Mullis Mayhem

really really back to blogging on Quilt shop corner

2009-04-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

Hey All, the website is up and running and working great, Thanks to Wes. YEA!
So, check it out at www.quiltshopcorner.com

Grace Like Rain.

2009-04-22T14:29:00.001-04:00

This song has been stuck in my head and heart the last couple days. But I couldn't find it, because I didn't know the title or the artist. So, this morning when I was listening to Pandora Satelite Radio....it came on and I was able to look it up.

Thanks, Lord.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcGJb-mPMmg

More work getting done on the apartment....

2009-04-18T22:20:00.002-04:00

Here's what Robert worked on today. The ceiling in the kitchen. We wanted to put tin up in the kitchen, but tin is very pricey, so we opted for wood. It looks great, I love it, and can't wait to see it when it is finished!

My Happy Place.........

2009-04-18T22:11:00.002-04:00

So, sometimes we quilters and lovers of fabric just need to be in a quilt shop where we feel loved and welcomed and can touch some fabrics.......It is our "happy place." Well Jennifer found these cups and so I thought I would take some pictures of our happy place.

I will admit I was just happier after going around the shop and taking these pictures.

Quilt Shop turnover!

2009-04-17T22:27:00.000-04:00

Well, i didn't do a good job of documenting it, but we had quilt shop turnover this week and moved lots of fabrics around.

Here's just a couple of things we got moved.

Beach Diva Fabric!

2009-04-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

We got in some "Beach Diva Fabric" today. It is so much fun. Marie and Sami picked out some of it to make Miranda Day Bags in a beach theme. Then Mary came in and did the same thing. I can't wait to see them when they are done!

We displayed it with some of the great fabrics they picked. It's beginning to feel like summer!

Yea, my new iphone!

2009-04-11T21:41:00.000-04:00

So, Robert gave me a gift certificate for an iphone for Christmas. I waited until this weekend to redeem it. Megan was ready to go from a palm and a phone to just one thing. And, my current phone service contract was up so off to ATT&T we went.

However, things did not go as smooth as I thought it would, because you cannot redeem the apple gift card accept at an apple store. Well several phone calls to apple later Megan and i both have iphones and are happy.

Merry Christmas to me.

The Blue and White fabric is in....

2009-04-08T21:32:00.001-04:00

and a lot of it has gone flying out of the shop!
This is the Cambridge Square Collection. I ordered it in the blue and white and the tan and brown. It is a lovely collection.

It is also Quest for a Cure, which is great. I had a woman come in and buy 3 yard from each of the blue bolts and the all of the big blue and white floral. Yea! I can't wait to see what she does with it!

Getting ready for the Loft tours.

2009-04-07T21:53:00.000-04:00

So, we are part of the downtown loft tours on May 1st and 2nd. and we had an opportunity to be in Augusta Magazine. Robert took a day off from the hospital and I took a day off from MCG and the shop to clean and sort and get some stuff done around our house. Here are the results. Scarfs hung on our windows, to finish them off and a clean bedroom.

Quilts hung by my sewing machine...

And the desk and computer moved into the spare bedroom.

*sigh*
We still have some stuff to do, but this gave us a kick in the bumm to at least get started.

A Weekend of quilting.

2009-04-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

Beth came this weekend and we quilted three quilts that she had pieced. They were lots of fun to quilt.
This one is a beautiful picture quilt of Katelyn.

This one is a block of the month that we finished last year and are just now getting it quilted. I made her do this one in batiks and the floral one as well! hmm, i don't think she has finished the floral one.

This one in grays and black was lots of fun to quilt as well. The quilting really shows up on the back. I do love the swirl echos.

Look what we found hiding in the shop.

2009-04-03T20:31:00.000-04:00

"Stumpy" the lizard. I think he thought maybe he was a T-rex, because if he could he would have eaten me for lunch! Little did he realize that in comparison I am the T-rex. Anyway, Stumpy was set free outside, with room to run and play.

Counting buttons.

2009-04-02T20:04:00.000-04:00

We are participating in "Play through downtown"

It is in honor of Masters week. We have a tee that is filled with an item related to our shop. In our case buttons. The participants have to go to 9 out of 18 holes and guess how many items are in the tee. The closest to par wins some great gifts.

Here we are counting lots and lots of buttons!

Yea, for swirls.

2009-04-01T19:58:00.000-04:00

I quilted this fun and bright quilt this week. It the woman and her daughters first project together. It is lovely and I got to quilt swirls in it. It was lots of fun!

Also note that she did prarie points on it which was a delightful touch.

Second annual Relay for LIfe donation quilt.

2009-03-29T20:22:00.002-04:00

This is the second donation quilt that I have made for Relay for Life. I used some relay t-shirts, but because I only had ten I made some nine patches to go in between the t-shirts. Also, I thought the blank t-shirts could be signed by the staff and patients. I enjoyed making this quilt. I do wish I had gotten it done earlier to help raise more money for Relay for Life.

The quilting on this is swirls. I must say that the last two weeks of quilting on the HQ have been soooo much fun!

Pajama class.

2009-03-28T20:17:00.000-04:00

Today was the first time we had a kids sewing class at the shop. Jennifer taught it and she had two girls make a pair of pajama pants. They were very different, but they turned out adorable!

A couple of completed quilts.

2009-03-27T18:21:00.002-04:00

The swim trunks, ended up on the bathroom door. They do make me smile.

Okay so the quilting is done, now I need to put the binding on it. But, here is some pictures of the quilting.

It was lots of fun to be creative when quilting this quilt.

Okay, so maybe E,W,E in the three inner borders maybe was a little much.....

Quilting, quilting, quilting.

2009-03-26T22:03:00.000-04:00

Though, I don't have any pictures, we have been quilting maniacs the last two days at the shop. We have quilted four quilts and have Joyful Days on the machine now. Yee ha! Hopefully I will have some pictures up tomorrow.

