It's Veronica with Ophelia's Quilts. I recently went to Orange Beach, AL for a mini-vacation to just get away from the daily hustle and bustle. So, one day my hubby and I were cruising down Hwy 59. I'm relaxing looking out the window when he taps me on the shoulder. I turn to see what landmark he found interesting. My eyes followed the direction in which his finger was pointing. It lead to an unbelievable find. There was this gigantic store called Fabric By The Pound! It was literally a warehouse! So, naturally we did the only reasonable thing and made a U-turn, of course! I was so excited and nervous to go into this store. Now, why nervousness, I don't know but I cannot deny the feeling was definitely there. So, like any responsible quilter would do, I immediately grabbed my iPhone and pulled up my checking account. How much expendable cash do I have to spend in this wonderfully amazing store? Well, with a firm budget in mind, I took a deep breath and went into the store.
The store is a quilter's dream. From wall-to-wall, all you could see was fabric! There were some fabric for upholstery but mostly cotton fabrics geared toward quilting. I was so happy. So, the store pretty much had all the quilting fabrics on sale for $7.99 per yard with a minimum half yard cut. Now, since I'm only trying to build up my stash, I decided to buy only one yard of each fabric that tickled my fancy. How exciting, right? There were so many rows of fabric I just nearly fainted. My sweet little husband immediately found a small seating area which, for some odd reason, appeared to be put there for spouses. I know it sounds silly, but there were car magazines and more manly type of reading material. So, he smiled and said, "Looks like I'm not the only man to ever get dragged in here". I was so tickled at him but he brought this on himself. He wanted me to check out that store because he is the one who showed it to me. So, since my husband had made himself comfortable, I didn't have any reason to rush. I could just take my time. Wonderful, right? Oh my dear sweet quilting friends, . . . . . . this store was amazing. And the name is literal. The quilting fabrics were mostly priced but the upholstery and some quilting fabrics were available to purchase by the pound. One lady purchased three pounds of fabric for like $10.00. Yes, I was totally being nosey to see what type of deal she could get. Anyway, I took my time and walked down each and every single isle picking out fabrics that I thought would go well in my stash. There were so much to choose from that it was somewhat overwhelming. This was also the sentiment of a fellow quilter who was shopping in the store. Unfortunately, I did not get her name but she did say that she was there on vacation from Huntsville, AL. So, for the purpose of my story, we'll just call her Huntsville. So, Huntsville and I pretty much walked around the store together looking at fabrics and chit-chatting about our projects. A local came in who was working on making a baby quilt for someone. She purchased the cutest baby fabrics. Anyway, she pretty much gave us the "lay of the land" and even talked about the owner, who she called Richard, and how she and other local quilters had talked to him to get him to put more cotton fabrics in the store over the years. Well, needless to say, Huntsville and I were both very thankful to her and the other quilters in the area because the selection was amazing.
The picture above is just a small section of the store you guys. There were multiple isles packed full of fabric! So, I walked around picking up bolts and carrying them around with me. Then putting down those bolts to pick up other bolts. Uh, this just went on and on and on . . . . My dear hubby was so patient. He definitely wins the "Big Guy" award of the year. Not a single complaint from him about the time I spent looking for fabric. So, when it was all over, I had myself a nice little stash.
So, guys, if you are ever traveling through Orange Beach, AL for any reason, definitely drop in on the guys at Fabrics By The Pound. They were so friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed my shopping experience. I can't wait to show you guys what designs I come up with using my amazing fabric finds!
The store is actually in Foley, AL but it's right next to Orange Beach. It does come up on Google but unfortunately, they do not have a website. Can you believe that? Now for my disclaimer. I am not in any way endorsing this fabric company per se. I am merely telling you guys of my wonderful experience and suggest that you all swing by to have that same type of experience should you ever be traveling through that area.
Well, until next time my friends. . . . . . . . . Happy Quilting!!
