A bit over 3 years ago, June 2007 to be exact, I began a search for a specific fabric to back a quilt top that I had made. I wasn’t too particular about the exact print, but I did want it to come from the same collection. After several nights of online searching I found a shop that had enough for me to order. Since this particular collection was a couple of years old I waited until the next day to call and confirm that they had it in stock before I placed the order. The person that answered the phone was not in the most pleasant of moods. She wouldn’t check to see if she had the product and just wanted me to order it online and she would fill it if she had it. Normally I wouldn’t have given this store the time of day, but I was stuck. I was desperate for a piece of fabric and she (hopefully) had it. All said and done, it took almost three weeks before the fabric arrived, shoved in a Walmart bag, without even being folded neatly.
Somehow receiving that piece of fabric in that condition stole a bit of the joy that I had in knowing I was almost done with this project that I had already poured so much time into. Like any dissatisfied customer, I ranted a bit to my husband and made some comments about how it should have been done. He sat there, looking at me, and quickly remarked something to the effect of “… then why don’t you?”
“Then why don’t I what?”
“Why don’t you open your own online quilt shop?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No. You work really well with computers, you love quilting, you love fabric, you have all the right ideas of how it should be done … I think you should go for it.”
A week later The Quilt Shoppe was born. To say that the last 3-1/2 years have been the most incredible years of my life would be a huge understatement. And, although it is fun to play with fabric and to wonder what would be lovingly created with your hands, the greatest joy has been the friendships and relationships that have been forged. We’ve had the privilege of meeting people not only in every state of the USA, but so many abroad … Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Russia, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Austria, Mexico, Japan, France, Malaysia, Amsterdam, and the list goes on and on. You’ve all touched our lives in a very special way.
Through these last several years we’ve experienced, personally, great joys and great sorrows. You’ve been there with us through all of them … from our middle daughters’ gymnastics back injury, to my husbands stroke, my father-in-laws passing, Amanda’s wedding, our son’s soccer wins and losses. The most recent sorrow, however, was one we didn’t share. It happened during our Spring Blog Bingo.
My husband and I have cared for both of his parents for the last 16 years. You may remember that last October his father passed away suddenly. In January my dear mother-in-law, who was living with us at the time, took quite ill. After many trips to hospitals and some short rehabilitative stays in a nursing home, she went home to be with her Lord Jesus on May 29. I thank God for each of you that played our Spring Bingo. It was truly the one thing that kept me going during that time, that forced me to get up in the morning. You have no idea what a blessing you were.
Since her passing our family has gone through some incredible changes. For the first time in 16 years we have no one to look after or check in with. It has been an honor to be able to care for his parents in this way. Our children are so blessed for having experienced that level of “family.” But now it’s different. We just have us. We don’t remember what that feels like, but we’re beginning to find our way.
Part of this new “life,” if you will, is that my husband will be retiring from his job at the beginning of the year. After much discussion and prayer about what God would have for our future, and some new direction He’s putting in our paths, we’ve come to the decision that it is time for me to retire also, and close The Quilt Shoppe.
I cannot begin to tell you how many sleepless nights and tossing and turning, what if’s, what not’s, etc., we went through in making this decision. The Quilt Shoppe has quite literally been my life for the last three years. But we also know that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecc. 3:1
There are no words to express how much we are going to miss each of you. You have all become so special. We wish much joy and happiness for each of you.
We want you to be the first to take advantage of our clearance sale. We have reduced ALL INVENTORY to 30% off our original retail prices (which are already considerably less than most other online retailers).
That means …
Yardage is only $5.59/yd
Charm packs are $4.89
Honey buns, $16.09
jelly rolls & layers cakes $20.99
Kits, bundles, patterns & books are discounted too!
Here are the SALE details …
- All inventory must be sold.
- Discount will be automatically taken at checkout. No coupon code is required. Sale will continue until all merchandise is sold.
- Discounts cannot be combined.
- Does not apply to previous orders or BOM’s. If you are a BOM member, we will continue to ship as scheduled.
- Orders will be processed in the order they are received. Standard shipping policies apply. Shipping charges are based on the original retail price, not the sale price. PLEASE NOTE: We will make every attempt to have your order shipped in a timely manner, but delays may be experienced. Please do not request a rush shipment. Thank you for your patience.
- Sale is limited to stock on hand. If an item is short, we will ship what is available and refund the difference. If an item is no longer available, a full refund will be issued.
- Etsy/Paypal orders are not available.
- All sales are final. No returns … no refunds.
kristy, sydney, nsw, australia 
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