Sometimes.....

2009-03-24T23:39:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, it is hard to go back and forth from nursing to quilt shop ownership. I work hard at both places and always walk into the shop at 5:00 on Tuesday feeling tired, overwhelmed and a little detached. So, I have a hard time because I feel like I have one foot in one camp and one foot into another. I want to give all I have to the shop, but at the same time sometimes it feels like nursing is safer and easier. I am glad to live in downtown Augusta, but at the same time I miss suburban Alpharetta. I want to make new friends, but at the same time I miss my old ones. Anyway it was just one of the things I am struggling with this week. *sigh*

Boxers or ????

2009-03-23T21:59:00.002-04:00

We have this fun pattern in the shop called Boxers or ???
Marie thought that this fabric in the new Windham Storybook collection looked light boxers, so I made the pattern up into these fun "swim trunks." Tonight I added the grommets and the string. Adorable. I think they will look cute on the wall at the "beach."

A great day for a ride.

2009-03-22T22:27:00.002-04:00

I couldn't wait to blog about today, so I will fill in the rest of the month later I promise. Robert and I rode our bikes to church today. We did think it was warmer than it actually was, so we wore our summer jackets with the liner in them. I just need to say brrrr. However, after church we took off and rode to lake Strom Thurman. It was still a little cold for my taste but it was a nice day for a ride none the less.

When we got home we took a nap. Yay the joys of being middle aged bikers.

I also got some sewing done.

It really was a wonderful day of rest. *sigh*

Okay the funny thing about the picture is my sassy son who commented that people might think that the Well is a biker bar in downtown Augusta because we parked our bikes right in front of the church.

End of the bolt sale.

2009-03-21T21:49:00.000-04:00

Today is National Quilting Day. We had an end of bolt sale at the shop. Finish the bolt and you receive 25% off that fabric. It was a great day, in fact it was the second best Saturday in the shop. We also had a block of the month class going and Jennifer brought donuts for all of, so it was an all around great day. Here is all the bolts that were finished. Woo hoo! Happy quilting everyone!

The 1930's reproduction prints are here.

2009-03-17T21:57:00.000-04:00

Story Book V is in. This is a really adorable line from Windham. It was the largest line that I ordered at quilt market. 54 lovely bolts of fabric. I love it. It inspired me to want to make a double pinwheel quilt. Yummy!

The Charm Party Bag

2009-03-16T21:45:00.000-04:00

Here's the really adorable Charm Party Bag, made with the "Berry" charm pack from Moda.

I love the blueberry pocket and with the bird button.

Adorable!

Stuff I never thought I would see in Drew's bathroom.

2009-03-15T22:16:00.000-04:00

Enough said.

Joyful Days.

2009-03-14T22:18:00.001-04:00

This picture doesn't do it justice, but this is the Joyful Days fabric from Quilting Treasures and the pattern that comes with it. We cut it out one Saturday at the shop and Jennifer pieced it for me. I love it! I have a couple of for pay quilts to quilt and then I am going to reward myself with quilting this one. Yee ha!

Another view of the arch.

2009-03-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

Here's what the arch looks like complete with quilts hanging on the arch and with bolts of the new Windham Storybook V collection in the flower pot area of the of the arch. It is great the way the arch in the kids area echos the arch at the step.

It has been a good thing to have draw attention to the step into the classroom, and it looks great.

What happens in the quilt shop.....

2009-03-12T09:16:00.001-04:00

...gets written on the wall. Honestly, there are some funny and ocaaionally some profound things said in the quilt shop. Usually around the cutting table. The cutting table seems to be like the kitchen in most of our homes. It is the place where people gather, especially since Jennifer suggested we get some stools for people to sit on around it. The four stools have been a nice addtion. We had a lady in recently who does not quilt or sew, but has a neighbor that does and so she brought her neighbor back to see the shop. The non-quilting lady sat around the cutting table and chatted. She said it was almost like being at the neighborhood "Cheers" where it is fun and everybody knows your name. Stuff like that really makes me smile. Occasionally a husband will venture past the husband benches and sit on the stool and visit as well, which is always interesting and entertaining. Anyway, amongst all of that we hear some fun stuff that is getting written on the wall in the office/break room storage area.

Here's a shot of the cutting table "bar" stools.

Drawing for door prizes!

2009-03-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

Today is the day we drew for the door prizes. I plan to do this once a quarter. I think we start again on April 1st. It really was fun to give away some great notions. Congrats to the four winners!

Drew gets a hair cut.

2009-03-09T22:10:00.000-04:00

Robert and I did a double take when Drew came home tonight with his hair cut. He got about 13 inches cut off, which he is donating to locks of love.
It is adorable, which he probably doesn't want me to say. It does make him look younger that Megan instead of older I don't know how he feels about this. It also is Emo-ish.

Megan makes a skirt.

2009-03-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

Megan stopped by the shop today and made this really adorable skirt. (pardon the glare from the sun). The skirt is in a book by Anna Maria Horner. There are several other things in the book that she would like to make. She said she decided that she would leave the quilting to me and might stick to clothes and such.

Anyway, way to go Megan it is an adorable skirt on an adorable young woman.

The arbor.

2009-03-05T22:02:00.000-05:00

We have a step up into the classroom area, that people really don't see, because they are busy looking around at all the beautiful fabric and quilts. So, Robert found this arbor at Frog Hollow downtown. Can I just say he hunted well. It is perfect. It has a gate that causes people to stop and hopefully notice the step. I can't wait to get a couple of quilts on it and bolts of fabric in the areas that is supposed to be for plants.

Megan working on her quilt.

2009-03-04T21:56:00.000-05:00

Megan is working on the machine applique of the African elepahnts. She is her mother's daughter concentrating with her tongue sticking out.

Moda jelly rolls, charm packs and honey buns.

