People, Places, & Quilts - Summerville SC

As part of a Country Heritage Tour of Historic Charleston and Savannah I took with my husband March 18-24, I visited three quilt shops. I will address the second and third shops in Georgia and Florida in later posts.This post focuses on the first and northernmost shop, People Places & Quilts in Summerville, SC.

Summerville is a quaint town slightly northwest of Charleston SC, first settled in 1785 and incorporated into a town in 1847. Entry from one end of the town of Summerville passes over a railway track, so mounded in the road that vehicles of long length can get hung up on its highest point.

Pine trees are revered in Summerville. In 1847 a law was passed prohibiting the cutting down of pine trees, the first of such a law in the United States. Branches can be removed but the trees themselves are sacred. Per Wikipedia's entry about Summerville 

In 1899, the International Congress of Physicians (or "Tuberculosis Congress") listed Summerville to be one of the two best areas in the world for treatment and recovery of lung and throat disorders. It received such notation due to its dry and sandy location, and the many pine trees in the area that release turpentine derivatives into the air. Folks would flock to Summerville in the summer for their health - hence the name.

The pine tree background is interesting but the quilt shop was more fascinating both for its architecture and contents. It was housed in what used to be an old hardware store; the fabrics and notions are displayed in multiple rooms at two levels. The welcoming staircase shortly after entry beckons you to come and see more.

The room off to the right held bolts and fat quarters and some kits.

The room straight ahead with the lovely twinkly white lights held books and patterns as well as more fabric.

It also held two very inviting love seats. My husband Frank made himself at home on one of the comfy "husband's couches" where he browsed magazines while waiting for me after walking the downtown area himself for a bit.

Here are my purchases. I spotted this assembled pillow top of an intricate tree populated with birdhouses of all whimsical sorts. 

On closer inspection I noted that the tree is formed by cutting apart each of the window pane sections of this panel and joining them, very carefully matching the tree limbs. I have shown only half the panel here. It is doubled over and there are the identical twelve images on the other side.

I was enamored with the detail in each of the pictures.

Then I noticed that there was a similar pillow assembly from a panel that contained birds only without their nesting houses.

Once again note how each image can be cut apart and the tree branches carefully joined at the seams. I had to have it as well. Note the Elizabeth's STUDIO signature along the edge. The watercolor artist is Tracy Lizotte.

I love the printed detail. This mama robin red breast and her three babies is a good example.

Once home I read the selvage and learned this fabric was from Elizabeth Studies. I greatly admire the work from this printer and have bought them in the past. Usually I only see it at quilt shows because it is an English company and vendors have told me that the quantities required for the wholesaler to buy is prohibitive for smaller shops. Had I been aware of the Elizabeth studio connection while at People Places & Quilts I would have asked staff at the store if they stocked similar fabric from that mill. I may phone them now that I am home. Several of my past blog posts show other examples of fabric from this mill. 

Three blog posts are panels for cloth books for babies:

• post for 11/09/18 Whose Baby Am I? – artist John Butler
• post for 12/16/14  Little Baby Signs – artist Joy Allen
• post for 12/27/12  My Baby's Day – artist Joy Allen

Two blog posts are for panels intended for cloth books but that I made into placemats instead:

• post for 12/16/18  Twelve Cats of Christmas – artist Kevin Whitlark
• post for 12/17/18  Twelve Dogs of Christmas – artist Kevin Whitlark

One blog post showcases a sepia toned seaside print fabric I made into pillowcases:

• post for 8/17/16  pillowcases – artist Faye Whittaker 

Other purchases I made at People Places & Quilts were two fat quarters – just because I liked them.

The whimsy and colors of this bird print appealed to me. I was only going to buy ½ yard but there would have been only yard left on the bolt. I simply could not leave it there by its lonely self so I got the entire 1½ yards. With three granddaughters ages nearly 3, nearly 5, and 6½,  I am sure this will make a pretty dress for one of them.

I also remembered to add to my collection of quilt shop license plates.

Having completed my shopping, I made my requisite trip to the rest room. Our tour guide Patti told us that her father had advised her to always "run on an empty tank". The decor was clever there, too. A step ladder with a dowel to hold the paper rolls was cute.

My husband took my photo outside the side of the shop as proof I was there. I am wearing my tour badge, my bobbin necklace, and halfway-wearing my embroidered denim shirt quilt shopping shirt. Fabric – not fashion – takes priority!

Other ladies from the tour gathered outside the store enjoying the gorgeous weather as we waited for all to finish shopping and for our driver Rick to bring the bus around from wherever he had found to park the huge thing. 

Diagonally across the street I spied an antique store that my husband had been to and had found mildly interesting.

With fifteen minutes to spare my husband and I dashed over there.

I bought a small dress-form hook to hang in my sewing room. I will use it to hold my tape measure or perhaps instructions for a project in process.

As we boarded the bus, each of us was handed a small gift. They were little angels made from clothespins and fabric representing the pastel painted houses of Rainbow Row.

Rainbow Row is a string of houses located along 83 to 107 East Bay Street near the waterfront in Charleston.

Once we had boarded the bus, all the staff of People Places and Quilts lined up outside to wave goodbye to us all. What fun! All that measuring, cutting, folding, visiting, and feeding (they gave us lunch, too)... and they still had the energy to wave! Whew!