Friday 30 August 2013

When old cars & Quilting Collide...

Berwick, Nova Scotia
I was fortunate to visit Berwick, Nova Scotia this summer.  It was a Model T evening.  A local Model T enthusiast/owner, John Eaton, and the Apple Capital Interpretive Centre worked together to have an evening of, Model T rides, an informative talk on Henry Ford about the Model T in particular and it was followed by ice cream. 


Model T, Berwick, NS
I thought it was a super evening.  Then, I went in the Apple Interpretive centre and it became a fantastic evening.  On the 2nd floor- they had a great display of what a kitchen would look like- complete with a sewing machine (treadle) set up. 




As I turned to go back out, I realised I missed a spectacular part of the centre.


Scenes from Nova Scotia
Quilt by Muriel Horsnell of Weston, NS
entered into Atlantic Winter Fair 1971
It is a quilt that has small paintings of iconic Nova Scotia scenes accented with yellow squares.  Each of the corners has a different emblem from Nova Scotia- mayflowers, a thistle from NS tartan and a couple of variations on the NS flag.

 
close ups of the quilt
 

It's a remarkable piece of art.  The tag on it - from the Atlantic Winter Fair 1971 - states it came in 2nd place! It was entered in; Quilt, any other kind (Artex Liquid Embroidery) and donated by Sally Horsnell to the Berwick Museum Society. It makes you wonder what 1st place looked like!

I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy this quilt in person at the Apple Capital Interpretive Centre in Berwick, NS.

On a related note, the Cumberland County Exhibition-located in Oxford, NS, is now on and I'm planning to get there before it ends Sat night and see what is on exhibit in the handicraft section. Have you been to your local fair lately?   

Thursday 29 August 2013

Day 1 ...


Hoffman -Asian Peony

Wow!  Thank you for all your kind words and support! 

Today, I learned the layout or overall way of getting around in the shop will work.  Things like; the cutting table is not too far away from where the cash register is and that people can look in different areas without bumping into each other. 

I still have a lot to do, but businesses are always a work in progress.  Tomorrow, I will be back at it! 

It's by DW or Daniel Walker!

I have a big book for people to sign and make comments in.  You may want to flip it closed and have a peek at the picture painted on the front.  

I thought I'd show some of the Hoffman Batiks that I trimed into Fat Quarters today.  There are a lot more of them to show you.  I also received word today that more fabric should arrive next week!

Hoffman Batiks

Have a great day. I'll be off to work tomorrow with a big smile on my face.  Cheers!


Wednesday 28 August 2013

Set your alarm clocks...but not too early!





I'm planning to open Mrs P's doors to the public Thursday afternoon!  For now, I will be there from 2pm to 4:30 pm.  Not everything is done and there are some orders are not yet in, but the bare bones are there. 

It's what would be referred to as, a 'soft' opening.  Not a great deal of fanfare - just opening my doors to the public and see what happens.  There may be a lot of glitches or it may be bump free - although, I doubt the latter! 

I will be there this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Guaranteed 2pm to 4:30 pm but watch for the open sign, I hope to be there more than that. 

I will keep you posted on more hours.  First, I need to see how the shop works with real people in it, and change things if needed.

Have a great day! Thank you so much for believing in me.  I hope I will meet your expectations!

Saturday 17 August 2013

Introducing the Chubbie...

Yes, the Flabbie ( a 1/2 m width of fabric cut) has a stablemate... The Chubbie !

Mrs P's offers up Chubbies !
Mrs P's was able to get an assorted amount of 2 metre cuts. The wholesaler decides what goes in the boxes, so I'm as surprised by the assortment as everyone else.  I'd recommend to wash this fabric as it does not come in plastic bags and it truly is an assortment in boxes.

I decided to take these to the 'street' today.  It's Blueberry Harvest Festival in Amherst and it was a lovely day.  I put out a few tables and started to see what kind of interest there was in my soon-to-be shop and the Chubbie. 

There was interest in everything! Lots of people were surprised I was turning Mrs Pugsley's Emporium Inc. into a quilt shop but very supportive.  Others were excited by the prospect of more fabric in town.  It was a great chance to talk with people and see what they would like in a quilt shop.

I will be up and running in September!  I'll keep you posted for my hours and days I'll be at work. 

Cheers!

Monday 5 August 2013

Where did I go?...

My apologies for not posting sooner. 

Belfast, Northern Ireland

I was in Ireland for a couple of weeks, followed by a few days in Venice.  A planned trip and quite lovely.  I have over 2000 pictures of the trip and I've not gone through all of them yet.

Belfast
I have a my new business name, Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium Inc.  I still like to refer to it as Mrs P's.


Cat Garden, Belfast Castle

I arrived home to the news that someone was interested in buying the location of the old Pugsley's Drug store.  So, my Dad and I have been busy cleaning out the old location.  The Tupper Block was built in 1889- so there was lots of dirt and dust.  Things got moved and the building sold July 31, 2013. 

Fuller's Drug Store Rubber mat

When I say moved, I mean I have re-purposed some items into Mrs P's and at some point during the move- it was just easier to shift things to the clock tower building with the thought, I'll take care of it later.  Later, has now arrived and I'm busy putting the clock tower and Mrs P's to right.
 
My Dad, My Hero!
old Pugsley's Drug Store location



The fabric is beginning to arrive by collections rather than a bolt of this and that.  Currently, it is all wrapped and bundled against dust and sun damage.

Again, I'm sorry for the posting delay.  I hope you are enjoying your summer!