2009-03-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

The Moda jelly rolls, charm packs and honey buns are in and they are lots of fun. We also got in a selection of books that are dedicated to the whole sweet assortment.

Coming home from Atlanta in the SNOW!!!

2009-03-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

So, this one time there was a great snow storm in Atlanta, and we got to drive home in it. It was a fun wet spring snow. About 30 miles out of Augusta it turned into rain so we didn't get any snow, just lots of rain.

Nope it's not dandruff it is snow.

Zak's wedding.

2009-02-28T22:18:00.000-05:00

Megan's friend Zak from high school got married today. It was a lovely wedding. Here's a picture of Megan and Luke all dressed up for the wedding.

The funny part of this story is that I bought a lovely black dress to wear, but forgot my black bra so Megan stopped by the house and picked it up. She then brought it to me at the church, so I change out of one bra into another in the bathroom stall. And then hid the white one in my purse. It did find this whole situation pretty comical.

Megan and Maggie help out.

2009-02-27T21:26:00.001-05:00

Occasionally I get surprise visit from Megan and Maggie.
Today they spent some time on the computer. Maggie loves to come to the shop, maybe not so much sitting on a stool behind the counter though.

But she does love the sun!

A quilt of Valor.

2009-02-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

This quilt of valor was pieced by Helen Marie. It is a lovely quilt that I had fun quilting with loops and stars.

Here's a couple of quilts I have quilted.

2009-02-24T21:08:00.000-05:00

This is a beautiful Turning Twenty quilt pieced by Marsha B. I waited until Debbie came and we quilted it together. With a Ginko leaf pantograph with metalic gold thread. It is lovely.

Here is a fun flip flop quilt pieced and appliqued by Mary. It was a fun and bright quilt to quilt.

A couple of bags.

2009-02-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

My friend Dana made this Atkinson Design "Tag Along Bag". She made it out of the vegetable dyed fabric. It is adorable.

My friend April made the Lazy Girl Design, "Miranda Day Bag" out of one of the Studio e fabrics. It is a LARGE great bag. April is taught this bag it was a fun day for the ladies that took the class.

Thanks Ladies!

Okay, so we moved the shop around AGAIN!

2009-02-18T20:44:00.002-05:00

One of the things we have is great windows, however that means that we don't have lots of wall space to hang quilts. But we have been able solve that somewhat with quilt racks. I love having the quilt rack on top of the fabric cases.

The batiks and the Amy Butler fabrics are front and center when you walk in the front door. And notice the great "coffee "cup that holds one of the two plants I have left from the open house. It is a fun walmart find.

We organized the fabrics by color. My friend Jennifer did not like the colorful kid print fabric mixed, we reorganized it in the rocking chair in the kids area. It looks GREAT.

We had to get another roll of tickets and a new container.

2009-02-15T19:49:00.001-05:00

For every $5.00 you spend in the shop you get a ticket, and we will have the drawing on March 11th for some door prizes. (I got this idea from my friend Connie you has the Little Wool Shoppe in Colorado.) It has been a lot of fun to do this, and even more surprising that we had to get a new roll of tickets and a bigger container. Thanks CSRA for all your support.

Here's a look at the door prizes, a light that attaches to you sewing machine, a pair of scissors, a Moda charm pack and a Moda turnover complete with a pattern.

Happy Valentines Day.

2009-02-14T21:32:00.000-05:00

Here's what greeted me when I came down to the shop on Valentine's Day. Doesn't it look great on this table runner?

These roses were beautiful for almost a whole week. Thanks honey.

Making up for lost time.

2009-02-13T21:14:00.001-05:00

Here are some better pictures of some of the fabrics that we have gotten in in the last month. These lovely vegetable dyed have been popular with people for skirts. They are a lot of fun.

These are the pink and brown Charleston V from Marcus Brothers.

This is the yellow brick road baby quilt for Ralph Hornsby.

And I finally got the t-shirt quilt for Jessica Moore Schuster done as well.

And last but not least, the bathroom has a pail to hold paper towels in. I really love it, it is just the right touch for the beach.

new blog address.

2009-02-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

Hey, all I have been told that the new thing to do have your website and blog be one....Well with the help of my friend Ellie I am trying to get there. So, my new blog is a wordpress blog, which i still find to be a little confusing, but i am trying to adapt. All this wordiness to say. Check me out at www.quiltshopcorner.com
happy quilting and happy blogging.
kathy

Thougts on Nehemiah and living downtown.

2009-02-01T21:45:00.003-05:00

So, I have been asked if I have second thoughts about living downtown after we have been broken into four times in two weeks (shed and truck, not our building). And the truth is, that it really bums me out that what we have worked hard for seems to be easy for someone to decide they need it more and vandalize and take what is not theirs. But, honestly when we moved to Augusta we felt like God had specifically called us to live, work, support and be a part of downtown Augusta. God moved us out of our "safe and soft" life to that sometimes doesn't feel so "safe and soft". It might be a stretch but I am feeling a little like Nehemiah and feel like we are facing opposition. The lessons I need to learn is to respond like Nehemiah. Respond with prayer. Pray for the opposition not that it be taken away, but that God's work to be vindicated. Then we need to be wise and pair our prayers with action. Maybe a light for our lot would be a good way to provide some protection. Then continue to pray and have a bold response. " Do not be afraid. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses." (Nehemiah 4:14) I'm not sure what that "fight" looks like. But, I know it involves staying where we are and being part of the neighborhood and city that God has called us to.

Our 100th customer.

2009-01-31T19:19:00.001-05:00

YEA!!!!! Our 100th customer, holding her "yea you're our 100th customer gift certificate" As, usual I didn't plan ahead enough to have horns, or balloons, or confetti or anything too exciting, but she did seem thrilled to have a gift certificate.
I was thrilled to have a 100th customer!

Yea, kids in the kids area.

2009-01-31T19:11:00.002-05:00

My friend Tammie from MCG came into today and brought her girls with her. Yea, it was fun to have kids in the kids area. Here they are playing with the legos.

