a bit of it in the kit pictured below.

As their license plate says, keeping up with everything in this shop must keep them So Sew Bizzy!

New River Fiber Company

The New River Fiber Company in Christiansburg, VA is exactly what the name implies - FIBER, and lots of it! 

The entrance area served as a display space for yarn, quilts and seasonal projects.

The shop was half fabric and half yarn, with a modern vibe to the fabric selection.  For some reason I neglected to take pictures of the yarn section of the shop and the many projects on display.

Their row, kits and license plates were on display.

Sue's purchases included these yummy yarns for an infinity scarf but she forgot to take a picture of the finished scarf on display.  Darn.

This handsome quilt hung behind the check out counter.  New River Fiber is worth the visit.  And the proprietor will wind your yarn skeins into a more user friendly yarn ball for you!

The Stitchin' Post

About 10 miles from The Quiltery is The Stitchin' Post in downtown Lexington, VA, a town that is also home to both the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Washington and Lee University.

Outside the front window was a charming yarn-bombed bicycle.  As we learned from the owner, this was a left over from last year when they yarn bombed many of the businesses in town - it appears to have held up well.

The window declares this to be the place where fiber artists come to play.

Upon entering, we found that it was primarily a yarn shop, though they participated in Row By Row and had some fat quarters for sale.  As the owner told us, they are so close to The Quiltery that she just sends her quilting customers there for fabric.  But she does teach quilting classes, and has plenty of scraps available for anyone who wants to use them.

The row and license plates were on display.  Kathy was lucky enough to get the last row kit.

They had 2 license plates to choose from, or buy both!

The winning row quilt for the shop was on display.

Though there was not much in the way of fabric here (do we really need more?), the owner was delightful and we liked the row design.  Many quilters are also knitters, as both of us are, so would enjoy this shop as well.