Ruby Street Quiltworks

It is a well kept secret, that flannel can protect you from the flu, including the H1N1 virus. The protective qualities of flannel are endorsed by no reputable doctors and are well supported by no credible medical research. 

For full potency flannel should be made into a quilt, preferably with a light and fluffy wool batting. There are two mechanisms which create flannel’s protective effect, giving it a one - two punch against seasonal viruses. First, the process of making a flannel quilt releases endorphins which calm and relax you, allowing your immune system to work to it’s full potential. Flannel delivers it's second punch once the quilt is finished. Simply snuggle under the completed (or mostly completed) quilt to maximize it’s medical efficacy.

There are some activities which enhance the protective qualities of a flannel quilt and others which can cause unexpected complications. 

Activities which enhance the protective qualities of a snuggling under a flannel quilt include: sipping tea or other medicinal liquids, reading a good book and eating rich, deep, dark chocolate. 

Those activities which can produce dangerous complications occur when snuggling under the flannel quilt with another person. This activity should be undertaken with either extreme caution or wild abandon. You should not necessarily consult your physician before engaging in this risky behavior.

Ingredients for making your own flannel quilt are available at Ruby Street Quiltworks. 

I am thankful to have the most creative, skillful and loyal customers in the universe. Ruby Street Quiltworks is not the only establishment selling fabric and quiltmaking supplies in the Olympia area. One of the other retailers of these products in our area is JoAnn's Fabrics, a "big box" chain store which offers a variety of crafting supplies. Normally, I don't consider JoAnn's a competitor. Our respective establishments offer goods and services of a completely different nature. You would not go to JoAnn's for quality fabric for a special quilt. You would not go to Ruby Street Quiltworks for craft foam sheets. You would not go to JoAnn's for assistance or advice on your project. You would not go to Ruby Street Quiltworks to stock up on a large supply of rotary cutter blades.

There is, however, some overlap in our product lines. For example, JoAnn's carries Olfa Rotary Cutters and Omnigrid Cutting Mats and Rulers. These items are quiltmaking staples which JoAnn's offers at a competitive price, further enticing customers to purchase them with percentage-off coupons and special sales. I offer these same items at Ruby Street Quiltworks, however my stock is limited because I can not match JoAnn's price. Still, I offer them as a convenience to those wonderful customers who will buy them at Ruby Street Quiltworks, even though our price may be a bit higher. These customers shop on Ruby Street for convenience or because of the assistance they receive from our knowledgeable, friendly staff or because they prefer to support local, independently owned businesses. Their purchasing decisions can determine which businesses will survive the recession. For these customers, I am grateful.

With the exception of the few items I offer for convenience, I choose not to carry products I know my customers can buy for less at a large chain store. Recently, I purchased some really fun "Project Runway" Sewing Baskets. They are cute, well made and I offered them for sale at the very reasonable price (or so I thought) of $29.99. Imagine my dismay when I discovered JoAnn's offered the same sewing baskets for ... well ... a lot less. So, sitting in the window at Ruby Street Quiltworks are some really cute sewing baskets that would make great holiday gifts. And there they have sat for quite some time. This is a sad fate for such darling sewing baskets. 

And so, if you are reading this blog post, I would like to give you one of the sewing baskets. If you would like one, post a comment to this blog by clicking the comments link below. If you are one of the first six website visitors to post a comment (there are only six sewing baskets) print out your comment and bring it to Ruby Street Quiltworks (before Christmas 2009) to receive your basket. You have my thanks for your support. 

Well, it is better known as a shop hop, but I would prefer to crawl, as in the better known activity, a "pub crawl." A pub crawl is an open and loosely arranged drinking party, where the participants wander from one pub to the next, liberally sampling the wares in each establishment. You can see how, at the end of the party, the term "crawl" might be used in the most literal sense. Pub crawls are a great way to meet people, and enjoy the hospitality and ambiance of a variety of public houses.

The Southwest Washington Shop Hop is a great hop to crawl on ... so to speak. Unlike it's big sister, the Western Washington Shop Hop, this smaller regional hop includes only ... only? ... twenty shops. It covers a smaller geographical area, and it crawls along for a weekend, a week and another weekend.

Now, big sister is great! Fast, fun and frantic! 57 shops! Five days! Chips, hot salsa and a margarita on the patio. But little sister is meant to be savored, hot soup on the wood stove, fresh baked bread and chilled wine with a good book. Take your time. Enjoy the shops. Where are the crowds? Sample the wares (you can still drive after). Ask the staff where they eat and where they take their guests. Then, go and see what they love and eat the good food they recommend.

Fall is the perfect time to explore the countryside of Southwest Washington. Experience the natural beauty and great communities in our region. If the weather is fine, plan a picnic lunch in a local park. (Here on Ruby Street we would send you down the street to Tumwater Falls Park - a charming little park with a lovely waterfall and salmon ladders. Fall is the perfect season to witness the salmon run.) If the weather is gray, take that soup in a thermos and make it a car picnic. Most of all, take some friends or make some along the way. There will be quilters at every stop!

Details of the Southwest Washington Shop Hop are on our home page. You can print out directions and a map by clicking here.

On February 1, 2008, I opened the doors at 100 Ruby Street and inaugurated the enterprise known as Ruby Street Quiltworks. Recently I attached Ruby Street Quiltworks (with needle and thread and a computer) onto the "World Wide Web." Now, with this first posting to our online journal "On Ruby Street" we are launching into the blogosphere.

Ruby Street Quiltworks is a quilt shop that is the center of a vibrant quiltmaking community. If you did not visit the shop today, you missed the exciting quilts being dropped off for the Washington Stars Quilt Guild Show. If you have not visited the shop in the last week, you missed "Folklorica," the delightful collection of wondrous creatures by Julie Pachkis for In the Beginning Fabrics. If you have not visited the shop in the last month, you haven't seen our fun Halloween displays, fabric, projects and kits. If you have never visited Ruby Street Quiltworks, you have not met our friendly, helpful and wildly creative staff, or encountered our gracious, talented and also very helpful customers.

In case you can't make it to Ruby Street Quiltworks today, or this week, or this month or (heaven forbid) ever, perhaps Ruby Street Quiltworks can come to you ... through the blogosphere. I hope you will visit often, at the shop or online and find what is going on ... "On Ruby Street."

Detail from "Folklorica" by Julie Pachkis