They wanted to pose as the knights. They made me smile.

Wow, it is amazing how word is getting around.

2009-01-30T22:03:00.002-05:00

I got an email today for Margaret Hunt that is in my guild. She got a comment on her blog from Pat Sloan, because her book was pictured on the NBC Augusta interview. It is a little confusing post, but fun fun fun none the less. Check it out on Pat's blog.

http://www.patsloan.typepad.com/

A wonderfully busy day at the quilt shop.

2009-01-30T21:48:00.001-05:00

Some, of our first customers today were a couple, where the husband told his wife about the quilt shop because then he could get a few hours on his motorcycle.....it was fun to get to talk to him about riding. I really enjoy being a quilter that also rides a motorcycle.
Here he is sitting on the "husband bench" reading one of our motorcycle magazines.

I asked Marie if she would kindly make a curtain for my office. I am really tired of the card board that had been up there. This is part of the "Rise and Shine" retro line. It makes me smile, it is good to have color in the office break room, because the walls are white.

Hard to tell in this picture, but the back is the chicken wire from the same line.

The sign guys were back today to paint the frame of the sign black. It turned out well.

One of the other things I got done this morning was to clean up my Mom's old sewing machine and move the thread to its new location. It is another thing that I am glad I have and can use in the shop.

New fabric.

2009-01-29T21:06:00.004-05:00

Here's some of the new fabric we got in today. I ordered this at quilt market honestly I don't really remember ordering it, but I do love it. I must have been in a retro mood while in Houston. One of the jokes at the shop is how much pink I have in the shop. It is funny because pink IS NOT my favorite color, but I sure have a lot of it.
I need to have a "you're in the pink sale" or something.
I know you have seen the new sign, but here it is in the sun shiny weather.

NBC Augusta

2009-01-29T08:48:00.002-05:00

Hey all here's the link to the segment on NBC Augusta.

http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/38580422.html

I was so nervous I wasn't smiling at all. :-( Bummer.
I really do like owning and working at the quilt shop.

The new sign is here.

2009-01-28T22:02:00.002-05:00

The new sign came today, the poor guys that put it up had to put it up while this storm started to brew. It was windy and again made me nervous to have guys on ladders with a big plastic sign....(at least there was no pickup truck involved)

Here's a peek from the window.

Look it is a quilted sign for a quilt shop.

Pretty bright at night.

Creative head wear.

2009-01-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

Sami, being the creative girl that she is, made a rain hat out of one of the bags off of new bolts of fabric we got in today.

Hey check out the article in the Augusta Chronicle.

2009-01-28T10:14:00.001-05:00

I tired to cut and paste the article, but it didn't really work out. So here's the link.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/01/28/bus_509352.shtml

The scrap bins.

2009-01-28T09:42:00.003-05:00

The old wash tub has turned into a great place for housing scraps and sale items. It has been fun to watch people dig through the scraps for treasures.

The wash board was a great find that Beth and I picked out the same day we picked up the grocery baggers cart. I love the "sign" is held on by clothes pins. It's the small things that makes me smile.

On Saturday Marie and I went through some of the inventory and rolled some fat quarters to add to the right side of the tub. So, all rolled fat quarters are $1.00. As in the scrap side there is a variety of FQ's Happy hunting!

Choosing to look at the blessings.

2009-01-27T05:44:00.000-05:00

Here's some good news and some good news.
The shop is going fine. We have sold something every day except one. Last week was better than the week before. But, we are not where we want to be to be able to continue to increase our inventory and buy fabric. And, we all know how much I like to buy fabric.
So, we came to the decision for me to go back to the cancer clinic a couple of days a week. Monday and Tuesdays, which are the busiest days in the infusion room. The shop is closed on Mondays and Marie is available and willing to cover Tuesdays. Going back to the cancer clinic is the wise thing to do. And, I am thankful that it is an option to keep things going the way that we hope and are planning for. I spoke to a lady last night that had a quilt shop that was only open for eight months, I do not want that to be me as well. So, back to the routine of going to bed early to be up early a couple of days a week.

You might work in a quilt shop if....

2009-01-24T18:44:00.002-05:00

You can't find a spoon, so you stir your coffee with a ruler!

Amy Butler comes to the quilt shop.

2009-01-23T18:28:00.001-05:00

Or at least her fabric is at the quilt shop.
Look the Amy Butler fabric, books and patterns have arrived. This is bold and beautiful. Which I will admit is a little step for me, but a BIG step for Marie. I am excited to see what people will do with these prints.

We then moved some of the Studio E around to the other side of the case. They are along the same vein color wise, but the print is not quite as big.

Our first sold out bolt of fabric.

2009-01-22T17:12:00.004-05:00

We have finished several bolts of fabric from the inventory I bought from Ann's needle and hook.

Today we sold a whole bolt of fabric from a full bolt. It is from the Benartex Flower Mart II. The light green basket weave. It is lovely and it is sold out! (but another bolt is on it's way) yee ha!

Who would have thunk it.

2009-01-21T22:48:00.001-05:00

My daughter bought this quilt pattern and fabric to make a quilt. What?!?! That's right Megan is going to make a quilt. Woo Hoo!

Here she is using the window as a light box to trace the trees.

A shot from the outside.

Now she is fusing the trees and elephants to the sunset. She did a great job picking the fabrics. Sewing the long straight seams almost did her type personality in though. She did a great job. I can't wait until she gets to sew down all those branches. Good job Megan way to step out and try quilting.

Changes in the shop.

2009-01-20T20:27:00.000-05:00

Here's the baby quilt I got pieced while hanging out in the shop on Saturday. Now, I can add it to the pile of quilts that need to be quilted.

Here's some of the Moda fabrics we got in yesterday. Dots and more dots and stripes and checks oh my. We moved some stuff around and rearranged again. Then we sat down at the table and chatted a little while. We also got in some tone on tone, blacks, whites, and naturals. We are making room for the Amy Butler fabrics and patterns which I think will be in last this week or early next.

We also repackage these three kits and moved them out to so they could be seen better. I'm telling you while we opened and repackaged them I fell in love with these fabrics all over again. They are lovely.

Some new additions to the "sewing room", a new ironing board and iron, complete with a rack on bottom for hanging stuff. The ironing board is a little wider, but not quite as long as a regular board, so we'll see how it works.

The middle of the night.

2009-01-20T08:36:00.003-05:00

Robert, heard our handy motion detector go off in the middle of the night, but it is in the living room so it didn't really wake him up. (it didn't wake me up at all) So, finally at about 5:00a.m. he got up to discover our shed had been broken into and our lawn mower was stolen. He did get dressed and drove around the neighborhood to see if he could see someone pushing a lawn mower around, but thankfully he didn't find anyone.

Lessons learned, put you handy motion detector in where it will wake you up in the middle of the night. So, you can all the police and not go looking for your lawn mower in the wee hours of the morning.

Hold stuff with open hands as someone may think they need it more than you.

aaah....

2009-01-19T21:39:00.002-05:00

Is she a bear or a corgi?

I don't know, but she is fluffy!

Look, more fabric came today.

2009-01-19T20:56:00.003-05:00

While I was working downstairs there was a knock at the door and it was my second favorite man was there...the UPS man. (favorite is Robert, but he had to work today.) He brought,
five boxes from Moda, one from checker, one from thimbleberries and one from warm company. We have lots of fabric and notions to mark and put up tomorrow. Then there was another knock at the door...and these three ladies had driven from somewhere between McCormick and Lincolnton about an hour away so I let them in. They were warned that they had to run the gauntlet of my dogs and around boxes, but they didn't seem to mind. So, they came in and shopped and then they went on their merry way. I didn't open the door and Then I finished up and took the dogs tot he dog park.

Some miscellaneous stuff from the weekend.

2009-01-18T08:32:00.001-05:00

Got a little fridge for the office. Also of note my corgi magnet board is up as well as some cork board. Almost looks a little like organization.

And a coffee maker.

Since the shop is done, Robert went back to working on some stuff that needs to be done in our apartment. Yea, for flooring.

More fun fat quarter baskets.

2009-01-16T11:24:00.004-05:00

Beth gave me this great basket for my birthday. As, I was headed downstairs this morning I thought that it would be great for holding the batik fat quarters. And sure enough I love it! It's not a huge basket, but I don't yet have a huge selection of batiks, so it works out well.

Here's where it sits in the shop, not with the batiks, but close. It makes me smile.

Baby Geniuses Grow Up!

2009-01-15T21:57:00.003-05:00

This fun baby quilt was in Quick Quilts magazine in the bright Baby Geniuses Grows Up fabric. My friend Sharron from Pieceful Hearts Quilt Guild offered to piece some shop samples for me as she is a talented and speedy quilter. So, I took her up on her offer and she brought the quilt top in today. Now, I just need to get it quilted.

Yea!

Thanks Sharron.

Let's do lunch.

2009-01-14T09:47:00.002-05:00

I made a couple of table runners this weekend from the book "Let's do Lunch". This one is made with some retro looking fabrics. The second one is more a little more formal, but not quilted or bound yet, so you'll have to wait to see it until I get it done.

Anyway, I brought the table out of the office/break room area and set it up in the shop. So, if you get a minute come on by and sit and look and some books and touch some fabric. It is fun to have it set out with some of my Fiesta ware on it.

God of this city.

2009-01-13T08:45:00.003-05:00

At the Well we have been singing this song. It stays with me all week and I find myself humming it. Jeremy started a series this week, " For the love of the city: Study of Nehemiah." This Sunday was fantastic, the message stirred my heart. It is close to home especially since we made this move to downtown Augusta and now have the shop open. I want to love God and love this city.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk

I like this version as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqQhZKpZVCo&feature=related

Look at how much room we have in our bedroom.

2009-01-12T21:16:00.002-05:00

This picture doesn't really do it justice, but we have a lot of room in our bedroom now that the HQ 16 is in the shop. You can actually walk in our room without having to dodge cutting tables, poles from the HQ and the chair. Woo Hoo!

Here's a "before" picture to give you some prespective.

Pendleton King Park "bark park"

2009-01-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

I read on facebook about a dog park in Augusta, so I took the dogs this afternoon. Man did they have fun running and chasing the ball and other dogs. I was a little worried, because they have lost some of their manners around other dogs when we are on walks, but they did fine. This is the result of a good run, a good nap on my bed while I was quilting.

Blue and Yellow scrappy heart.

2009-01-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

My friend Debbie made this quilt for the shop. You know how I like to make things in more than one color option. Well, Debbie love blue and yellow, so I gave her the fabric for the hearts and she did the rest. As a Christmas gift to me she also got fabric for the back and borders and quilted it for me. It looks great!

In the yellow borders around the corners she quilted "Quilt shop on the corner". Very clever thanks Debbie.

Check out the Verge article.

2009-01-08T21:22:00.004-05:00

verge / january / 15

to bee or not to bee/ a quilter’s question
kathy & rob mullis answer with new quilting store on telfair

Kathy Mullis has not forgotten how cotton feels in her fingers. Unlike most of us who put it on each morning, dry our hands on it, wipe our mouths with it, and lay our bodies down in it at the end of the day, Mrs. Mullis touches her cotton like it’s a new silk from the Orient. “All quilters are that way,” she protests. “We need to feel our fabric.”
Kathy Mullis and her husband Robert are opening downtown Augusta’s first quilting shop. The old EatCetera building at Fifth and Telfair Streets has been incubating a transformation for the last year and a half. In preparation for its opening in early 2009, the Quilt Shop on the Corner is already stocked with the beginnings of a quilting inventory. It now has the requisite cutting table, notions racks, and a beach mural in the bathroom.
“Quilt shops notoriously have fun bathrooms,” says Mrs. Mullis, turning on the light to reveal palm trees, sand, and a bather caught unawares. Mullis laughs at the accomplishment of her muralist friend, Beth.
The Mullises want to create a place for the community. Situated in a central location, the shop will serve as a needed outlet for creative people. But Mrs. Mullis quickly admits how challenging it will be to cater to all the needs of the diverse immediate neighborhood.
Historically, people have always connected over quilt-making. Beginning in the mid-19th century, women would gather together to help each other finish their quilts. Some people, including those involved with the recent African-American Quilt Exhibition at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History on Phillips Street, claim that quilts also served as roadmaps to freedom for a community of runaway slaves before Emancipation. Among the upper class, crazy quilts displayed the wealth of a family in strips of luscious material. Nearly all quilts were relational as well as utilitarian.
Kathy Mullis began quilting in 2002 when her daughter graduated from high school. Mrs. Mullis gathered together all her grade school memories and stitched them into a t-shirt quilt. Still, at that time she dabbled only reluctantly.It was after her mother died in 2003 that Mullis began what she calls “fabric therapy” sessions with a good friend. Quilting became her comfort, a way to see something fragmented come together into a beautiful whole. As a former nurse—she officially retired at the beginning of December to work on preparing the shop—Mrs. Mullis knows better than most people how deeply the world needs consolation.
“I used to tell Robert that quilting is cheaper than therapy,” she quips, “but (renovating) the building has sort of messed that (theory) up.”
The two have had to laugh a lot over the last several months. The Mullis’ only previous experience in retail was running a cottage business making t-shirt quilts. When they decided they were ready for a larger entrepreneurial challenge, the old building in downtown Augusta, which is Megan now lived as well, was the perfect place to build the store they had in mind. They and their teenage son moved from Alpharetta in the summer of 2007 and made their home in the apartment above the shop.
But there has been much to learn in starting a business like this. One necessary complication is in renovating their historic building according to the Olde Town Neighborhood Association’s stipulations. The structure was originally built in 1894 as a grocery store, which it remained until the 1970s when it became the sandwich shop EatCetera. Then the downstairs have sat empty for the last eight years after the exodus of last resident, a short-lived Chinese restaurant. Financial help for the Mullis’s preservation efforts is coming from the Mayor himself in the form of a façade grant, which will eventually allow the Mullises to restore the front and sides of their building to its past glory.
Beyond these large-scale concerns, the Mullises needed to purchase the actual goods to sell in the shop. At the 2008 Houston Quilt Market in Texas, they sat for hours with fabric distributers deciding on fabrics and fabric lines to stock the store. They ended up buying $25,000 worth of all kinds of material—Civil War reproductions, some African prints she hopes will be popular in the downtown population, and even some silks.
But their move was difficult for other reasons. Changing communities was a hard thing to do. Had the Mullises not gotten involved very quickly in a downtown church and the neighborhood of fellow small-business owners, they would have grown very discouraged. But it’s been a communal effort from the beginning. Members of the North Augusta quilting guild, Pieceful Hearts, have come offering their labor and expertise in areas of quilting that Mrs. Mullis doesn’t know as well. These ladies vary in ages and backgrounds. Mrs. Mullis hopes that some of these well-practiced quilters will also help fill the classroom space in the store with new generations of quilters.
In the end, Kathy Mullis loves quilts and other fabric arts. She and Robert want to share that love with anyone who will learn. And maybe all their new neighbors will be a little warmer this winter as a result.
by Charlotte Okie • photos by Elizabeth Benson
The Quilt Shop on the Corner is located at 428 Fifth Street. The shop will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 10 am to 6 pm, Thursdays: 10 am to 8 pm and Saturdays 10 am to 4 pm. Learn more at http://www.quiltshopcorner.com/ or call 706.721.1298.

Open three days and already we have moved stuff around.

2009-01-08T20:51:00.001-05:00

The new Valentines display. Love the pinks and reds. Display complete with a couple of new fat quarter displays Beth found while bargain hunting. As she says she loves to spend my money. Now I know how Robert feels.

One of the cool lamps she found. A purse lamp, right by the purse patterns.

The tea pot lamp from my house moved down to the shop. And the cool wedding present mixing bowl to help give it some height.

I do just have to tell you that Beth, Jennifer, Marie and I cut some fat quarters tonight. We cut a whole line of fabric in 20 minutes, laughing and joking the whole time. That makes me smile I want the shop to be a warm place full of laughter.

The finishing touches on the mice.

2009-01-08T20:36:00.001-05:00

Princess Katelyn Elizabeth complete with pearls and a sparkling crown.

Maybe not the best shot of Don Juan Ratatouille looking at his love, but I do love this mouse.

The finishing touches on the sign.

Some perspective on the mice and the castle. Honestly I know that that is the painted Princess Tallulah Sassy Pants, but it made me do a double take. She looks so real. Can't you just hear. "boof" as she bosses everyone.

LOVE IT!

Day Two in the quilt shop business.

2009-01-07T21:45:00.006-05:00

I received some great plants and flowers this week. Not pictured is the huge plant I got from the quilt guild, which is by the front door.

Beth got the "sewing room" letters painted.

Here's a picture of the final mirror placements.

They make me smile.

And because Beth hasn't done enough painting this week, she started on the mice and got them mostly done. She was actually pouting at me to "get" to paint them.

Can you believe I would make my friend, lay on her stomach to paint?

Here's the prince mouse.

ADORABLE!

This is hole in the wall, (which looks a little scary, but is not) that started me wanting to have mice painted on the wall. The home sweet hole is some more of Beth's creativeness.

And here they are from a distance. I'm telling you I have the cutest quilt store this side of the Mississippi! The whole shop makes me smile.

Not pictured is me cutting fat quarters and flat fold yards and charms and....

Opening Day.

2009-01-06T22:01:00.003-05:00

9:59, the great sign that Jennifer appliqued for me.

10:00 yee ha we are OPEN!

Cutting the ribbon.

The first customer to walk in the door. My friend Debbie from Woodstock. Aaah, that made me cry. I did a double take when she walked in. It was fun looking at the quilts she had in the que to be quilted and to pick out some fabrics for a project she was working on herself. We hadn't gotten to do that together in a long time. Thanks for coming Debbie.

Marie and Sami with their "official" Quilt shop on the corner T-shirts, ready for the day. Thanks ladies for being here.

Our first check out of the day. Thanks for coming.

And Robert took the day off to be official tech support and as always moral support.

Beth, finishing the mural in the kids area. Thanks Beth for being here and sharing your talent and support.

Wait a minute, I thought I was supposed to be on the throne, not Tallulah!

This might be the only way she gets to be a shop dog.

Click on the picture to the the details.

Margaret Hunt's Blog post.

2009-01-05T21:20:00.002-05:00

Check out Margaret's blog about the shop.

http://scquiltaddict.blogspot.com/2009/01/virtual-shop-hop-to-newest-quilt-shop.html

Thanks Margaret!

Pictures from the pre-opening open house.

2009-01-04T08:51:00.006-05:00

Cinderella mops her castle.

2009-01-03T08:43:00.000-05:00

Not only did poor Cinderella have to paint the castle, but she had to mop it too!

Thanks Beth.

More, you might be a red neck...

2009-01-03T08:23:00.000-05:00

... The morning of the open house you are hanging up the sign,that was hand done with Sharpie the night before.

Don, tells me I will laugh about this, but having Robert up on a ladder in the back of his truck, made me cry this morning NOT laugh.

The day before the pre-opening open house.

2009-01-02T21:26:00.004-05:00

Trying to make sure the point of sale program actually works.
Scraping the sign and taking it down, so we can paint it because the real sign is not ready.
Laying half of the carpet squares, because that is all that came in.

Folding fat quarters and cutting letters.

Hanging up the letters.

Finally getting to unwrap fabric and getting it priced.

Getting a much needed massage, because you've been painting for hours.

And here's the results.

2009-01-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

From the front of the shop.

Looking past the cutting table to the back.
Looking at some of the shelving units.
Then notions wall.

The baby fabrics.

The classroom space.
Looking back toward the front doors.

Hopefully I will sleep better tonight,as I am relieved and thankful that we are finally to this place.
I am looking forward to tomorrow to the pre-opening open house.
Thank you, so much everyone for all your support and hard work.

The products of a very long day.

2009-01-01T23:16:00.004-05:00

To the tune of the twelve days of Christmas.

One the first day of January my friends and family gave to me.
Twelve long hours of working.
Eleven laughs and giggles.
Ten uses of curse words.
Nine cups of coffee.
Eight trips to the bathroom.
Seven minutes for lunch.
Six trips to Lowes.
Five shelves well stocked now.

Four walls with baseboards.

Three friends moving fabric and fluffing.

Two benches well scrubbed now.
And one knight in shining armor.

Our name up in lights?

2008-12-31T22:16:00.005-05:00

My friend Jennifer sent the shop information to "Buzz on Biz" a local show about new businesses. I got a call tonight from Marie that our info was on a lighted bill board on Washington Rd. So, even though we were all in our jammies we headed out to see our name in lights.

This is what we found. We are Quilt Shop on the Corner at 5th and Telfair. *sigh* so close and yet so far.

The Castle finally makes Beth smile.

2008-12-31T22:00:00.003-05:00

The castle has been a little
challenging for my friend Beth, the background and floor were causing her to be cranky. But, today after we went shopping and she had a little break and Robert got the turret up, she found her groove and was motivated again. Anyway, look for yourselves and can I just say WOW! The floor and the brick behind the chair look FANTASTIC!!!!

The curtain adds a great little touch.

See, what I mean there is so much demension and depth. It looks GREAT. We are going to have the best kids area in a quilt shop ever.

With a little help from my friends.

2008-12-31T21:26:00.003-05:00

Robert and I saw this bag boy's grocery cart on Sunday. He thought it was perfect for moving fabric around, especially since our building was originally a grocery store. I don't know why I didn't get it then, but Beth and I were waiting at the antique store this morning when it opened, and thankfully it was still there. (I remember playing with carts like this when I was a kid, which makes it even more fun.) The cart found a home with us.
Here's my friend Sami holding some fabric to be moved.

Sami and Jason putting price tags on "Thangles".

Marie's son Jonathan, came by to talk to his mom and got called into service to help finish putting up the turret.

Jenifer, hanging the perfect red velvet fabric up as a curtain for the castle. This is fabric she just happened to have and was willing to share. Amazing what can be done with yards of velvet and a staple gun.

Marie, Sami and Jason moving more fabric around.

Not pictured, Robert and Don setting up the computer and hanging stuff, and.........

Always happy to see Beth.

2008-12-31T20:55:00.001-05:00

Tallulah always loves to have Beth come and stay a few days. (me too)

Hmmm.

2008-12-31T15:55:00.000-05:00

This made me chuckle.

Did you notice which of the thress boxes wasn't opened first?

No more getting locked out of the house.

2008-12-30T21:56:00.002-05:00

So, here is our fail safe don't get locked out of the house and have to break a window to get back in device. Ask Drew about his "funny" story.

Feeling a little stressed today.

2008-12-30T21:02:00.004-05:00

I spent some of my day today, scraping the crazy blue paint from the three paned windows on the outside. It was a pain and feels a little like "trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear", but it was bugging me. I really want the outside of the building to be as great as the inside. So, hopefully people will want to stop and actually come into the shop. But, the majority of it will have to wait for the grant to replace the windows and the siding. *sigh*

Marie brought a great jar with some shells in it from the beach for the beach.

Marie and Sami continued to work on the pricing the inventory. All the batting is in place. Yea, I do love this product.

The "one sidedness" brick of the castle was bugging my mural painter friend so we painted the right side of it today. I will admit it does look better. Beth also, got more angle and perspective on the throne room arch way which I love. She has such a great eye for these things.

Robert bless his heart, got the turret cut out and ready for Beth to paint. (I, personally hate butt shots, but oh well .)
Jennifer came over again during her lunch hour and scraped the second to last window.

Robert got the trim on the counter and I got two coats of stain on it.

Lest, I sound cranky and ungrateful, I am truly not. I am blessed to be working hard to follow a dream. Thanks everyone for all your support and help.

The finishing touches on the bathroom mural.

2008-12-29T22:03:00.004-05:00

Mitzy with her cap, bag and flip flops.
Click on the picture to see the "blush" in her face, from being surprised and the great details of her cap, and bag.

A sea gull mobile mural, on top of the door.

Gus with his name "carved" in the post and a sea shell on the beach.

The flying sea gull.

I did manage to get the "grass skirt" on the sink.

Now, if the last mirror would come in before Saturday.

*sigh*

5 days and counting.

2008-12-29T21:49:00.002-05:00

Jennifer came by today on her lunch hour and scraped windows and then came back tonight for more!

I worked on staining the top of the check out counter two coats on, one to go and the trim to be added.
This is the baby fabric area. Beth, was bringing me her old crib, but found out that it didn't have all the parts it needed. So, she found this one on craigslist and bought it and brought it. So, here's what it looks like.

Today felt like a really productive day.

2008-12-27T20:19:00.004-05:00

I started the day off finally finishing the painting in the office break room. Then I got the wooden pieces of Beth's mural "mudded" so she could paint them without the groves where the wood didn't quite line up. I also got the last "I" beam in the classroom painted red. It was good to feel like I actually finished a couple of things. Robert diligently worked on his list as well. He got the molding up in the kids area. It is part of the old wood from the building that he cut down into 1x2's. I love it .
He also got the corrugated tin on the counter. And the wood one the windows outside that were missing the middle pieceand the windows caulked. So, no more breezes blowing the curtains. Yee Ha.

Here's the counter with the tin, on it I really like it. I want the shop to have some antiques and some urban looking pieces in it as that's really a mix of who I am or who I am becoming an antique in an urban setting. I still have to figure out the top of the counter. We also found out that we need to get our shelving units out from where we were storing them, so we did some rearranging to try to figure out where all of them are going to go.

I only have one widow on the Telfair side left to scrape. Hallelujah! The curtains and the clean windows make me smile. Which is a nice off set as the scraping was making me curse.

More from the productive day.

2008-12-27T20:00:00.001-05:00

After cleaning and scraping one window Marie's elbow was screaming for her to do something else. So, while I was painting and unpainting. Marie was cleaning and organizing. This wooden box was in the building when we bought it. We like it and would like to try and use it. So, Marie braved the spider webs and dirt and gave it a good cleaning and shined it up nicely.

We also found this old tape dispenser on top of the old walker cooler while we were

demo-ing it. Marie cleaned it up and added the roll of tickets which we start using when we open and my business cards. Very creative. I really like when we can use things we found in the building.

Lo0k we can see the top of the cutting table!

Marie and Sami working on POS to label the inventory! Yea!

Thanks ladies.

Let the scraping begin...

2008-12-26T20:06:00.001-05:00

Today Marie, Sami and I started scraping the windows. We used tempra paint on the so it would wash off fairly "easy". However, the spray on primer we used on the sill had to be scraped. Can, I just say we have a lot of windows.

We did get two on the Telfair side completely done. I think it has probably been years since the widows were this clean!

Marie washing off the tempra paint, with a nosey Tallulah checking things out. It is fun to look into the windows and see fabric!

Thoughts on stripes and circles.

2008-12-24T16:50:00.001-05:00

So, here's some shots of one window done in circles and one done in stripes..........

2 1/2 hours and one bottle of conditioner later....

2008-12-24T16:42:00.002-05:00

So, Drew decided that the dread locks were just too much work and the hair was coming undreaded and......so, this was a surprise to all of us when he got up this morning.

This may be over sharing but here is the hair he combed out, after taking all the rubber bands out and using a bottle of conditioner.....

Some Colorado people that did not get mentioned, but mean a lot to us.

2008-12-24T07:37:00.004-05:00

Andy, Marcie, Andy and Jessie graciously let us bunk in their spare room. The whole week. They were flexible (esp. since Mr. Organization (Robert) wasn't on the trip and Miss Organization (Megan) was finishing up rotations and taking finals, so I called Marcie the week before to let her know we were coming. Anyway, we had a blast hanging out with them. "Young" Andy and Jessie have grown into great young adults. They love Jesus and are funny and gracious. It is funny how I see my kids grown into adults, but don't think that other people kids are doing the same thing. Also, a couple of times Andy, Marcie, Megan and I would be having our quiet times all at the same time. All four of us with our Bibles and lap tops. Thanks Stewarts.

We also got to see my brother, and his family for a short time while we were there. We met them for dinner. Mike and Karen and Karen's mom Verna were moving their boys Michael and Shane from Ft. Collins and Greeley to Denver. I don't envy them as the high the day they were actually moving them was supposed to be 5. We enjoyed our time, though short with them as well. What you don't get to see in the picture is that just before this was taken I was backing up and taking the picture and tripped backwards and sat right down on a short wall that had a couple of inches of snow on it. So, everyone got a chuckle out of it and I got a cold bum.

Here's where we landed at the end of the day.

2008-12-23T22:58:00.002-05:00

The notions wall.

Looking back toward the windows after all the shelves have been moved, and the cutting table is in the center-ish of the room.
The view from the front door.

Same view, different angle.